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FIA asks driver opinions regarding qualifying

The FIA held a meeting with a number of drivers after testing in Barcelona on Wednesday to gather opinions on a number of issues in F1.

Drivers have regularly said they would like to be consulted on matters relating to the future of the sport, with new aerodynamic regulations set to be introduced in 2017 as well as cockpit protection plans moving ahead.

With a group of drivers called in to the FIA's hospitality after running on day two to talk to race director Charlie Whiting, Kevin Magnussen explained they were being asked about recent developments in F1 including a proposed new qualifying format.

"It was just Charlie getting the driver’s opinions on a number of things," Magnussen said of the meeting, confirming qualifying was a topic.

"Obviously it would be nice to know [the qualifying format], it would make it easier to prepare, we will just see what happens. We give our opinion, but it is not up to us to decide."

While unsure if there will be a follow-up to the meeting, Magnussen says it's good to see drivers asked for their opinions.

"I think [it's positive]," he added. "Hopefully there will be more of that in the future."

Magnussen's former team-mate Jenson Button does not feel qualifying is an area which needs addressing.

"I like new regulations, I think it’s fun to learn new regulations," Button said. "People will make mistakes which will help us because we’re not the most competitive car.

"But I think there are more important things and other areas of Formula 1 that need to be looked at before we start messing with qualifying which I think has been pretty good. Lately I think Saturdays have been a real standout I feel for the sport over the last few years."

Sergio Perez was more forceful, claiming the drivers are united in being against the changes and wanted to make the FIA aware of their feelings.

"We are obviously not very happy with the new plans they want to implement," Perez told Sky Sports News. "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."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.