Just my 2 cents cos I can't sleep...
I understand why there is a call for a league/point format to determine who the Worlds champ is but personally I feel that this would lessen the prestige of the Worlds.
Think about it. One race, one opportunity, one world champion. Yes the league format would crown the best driver/car combo throughout the entire year but sports on the biggest stage has always been about "the big game".
Lets look at the US Open for example. Throughout the entire tournament Djokovic was the best player. But in the final Murray emerged victorious. I know it's different but you can apply the same arguments to the one-off Worlds. If the US Open was in a league format, Djokovic who had dominated every match until the final would have been crowned the winner (If points were awarded for dominance) as opposed to Murray who had to fight for many of his matches. But the final, like the Worlds, is a one off competition and Murray pulled out an amazing win.
It's the same in the Worlds.... Yes big teams can put big money into the race and improve their chances.... And I feel its justified because it's the Worlds. But despite their big funding and overwhelming support - in a one off scenario, anything can happen... giving the underdogs a glimmer of hope.
Would Cody be world champion if he had to beat Hara 3 out of 4 times? I seriously doubt it but he was good enough on the day that mattered the most. For that one day he was the best and that's the beauty of sports.
On the topic of it being unfair to the lesser teams. The NBA pays its players millions to train with the latest technology and methods. No other countries come close which is why the US usually dominates basketball tournaments. Yes it's unfair to other countries but thats the nature of sports.