20/10/2004
NEWS STORY
It's understood that team principals have been asked to vote on a new qualifying format for 2005 and beyond.
As a result of the typhoon that threatened proceedings in Japan, all Saturday sessions were cancelled, with qualifying being moved to Sunday morning, ahead of the race. As a result of the successful smooth running of the day, those who have argued (for some time) for two-day Grand Prix weekends, have stepped up their pressure on F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, and FIA president Max Mosley.
The current qualifying format has proved unpopular with almost everyone, fans, drivers, team bosses and broadcasters, but there was no viable alternative, until Japan.
It's understood that the FIA will today (Wednesday) present teams with a new format - based on the recent Japanese Grand Prix weekend - with team bosses having to vote (by fax) by Friday (22), thereby avoiding another one of those meetings where everyone argues over which bottled water should be served.
The proposed format would see two qualifying sessions:
The first would be held on Saturday afternoon, and would see the cars go out in the reverse order to their finishing positions in the previous GP - unlike now, where they go out in the same order.
The finishing order of this first session would then decide the running order of the second session, which would happen at 10:00 on Sunday morning. In this session, the cars would run in the reverse order to their finishing positions in the first session - meaning that the fastest driver would go out last.
However - and this where, to our mind, it goes wrong - this would not decide the grid. Instead grid positions would be based on the aggregate times from both sessions.
The use of aggregate times means that fans have to rely on good communication when it comes to working out the times, at present the optimum time is there for all to see.
Furthermore, it is unlikely that many TV broadcasters will be willing to give over so much of a Sunday - qualifying and the race - to Formula One coverage.
If team bosses vote for the format, it will be introduced next season.
Speaking to Pitpass this morning (Wednesday), a spokesman for the FIA confirmed that the new format has the full approval of both Ecclestone and Mosley and was presented by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council last week.