Frederic Vasseur has said he is "not against" the proposal changes to the F1 points system, drawing upon his experience with Alfa Romeo to inform his view. However, the Ferrari team principal did underline an issue that even extending the points-paying positions would not fix. The F1 Commission met Thursday to vote on increasing the points-scoring places from a top 10 to a top 12. The panel comprised of the FIA, the 10 F1 teams and the commercial rights holder, and despite just needing the support of half the grid, the board could not come to a decision - RacingNews365 understands that call has been postponed until the next meeting, in July. "I’m not against [the rule change], and coming from Alfa Romeo [now Stake F1], I perfectly understand the frustration that sometimes you are doing a mega weekend, [but] if there is no DNF in front of you, you finish P11," Vasseur explained to media including RacingNews365 after the Chinese Grand Prix. "And the reward is zero, but you can finish P11 or P20 – it’s the same. I can understand the frustration for this."
Whilst advocating on behalf of altering the points system, the 55-year-old highlighted that the solution may not ultimately succeed in its task. The pressure to change the points allocation has come, in part, due to F1 being split into two groups of five teams in terms of performance this year. The top five teams: Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin have scored the vast majority of points, with the rest of the teams reliant on reliability issues or mistakes from the those faster than them. It may also cease to be an issue once the new chassis and engine regulations come into force in 2026. "Now, if you do this [the proposed points change] and next year you have six teams in front, then you will say it’s the same for P13, but we have to pay attention," Vasseur said before reiterating his stance: "I’m not against [the rule change]." It is not yet known why a decision was not reached Thursday, but it as the proposal is unlikely to affect the leading teams, it has been suggested they are in favour of the rule change, along with teams fighting at the end of the F1 pecking order.
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