Ecclestone: 26 cars for 2010

[www.iht.com]

Extract:

MADRID: Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says 26 cars will be on the starting grid next year and a medals system will determine the championship.

Ecclestone told The Associated Press on Wednesday that at least three new teams, including American entry USF1, are confirmed for the 2010 season.

"We'll have 26 cars on the grid next year," Ecclestone said in a telephone interview. "We've got a lot of people confirmed."

There are 10 teams and 20 cars on the grid for this week's season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Ecclestone declined to divulge any information about the teams he's contacted.

...

He said F1's 2010 regulations would include an Olympic-style medals system, with gold for first place. The driver with the most golds will win the championship.

"It won't be necessary to discuss it with anybody. Providing the regulations are out before they enter the championship, that's how it is," Ecclestone said.

He added that governing body FIA and teams association FOTA had been in agreement with his medals plan this season. FIA then decided to determine the 2009 championship based on the number of victories rather than points, but scrapped the idea after teams and drivers all objected.

"It wasn't really a U-turn," Ecclestone said. "The teams didn't like that, they wanted some other silly system which didn't achieve what we wanted to achieve."

Part of the idea came from awarding points to drivers who finished as low as eighth place, which Ecclestone called "completely mad" despite the teams saying those points showed off performance to sponsors.

Ecclestone said he still believes only two to three teams could compete for the championship next year when a voluntary $42 million budget cap is introduced.

Ecclestone said the cap was "probably the right number."

Asked whether a team could challenge for the title with that budget, he said, "I doubt it. It's only those people who want to run on that category will run on it.


Interesting article.

3 new teams, including USF1? 4 new teams if you take into account that STR can't operate next year, since customer teams are gone? Bernie says they're confirmed, however. Still pushing this medals for wins, most wins = champ idea as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2009 10:36PM by The Lopper.

Well, 26 cars on grid are always good, but i not agree with medals... If all teams reject the medals system, they cant implement it?

Hats will be eaten.

Medals?

I'm gonna go with this sentence that I use daily;

Your Mum Bernie

"We'll have 26 cars on the grid next year"

"All the teams are in agreement with me.

The new medal formula will start in 2009. It only takes the FIA to agree."

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There's a lot to be worried about in this statement the more you think about it. 13 teams...Great more numbers, but how many of these teams are going to survive? Then there's Bernie's attitude towards the points system: basically it's his way or the highway, or so it seems. Nobody wants it, but he doesn't seem to understand this. His statements regarding the budgets are odd as well:

Ecclestone said he still believes only two to three teams could compete for the championship next year when a voluntary $42 million budget cap is introduced.

Ecclestone said the cap was "probably the right number."

Asked whether a team could challenge for the title with that budget, he said, "I doubt it. It's only those people who want to run on that category will run on it.

Ecclestone brushed off suggestions that fans could be turned off by the lack of competition, saying F1's championship was already clearly defined with only two or three teams able to fight for the title.

"How many (teams) can challenge now, this year? I rest my case," he said.

Right now, at least five teams look like they're able to fight for wins on a regular basis this season. Of course the GP will probably clarify things this weekend. But it's underlining a problem with Bernie at the moment: not giving the new regs a chance before pushing for new rules for the following season.

And is there a deeper significance to the use of the word "category" when talking about the £30 mill teams?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2009 11:29PM by The Lopper.

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but didn't they change the rules a few years back to limit the grid to 24 cars? Am I just imagining that, or does anyone else remember that too? Not that I'm complaining, mind...

[Website]

1)"And is there a deeper significance to the use of the word "category" when talking about the £30 mill teams?"

My understanding is that the budget capped teams will run under the different rules to the rest of the grid.

2) "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but didn't they change the rules a few years back to limit the grid to 24 cars?"

13.6 "No more than 24 cars will be admitted to the Championship, two being entered by each competitor."

Still, there's time before the 31 October deadline to rewrite the rules.

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Also, re: 26 cars being dangerous, please note that from the mid 1980s to 1995 we've had 26 cars on the grid, seemingly without problems, except at Monaco back when the pitlane was too narrow and short to accomodate 13 teams so they limited it to 10 teams / 20 cars until the 90s.

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Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

The guy needs to be in a home wearing a nappy. He's just babbling.

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ecclestone is getting old, i think hes starting to suffer dementia or some other disease, hes starting to live in la-la land. much like max mosley (who i think will die before bernie from his demetia or sclerosis)

there is absolutely no reason why we can't have 26 cars. we had this in 1994 without any problems with garages and the like. any more would require pre-qualifying which i would like to see but would cost a fortune and see teams miss races which is a no go in todays economic climate.

There's no problem with with having 26 cars, it just how many of them will last is what worries me. Presumably some of these new teams are hoping to take up the budget cap option. I still don't see it as workable tbh. What most people are complaining about is Bernie's medals plan, which he is pushing strongly yet again in this statement.

yeah, well hopefully someone will have hired a hitman before then. although he is a small target.

Most of the World's pitlanes cannot accomodate 26 cars, that's why it was limited to 24. Not sure if that's changed now.

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Given the bigger teams are allocated an extra garage for space, they can all accommodate 26 if everyone was treated equally.

As for 26 cars being dangerous...what? Sebring last week ran with 26 cars. Not only that, but they had massive speed differences due to the class system, and they ran in the dark. And some of the back of the grid ALMS Drivers can hardly be described as world class. F1 is meant to be the best drivers in the world. If they can't cope with 26 drivers then they should all be removed from there seats and replaced with drivers who aren't gigantic pussies.

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Has anyone actually said 26 cars is too dangerous in this thread? A couple of people have mentioned this, but I think everyone's welcoming the idea here.

26 cars is good, but the medals thing throws out the idea making it seem extremely crap

This medal idea is probably to encourage drivers to aim for the top spot every race rather than damage limitation. The points system has been going since the 50's anyway so why change it. The points were changed a few years ago so that each driver gets a fairer chance to come higher.

...mmm, 26 cars... bad for GP4, only can put 22 on game's grid...

Back to basics... I feel like a newbie! hahahahaa!!!