F1 Commission: New rear-facing camera camera, but no decision on the new point system

The second meeting of the Formula 1 Commission in 2024 took place on April 25, chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The commission discussed topics including alterations to Championship points allocation, amendments to the Technical and Sporting Regulations and pre-season testing for 2025 following options presented by the Sporting Advisory Committee.

The following is an overview of the key discussion points and decisions:

It has been rumoured that F1 could make tweaks to the point-scoring system as early as in 2025. Currently, the top ten drivers score points in grands prix. The issue is that the five top teams normally occupy all those places if they finish the race. That has motivated the sport to ponder about potential changes to the system. The most possible scenario would see the number of point-scoring positions increase from ten to twelve with only the last points being divided differently compared to the current system.

Despite talking about the changes, no decision has been taken yet with further meetings expected to solve the issue. Commission members discussed a proposal for changes to the distribution of Championship points, as described in Articles 6.4 and 6.5 of the Sporting Regulations. It was agreed that further analysis of proposed changes was required with a view to a proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission meeting in July.

Following discussions during the recent Sporting Advisory Committee, it was agreed that a proposal for 2025 pre-season testing dates/venues will be presented by Formula One Management for consideration by the F1 Commission.

The introduction of rear-facing cameras was agreed from the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. Currently, F1 cars are equipped with a rear-facing camera that is placed in the middle of the car. Although it provides a good view, the new camera that will sit at the rear crash structure will give a spectacular view fans are use to in several touring car series.

The new camera has been tested by FIA and Formula One with assistance of Aston Martin in recent months. The tests have raised a few technical challenges with the unique position of the camera. With the camera housed on the crash structure, it is far away from the processor. This positioning requires a fairly long cable which can cause a lot of interference in between the the processor and the camera. However, F1's technical team is hopeful that the camera will now work as intended, that's why the new technology will make its debut in Barcelona.

A number of minor changes were also approved for the Sporting and Financial Regulations.