Stig Helmer
Banned
- Liittynyt
- 5.3.2004
- Viestit
- 4457
Sport2000 luokasta tuttu paalukisa käyttöön!
Näin Bernie Autosportin uutisessa. Täytyy kyllä tosiaankin sanoa, että ei tähän uuteen systeemiin ole missään vaiheessa oikein tottunut. Ainakin sen verran pitäisi muutosta saada, että tuo älytön bensasääntö lähtisi pois. Parasta voisi olla kuitenkin paluu vanhaan kokonaan...
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is to press the FIA to scrap the one-lap qualifying system and return to the old arrangement whereby cars qualify together.
Ecclestone joined drivers and media in slamming the new qualifying format, which made its debut in Melbourne at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
One-lap qualifying was introduced last season, when drivers had a single lap during qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday to determine their grid slot for Sunday's race.
This year, the Friday session has been moved to Saturday so that the two sessions run back-to-back. Cars go out in the first session in the order in which they finished the previous race.
At Melbourne, this resulted in a qualifying session that lasted just over an hour and 50 minutes and provided very little in the way of interest or excitement for the 100,000 fans at the circuit as well as television viewers around the world.
Ecclestone now wants a return to a format whereby cars all qualify together. “That would be much more exciting, in my opinion,” he told BBC Five Live. “It wasn't done to make it more exciting, it was done because the teams with the smaller budgets that weren't up front said they never got seen during qualifying because people concentrated on the fast cars.
“I said that's complete nonsense because if people don't want to watch, they won't watch.”
Australian GP winner Michael Schumacher added his voice to the criticism during Saturday's FIA press conference. “For us too, it is not that interesting. We just sit around and wait.”
'BORING' QUALIFYING SET FOR OVERHAUL
Last Updated: Monday, 08 March , 2004, 11:32
A host of drivers and team bosses are calling for changes to F1’s qualifying format.
And there is the very real possibility that the new system of back-to-back sessions could be scrapped before the next race.
The revised format, which dragged on for two hours, drew mass condemnation from F1 figures, pundits and fans.
Triple world champion Niki Lauda led the criticism. He said: “It was the worst thing I have ever seen. I don't know how intelligent people can think of things like this.”
The drivers were equally unimpressed. Michael Schumacher said even he got bored waiting for something to happen while Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya said there was little incentive to push in the first session.
Now team bosses are expected to get together to discuss making changes before the Malaysian GP on March 21.
Renault boss Flavio Briatore said: “It was stupid for us and stupid for spectators. It was much too long for television and made no sense.
“We must get together and discuss this. Something can be done quickly if we all agree. Only the stupid never change their minds.”
There is a good chance that Briatore will get his way.
One unnamed source closely involved in the management of the sport said: “We are hoping to get a new system introduced before Malaysia.”
There are a number of courses of action open to the sport.
Arguably the most likely option is a return to the 2003 format, with separate sessions on Friday and Saturday.
However, a number of other concepts have been floated. BAR boss David Richards has suggested replacing the first half of the session with a 30-minute period in which the cars go out on the track at the same time to decide the running order for the final showdown.
This would provide more action and should create an incentive for the drivers to take risks, although the knowledge that a crash could mean that the driver would drop to the back of the grid will inevitably lead them to be more cautious.
Bernie Ecclestone has said he would like to see a return to the pre-2003 qualifying format, in which cars were allowed to make four runs at any point during the hour-long session.
QUALIFYING FORMAT TO STAY, FOR NOW
Last Updated: Tuesday, 09 March , 2004, 15:25
Changes will not be made to the new qualifying format for at least two races, according to the BBC.
The new system was heavily criticised at last weekend’s Australian GP and calls for it to be revised were widespread.
The 2004 qualifying format takes place on Saturday with two back-to-back sessions as opposed to last year when first qualifying took place in Friday and the second one on Saturday. Drivers have one flying lap in each session.
It was thought that changes could be made to the system before the Malaysian GP in less than two weeks’ time, but an FIA spokesman said this was too early.
He told the BBC: "Many people didn't warm to the changes in 2003 at first but the season turned out to be one of the best.
"It would be inappropriate to act until we have seen how it works over a few races.
"Once we've looked at it and there is a consensus among the stakeholders in F1 and the fans, then we will consider the issue."
It was the teams that prompted the change in the first place, as the spokesman explained: "Just to be clear, this was something that the team principals discussed at length in their own meetings and came to us and said: 'This is what we think,'"
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore was particularly scathing over the new format.
He said: "It's rubbish. It's too long for TV and makes no sense. It needs to be changed. It's stupid for us, stupid for the spectators.”
Itv-f1.com