I’d sort of forgotten that Formula 1 has stuck with the wildly unpopular idea of double points for the final race. But comments from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have put it back in the headlines.

In short, he said:

“I don’t think it’s fair.”

It is fair though:

fair
Treating people equally without favouritism or discrimination
Oxford Dictionaries

It’s the same for everyone, and the decision was made before anyone had scored any points, so it pretty unequivocally satisfies the definition. All the teams know that it’s a disproportionately rewarding race, so if for example they’ve not got a fresh power unit, then that’s their fault.

I’m not criticising Toto Wolff; I know what he’s getting at. I’d say there’s a better word for it:

arbitrary
Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system
Oxford Dictionaries

And that’s my problem with it: there’s no reason for the double points, other than to increase the probability that the championship battle will go down to the final race. I kind of hope it doesn’t, just to spite the rule.

There are plenty of comparisons to be made to other championships. The World Endurance Championship, for instance, awards double points at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, because of the historical and continuing significance of that race. The fact that it’s four times longer than any of the other races might have something to do with it as well.

But the point is that there are double points for a reason. There could be double points at the historic races in F1: Monaco, Britain, Belgium, Germany, France – that sort of thing. Or the final race weekend could be a double-header. Just something to justify the extra points.

Alternatively, if the end of the season is going to count for more, then do it properly. British Superbikes introduced the ‘Showdown’ a few years ago, which was basically a copy of the NASCAR ‘Chase’ – a few races from the end of the season, points are effectively reset for the top few in the championship, and it’s a straight fight from there. There was some grumbling beforehand, but now it’s an accepted part of the championship. It’s arbitrary, but at least it’s a thing – something that can be promoted and followed. Rather than: oh yeah and the final race has double points for no apparent reason.

The whole double points fiasco is similar to DRS, really: it’s a bit of a half-arsed solution to a perceived problem that might not have actually needed fixing; it doesn’t feel quite right; but ultimately it’s not worth worrying about.