The media reported before the Chinese GP that the FIA, FOM, and F1 teams would talk about the idea of giving points to more drivers. They might increase the points for the top 12 drivers instead of the current top 10.
If they make this change, only eight cars wouldn’t get points in Sunday races. Esteban Ocon from Alpine team thinks this might have helped him score points in the Chinese GP. But he believes the real problem is that the midfield teams are too far behind the top teams.
Ocon said, “Well, it’s putting a plaster on a big cut, let’s call it like this. It’s a way of helping the current situation, I think.”
He finished 11th in the Shanghai race. Kevin Magnussen from Haas also supports the new system. He thinks it would make races more interesting if more drivers had something to fight for.
“I think that would be good,” said Magnussen. “Maybe points for everyone would be better so that you always have something to fight for. It’s not going to change the end result in the championship, but I think it just means that it’s a more interesting fight between the bottom five.”
Valtteri Bottas, from Sauber team, said he also supports the change because his team is struggling to score points this season. But he thinks top teams won’t mind because it won’t affect them much.
“At the moment, where we are as a team, yes,” said Bottas when asked if he supported the change. “But if you’re in a top three, top four team, then you don’t mind. That’s how it goes. But for us, yeah.”
