In a surprising twist, Formula 1 team bosses have voted unanimously in favour of a new qualifying format for the upcoming 2016 World Championship. In a bid to spice up the racing, the new format was voted in during a meet in Geneva between the F1 Strategy Group and F1 Commission.
With the 2016 F1 season set to kick off in just under a month’s time (March 20) in Australia, the proposal for a new elimination-style qualifying couldn’t come at a later time than this. It will also require the World Motor Sport Council’s approval first — a decision is expected to be made at its next meet on March 4.
To recap, the current Formula 1 qualifying format which was used throughout the 2015 season was divided into three sessions. The slowest six drivers were knocked out after the first 18-minute session (Q1) and another six were dropped in the second 15-minute session (Q2). The final session (Q3) gave the remaining 10 drivers 12 minutes to do their best to get on pole, then Race Day’s starting order was set.
As mentioned, the new format hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Autosport claims that a general outline has already been agreed upon. Just like the outgoing arrangement, the new qualifying round is said to also be split into three sessions. But rather than knock out drivers at the end of the session, the slowest will get cut during the session itself.
According to the publication, the first session, Q1, will last 16 minutes. After the first seven minutes, the slowest driver will be knocked out. Every 90 seconds after, the next slowest drivers will be knocked out until only 15 remain.
It will be a similar scenario for Q2, where the slowest driver will be knocked out after the first six minutes, and then another every 90 seconds until only eight drivers remains. The final session, Q3, will be 14 minutes long, with the slowest driver knocked out after just five minutes.
As before, the next slowest drivers will be knocked out every 90 seconds in the session. The final two drivers will then have the last 90 seconds remaining in the session to battle it out for pole position. One obvious merit to the new format is that the faster drivers fighting for positions higher up the order will gradually have a clearer track to put in hot laps without running into slower traffic.
The new format for qualifying will only be confirmed after World Motor Sport Council’s meet on March 4 next month, but what do you think about the new structure? Will it make F1 more exciting? Have your thoughts heard in the comments below.
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This will only benefit top teams n not middle and lower cars on the grid…stimes i hate f1 for changing rules way too often…there is nothing wrong with qualifying,its the rules of f1 in general that make f1 abit boring compare to like 10yrs ago…turbo n hybrid crap n all that..try n watch some f1 races on youtube in the last decade,changing tyres,refuling..it was epic…..now its just a borefest…
F1 and FIA must find a way get rid of Bernie Ecclestone first to get any kind of progress in the sport.
Bernie is more slippery than the cleverest politician. Even with clear-cut bribery case he can escape by bribing the courts and continue to cause havoc in F1
I agree with nabill. Bring back the days when teams can play with strategies. Including using used tyres during qualifying time but new ones on the starting grid.
Or how much fuel to use at the start of the race. The reason Fernando Alonso became world champion in 05 & 06 was the advantage he got because of no tyre change rules back then. Which Michelin had an edge over bridgeston tyres.
Stupid FIA.
Sykurlah saya minat dengan F1 dan berlumba lumba kat Kesas malam Sabtu dengan kapchai aku. Bezz betul. syik, lagi gian daripada ganja.
Aik. Geng DAP masih main dengan kapcai kat hiway LGE, oops, Lim Chong Eu kah? Geng UMNO kite dah upgrade ke Yamaha MT-10.
Trying too hard to emulate mat rempit’s slang? Sekejap guna ‘saya’, sekejap ‘aku’, and then ‘bezz’ ??? Obviously you are not Malay so I wonder what’s your point?
Admin please delete useless comments like the one I’m replying to. That kind of comments can only spread hates among us Malaysians. Thank you.
new format more exciting, like another race on qualifying day.
with the new format, luck plays an important role. no doubt it will be a more exciting qualifying, but it will make the gap of top team and others become bigger.
i would rather to reintroduce refueling during race.