FORMULA 1 will have a new points system for the 2010 after an agreement between the governing body (FIA) and the teams.
The new system will see places rewarded in a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 sequence. F1 bosses believe a seven-point gap between first and second place, rather than the current two-point separation, will promote a ‘race-to-win’ attitude.

New tyre rules mean drivers must start races on the same tyres they set their grid time in, while ‘double diffusers’ will be banned from 2011.

The Formula 1 Commission, a decision-making forum for the teams and major stakeholders, agreed the amendments to the sporting and technical regulations at a meeting on Monday

The measures will be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council for final approval within 48 hours, which is usually a formality once all of the parties have agreed on changes.

Scoring changes have been suggested several times over the past year and two months ago the F1 Commission initially opted for a 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1 format.

However, the disparity of points between the top three was no greater in percentage terms than the 10-8-6 system currently used.

Previously, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone tried to introduce a medals system, with the championship being decided by race victories rather than cumulative points, but the idea did not catch on with teams.

In order to introduce a further element of strategy, cars running in the final 10-minute qualifying session must start the race on the same set of tyres with which their grid time was set.

With re-fuelling banned from this year and the emphasis switching to tyre use, drivers with an aggressive qualifying strategy will likely be compromised early in a race, forcing them into additional stops.

The decision to ban the ‘split level’ or ‘double-decker’ diffuser will not come into effect this year. The main diffuser will be allowed in 2011, but its permitted height will be reduced from 175mm to 125mm.

Diffusers improve downforce by channelling the flow of air smoothly under the car, but in 2009 there was controversy when eventual champions Brawn, Toyota and Williams produced radical versions of their own.

Teams unveiling their 2010 cars have been coy about their rear diffusers, sparking fears that a fresh row could erupt when the season starts on March 14 in Bahrain.

“This is the first car in which we have had a clean sheet of paper to really exploit the interpretation that was developed last year for a design of floors,” McLaren engineering director Paddy Lowe said at their launch last week.

“You will see we have produced a fairly extreme incarnation of that but we won’t be alone in that. We believe you will see some pretty extreme solutions on our competitors’ cars as well.”(BBC Sport)