Formula One is set to make last-minute changes to the points system for the 2010 season to give winners a greater advantage.
Under a new “race to win” proposal by the Formula One commission, the winner will get 25 points, with 18 going to second and 15 to third, the international motorsport federation FIA said on Tuesday.
The points format, due to be submitted to the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council for final approval within the next 48 hours, will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.
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The commission, comprising Formula One teams and major stakeholders, have also agreed to changes to tyre rules for the 2010 season as well as a ban on double diffusers from 2011.
The points system had already been altered for 2010 so that the top 10, rather than the top eight finishers, are in the points.
With the number of teams growing from 10 to 13, the FIA World Motorsport Council in December had scrapped the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system and instead approved a scale of 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1.
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Proposed tyre rule changes will mean the number of dry weather tyres sets allocated per team will be reduced from 14 to 11.
The top 10 cars in the third and final phase of qualifying must start the race on the same set of tyres, while the rest will be able to use new tyres. This will “introduce a further element of strategy,” FIA said.
For 2011, the controversial double diffusers, which disperse the air flow under the car and thus improve downforce, will be banned.
The permitted height of the main diffuser for this year was also reduced from 175 millimetres to 125mm. Formula One was last season embroiled in a row over the diffusers with several teams protesting that three rivals - eventual champions Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota - had gained an unfair speed advantage over their interpretation of the rules.
Although new regulations ahead of the 2009 season had limited the size of the diffusers the three teams had designed the rear bodywork to act effectively as part of the diffuser, thus increasing its size.