Red Bull’s four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel has branded as ‘absurd’ a rule change to award double points at the final race of the F1 season from next year.

The 26-year-old, winner of the last four championships, told reporters that he saw no merit in the change.

“You can hardly imagine that on the last match of the Bundesliga season, (soccer) matches are suddenly worth twice as many points,” said the German.

“It’s absurd and it punishes the drivers who have worked hard through the whole season. I value the old traditions in F1 and don’t understand this rule,” he said.

The controversial change, announced by the FIA on Monday after a meeting with the sport’s new F1 strategy group that is made up of six teams including champions Red Bull, has been roundly criticised by fans on social media.

Sport Bild quoted Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko as saying his team had been against the change but were overruled.

The Austrian added that an initial proposal had been to award double points for the last four races.

Vettel won this year’s championship with three races to spare and ended the season with nine successive wins.

The FIA said the rule change would “maximise focus on the championship until the end of the campaign”.