F1 Heads Accept Changes to Increase Interest

Formula One officials announced two more drivers would get points in every Grand Prix and a shake-up in qualifying from next season among changes designed to spice up the sport after a year of Ferrari domination.

The top eight will be awarded points in Grands Prix compared with six at present. There will be two qualifying sessions compared to the current one, with one qualifying lap for each car and cars to run one at a time.

In addition, team orders, when a team instructs one of their drivers to let a teammate past, will be prohibited.

World Champion Michael Schumacher benefitted from team orders when his Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello controversially let him past to win the Austrian race in May.

"Next season is going to be interesting," said Ferrari team boss Jean Todt.

The International Automobile Federation's (FIA) Formula One Commission met on Monday to consider several proposals, including a weight handicapping system for the most successful drivers, to improve competition and the sport's attractiveness to television audiences.

"The ballast (issue) was thrown out," said FIA chief Max Mosley. "People thought it was better to find a solution without putting people under pressure. We all felt we would like to see Schumacher or whoever trying to win the Championship as best he could without extra difficulty.

"We hope the new qualifying system will shake it up."

Belgian Race Axed

Other changes may be introduced to testing between races if teams want it. The axing of the Belgian Grand Prix in a row over tobacco advertising was confirmed.

Falling television audiences after a season of Ferrari domination - they won 15 of 17 races, Michael Schumacher won the World Championship and his teammate Rubens Barrichello was runner-up - caused much soul-searching within the sport.

At present there is one hour of qualifying on a Saturday at Grands Prix. Fans complain that drivers do not drive flat out on the Friday and many cars stay in the pits for much of the Saturday qualifying with little excitement on the track.

Next season there will be qualifying on Friday and Saturday, with the fastest driver on Friday racing last on Saturday. Formula One has agreed to phase out all sponsorship by tobacco companies in 2006 in line with a global embargo planned by the World Health Organisation.

Belgium has not followed the example of several European countries which have offered a special dispensation from domestic legislation limiting tobacco advertising to motor racing until 2006. Five Formula One teams including World Champions Ferrari have tobacco sponsorship. Spa has hosted 36 Belgian Grands Prix.