For 31 years, Grand Prix racing as a World Championship sport had been a broad church. Although races were generally run to a consistent formula (this made economic sense as much as anything else) there was nothing to stop venues like Anderstorp inviting Indy cars, Formula Two cars - any cars, really, that they wanted - in order to make up the field. It is time for some professionalism.
Long live the FIA Formula One World Championships and International Championships.
The solution is that for the first time, Formula One as a sport will be run centrally by the FIA. Teams wishing to participate will have to commit to entry for a full season, as opposed to turning up sporadically to individual Grands Prix, as had been so common under the old format.
Additionally, the field will be split in two, with the top eight constructors contesting the World Constructors Championship (and their drivers the World Drivers Championship) and the rest contesting the International Constructors Championship (and their drivers the International Drivers Championship). The eighth-placed team from the World Championship will be relegated to the International Championship, and the International Constructors Champion will be promoted to the World Championship.
All that remains is to see which teams from 1980 will be the first eight World Championship teams:
- The winners of the last International Cup for F1 Manufacturers was the Williams Racing Team, which made them the first team to qualify.
- In second place, Equipe Ligier.
- Brabham, known as the Parmalat Racing Team, were third.
- In fourth place, Equipe Renault
- Colin Chapman's Team Lotus were in fifth place.
- Ken Tyrrell's eponymous team were sixth.
- Arrows Racing Team were the first of three teams to finish the season on eleven points.
- The Fittipaldi Team also came in on eleventh point, and were the eighth and final qualifiers.
This meant that two of Formula One's oldest teams, Ferrari and McLaren, would start the new era in the International Championship - essentially the B-Class of Formula One.
Nobody is quite sure what persuaded these two turkeys to vote for Christmas, but it may have been fictitious licence on my part.