Comparing F1 and NASCAR is not entirely fair. Not only are they very different technically, but the points systems and the ways champions are determined are also extremely different. In F1, however, the way the winner is chosen has proven to be less controversial than in NASCAR in recent years. There are lessons that the sport can take from it.
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Max Verstappen had been champion for 1456 days, winning four consecutive titles. Sadly, despite his Abu Dhabi GP win on Sunday, it was Lando Norris who became the newly crowned champ. He finished P3 , but edged the Dutchman by two points to stand tall on the third step of the podium.
Was it unfair to Verstappen, who drove a brilliant race in the finale to win comfortably? Not really. Because NASCAR fans, too, want the total points earned across the season to be the ultimate deciding factor.
Former drivers and insiders have also been urging NASCAR to revert to the old full-season championship format and move away from the current elimination-style playoff system. However, NASCAR has been reluctant to do so, believing that under a full-season format, a single driver could run away with the points lead and make the season a less engaging watch for fans.
The organization often points to its past experience with the prolonged dominance of drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon to support this stance. But the recent excitement in F1, where the championship came down to just two points, has only strengthened the calls for a return to the traditional system.
Kenny Wallace, spoke in favor of the same recently on his YouTube channel. He agreed with Mark Martin, who has been a big defender of the full-season format, and said, “I think Mark Martin has changed my mind because Lando Norris won the Formula 1 championship by two points. That’s pretty badass with a normal point system.”
“So, congratulations to Lando. It just shows that a full-season championship format can work.”
The question is whether the example that F1 and Norris have set will convince NASCAR enough to make some big changes. If it does, Christopher Bell will also be among those who rejoice in the decision.
Bell has been as strong a proponent of the full-season format as Martin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver underlined earlier this year that such a system is needed to crown the most deserving and legitimate driver as the champion. “If you’re going to have a champion of auto racing, it needs to be a full race schedule,” his words to “The Teardown” went.
Notably, Bell has also been included in crucial discussions with NASCAR’s top executives about the direction the sport must take to secure a strong future. While it does not appear that any changes will be immediate, a full-season championship format could return to the forefront sometime down the line, influenced by the ideas of people like Martin and Bell.
