What if the current World Championship points system was used in 2008? Would the outcome be any different?
The 2008 World Championship had one of the most nail-biting finishes to a season. The season included a fierce championship battle between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton till the last round.
It ended with Hamilton having to overtake Timo Glock in the final corner of Interlagos in order to seal his first of seven championships.
Formula 1 is a sport where the question “what if ?” is often asked. Today we are asking the question, what if the 2008 World Championship had used the current points system?
The championship outcome was calculated in a YouTube video with the current points system. Unfortunately for Felipe Massa, he would still lose the championship to Hamilton by one point. But the pair would be on a much larger points haul of points of 244 and 243, respectively.
Lewis Hamilton celebrating his first world championship at Wembley Stadium, 2008.
McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 #F1 pic.twitter.com/89yHNVpArU
— Motorsports in the 2000s 🇭🇰🇬🇧 (@CrystalRacing) April 16, 2020
Also Read: When 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton practiced pit-stops for McLaren
Every driver doubled their points tally in 2008 using the current points system
Overall, most drivers who raced in 2008 would double their points tally of that season using the current points system. There was not been much change in the overall standings, from Hamilton in P1 to Jenson Button in P18. The points tally for each driver more than doubled.
Fernando Alonso, who was racing back then, managed to rack up 154 points in total in this alternative universe. Sebastian Vettel, who wain his first full season of Formula 1, racked up 93 points in total. He was driving for the Toro Rosso team at the time, making his season look even more impressive.
The experiment shows how closely packed the field was back in the old days. Now, the field is more spread out, and the difference shows the domination of teams like Red Bull and Mercedes.
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