The FIA has announced it will award a new medal to winners of Formula 1 grands prix, beginning with today’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be presented with the first FIA Medal on the podium. Drivers have also been given medals for finishing in the top three positions in the sprint races (pictured).
The FIA intends drivers to keep the medals “as a personal record of their achievements”, said the FIA in a statement.
“While the event trophies are retained by the team, or replicas provided to the drivers, this medal has been created so that each grand prix winner retains a unique personal memento to commemorate their outstanding achievement.
“The medals also highlight the long and illustrious history into which the winner of each grand prix enters by marking the number of the race since the World Championship began back in 1950, with this first medal engraved for the 1079th competition at the highest level of motor sport.”
The idea of using medals as a means of deciding the world championship was once suggested by former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. He proposed awarding medals for the top three finishers in each race, as is done in the Olympics.
In 2009 the FIA announced this system would be used to decide the world championship, making the champion the driver with the most first-place medals. However the plan was later dropped.
Don’t miss anything new from RaceFans
Follow RaceFans on social media:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…