Comments on: F1 gets 8th qualifying change since 2003

By: HG

HG — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:40:36 +0000

I like the V8′s system. Genuine top 10 knock out with low fuel, one car at a time, massive pressure, great tv

By: Toncho

Toncho — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:43:25 +0000

A maximum amount of time to return to the pits?? I hope they described it in detail somewhere, otherwise it we’ll be left to the stewards criteria.

By: Scootin159

Scootin159 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:05:27 +0000

Another change you missed (I’m unsure if it was between 2006 and 2007, or midway through either season)… is that in the start of 2006 drivers had to have in & out laps be within 110%(?) of their fastest lap to count towards the fuel credit. At some point however this requirement was dropped… and used to great success by Kimi Raikkonen to gain an extra lap of fuel credit over his rivals who didn’t notice the minor rule change (including Massa).

By: Journeyer

Journeyer — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:43:12 +0000

Why won’t the FIA drop race-fuel quali? Simple, Max will never admit he’s wrong, and it’s his baby, it’s his idea, he’d rather die with it than live with someone else’s idea.

But to be honest, the current change is nothing more than a minor tweak that won’t really hugely affect qualifying in any way. And I’m pretty sure this won’t cause any problems once implemented.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:06:15 +0000

kkeep the current system as we have it but get rid of fuel in q3@!
even itv r saying q2 is the best part of quali whereas q3 should b the exciting one as it determines the front of the grid, and deciding pole by fuel loads is farcical as the whole point of it is to see who is fastest!
the V8 Supercars have the knockout quali system but no fuel loads at all so it’s a genuine shootout! and tho not shown on tv this year, it is good.

By: Haas

Haas — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:36:25 +0000

I liked the idea of single shot qualification… It had a few things to consider and bought out the best in a few drivers. I was hoping Q3 would be single shot quali with the grid reverse of the top 10 in Q2. Guess I aint going to be happening very soon.

By: Alianora La Canta

Alianora La Canta — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:06:57 +0000

I’d like to say that it was Britain 2004, not Bahrain of that year, where drivers deliberately went slowly and spun (because of a predicted rain storm over the circuit that, luckily for lovers of fair play, split just before reaching Silverstone). Sorry, Keith.

The order in which the drivers went out on track in 2005, take 2 was determined by the previous race. It was the run they did with race fuel that determined their eventual grid position.

I am worried about the latest rule change, not only because of the duct-tape nature of the "solution", but because the FIA used the word "approximately" to describe the maximum time limit. You can’t have an approximate absolute – it just doesn’t work!

Hope this helps.

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:02:43 +0000

No, the running order in qualifying was set by their finishing position in the previous race.

By: Dan M

Dan M — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:44:33 +0000

"2005, take 2: From round seven onwards drivers do a single lap with race fuel and go on track in the order set by their finishing position in the previous race."

Maybe I am missing something here, why do they do a hot lap if their grid position is determined from the prior race?

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:21:02 +0000

My point is, it’s yet another tweak to a system that is fundamentally flawed. Very few people who comment here seem to like the ‘race fuel’ qualifying and I agree with them – qualifying should be about who can set the fastest lap, not some complicated and tedious exercise in guessing fuel strategies.