Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his ‘double points’ innovation may be axed after the 2014 finale.
This year, in a bid to keep the championship alive until the dying moment, F1 will allocate double points in the Abu Dhabi finale. But the scheme has been controversial and almost universally criticised, prompting F1’s chief executive to admit it may fall by the wayside. “I wanted it to be for the last three races,” he said in Singapore, “but everyone said I was mad, so we won’t do it. “As for keeping it for the last race, I don’t know,” Ecclestone added. “Probably not. We can’t yet see whether it has worked.” What is definitely staying in F1, however, is Singapore’s highly popular night race, with some saying it is the sport’s ‘Monaco of the East’. “It’s unique. It’s beautiful,” Ecclestone agreed. “We will keep coming back here forever. Some places are simply unique.”
Also unique is the FIA’s all-new electric single seater series Formula E, but Ecclestone said he is not worried it will rival true grand prix racing. “It’s completely different. It’s a bit like the Red Bull Air Race,” he said. “It’s dramatic, but it’s not formula one.”
