Will fastest lap point system work?

[CHT]

I am just wondering if it will help spice up sunday race if FIA starts awarding points for fastest lap of the race. The thinking behind this is to encourage drivers to take risk towards the end of the race instead of just nursing their tires.

Perhaps to make it more meaningful, the fastest lap points could only be awarded to drivers in the points (ie. top 10) so that team cannot just set up the cars for fastest lap

[turbof1]

A little bit problematic is that somebody who is somewhere at the bottom of the top 10, but with enough space to stay in the points and make a pit stop, could at the end of the race just as well get new tyres and drive to that fastest lap. That wouldn't be fair towards the persons who did good work with tyre management and got somewhere in the middle of the the top 10, only to be outscored by someone who changed his tyres at the end of the race.

Maybe it is possible if you don't take the fastest lap of the whole race as a reference, but the fastest lap in the middle of the race. Say that if a race is 60 laps long, then you could place an interval between lap 30 and lap 40. The one who got the fastest lap in that interval gets the points, no matter if faster laps are set afterwards.

[MOWOG]

I'd rather see a point awarded for pole position.

[wesley123]

imo that would be a really good solution. Award 3, 2 and 1 point(s) for the first, second and third fastest lap. By this, a driver can actually "excell" over the weekend, if a driver was absolutely dominant he will get rewarded for that. It also keeps the door open for drivers outside the top 10 or unlucky drivers in the race to still score some points.

[CHT]

imo that would be a really good solution. Award 3, 2 and 1 point(s) for the first, second and third fastest lap. By this, a driver can actually "excell" over the weekend, if a driver was absolutely dominant he will get rewarded for that. It also keeps the door open for drivers outside the top 10 or unlucky drivers in the race to still score some points.

This should encourage drivers to take bigger risk to go for fastest lap, instead of just holding their position and make it to chequered flag. Try picture what will happen if this point system was available at Brazil in 2012 where Alonso was trailing Vettel by 3 points.

[Stradivarius]

We wouldn't see drivers push for more than one lap, since the tyres cant take more. They would probably drive like they already do, but make one attemt at the end, with a light fuel load, like Vettel did in Monaco. This wouldn't make much of difference in my opinion.

Actually, this would probably encourage drivers to take it even easier on the last stint in order to have fresh tyres for the final lap. They would probably also make sure they had a gap to the car in front in order to get a clean lap, making the chances of seeing some real racing even slimmer. Of course, this one lap would have been exciting, but everything else would probably have been less exciting. F1 has always been about getting first to the finish line and I think it is better off staying that way.

[CHT]

We wouldn't see drivers push for more than one lap, since the tyres cant take more. They would probably drive like they already do, but make one attemt at the end, with a light fuel load, like Vettel did in Monaco. This wouldn't make much of difference in my opinion.

Actually, this would probably encourage drivers to take it even easier on the last stint in order to have fresh tyres for the final lap. They would probably also make sure they had a gap to the car in front in order to get a clean lap, making the chances of seeing some real racing even slimmer. Of course, this one lap would have been exciting, but everything else would probably have been less exciting. F1 has always been about getting first to the finish line and I think it is better off staying that way.

A driver could possible have to do it a few times because of unpredictable traffic. Perhaps with on fresh tires and then again when he is very light of fuel. The excitement will come if when some drivers overdrive their fresh tires, or someone push too hard and spun out on really worn tires.

Actually It will not make sense for a driver to take it easy on the race, because he will be sacrificing his race positions in the race and there is also no guarantee he might get free track to do one quick lap.

[michaeljee]

Nice surprise about this shorter form. Can you tell us what it is you are talking/writing about?
Has any info. about this shorter form been posted before (and i just missed it)?

[k.ko100v]

IMO the fastest laps will come from drivers out of top 10, because they have no points to loose. They will pit 3 laps before the end of the race, suit fresh tires and flat out till the finish.

[CHT]

IMO the fastest laps will come from drivers out of top 10, because they have no points to loose. They will pit 3 laps before the end of the race, suit fresh tires and flat out till the finish.

thats the reason why I suggested that fastest lap point should be awarded to point finisher only.

[Stradivarius]

A driver could possible have to do it a few times because of unpredictable traffic. Perhaps with on fresh tires and then again when he is very light of fuel. The excitement will come if when some drivers overdrive their fresh tires, or someone push too hard and spun out on really worn tires.

Actually It will not make sense for a driver to take it easy on the race, because he will be sacrificing his race positions in the race and there is also no guarantee he might get free track to do one quick lap.

I doubt anyone high up in the points would risk wearing out their tyres at the beginning of the planned final stint. Unless fastest lap is awared as many points as a podium finish, the risk would normally not suit the benefit.

I don't understand why you believe that they would be sacrificing race position by taking it easy on the final stint. Wasn't this the basis on which you started this thread in the first place?

The thinking behind this is to encourage drivers to take risk towards the end of the race instead of just nursing their tires.

They already take it easy and a fastest lap award would only give the quickest drivers an extra incentive to take it easy at the beginning of the final stint.

I am not saying we couldn't see some interesting situations with this system, but I doubt it would be more interesting than what we see now. The fight between Alonso and Hamilton in Canada would not have been encouraged with such a system and I don't think fastest lap is a good replacement for real racing.

[CHT]

A driver could possible have to do it a few times because of unpredictable traffic. Perhaps with on fresh tires and then again when he is very light of fuel. The excitement will come if when some drivers overdrive their fresh tires, or someone push too hard and spun out on really worn tires.

Actually It will not make sense for a driver to take it easy on the race, because he will be sacrificing his race positions in the race and there is also no guarantee he might get free track to do one quick lap.

I doubt anyone high up in the points would risk wearing out their tyres at the beginning of the planned final stint. Unless fastest lap is awared as many points as a podium finish, the risk would normally not suit the benefit.

I don't understand why you believe that they would be sacrificing race position by taking it easy on the final stint. Wasn't this the basis on which you started this thread in the first place?

The thinking behind this is to encourage drivers to take risk towards the end of the race instead of just nursing their tires.

They already take it easy and a fastest lap award would only give the quickest drivers an extra incentive to take it easy at the beginning of the final stint.

I am not saying we couldn't see some interesting situations with this system, but I doubt it would be more interesting than what we see now. The fight between Alonso and Hamilton in Canada would not have been encouraged with such a system and I don't think fastest lap is a good replacement for real racing.

Hamilton obviously was not in position to take it easy on the race. But kimi will be encourage to do so just to score a few more consolation points

[ESPImperium]

Id like to make a points system where the top 20 get points for finishing no more than 2 laps down. Add a little spice into the whole points system. So if you are 'fast' enough you get points. On tracks that are longer you have a better chance if you are a Caterham or Marussia, but shorter tracks you have a lot less opportunity. But only for first 20 drivers.

Im thinking this;

P1 = 100
P2 = 90
P3 = 82
P4 = 75
P5 = 68
P6 = 63
P7 = 58
P8 = 50
P9 = 44
P10 = 40
P11 = 32
P12 = 27
P13 = 22
P14 = 18
P15 = 14
P16 = 10
P17 = 7
P18 = 5
P19 = 3
P20 = 1

As for the present system fastest lap, make it 3 points for a driver that is in the points to take FL, and a point for people in P11 and lower. GUT would have had it in Spain this year. It would add in spice as well as it would make the strategists for cars lower down the grid teams to come in on the last few laps and bolt on a fresh set of boots and go for it just to get a point.

[timbo]

I won't give points for FL, but I'm thinking of giving a bonus to the driver who has most FL in a year. The bonus equal to points for victory.


But really, I don't think there's a need to disturb a system as it is. People complain about "artificial" DRS overtakes, and you want to add artificial end-of-the-race-rush-hour? Really?

[CHT]

I won't give points for FL, but I'm thinking of giving a bonus to the driver who has most FL in a year. The bonus equal to points for victory.


But really, I don't think there's a need to disturb a system as it is. People complain about "artificial" DRS overtakes, and you want to add artificial end-of-the-race-rush-hour? Really?

The current system is fine except that the race always gets really boring when drivers starts to nurse their tyres to the chequered flag. With FL point system, perhaps it will encourage drivers to take some risk towards the end and go for the fastest lap.