The original idea was approved following meetings of the Strategy Group and F1 Commission in Geneva last week, only for Ecclestone to reveal soon after FOM’s potential difficulties in relaying the information to the television broadcasters. Subsequently the slowest driver is eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag leaving 2 drivers in the final 1 minute 30 seconds.
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“It’s a bit chaotic if a couple of weeks before the season, you start to reinvent certain rules and formats of qualifying as has been discussed in the last couple of weeks”.
However, while the teams may have backed the new system, the drivers are not happy, according to Sebastian Vettel.
That would mean all eight drivers competing throughout the duration as concerns were aired the dwindling number of cars would be unattractive to fans in the grandstands and for television.
15 drivers will progress to Q2 with the slowest eliminated after 6 minutes and then every 90 seconds until the 15 minutes are up. “I would like to get to Melbourne, see how it plays out, and then we’ll comment upon it. But I think the objective and the reasons why we have looked at it and changed it are well meaning, and I think we should reserve criticism until we see play out”. “This is the worst looking mod (modification) in Formula One history”, he said.
Throughout the week, amid Ecclestone’s claims the timing software could not be written in time and dissent from the drivers, it was thought the controversial new system would be either delayed, modified, vetoed or scrapped.
However, the plan went through unchanged from the initial proposals.
What the driver have to say about the format?
Alonso, a double world champion who endured a nightmare season with McLaren past year, told reporters separately that he felt “sad” for the sport and the direction it had taken with the qualifying change. I think it’s canceled, no?
One of the top priorities is to make racing safer after French driver Jules Bianchi died last July from head injuries sustained in a crash at the Japanese GP in October 2014.
He also later questioned the new “halo” safety system that was trialled on Thursday’s penultimate day of winter testing in Barcelona.
“The World Motor Sport Council approved the 2017 bodywork regulations proposed by the F1 Commission, and noted that early simulations have indicated an improvement in lap times by approximately 4-5 seconds on most circuits”.
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“In principle I agree it doesn’t look very nice, it’s not a picture we’re used to in Formula One”, Vettel said.
