New F1 Qualifying Format

[935k3]

This should be interesting. Maybe more than the races.

An outline proposal for the elimination qualifying was discussed.

Q1

-16 minutes duration;

- After 7 minutes, the slowest driver is eliminated;

- Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag;

- 7 drivers eliminated, 15 progress to Q2.

Q2

- 15 minutes duration;

- After 6 minutes, slowest driver eliminated;

- Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag;

- 7 drivers eliminated, 8 progress to Q3.

Q3

- 14 minutes;

- After 5 minutes, slowest driver eliminated;

- Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag;

- 2 drivers left in final 1 minute 30 seconds.

Edited February 25, 2016 by 935k3

[afx]

This was approved and they are hoping to use it this year(!).  That doesn't leave them much time to sort out a timing system to accomplish this.

Edited February 25, 2016 by afx

[afx]

Formula One's new live-elimination qualifying system will be delayed until the fifth race of the year because the necessary software is not ready.

F1 teams agreed to shake up the format in the hope of mixing up grids this year and making races more exciting. However, Bernie Ecclestone says the new rules will not come in to effect until the Spanish Grand Prix.

"The new qualifying won't happen because we can't get everything together in time," he told The Independent. "It was going to come in at the start of this year but we are not going to be able to get all the software done in time.

"So the qualifying changes will probably be in Spain. In Australia, it will be the old qualifying. All of the software has to be written so it's not easy."

He added: "It's not what I wanted in the end. All I'm trying to do is muddle up the grid so that the guy that is quickest in qualifying doesn't sit on pole and disappear because why should he be slow in the race if he is quick in qualifying?"

The new system is supposed to see the slowest drivers knocked out during the session at 90 second intervals, but making that clear to TV viewers could be difficult. Speaking to ESPN last week, Williams technical director Pat Symonds said much of the success of the new regulations would depend on how it is broadcast on Formula One Management's world feed.

"I don't think it's going to be terribly easy to understand and that depends on what FOM do. There's an enormous amount of software needed to make this work and very little time to do it. I'm glad I don't work for FOM at the moment because it really is a task for them."