Formula 1 chiefs are evaluating whether to alter the current points system, according to Force India co-owner Vijay Mallya.
The championship has been discussing the direction it wishes to take post-2020 under Liberty Media, which acquired the rights to the sport in early 2017.
Several ideas have been floated, including the addition of Saturday Sprint Races, and Mallya – during a rare paddock appearance – commented that an overhaul of the distribution of points is possible.
“They’re considering whether the points system should go all the way down to 20, 20 being every car scores a point if they finish the race,” said Mallya on Friday.
“The bottom starts with one point, and then goes up. Or whether 10 should be extended down to 15. All these discussions took place.
“Of course, my comment also was that considering we have to pay for every point we score to the FIA, that will have to be looked at in parallel!”
Formula 1’s points system has been tweaked throughout its history, with two changes taking place since the turn of the millennium.
Points were distributed on a 10-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the top six finishers, an approach that was extended to incorporate the leading eight drivers from 2003.
From 2010, when three new teams – all of which have now been disbanded – joined the sport, points were awarded to the top 10 classified drivers, with 25 points handed out for a win.
Force India's Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer added: "Change of format might happen, I don’t know. There was some change of format discussions: change of format in qualifying, and perhaps adding a sprint race on Saturday. But again, nothing definitive.
"We’ve got to be really careful. If you do add a sprint race, what does that do to the main race? Does it dilute it? There are a lot of considerations. Although I believe personally a sprint race works in F2, I’m not so sure it’s the right thing for Formula 1."
