Formula One avoids sweeping changes

Radical plans to revolutionise Formula One, including weight penalties for successful drivers, were rejected by the teams yesterday, however, changes to the points and qualifying systems were announced.

The idea of drivers swapping teams in the first 10 races and of winning cars being penalised with added weight were not passed when the Formula One Commission met at Heathrow Airport.

However, Max Mosley, the president of the sport's world governing body, the FIA, announced changes to the points system so that the top eight drivers instead of the top six will win points. The winner will still receive 10 points but drivers in the lesser placings will be awarded eight, six, five, four, three, two and one points, instead of the present system whereby the second-placed driver gets six points.

"We are changing the points system and that will have the effect of making it harder for a driver to win the championship easily," Mosley said.

Also from next season, qualifying will be held on Friday and Saturday instead of Saturday only, drivers will have just one flying lap on each day and they will go out in turns. The championship leader from the previous season will do the first flying lap when the new season gets under way in Melbourne next March. On Saturdays, the slowest driver from the Friday session will go out first.

"The running order on Saturday will be determined by Friday's times, which do not count for the grid, with the fastest going out last," Mosley said yesterday. "It will put a lot of pressure on each of them on one flying lap."

Another rule change concerned teams who restrict their testing to just 10 days next season. They will be able to run for two hours on the Friday of a race weekend and will be able to use their third driver.

It was also announced that next year's Belgian Grand Prix, due to be held at Spa-Francorchamps, will not take place after the teams could not unanimously agree to run the event without tobacco advertising.

There will now only be 16 races next season and it is unlikely Belgium will return to the calendar as Bahrain and Shanghai have already been given races for the 2004 campaign. "The teams have not agreed to run the event without tobacco advertising so this event has been removed from the calendar," Mosley announced.

The president of the FIA also said that team orders would be banned to ensure that there was no repeat of the farce in Austria this year, when Rubens Barrichello was ordered to move over to allow Michael Schumacher to glide past and claim victory.

Mosley insisted the FIA would be able to police the rule. "If there is a suspicion we will be able to do something about it. The carry on with team orders, as we saw this year, is against the sport," he said.

F1 RULE CHANGES

* Top eight drivers instead of top six will be awarded points. First still gets 10 points, second will now get eight.

* Qualifying on Fridays and Saturdays.

* Qualifying will consist of one flying lap on each day.

* Teams orders which contrive a result outlawed.