Now F1’s going for gold

Formula One drivers could be going for gold next year! Under radical new proposals, the current scoring system is set to be overhauled, with the first three finishers of a grand prix being awarded Olympic style medals.

At the end of the season, the driver with the most gold medals would win the title. This system would have meant Lewis Hamilton missing out on this year’s championship.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has put forward the plan in an attempt to boost overtaking.

He believes that drivers would be forced to go for glory, rather than adopting a more conservative strategy and netting less risky points.

Ecclestone confirmed the plans at a press conference to announce a technology partnership between F1 and electronics giant LG.  “The medal system is going to happen,” said Ecclestone.

“All the teams are happy. The whole reason for doing this was that I was fed-up with people talking about there being no overtaking.

“If you are in the lead and I’m second, I’m not going to take a chance and risk falling off the road or doing something silly to get two more points.

However, if I need to do it to win a gold medal, because the most medals win the world championship, then I will overtake you.”

But the scheme has attracted some high-profile critics, including former team boss Eddie Jordan. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the Irishman expressed his concerns. “I think it’s a nonsense,” he said. “The points are necessary because one point to a team further down the grid is as important as a win is to McLaren and Ferrari, and we must never forget that.”

The new scoring system should be approved at a FIA Motor Sport Council meeting to be held in Paris later this month.