BERNIE: New WDC "WTA" System Certain For 2010

Bernie Ecclestone remains adamant that the 'winner takes all' championship system will be introduced in 2010, despite the change having seemingly been abandoned for this season.

Last Tuesday the FIA World Motor Sport Council voted in favour of the proposal to give the title to the driver with most race victories, which had been advocated by Ecclestone's Formula One Management organisation.

But three days later the Formula One Teams' Association issued a statement questioning the validity of the change on the grounds that any such move so close to the start of the championship must have their unanimous support. The FIA subsequently offered to defer the scoring switch.

Although this was taken as a sign that the scheme would not be implemented, Ecclestone insists it has only been postponed, and will just be put into the 2010 rules sufficiently early that the teams' consent would be unnecessary.

"It will be (introduced) next year," Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It will be supported by the FIA and it will be in the regulations. So when people enter the championship, that's what the regulation will be."

He is convinced that the new system will improve Formula 1's spectacle.

"It's logic - you go to the athletics and you look at the 100 metres, you're not looking at the guy that's second, you're looking at the winner," said Ecclestone. "In most sports people are looking at winners.

"To make any changes when the entries have closed you have to get the unanimous agreement of all the people that have entered. It would appear that some of the teams don't like the idea.

"The whole idea was nothing to do with winning the world championship, the idea was to make sure people raced to win in every race, not to be second or third and collect points."

He added that he also had no doubts that the FIA's budget cap rule would go ahead in 2010 either.

"It is set at £30 million, it's not (a question) of if it's going to be - it is," he said.

Ecclestone reckons the cap will lead to an influx of new entrants.

"I'm hoping we can get 26 cars, that's how it used to be," he said. "I think one of the engine manufacturers has got four orders already. The thing that disturbs me a bit is that there will have to be pre-qualifying."