Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC Team Manager, Alain Penasse, reviewed the 2017 FIA WRC points regulations system at the Tour de Corse.
Alain Penasse, Hyundai Motorsport WRC Team Manager. (Photo: Martin Holmes) The main gist of the new rules is the three car team rule, in which each WRC registered team can nominate three crews, the top placed two of which will score Manufacturer championship points, but each manufacturer could only enter one team.
Hyundai had difficulty with the old two-car system, when Manufacturers could enter a secondary team as well, and change crews from team to team from event to event.
This also led to considerable practical complications under the WRC component-linking rules which relate to the actual cars used, not the drivers who drove the cars.
Penasse said the 2017 rules are: “easier than in the past where you had to nominate the drivers between the A team and the B team. That was always complicated and you always made the wrong choice!
“It is a lot easier that you have three drivers who are nominated to score the points, and the two best of them they score the points.
“The only thing that I see that is not 100% fair in my opinion is that the third car, if it finishes the rally, it should not be invisible for Manufacturer championship points purposes. It should deny those points away from other Manufacturers.
“For example, if you have three Fords in top three positions and the fourth place would be Hyundai, then Hyundai would take the points of the third place. For me, if we have three Fords in front they should have the first and second points for the Manufacturer, the third one still blocks another team from taking the third place points, and Hyundai will only receive the points for the fourth place.
“I think it would be more fair”.
Even if bad for Hyundai in that hypothetical example!
- Martin Holmes
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