Formula 1 will include a point being awarded for fastest lap after the Commission and Strategy Group unanimously agreed on Monday.
In what is a last-minute change ahead of the new season, the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council approved the motion last week with the e-vote the final hurdle to its inclusion.
This will mark the first time a point has been awarded in F1 since 1959, however, under the new regulation, the point will only be awarded if the driver who posts the fastest lap finishes inside the top 10.
“Together with the FIA, we have been committed to evaluating ideas and solutions that can improve the show whilst maintaining the integrity of our sport,” motorsport director Ross Brawn commented.
“We felt that the reintroduction, after sixty years of a point for the driver of the fastest lap in the race goes in this direction.”
Brawn said the idea had been under consideration for a while and was done based on the response of fans to surveys conducted on what they would like to see in F1.
“How many times have we heard the drivers on the radio ask the team about who holds the fastest lap?” he continued.
“Now it will no longer be only a matter of record and prestige, but there will be a concrete motivation that will make the final part of the race even more interesting.
“Sometimes it is useful to remind ourselves of the heritage of our sport to move forward. “
