Irvine world champion under FOTA points plan

Here we go again. Another round of 'what ifs', this time based on the proposal put forward by FOTA for revising the points system this season. They suggest that the winner should be receive greater reward (12 points) and that the podium finishers should gain more relative to the rest.

So the mathematicians have been working out what different championship outcomes we might havd had in the past if this system had been in place.

The biggest difference is that Eddie Irvine would have won the title in 1999 and Damon Hill would be a double champion, with victory in 1994 as well as 1996.

Felipe Massa would be the defending champion this season.

The feedback so far seems to have been reasonably positive. I think there is a general feeling that the driver who wins the most races should be the champion and most fans seem to welcome a plan which rewards going for the win.

The FIA will vote on this proposal on March 17th at its world council, which promises to be quite an event, with all the stuff FOTA put forward this week up for approval as well as whatever Max Mosley has up his sleeve.

There are some suggestions that budget caps are still being put forward within FIA circles as a possibility and these may well be up for a vote on the 17th too.