On a day that saw the new Halo safety device - or at least Ferrari's version of it - hit the track for the first time, behind the scenes the sport's powers that be have yet to decide on the precise qualifying format for the Australian Grand Prix which takes place in two weeks.

Just over a week ago, following a proposal by the controversial Strategy Group, a new format was agreed, even though it instantly met with criticism from drivers and fans alike.

Then came Bernie Ecclestone's admission that the system might not be in place in Melbourne because the requisite software cannot be written in time. Consequently, the F1 supremo suggested that the system would most likely make its debut in Spain in May.

Then came the revelation that a 'bastardised' version of the format would be used in Australia, comprising the new 'knock-out' style elimination in Q1 and Q2, and the 'traditional' format in Q3.

In the meantime, the FIA has met with team bosses and drivers, and as pre-season testing comes to a close, not only does nobody have a clue as to what qualifying format will be used in Melbourne, most don't know why something that wasn't broken needed to be fixed in the first place.

Even though Mercedes has yet to show its hand, many fear another season of Silver Arrows domination, this at a time when the sport appears to be shooting itself in the foot (again) in terms of the regulations.

"I am sad for the sport," Fernando Alonso told reporters tonight, "because it doesn't look right from the outside when in one week we change the qualifying format three times, or we pretend to change the format three times but no-one confirmed anything.

"If I was from another sport, I would look at Formula One a little bit surprised," he admitted. "I don't think that it's right, the changes, too many changes.

"The complexity of the rules also for the spectator is high. All my friends in Spain, they want to switch on the television and watch battles, big cars, big tyres, big noise and enjoy the race like they do with other sports. But for us they only know about MGU-H, MGU-K, state of charge, supersoft, used, mandatory, medium, when you are fourth in the race three laps to the end, you need to put on another mandatory tyre... things like that. It is understandable they switch off the television."

Meanwhile, in a week in which Romain Grosjean was politely advised to remove a number of videos from his Facebook page by FOM's lawyers, Bernie Ecclestone's star asset, Lewis Hamilton, was also dissing the sport.

Asked if the sport is fundamentally broken, lacking direction or in rude health, he replied: "Probably the first two... I don't want to say too much but I agree with those."

Asked about the proposed qualifying format, he added: "It was fine, it was OK. Why confuse people even more? Even we don't understand what is going on. Imagine how people watching on TV can try to understand."

Finally, asked about the Halo device, having previously taken to Instagram to write 'Please no! This is the worst looking mod in Formula 1 history. I appreciate the quest for safety but this is Formula 1, and the way it is now is perfectly fine', he admitted that he yearned to drive an F1 car from twenty years ago.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by GrahamG, 04/03/2016 11:54

"Alonso hits the nail on the head. At every turn the only response is "we'll make a new rule for that" so the whole sport becomes less interesting and less likely to "hook" new enthusiasts.
Moto GP must be rubbing their hands because there are going to be lots of people moving out of F1 and if someone would take the plunge and do a decent broadcast of LMP1 endurance racing (OK maybe needs to be edited and shown later) I think F1's demise would be hastened.
There seems to be a fundamental issue with the fastest car and driver winning and allowing teams to innovate. When did we last have a good innovation which wasn't immediately banned?. Instead we have forced use of useless tyres and DRS, pathetic."

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2. Posted by -ape-, 04/03/2016 11:16

"on the track"

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3. Posted by -ape-, 04/03/2016 11:15

"I like all this bickering off the track more than the racing on the the these days. Great show. LMFAO"

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4. Posted by Ro, 04/03/2016 11:14

"I just give F1 another two years and then it will disappear, only "used", not raced, by spoilt rich boys."

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 04/03/2016 11:04

"If F1\CVC\FIA spent 1% of the time spent inventing new & pointless Regulations on sorting-out the governance of the Business\Sport\Entertainment (delete as applicable) then many of these controversies simply wouldn't happen.

Conversely I suppose if F1\CVC\FIA spent the same amount of time on inventing new & pointless Regulations as it does on governance, the controversies would also vanish.

When Lewis Hamilton and "Arch Rival" Alonso start singing the same song you have to assume that there's something really rotten in the State of Denmark...."

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6. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 04/03/2016 9:48

"When everyone knows what the problems are and now even the drivers are starting to break ranks in there corporate gagged way, please sort it guys.
Watch Formula One or Moto GP, its Moto GP everytime and I never thought I would see the day when I would say that. "

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7. Posted by gasconboy, 04/03/2016 7:43

"Agree with F Alonso, what is wanted perhaps is a fuel flow formula and if you want the engine in front OK!!
But time and time again we don't find close racing for the lead, mid field perhaps but often not shown on TV.
We can hope it will be a good year, but then again too many newer circuits are safe but not very interesting."

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8. Posted by gturner38, 04/03/2016 5:52

"I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but F1 would be so much better off if the people in the sport talked less in public. Don't announce what you might do until you are sure you are doing it. If you're a team boss or even worse, the supposed promoter of the sport and there's something you don't like, address it behind the scenes. All of this hashing stuff out in public makes them look ridiculous and makes the sport look bad.

A lot of the stuff that is supposedly confusing to the fans really only is an issue because it's presented as an issue. If someone tuned in who knew nothing about the hybrid systems, fuel flow limits, or tire degradation and was only told there are two types of tires and they need to run both during the race, there would be no confusion. WEC has much more complex fuel rules and uses multiple tire compounds (not in a mandatory way), but it doesn't confuse fans because it isn't made an issue. Fans don't even know what compound is being used at Le Mans at any given time."

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9. Posted by Paul C, 04/03/2016 3:10

"F1 needs to be show business or sport, not an engineering exercise."

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10. Posted by TokyoAussie, 03/03/2016 23:06

"Pfft, drivers, what insight could they have that's worth anything. Oh, wait…"

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11. Posted by Yeyox02, 03/03/2016 23:01

"The same bunch of lunatics running the asylum. No way to fix F1. It is a shame. I think someone should start a new Formula or a new category without all this garbage of FOM, Strategy Group, FIA, Ecclestone and Partners, etc, etc, and throw away F1."

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12. Posted by jo6pac, 03/03/2016 22:38

"Good for them."

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Hamilton and Alonso speak out on direction F1 is heading

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