When the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council first floated the idea of awarding a new bonus point for the driver who sets the fastest lap in a grand prix, RaceFans asked you how you felt about the idea.
Two-thirds of you either slightly or strongly disagreed with the idea, with just 25% either slightly or strongly agreeing with the idea of giving a bonus point to the driver who sets the fastest lap in the race.However, the FIA apparently did not take the thoughts of RaceFans readers into account as they promptly approved the proposal and introduced the point for fastest lap for the start of that season. During that year’s summer break, RaceFans asked you what you felt of the rule after 12 rounds to judge it. This time, just under half of you believed the bonus point had not made the racing more exciting, while 36% of you agreed, to some degree, that it had.
But now, after five-and-a-half seasons in the sport, the fastest lap has been brought back under the spotlight once again. Last weekend in Singapore, Daniel Ricciardo was called in to the pits in the closing laps of the race to fit almost-new soft tyres and snatch the fastest lap from race leader Lando Norris. Although RB team principal Laurent Mekies insisted after the race it had purely been a goodwill gesture to their departing driver – despite zero recognition over the rest of the weekend that this could be Ricciardo’s last grand prix – the fact that Ricciardo denied Norris a point in his pursuit of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen rubbed many fans the wrong way.
So with the fastest lap bonus point generating plenty of discussion once more, it’s as good a time as any to see how you, the fans, feel about this element of the sport.
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F1’s approach
Formula 1’s current fastest lap rule remains the same as it was when first introduced before the start of the 2019 season. Article 6.2 of F1’s sporting regulations states that “one point will be awarded to the driver who achieved the fastest valid lap time of the race and to the constructor whose car he was driving, provided he was in the top ten positions of the final race classification”.
The rule also clarifies that “no point will be awarded if the fastest valid lap time is achieved by a driver who was classified outside the top ten positions, or if the leader has completed less than 50% of the scheduled race distance.”.
So far in 2024, there have been 14 fastest lap bonus points awarded over the 18 rounds, with a bonus point not awarded in China, Miami, Austria and Singapore as the drivers who set the fastest lap in those races finished outside of the top ten.
What alternatives are there?
There are two obvious means by which the fastest lap rule could be modified that would avoid further controversies as was seen in Singapore last weekend.
However, there is an obvious problem with that. Towards the ends of races – assuming a driver towards the front has not made a late stop for fresh tyres and likely already cemented fastest lap – there would be a rush of cars outside the top ten pitting for softs to turn the end of the race into an impromptu qualifying session. Not only could that potentially disrupt late battles at the front, it also could make for some fairly farcical scenes at the finish of races and encourage teams like Sauber to preserve their cars through a race specifically for a late run at the fastest lap, rather than actually racing.
Alternatively, the fastest lap bonus point could simply go to the driver who lap of the race out of the top ten finishers, rather than not being awarded at all. Drivers who set the overall fastest lap could still be presented with the award from Pirelli and have their lap posted on social media to show everyone what a good job they did, but the actual point would go to whichever driver in the top ten had achieved the fastest lap time instead.
That may seem a more deserving approach to handing out the bonus point as it will likely be to a driver who was fighting the entire race for their top ten position, but it would also help to prevent any further controversies if an RB driver just so happens to ‘steal’ the fastest lap point away from their senior team’s championship rivals.
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I say
To be blunt, the fastest lap bonus point was never a good idea for Formula 1. It was ill-suited to the series before it was introduced, has added little value to the racing or the championship in general in the five seasons it has been in place and the events of last weekend brought nothing positive to the race either.
The fact is, giving a bonus point for the fastest lap in a grand prix has never made sense. It only ever makes sense in series where the races are sprints, where competitors are, in theory, pushing as hard as possible from the moment the lights go out to the moment their reach the chequered flag.
If it’s F1 Academy, Formula 3 or even Formula 2’s sprint races, absolutely reward whoever sets the quickest lap. After all, going as fast as possible is the point. Whoever does the best lap with the same conditions, tyres and cars as the rest of the field deserves credit for it – and a point too.
And that’s not to mention the fact that cars are not equal in Formula 1. Most of the time, the drivers with the best chance of scoring the fastest lap are, astonishingly enough, those who have the quickest cars on the grid. In most typical circumstances, the only chance a team down the field has of taking the fastest lap is by making a late switch for soft tyres.
Is it satisfying to watch drivers put racing to one side just to pursue the fastest lap like they’re trying to unlock a trophy in a PlayStation game? Is it really that thrilling to watch Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton pit with two laps remaining with a 30 second lead for a last lap glory run? Is the fastest lap bonus point something that makes the sport better?
The answer to all these questions is no.
You say
What do you think Formula 1 should do about the fastest lap bonus point? Should it be kept the same, be modified or be gotten rid of all together? Have you say in this weekend’s poll.
Which would you prefer for F1's fastest lap bonus point in the future?
- No opinion (1%)
- Remove the fastest lap point entirely (61%)
- Amend the rule so only the fastest driver in the top 10 scores the point (11%)
- Amend the rule to make all finishing positions eligible to score the point (16%)
- Keep the fastest lap bonus point rule as it is (12%)
Total Voters: 164
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Debates and polls
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Jere (@jerejj)
29th September 2024, 10:59
Keep the fastest lap point rule as it is.
Longer answer: I don’t see an issue with the fastest lap point, so just because teams occasionally game the system isn’t a valid reason to drop altogether something that works adequately well at least 95% of the time.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
29th September 2024, 18:08
I agree. I voted, leave it as it is.
scss (@scss)
29th September 2024, 21:03
I concur. And hats off to Danny Ric while we’re at it.
The issue sparking this; Red Bull owing two teams is another issue.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
30th September 2024, 0:18
I also voted for maintaining the current approach. It’s not perfect, and the sister team issue is a disappointing loophole, but – for me – it does add a small additional dimension to the race.
Having said that, if they got rid of it I would have no issue at all.
JackL
30th September 2024, 18:01
Agreed, but with a slight change:
“Alternatively, the fastest lap bonus point could simply go to the driver who lap of the race out of the top ten finishers”
So scenarios like Singapore cant happen because teams know they wont get it and cant deny it to someone else.
Dex
29th September 2024, 11:12
I’d award it only to the winner, if he’s got the fastest lap, as a bonus point. That way it’s less of a gimmick and there’s no way not to deserve it. But even then someone irrelevant can pit in from his 20th place and take it away, which is at least a lesser issue in this case; and the one that cannot be solved without even more gimmicky rules.
This is the only way I could have this rule without strongly disliking it. Either this or back to the old ways, for me at least. But I’m getting used to getting disappointed with bad new rules or, in best case scenario, poor compromises.
Alan Dove
29th September 2024, 11:13
Say we have a situation where you have a winner takes all scenario at the last round. Driver in 2nd needs to win the race to be champion and overtake their rival who is in 1st ….
or…
can pit for fastest lap instead.
That hypothetical alone should render the idea of point for ‘fastest’ lap a non-starter. The fact you can gain a point by pitting with 2 laps left to put in a quali is silly or just to take a point from someone who is in the top-10.
it adds nothing to the sport in terms of jeopardy, it just removes sporting integrity.
AlanD
29th September 2024, 18:31
Another hypothetical is two drivers leading the race, a good thirty seconds ahead of the rest of the field, but the second place driver clearly does not have a clue how to pass the leader and is hanging on only due to DRS etc. In that situation, the leader has no option to pit for fresh tyres two laps from the end to have a crack at fastest lap, because if he does, the second place will just stay out and win the race. However the driver in second knows that if the leader stays out, he can safely pit, get fresh tyres, and most likely get a bonus point for fastest lap. How can anyone say that is a deserved reward? Yet really, that is the same situation we see many times, where a driver at the back of a group is able to pit for fresh tyres towards the end without risk of losing a place. That isn’t skill. That is just masking poor performance.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:02
It’s a very good example, and that’s as someone who actually isn’t against FL bonus, if you think about it it’s a bit what won verstappen the 2021 championship in that infamous abu dhabi race: red bull had nothing to lose and all to gain by pitting verstappen, while merc had everything to lose by pitting hamilton.
In that case it didn’t involve a fastest lap battle, but still it’s the same situation in terms of 2nd placed car being allowed to pit and 1st not allowed.
f1andrea
29th September 2024, 11:16
I couldn’t say it better, Will Wood.
TOTALLY AGAINST
Garns (@garns)
29th September 2024, 11:21
I say get rid of it, I was never a fan.
If it is kept then maybe award it to the fastest driver no matter where they finish but also change the points system to award points to every classified finisher. I know a few pundits have done the pro’s & con’s on this but it would stop people doing a last minute pit stop if loosing positions also lost them points outside the top 10. Not sure, just a thought.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:08
Good idea, at that point it’d be a bit more meaningful, you couldn’t afford to lose positions for FL then.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:09
And maybe people would start pitting a bit earlier, trying to do a last stint on red tyres instead of just last lap.
Rkg
29th September 2024, 11:26
Increase it to two points and can only be used by 1st placed racer to increase to 27 or by the second placed racer to increase to 20.
Senna versus Schumacher
29th September 2024, 11:46
Has the point-for-fastest-lap influenced the championship in those 5 seasons? I mean: had a driver (not) scored those points, would it have given a different champion?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th September 2024, 10:17
Great question.
Since it was introduced, the only year in which it could have swung the outcome of the championship was 2021, as in no other year was the champion’s winning margin equal to or less than the available bonus points for fastest lap.
Verstappen won by eight points that year. He and Hamilton set six fastest laps each but Verstappen did not get the point in Azerbaijan, where he was classified 18th. So the bonus points did not swing the title for him.
Whether Hamilton could realistically have taken it off him is harder to argue, but we can discount it quickly if we start from the assumption Mercedes did not begin the season with Valtteri Bottas in a ‘number two’ rule, as was their practice at the time.
Of the 10 races where other drivers set fastest lap, Hamilton did not finish at Monza, so could not have scored it there, but had he taken the other nine he would have won the title.
However four of those fastest laps were set by Bottas and two were right at the start of the season – Bahrain and Portugal, rounds one and three respectively – so Mercedes would have had no reason to tell him to let Hamilton take the point (assuming that would have been feasible given the race situation). That would have been enough to ensure Hamilton was never going to win that title on fastest lap points.
Coventry Climax
30th September 2024, 11:31
As it earns you championship points, there’s only two possible outcomes for this: Either yes it does influence the championship, or no it doesn’t.
If it doesn’t, awarding the point is pointless (pun intended) to start with. It’s then ‘ceremonial’ only, but that’s what it was before the points were awarded as well.
If it does, it changes the goal of the championship from ending up highest on average, which means you’ve been the fastest overall, to introducing an element of sprint, or drag to the (F1) racing. It is awarding points not for the overall outcome, but for sub parts. So that effectively changes the nature of the game.
It’s been done and tried before, like with the double points for the final race of the season, which favoured some stretches of the total over others.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a downhill path to take: We might end up with points for going fastest on the straight of this or that circuit, or for going fastest around one or other corner, or points for fastest pit stop or for any other whim the F1 bobo’s might come up with to increase revenue.
Increasing revenue is a completely different game though; it is not – and should not be – part of the sports regulations.
d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
29th September 2024, 12:05
Remove the ‘point only for top 10’ rule and let us enjoy the show at the end of every race.
Imre (@f1mre)
29th September 2024, 13:00
What show? No one would care about 15th even if they got points for it. Well, at least I can’t be bothered whether someone finishes 9th or 15th. Apart from the odd surprise. And if all the drivers got a point even that odd surprise could not happen.
d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
29th September 2024, 15:12
Potentially half the field pitting right before the finish in an attempt to set the fastest lap. I don’t care who get’s it, heck I don’t even care who wins races now. Races are incredibly dull for most of the time, so just give me something.
MacLeod (@macleod)
30th September 2024, 8:23
+1 i think it add to the show atleast we have something to watch …
Dex
30th September 2024, 9:31
There are many “shows” to watch, but not so much formula racing.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:11
This is also an idea I like, lots of battles for fastest laps among the slowest cars.
PeteB (@peteb)
29th September 2024, 12:13
Drop it. It adds nothing. The way it is now, it’s not “who can do the fastest lap”, it’s “who has a big enough gap behind them to pit and gain an extra point.”
If they have to keep it, maybe they could say laps only count if your tyres are 10+ laps old. That’d stop people pitting late to gain an extra point. You could still try it but it’s much harder to calculate… It’d still be an artificial gimmick but F1 never seems to be willing to drop bad ideas so at least it’d improve the situation.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:12
Yes, I had also thought about that in the past, it’s far more deserved when someone sets the fastest lap after having 10-20 lap old tyres than people just pitting in the end.
Coventry Climax
29th September 2024, 12:14
Scrap it. ASAP.
The point of motorracing already is to be fastest, and that’s what should be rewarded with points, nothing else – like loudest donut or prettiest tutu. The ‘extra points’ idea is quite silly whatever they are for.
It is an incentive to unnecessarily use an extra sets of tyres. Then if you must award extra points, award them for less fuel used and/or less tyres used, for otherwise equal finishing position. At least that makes for team strategies that actually serve a purpose.
It is an incentive for teams to interrupt their race for something ‘tactical’, as we have seen. Usually, with the flap, these tactics (they are no strategy at all) have no place in motorsports.
S
29th September 2024, 12:19
The best solution is to open it up to all finishers – but also take that opportunity to fix the rest of the points system at the same time.
If 1 point is awarded for fastest lap, then make 19th place 2 points.
Two problems solved in one go.
I’m all for there being some incentive for any/all teams to try something different at the end of the GP. It should always be worth crossing the finish line, and it currently isn’t for 50% of the F1 field.
Ajaxn
29th September 2024, 12:33
I would keep fastest lap, it keeps the race interesting to the very last lap. Before we had them driving to save the engine, slowing down if they had a lead, or just keeping race order. Fastest lap has teams with a driver behind still playing a role for extra championship points, or denighing others that extra points. Keep it as it is.
AlanD
29th September 2024, 18:13
No, it doesn’t. People are not watching the timing screens with bated breath waiting to see who gets fastest lap. No-one would care about it at all if it wasn’t for the commentators banging on about it as if it was something terribly important. It is just a gimmick invented in response to people saying F1 is boring and changing channel.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
30th September 2024, 0:23
Didn’t Ajaxn just imply that he was?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th September 2024, 12:44
Scrap. It’s been horrible since day 1.
Imre (@f1mre)
29th September 2024, 13:02
Giving a point for pole position (or rather: fastest in qualifying) has much more logic than the fastest lap point.
AlanD
29th September 2024, 18:16
I agree that if you must have bonus points, then a point for pole position is the only logical one. However, I also think that too is unneccessary. The point of qualifying is to gain advantage on race day. That advantage is already a pretty suvstantial reward in itself. If they cannot convert that advantage to points on the Sunday, why reward them for a good Saturday performance?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:43
Sometimes people have exceptional quali performances, way beyond what the car is capable of and deserve a reward: russell in spa 2021 got it, but usually they don’t get the reward they deserve; I know it wasn’t pole, but it was still damn impressive with a williams and there’s certainly other cases of people putting on pole slightly better cars that didn’t deserve to be there.
Ajaxn
30th September 2024, 17:57
The person on the pole already has the advantage of being placed ahead.
No, the fastest lap gives those drivers something else to shoot for. Otherwise, you have a tame end to the race, coasting along, maintaining a 30-second cushion. The fastest lap brings extra jeopardy a reason to drive faster, a reason to take another pit stop.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
29th September 2024, 13:11
If we are keeping GL point, then it should be open to the whole field of finishers, it’s unfair otherwise.
Or gey rid, really don’t care. And lose the sprint races too dammit!
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
29th September 2024, 13:12
FL not GL, should have proofread that. (dammit).
BLS (@brightlampshade)
29th September 2024, 13:42
This is a real chance to add even more complication to F1. How about:
Closest race lap time to qualifying lap time, in the top 10, gets a point.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:45
I like the idea, sounds complicated enough and probably people will not go purposefully for it because even losing 1 place isn’t worth it if you’re in the top 10.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
29th September 2024, 14:19
I don’t like it really and wouldn’t miss it.
But – if we have a point for the fastest lap, then it should be awarded to whoever achieves it, regardless of where they finish in the race.
Why should Zhou or Lance be any less deserving than a Max or a Lando?
Coventry Climax
29th September 2024, 18:51
Seriously? ;-)
notagrumpyfan
29th September 2024, 14:40
The fastest lap has always been around and recognised.
Now suddenly it is rewarded with a point many get their high horses out of the stable.
I don’t care if they have it or not; as long as the rule is clear and unchanged within a season.
Maciek (@maciek)
29th September 2024, 14:44
It’s an unnecessary gimmick
David BR (@david-br)
29th September 2024, 14:45
Option 6, buried at the bottom of a 200m well, filled with concrete, covered in a 500m deep lake filled with piranhas.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
29th September 2024, 15:02
It has entertainment value Kieth, not a sporting one, and that is the point!
DonSmee (@david-beau)
29th September 2024, 15:02
Meant to say Will! Shucks this site doesn’t even allow you to edit your comment, even in a limited time frame.
Neil (@neilosjames)
29th September 2024, 16:08
First choice would be to get rid of it entirely. It doesn’t really make sense to award a point for something that has so little meaning. Often it’s just a prize for having the most useless, sub-optimal pit stop strategy.
Second choice would be to leave it as it is.
Opening up the point to the entire field would be my least favourite option. The ends of races would be terrible if that happened, it’d end up like a strange sub-race between whoever was P12/13 downwards…
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:47
I’d say why not, then we’d have some excitement down the field as well, not only when in the points.
BenHur
30th September 2024, 21:21
And plenty of races ending with a SC I’m afraid. Nobody wants that
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
29th September 2024, 16:26
I’ll copy/paste what I said elsewhere.
I’d just scrap the point for fastest lap completely as I just don’t think it’s worthy of awarding an extra point, Never have & never will. It’s just a completely irrelevant stat that is completely meaningless & tell’s you nothing about who actually had the best car in the race.
It add’s nothing to the race & most of the time isn’t even discussed on the broadcast unless you get these occasions where a driver with a big enough gap to the car behind pits late for fresh tyres & gets it by default which just renders it an even more meaningless stat & even less worthy of awarding a point.
Points should be earned & should be a recognition of achievement rather than something you can get simply because you find yourself in a situation to be able to pit, maintain position & on fresh tyres be able to go a few seconds faster than those around you. And extending it beyond the top 10 would make it even more silly as then your just opening up a situation where drivers who couldn’t get into the points on merit can get a point by just pitting late on for fresh tyres & getting a point which over the entirety of the race they simply hadn’t earned.
Not to mention how allowing the entire field to be eligible opens up situation where a close title decider can be turned into a farce as happened in Formula E when the 2 title rivals crashed at the start & then spent the rest of the race in a time trial against each other rather than actually racing. Something which took the attention away from the actual race that was going on as we were constantly cutting away to see cars laps down do a hot lap rather than the cars actually racing for the win.
Coventry Climax
29th September 2024, 18:59
Hold a sec, isn’t this about fastest and best driver then?
Also: Arguably, you get yourself in the position to have a free pitstop and go for FL by merit throughout the rest of the race.
But even so, the order of finishing should be the reason for points, so we agree there alright.
Asd
29th September 2024, 17:16
Option A:
Ditch it.
Option B:
Create a Fastest Lap Championship with a full points system for the top-10 just like for the races.
Those points would not go towards the WDC.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:51
Could make that fastest lap championship give some money bonus for drivers.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:52
I guess it’d be a significant reward, even if it’s much less than what they get per year.
BushTurkey
29th September 2024, 23:37
Option B already exists! The DHL Fastest Lap Award is tracked on the F1 official web site. Norris currently leading I think. There’s no prize money, just a trophy.
sam
29th September 2024, 17:21
It was a bad idea then…even worse now.
Dusty
29th September 2024, 17:33
Keep it. Let’s add points for racing order every 10 laps. Highest top speed. Longest distance without lifting the throttle. Highest apex speed holding the steering wheel with just one hand. Most polite post race interview.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:53
Ahah, liked the one-hand thing, not sure if you remember hamilton at baku 2017, but because of a headrest issue he was driving 1-hand on the straights, till they forced him to pit!
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
30th September 2024, 0:40
Why stop there Dusty.
Best helmet design, most livery changes per season, longest in race distance covered whilst holding ones breath, quickest return to racing after major surgery, most obnoxious team star guest, least number of scandals, MOST number of scandals, a raffle at every track session (where first prize is a meat tray, second is a premium manicure, and third is 25 championship points), and most overtakes per season (as a factor of your average position).
Just joking of course…… that last one would never work.
PeterG
29th September 2024, 17:43
Get rid of it completely.
I have nothing more to add.
AlanD
29th September 2024, 18:22
The points awarded for race win and positions are awarded on a level playing field. Every car-driver combo runs under the same conditions. The fastest lap point is not. People who are in a close battle cannot pit to take on fresh tyres. The fastest lap does not reflect in any way who was the fastest under true racing conditions.
Coventry Climax
29th September 2024, 19:10
You could argue that all drivers are on the same level playing field and all have the opportunity to create a gap for themselves.
Also, the other side of this, is that maybe the ‘true racing conditions’ are compromised? Like through the tyre rules and its manufacturer?
AlanD
29th September 2024, 20:59
No, that’s the point, they don’t. You only have the opportunity if you are unable to compete with the cars in front of you, and the cars behind cannot keep up with the group you are in. If you are running, say, third, and the top six are all within sight of each other, how can you, through your own skill, open a pit stop window to the car behind? You can’t. It just isn’t an option.
The one exception to that is when the leader pulls out a big enough gap to get themselves a free pit stop so they can go for a late tyre change and fastest lap. I think Verstappen has asked to do that in some races, but I don’t recall him or anyone else actually doing it.
Coventry Climax
29th September 2024, 23:36
Oh, but you can compete with the cars in front of you: Build a better/faster car and/or have it driven by better/faster drivers: That’s actually been the whole point of F1 all along. That and all cars competing with one another. Although given the effort some teams put in these days, you’d hardly think they’re even trying anymore, and happy with the prize money they get for just being there.
One thing obviously is, you can’t do that during the race, plus the FiA is shutting down that part of F1 more and more, hence these gimmick rules. But whichever way you look at it, F1 is a championship, so it goes beyond a single race and the rules are the same for everyone.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
30th September 2024, 0:47
The rules are the same for everyone, but I think you are intentionally missing AllanD’s point. In any given race the specific circumstances will largely dictate the ability to create a gap. Other posters have given examples of these scenarios. You can only influence so much with your own car and driver. Less so other cars and drivers that will also impact your opportunities.
Coventry Climax
30th September 2024, 11:42
@cairnsfella
No, I originally said ‘you could argue’, and that is the part that AllanD missed when he replied to me.
My second post/reply is just explaining that.
Where I stand on the FL point is abundantly clear from my other replies here.
PeteB (@peteb)
29th September 2024, 18:32
Several comments suggest every position should be entitled to the point if they get fastest lap but that would make the end of the race an absolute clown show. Everyone from 11th down would pit at the end of the race and wait in the pits for some space to come back out into….
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:55
And then they would have a massive battle for FL without an obvious outcome!
MichaelN
29th September 2024, 19:06
The fastest lap is just a statistical quirk. Why not a point for leading every lap? Two points for a grand slam? Half a point for the quickest pitstop?
The point of the race is to win, so tailor the rewards to that; the finishing order. Everything else is irrelevant.
Jockey Ewing
29th September 2024, 19:16
Even awarding point for the bests at the qualification, like 3-2-1 for the first 3 on the starting grid, would be better. At least that would not be random, but would reward single lap pace more consistently.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:57
Yes, think about russell’s super 2nd place in a williams at spa 2021: were it not for the unusual race circumstances, he wouldn’t have got a reward for that; with this system he would in any case.
Jockey Ewing
29th September 2024, 19:12
Scrap. But not based on the last weekend. It just does not come on merit, it is just like a prize draw – who is in position to afford a late enough pit stop (most often alomost noone or a few drivers, but the gaps, pit windows at the end of the race are very situational, at about random). Apart from the case when the deliquent has such a dominant car that he beats everyone’s lap on almost ragged, 45laps old hard tyres at the end.
Nick T.
29th September 2024, 19:34
100% scrap it. I couldn’t vote because I always have had a problem when I ever tried to register.
PStaffan
29th September 2024, 20:25
Let anyone race for the FL point, But they have to finish without being lapped to get the point.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 20:59
Mmm, this would exclude several slow cars basically.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th September 2024, 21:02
There’s several ideas I read I’m ok with, but eventually I went for points to all finishers, I want to see the mayhem in the last laps for backmarkers!
Remove the fastest lap point entirely (65%)
Amend the rule to make all finishing positions eligible to score the point (16%)
Keep the fastest lap bonus point rule as it is (11%)
Amend the rule so only the fastest driver in the top 10 scores the point (7%)
No opinion (1%)
Total Voters: 104
So my option was the 2nd most voted, but 2\3 of people want the fastest lap to be gone, which is double than all other options together, quite a dominant poll!
AlanD
29th September 2024, 21:10
There was a time when seeing who had fastest lap in the race was meaningful, just like knowing who was the fastest through the various speed traps, and who was losing time in pit stops because it helped us assess who had great race pace and why people won or lost. Nowadays the fastest lap is a meaningless statistic because in most cases it is determined by a gimmicky sideshow from cars who have given up trying to compete with the car in front of them and make an artificial late stop for tyres. In no way is it representative of their performance in the GP.
BenHur
30th September 2024, 21:32
The FL used to be a meaningful stat just because it was nor rewarded with points. It is the fact that it is rewarded which distorts everything
José Lopes da Silva
29th September 2024, 22:24
Scrap.
Polweiss
30th September 2024, 4:06
Ditch it. Give a point to the driver with most overtakes
paulipedia (@paulipedia)
1st October 2024, 9:31
If the fastest lap was worth 5 points it could be more exciting. Obviously would have to run simulations and test
Bruce
2nd October 2024, 6:26
Keep it but also award a point for slowest lap. I can’t see any reason whatsoever why that would be a bad thing…
José
2nd October 2024, 22:44
I don’t like this fast lap point, but if FIA want to give an extra point, I think it should be to pole position, when all driver are in the same situation, at the same time…