Photo: Australian Grand Prix Facebook page
The start of the 2016 Formula 1 season has had its ups and downs. The ups come in the form of the action-packed Australian Grand Prix and the suspenseful Bahrain Grand Prix. As for the downs, the one that eclipsed all others is the stupid qualifying format imposed by a fool and a former Scuderia Ferrari head honcho.
The first lad I’m referring to is Bernie Ecclestone, an 85-year-old Briton known for rather taking Formula 1 to the grave with him instead of letting someone else take control of the sport. The second individual who insisted on changing the qualifying format this year is Jean Todt, the man who established Scuderia Ferrari as the go-to Formula 1 team between 1994 and 2007. But since he took the reins of the FIA in 2009, Jean Todt has taken a turn for the worst by consistently messing things up.
After lots of boos and hisses from the fans and the teams alike, the polemical qualifying format that saw drivers sit in the garage in the latter half of Q2 and Q3 is now obsolete. After all the Formula 1 teams had rallied against the FIA, Ecclestone, and the CVC, the higher-ups of the king motorsport had to bury the hatchet.
Therefore, the current elimination system will be swapped for the 2015 qualifying format in due time. Provided that the governing bodies work fast enough to enact it, the switch will take effect beginning with the Chinese Grand Prix and will apply for the rest of the 2016 season.
The higher-ups at the FIA and FOM had this to comment to make on the change: “At the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, commercial rights holder representative, accepted, in the interests of the Championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015.” Good job, lads. Too bad you refused to pay attention to the fans and teams in the first place.
In related news, Ecclestone and Todt will summon the teams later this years to have “a global assessment of the format of the weekend for 2017.” Fingers crossed history won’t repeat itself.
After lots of boos and hisses from the fans and the teams alike, the polemical qualifying format that saw drivers sit in the garage in the latter half of Q2 and Q3 is now obsolete. After all the Formula 1 teams had rallied against the FIA, Ecclestone, and the CVC, the higher-ups of the king motorsport had to bury the hatchet.
Therefore, the current elimination system will be swapped for the 2015 qualifying format in due time. Provided that the governing bodies work fast enough to enact it, the switch will take effect beginning with the Chinese Grand Prix and will apply for the rest of the 2016 season.
The higher-ups at the FIA and FOM had this to comment to make on the change: “At the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, commercial rights holder representative, accepted, in the interests of the Championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015.” Good job, lads. Too bad you refused to pay attention to the fans and teams in the first place.
In related news, Ecclestone and Todt will summon the teams later this years to have “a global assessment of the format of the weekend for 2017.” Fingers crossed history won’t repeat itself.
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