Grosjean in favour of expanding points structure, to add 'excitement'

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Romain Grosjean believes that expanding the current points structure to 15th-place would add excitement to the midfield battle in the world championship.

The Haas driver contends that adding five spots to the points distribution scheme would provide incentive to those running beyond the top ten and tighten up the midfield battle.

"I am not in a position of winning so I don’t calculate the points the same as the top guys are doing," Grosjean said.

"What we are looking at is that we have 1-2-4-6 or eight sometimes. That’s what counts for the midfield.

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"More than that is very rare so we don’t count it. A win is a win and it should be important. Bringing points to 15? Why not. Probably the championship for the midfield will be tighter.

"I am not against, I am not for it. At least P16, P15 you fight for a point while P11 is very painful not to have a point.

"It makes the championship exciting. Right now the championship is dead."

Grosjean admits however that a driver consistently accumulating points in the lower places could ultimately outscore a driver performing better but victim of issues over the course of a season.

Nevertheless, on the whole he believes the system would work.

"It’s positive and negative because if you only finish 14th many, many times or 13th many, many times and other guys have got issues or don’t finish you could end up with the same number of points and they’re not really deserving in that aspect," he said.

"On the positive side, well you get to fight for points more often."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.