Formula One to Review Qualifying Format for 2019

[Paul Jeffrey]

It is believed that Ross Brawn and Liberty Media have submitted a proposal to add a fourth segment to F1 qualifying for the 2019 season.

Many Formula One fans would argue that the current qualifying format is one of the main success stories of recent Grand Prix racing. Structuring the 60 minute session into three distinct segments in a knockout style approach, more often than not qualifying in the last few years has produced as much entertainment as the races themselves, Russia aside of course.

However with owners Liberty Media keen to continue growing the on track product in new and exciting ways, Formula One Managing Director Ross Brawn, himself no stranger to the sport thanks to his years with teams the likes of Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, has reportedly tabled a proposal to make some changes to the way qualifying works next season, adding a fourth segment to the session in a bid to help drive more disorder in the starting positions of the race grids.

"You definitely want qualifying to be about the very best fighting at the front to see who's the quickest. But when you think about qualifying as an element of how the race pans out, then you want qualifying to stir it up a bit and create some disorder, so that you've got strong cars out of place.

"Then qualifying improves the race. So the level of jeopardy in qualifying is something we want to look at, where perhaps by reducing the number of runs a car does in each session, teams can't optimise everything".​

It has been widely reported that Brawn and Liberty Media have submitted a new proposal to the FIA where qualifying would be broken down into 4 sessions, the first three of which would eliminate four cars each, leaving the new final session for the top eight teams to battle it out for Pole Position.

Precise details of exactly how this would work have yet to be revealed, however following the universally regarded disaster of the hastly withdrawn last change to qualifying back in 2016, Brawn and Liberty Media are in no rush to make the same mistake again with any future alterations:

"I think we'll move very cautiously, though, because the current format is popular and successful." added Brawn.
​

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Do you think the proposed change of the qualifying format is a good idea? Does F1 even need to change how Q works? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!​

 

[RufGTI]

What about a dick-measuring contest? Then we would see a suprised K-Mag on pole, Toto Wolff could already step in in qualifying (“Valtteri, Lewis is harder than you“) and Verstappen could catch up from behind each race.

Or they adapt the MotoGP system.

 

[rubaru]

So, this is basically the same exact qualifying rules that we have now, except it's 4 sessions.
Now it is Q1 eliminates 5, Q2 eliminates 5, Q3 is for Top 10.
New idea is Q1 - Q3 each eliminate 4, Q4 is for Top 8.
Don't see why this would be a drastic change or how it would affect much for the starting grid.
The only question I would have is the tyre choice...will it be locked for Top 8? Top 12?

 

[Will Mazeo]

If they want to mess up the grid they need to make these 4 sessions very short, one mistake and you are not going to start where you wish

 

[paracletus]

>such was the roaring success of the 2016 effort.
Discuss with the drivers next time.

Random grids sound like a decent idea, with a short sprint race.

 

[trucidatio]

IMHO

Do you think the proposed change of the qualifying format is a good idea?

I don't have an opinion about this. It doesn't seem that different to me. (see following answer for clarification)

Does F1 even need to change how Q works?

Yes, they should bring back the ancient qualifying format. 1 hour with all the cars lapping wherever they want. No restrictions. No silly tire normative. Run on the tires you want, destroy them without thinking about the race. Have all the cars exiting pit lane at the same time at five minutes to end. The cars are inside the garage for 40 minutes? That's ok to me. Some of my fondest memories of F1 are from qualifying sessions empty tracks. That tension has never been seen since then.
They want the cars on track for a longer time? One solution for this could be splitting the session in two halves; the cars then should do a qualifying lap on each 30 min. session and the times would be added. this is the only compromise I would accept. All these Q1, Q2, Q78 things they do nowadays are nonsense to me.

 

[dcollins22585]

2 sessions is enough as we usually know the first 6 to get knocked out.

 

[dcollins22585]

You could do 4 sessions but after each one the grids are reversed. So the fast 6 start in the top 6 but 7th fastest starts 10th and the 10th fastest starts 7th.

 

[Qazdar Karim]

That moment when you start dancing when there is no music playing, and it makes you look like a clown ...

 

[Tylda]

I would really like to see comeback of one-shot qualifying in 2004 format. One lap, one car on track and if you make a mistake it's only your fault, start form the back.

 

[masteric123]

This format is good. Fans don't want to sit through an hour watching backmarkers qualify first then wait 40 minutes for the top teams to qualify.

 

[R1Joel]

I would really like to see comeback of one-shot qualifying in 2004 format. One lap, one car on track and if you make a mistake it's only your fault, start form the back.

This was my favourite format. The entire focus is on one car and one driver. The driver gives it absolutely everything knowing they only have one shot.
Maybe they could do a similar setup to Supercars with the top ten shootout. Do a normal qualifying session then the top 10, or 8 or however many do a one lap shootout.

 

[Big_Mama]

This format is good. Fans don't want to sit through an hour watching backmarkers qualify first then wait 40 minutes for the top teams to qualify.

I do. In fact that's what I liked about the old system (1h - 12 Laps): you would actually see all cars and commentators would even talk about them. And then later seeing the top drivers waiting to come out and hunt each other. I liked this build up in tension, not this artificial eliminating system

 

[IMrIMike]

I do. In fact that's what I liked about the old system (1h - 12 Laps): you would actually see all cars and commentators would even talk about them. And then later seeing the top drivers waiting to come out and hunt each other. I liked this build up in tension, not this artificial eliminating system

Great idea. 58 minutes of waiting, 2 minutes of utter choas of battling for track position...

I like the elimination system. Keeps the randomness factor to a minimum, which you cant say for the 1 lap shootouts like in the mid 2000s. (weather, track grip and temps)

Maybe a hybrid of those two, make Q3 a one shot lap, for lets say the top 6?

 

[michelforest]

I liked the old system too. I would make it shorter, however, because there was no real action for the first 15 minutes. So, a single session, 45 minutes, no lap limit.

 

[SS454]

bring refueling back and tire choice to start the race with. This brings a huge element of strategy back into play and the usual 1 stopper won't be so common.

 

[Littlefysh]

So I assume the proposed system would go something like 15 minutes, then 12, then 9 and finally 4. Or something like that. And that would keep the about 5 minute breaks between sessions. I don't mind the idea honestly. But if there was a way to implement a one or two flying lap system (perhaps similar to the Spa 24hr superpole sessions) I'd be more pleased. This is of course without the teams being able to manipulate the order in which cars went on track. So for example first in the championship sets a lap first and hence gets a slightly greener track, almost like WRC running order in the first stage of a rally.

 

[Sky]

who cares. its just qualifying.

 

[Motowntom]

They should just eliminate the drivers and "drive" by R/C, there is no more "racing", F1 is an engineering contest. So no need for qualy.
Cheers

 

[Nick Hill]

Here is the truth: all of the artificial BS that has been heaped on F1 over the last decade or so needs to go away. Including (but not necessarily limited to):

-DRS
-High degredation tires
-Knockout qualy

Sorry, but trying to convince me qualifying is exciting because there is a little clock counting down is insulting. Obviously, some sort of time limit is a necessity, but the attempt to artificially generate excitement by making that clock hit zero 3x is a big fail in my book.