The FIA has just passed a new ruling ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 season, one which has been reintroduced after a 60-year absence from the series. A point will now be awarded for the fastest lap of the race.
There has been a slight kickback from the fan base on the idea of bringing this rule into place as there is a fear it won't provide any value or could even potentially decide a championship.
Many may not know, but the regulation had been previously a part of F1 from 1950-1958, and only in the final year of being part of the regulations did the rule play a part in deciding a world championship.
Vanwall's Sir Stirling Moss had won more races during the 1958 season; but it was Ferrari's Mike Hawthorn, who despite having only the one victory at the French Grand Prix in Reims, won the title by a single point thanks to his extra fastest lap – four to Moss’ three.
The worst fear people seem to have is a repeat of Formula E Season two finale, in which Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi collided early on, spent some time in the pits to fix their cars and then proceeded to come back onto the track to try and claim the fastest lap to get the point they needed to win the championship.
It was farcical and having such an event take place within F1 would go down like a lead balloon and make a mockery of the series. But such a situation is unlikely considering the framework of how the sport operates. It may even be a good thing and here's why I believe that could be true…
Racing at the front
It's no secret that in recent years the front-running drivers have enjoyed a performance advantage over the rest of the field and can adapt their own tyre strategies on a whim, sometimes even progressing through Q2 on the harder compound and still out-qualifying their softer-clad midfield rivals.
It often means the pace-setters have no concern undertaking a one-stop strategy, pushing where they need to, and conserving rubber at other stages of the Grand Prix, often settling for the position they’re in if there’s little chance of catching and passing a rival – why risk crashing?
Should a point for fastest lap be on offer – the game changes slightly. There’s now added motivation to push harder in the closing laps. We could well see drivers getting locked into a battle for fastest lap as they trade quickest times, with each passing lap pushing harder and harder.
This increases the level of tension, it adds risk and it adds pressure, both of which contribute to mistakes and could bring about a change of order through misfortune.
It could also extend a championship battle by a race or two, though it also runs the risk of cutting short a battle, though this is only likely if a particular driver is dominating a season and, well, we all know who was going to win anyway!
Midfield edge
If we turn our attention to the tightly-contested midfield pack where almost any one of six teams at present is likely to be running in the remaining points-paying positions, a point for fastest lap raises the stakes here too which could shape the midfield battle for the season.
Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and Kevin Magnussen have all be able to claim fastest laps in races over the past couple of years in normal racing conditions, courtesy of taking on fresher and softer tyres during the final stint of a Grand Prix, therefore it isn’t out of their grasp and could provide vital extra points in a closely fought midfield.
The midfield gaggle would be left with a dilemma as the fastest lap point is only handed out to a driver if they finish inside the top 10.
There is the option to drop positions in favour of making a second pit-stop in order to bolt on a set of the softest compound tyres and drive the wheels off the car in order to claim said championship point while making places in the latter stages of the race. A late virtual or real safety car could also throw this option into the mix for those teams and change the outlook of the race.
By doing this, it would make the midfield battle all the more tense with plenty of teams being able to choose from forcing their drivers to up the pace to avoid the possibility of being overtaken later in the race, or stopping themselves and following their competitors in a battle for the fastest lap point.
Some may see that as a little bit gimmicky, but it would make for great racing as it would force drivers to push harder, again increasing the tension and drama of a race.
Why not give it a chance?
Far too many have complained about the lack of drama in F1 races, especially when it comes to tightly knit street circuits sans Baku or other tracks perhaps like the Hungaroring or Melbourne where following another car and overtaking is already a very tricky challenge.
If the opportunity to increase the level of tension and drama without directly affecting technical regulations, qualifying sessions or even the tyres which Pirelli continuously adapt anyway, then why should we not take the opportunity to trial a previous rule to see what it will change on track?
It also means the title fight is concentrated on a Sunday; there have previously been discussions as to whether points should be allocated for qualifying – some junior formula series and DTM adopt this method – but it does risk a championship being mathematically secured on a Saturday. And that would be the dampest of damp squibs.
People are always trying to come up with new ways of trying to create or innovate new ways to spice up the racing; very few look back and try to revive an old idea which could work. At least let’s give it a chance for 2019 and see how it impacts not only the title, but the racing too.
