Poll: Is the 2016 F1 Qualifying format better than the 2015 format?

[Mr Jack]

I'm not sure the problem is the format so much as the lack of competitiveness. Because the only battle for poll is between two drivers in the same team - and their team is going to sacrifice spectacle for better overall race strategy - there's no battle for the poll to be had. At another track, with closer racing, it may work better.

I think it'd be silly to drop it after a single try.

 

[Skeeter]

It would be silly to stick with it. It was a pretty bog standard dry Qualifying and it didn't work. Repeating the same and expecting a different outcome would be madness.

 

[Merlin5]

I don't know if it's already been mentioned in the Australian GP thread, but it sounds like the new quali rule is likely to be scrapped. I just heard on LBC news on the radio that Bernie said it could disappear by the next race in Bahrain.

 

[Skeeter]

Bernie wants it gone. To be changed it requires unanimous agreement from all the teams, the FIA and FOM.

 

[Merlin5]

I'm sure it'll go though. Teams seem in agreement, and the FIA and FOM would be stupid to resist against teams and in particular the millions of fans worldwide that hate it.

 

[muon]

If they allow you to finish a lap if started I think it would work.

You would then get a proper shootout with each elimination.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

They need to bin this off quickly.

Even the commentary team on channel 4 didn't manage to follow it, how the hell am I meant to?

Also the race director was following the wrong cars and following the car after it has been eliminated.

 

[Skeeter]

No you wouldn't. You still won't be able to turn cars around quick enough.

 

[oldbag]

Meh, think this year is going to be Mercedes again.

 

[PinkFloyd]

New format is utterly pointless. It adds a level of randomness to a dry qually and robs us of the excitement at the end. Just rubbish.

 

[muon]

No you wouldn't. You still won't be able to turn cars around quick enough.

I think part of the blame has to be placed on the teams here as well, since they clearly underestimated and misjudged a lot of timings. That should correct itself with experience.

Teams were also running out of tyres which is unrelated.

 

[UTmaniac]

I hope they try some major tweaks to this new format before scrapping it altogether.

 

[Skeeter]

I think part of the blame has to be placed on the teams here as well, since they clearly underestimated and misjudged a lot of timings. That should correct itself with experience.

Teams were also running out of tyres which is unrelated.

Unless the teams can bend time, how is any of this their fault? The only people who genuinely messed up were Haas with Grosjean, as he could have been out in time but wasn't.

90 second in lap, 30 second stop, 90 second out lap, 90 second fast lap. The absolute minimum time between crossing the line and setting a time and being able to cross the line having set another one (with a stop) is 5 minutes. That covers the next 3 eliminations, so if your in those next 3 elimination spots that's it.

At Spa its more like 2 minutes per lap plus the stop, so 6 and a half minutes to turn the car around.

Its a stupid system that was never going to work. It should be binned, and the FIA needs to take a serious look at itself and its incompetence.

 

[Goksly]

They're trying to fix a problem they've created with artificial means. The reason it's boring and needs spicing up is due to all of the testing and spending restrictions put in place. When a team makes the right decision, like merc and RB before them it's not possible for other teams to catch up. Then it becomes boring and predictable.

Bring in more design restrictions to simplify the cars (less aero more mechanical) to make the costs cheaper and then remove all of the testing restrictions. This will bring all of the performance together and make it more exciting.

 

[Ryan-3]

Why didn't they just modify what they had and make Q1 over 15 minutes, Q2 & Q3 over 10 minutes with the addition of a minute or two for the longest tracks like Spa?

More circus nonsense instead.

2017 rules need that jet fighter cockpit as it looks cool, restrict the number of aero elements, more emphasis on mechanical side and allow for more testing. Close racing, cars being able to follow one another without exploding engines/tyres... it's always the same talk. And as always, it keeps falling on deaf ears.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

I hope they try some major tweaks to this new format before scrapping it altogether.

Agreed. Some of the ideas could work, but not as they stood today.

 

[Skeeter]

2017 rules need that jet fighter cockpit as it looks cool, restrict the number of aero elements, more emphasis on mechanical side and allow for more testing. Close racing, cars being able to follow one another without exploding engines/tyres... it's always the same talk. And as always, it keeps falling on deaf ears.

Bring in more design restrictions to simplify the cars (less aero more mechanical)

Have you seen the (confirmed) 2017 rules?

 

[Ryan-3]

Yeah - another half baked compromise because of the pathetic tyres they've ended up having.

 

[Nazbit]

That was a joke. Change for the sake of change. No other sport messes with its rules like F1 does.

 

[UTmaniac]

Random idea regards improving the spectacle of the race for you all to laugh at...

Odd side of the grid has to start on their chosen "prime" compound, even side has to start on their chosen "option" compound, if the race starts in dry conditions.

Normally, both chosen prime and option compounds have to be used in the race in 2016, like in recent years? Current rules confusion, not sure on this important point!

The ~0.5-1 second lap pace between the compounds should help to encourage overtaking opportunities, at least early on in the race. While team hierarchy is overriding driver ability (eg. Merc> ferrari> Williams) it increases the odds of the two drivers from the same team having opposing tyre strategies.

<cue laughter>