The FIA have now officially approved the reversion back to the 2015 qualifying format, from the Chinese Grand Prix. The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council and the F1 Commission confirmed their support for the change via e-vote last week, which has allowed the notion to be formally approved.
Following the united stand of all eleven F1 team’s, who signed a letter to voice their indignation towards the elimination style system that had been put into place from Round 1 of 2016, Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt were forced to surrender to the majority and drop the new, flawed system in favour of the 2015 format.
The teams were unwilling to accept any further tweaks to the system, after the all new regime failed to impress in Australia and Bahrain, allowing F1 bosses no room for compromise and so a surrender to the teams wishes was swiftly employed. The teams did however agree that from 2017 they would be willing to look into other possible avenues of improving the current set-up, a small token perhaps for their request to gain approval.
The official statement from the FIA reads:
“The World Motor Sport Council today approved, via e-vote, the decision to revert to last season’s qualification format for the remainder of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship.
“The format, where the slowest six cars are eliminated at the end of the first two qualifying sessions before a final ten-car shootout for Pole in Q3, will return for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.”
As it is, come this Saturday in China the qualifying format that we all know and love, will be back in session!
