Hamilton Would Have Led 2010 Standings under Old System

After 12 rounds of the 2010 Formula One championship, Red Bull's Mark Webber is leading McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by 4 points in the the drivers' standings. However, if the old points system had applied, the 33-year old Australian would have been placed 2nd in the title race, two points behind the British racer.

The points system in the series was changed prior to the start of the 2010 campaign, due to higher number of competitors in F1. Three new teams entered the Great Circus in 2010, and one more ie expected to join the field before the start of the 2011 season. Consequently, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) agreed to award points to the Top 10 finishers of each race, rather than the Top 8, until 2009.

Additionally, with the new points system, a driver would be more inclined to push for a race win, as the points distance between the 1st and 2nd placed drivers in a race is bigger than before. While the winner gets 25 points, the runner-up racer gets only 18.

Under the old system, Hamilton would have continued to lead the championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix – despite his DNF – maintaining a 2-point cushion in front of Webber. Ham would have scored 65 points, as compared to Webber's 63.

The situation inside the Top 5 drivers of the 2010 season would have otherwise remained the same though, with Sebastian Vettel still in 3rd place (61 points), followed by Jenson Button (59 points) and Fernando Alonso (57 points). However, the difference between the first and the fifth placed drivers would have been of only 6 points – corresponding to 15 points in 2010 – rather than 20 (which is the current points distance between Webber and Alonso).

Webber remains, however, the winningest driver in 2010, having crossed the finish line in 1st place 4 times this year. He is followed by the other 4 drivers in the title hunt – Hamilton, Vettel, Button, Alonso – who rest on 2 race wins each.