F1 points way for rallying

The world rally championship will have the same points structure as Formula One this season, the governing International Automobile Federation said yesterday.

Formula One is set to adopt a top-10 scoring system with a bigger difference between the winner and second place to encourage drivers to go for victory. After a fax vote by members of the FIA's world motor sport council and competitors, world rally scoring will now follow the same formula: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

The change from a top-eight method with the winner gaining 10 points comes into effect immediately at this weekend's season-opening Swedish rally, which starts tomorrow.

Formula One title contenders Red Bull's new car is "a limousine", says driver Mark Webber. Red Bull were second in the constructors' championship last year behind Brawn with German driver Sebastian Vettel also second in the drivers' standings.

The RB6, designed by Adrian Newey, has a sleek look with the nose particularly eye-catching. "This car is a limousine," Webber joked at the early-morning launch at the Jerez track in Spain. "We had only small aerodynamic changes so we didn't go crazy. It shows how clever Adrian is that a lot of people copied our car [last year]."