Several Formula 1 drivers have spoken out against plans to introduce an elimination system in qualifying in a meeting with F1 race director Charlie Whiting.
In a plan to inform drivers about F1’s rules, Whiting hosted a meeting with those present in Barcelona for the second pre-season testing on Wednesday evening. In the FIA motorhome, Whiting met with several drivers including Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez to discuss different matters.
Perez told Sky Sports F1 afterwards that there was clear opposition from drivers regarding the changes to qualifying.
“We are obviously not very happy with the new plans they want to implement,” Perez said. “Let’s see if they can change it.
“We felt that it could be very complicated for the fans to understand – it’s complicated for us already. We also felt that qualifying is really good at the moment and there is no reason to change that.”
Kevin Magnussen admitted that it would be easier if they knew the plan for qualifying before the start of the 2016 season so they could prepare.
“Yeah, obviously it would be better to know, and easier to prepare,” he said to Motorsport.com. “Let’s see what happens. We give our opinion, but it is not up to us to decide.”
