F1 Points System: Points for Most overtakes of a Race

[rifrafs2kees]

Considering the "frequency" of overtaking in F1, I think 2 points or so should be awarded to the driver with most overtakes for each race. If there's a tie, no points should be awarded. Also I'd like the 12, 8....point system implemented. I like the gap of 4 points between the winner and runner up so that if a driver got to 2nd position with the most overtakes, he doesn't end up having more points than the winner of the race. I think this is a pretty good incentive for overtaking rather than waiting for the guy to pit. What do u you guys think?

[szlaszlo84]

Hi there,

I very strongly disagree with the proposition. I don't want to offend you but this is not a very well thought out idea at all. Drivers getting lucky at the start could pass many cars. It would be impossible to count who passed who. Also based on this two drivers of the same team could pass each other back and forth to get the 2 points.

I don't agree that current F1 is much worse in terms of overtaking than those of past years, decades. It is just that we tend to have selective memory and remember the best moments.

Happy holidays nevertheless,

Laz

[roost89]

I second the opinion above.

[rifrafs2kees]

I didn't consider intra-team shenenigans. Passing your team mate shouldn't count. Also passes brought about by first corner mishaps and so on shouldn't be considered. We all know genuine passes when we see one. It's not a perfect system and there will never be one. But a reward for passing isn't a bad idea.

[Mystery Steve]

So let's say a driver A starts on pole and holds on in the first corner and then goes on to lead every lap. Is driver A then being punished for his performance because the driver B who finished 2nd may have started in 6th and had more overtaking moves? Shouldn't finishing 2nd instead of 6th be incentive enough for driver B?

Everyone keeps trying to come up with incentives to artificially induce passing, as if the prospect of scoring more points for a higher position isn't already an incentive. The idea where the winner gets double points than 2nd place or other crackpot theories don't make sense. The assumption there is that if the driver in 2nd place is capable of winning the race he's not going to try. Show me a competitive driver who's just going to sit back and not try to win if he has a legitimate shot. Yes, we do see driver's sitting back sometimes because closing in and making a pass is just not physically realistic. It's the nature of evenly matched competition. Besides, the goal is to win the war not every battle.

[bjpower]

I didn't consider intra-team shenenigans. Passing your team mate shouldn't count. Also passes brought about by first corner mishaps and so on shouldn't be considered. We all know genuine passes when we see one. It's not a perfect system and there will never be one. But a reward for passing isn't a bad idea.

but then you have RB and TR
both teams have the same guy paying the bills

[Ciro Pabón]

I think people overtake when they can. I can't think of an occasion when somebody has refused to overtake because it had no "reward". Proffessional drivers are mad: they not only take enormous risks, they also have an ego the size of a transatlantic.

There are plenty of series with more overtakes, like stock cars (DTM, V8, NASCAR) you can watch. F1 is a resources race and an engineering competition more than a competition of drivers: most of them are as good as it gets.

I'll update this year's figures soon. Meanwhile check this:



I see a strong correlation between the strength of the car and the number of overtakings. Notice that Massa (this figures are for 2007, sorry, I know figures for 2008 are interred somewhere in the forum) has 20 overtakes in the whole year. That's slightly over 1 overtake per race... Notice Schumacher figures.

Conclusion: the proposed system would be exploited by teams, they're nobody's fool. At least (I'm latino, sorry ) I would qualify in a position well below my car possibilities, just to earn the points you would distribute. How would you cope with that?

[Pandamasque]

I've been always quite sceptical about success ballasts or scoring systems that would encourage any driver to want anything else than finish every qualifying and race as high as possible.