Official: back to 2015 qualifications
After two disastrous attempts, F1's directors have decided to acknowledge their mistake. From the Chinese Grand Prix onwards, qualifying will be the same as in 2015.
The political standoff between the teams on one side and the FIA and FOM on the other is therefore over. Indeed, the format of the qualifications had become much more than a sporting issue. It was about each party asserting its arguments and showcasing its political clout to be in a position of strength for the organization of the sport in general in the future.
Thus, if the teams had agreed to try the new qualifying format despite significant reservations, it was because they had fought against an idea that seemed even more absurd to them from Bernie Ecclestone: imposing penalties (either in time or in weight) on drivers achieving the best times. An alternative could also have been to implement reversed starting grids.
If in Australia, all the teams had made it clear that they no longer wanted a system that had seen the last three minutes with a completely empty track, the FOM and the FIA had not heeded their wish to simply return to the 2015 format. Thus, the subject of the teams’ vote was a hybrid format, mixing a Q1 and Q2 in the 2016 format but with a Q3 in the 2015 format. McLaren and Red Bull opposed such an arrangement, which blocked the change process because unanimity is required for a regulation change during the year.
After a session in Bahrain even worse than the first, all team principals reiterated their desire to return to a proven schema from the past. All the teams have thus drafted a letter addressed to Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, and CVC Capital to demand a change in the qualifying format.
This message was heard by the FIA and FOM, who therefore agreed to abandon their project and follow the solution put forward by the teams, fans, and media: « At the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, president of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, representing the commercial rights holder, have agreed, in the interest of the championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council to return to the 2015 qualifying format. »
Unity is the only way to overcome difficulties #redseason pic.twitter.com/h3P5CX5m2A
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 7, 2016
Now remains to be seen how long this unity among the teams will last. And especially what will be the next maneuver by the FIA and the FOM to regain control…
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
