Categories: 2016 SeasonF1 News, Reports and Race Results

Full elimination qualifying gets green light for Melbourne

A new elimination-style F1 qualifying format has been approved by the World Motor Sport Council [WMSC] for introduction in Australia.

The plan was first announced following a meeting of the F1 Commission in Geneva last week, with drivers set to be knocked out at 90-second intervals in each of the three qualifying sessions. However, Bernie Ecclestone then raised concerns that new software required for the format would not be ready until the Spanish Grand Prix.

Team managers met earlier this week and suggested a compromise format which would see knockout periods during the first two parts of qualifying before using the old style in a Q3 session which would feature eight cars.

However, the WMSC has now approved the original format, with the aim of introducing it from the first race of the season in Australia in two weeks.

The new elimination format will work as follows:

16 minutes
After 7 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
7 drivers eliminated, 15 progress to Q2

15 minutes
After 6 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
7 drivers eliminated, 8 progress to Q3

14 minutes
After 5 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
2 drivers left in final 1 minute 30 seconds

The final elimination in each session occurs at the chequered flag – not when time is up.

A number of drivers voiced concerns regarding the new qualifying format when meeting with FIA race director Charlie Whiting earlier this week, while Fernando Alonso slammed the poor handling of the situation on Thursday evening.

A full announcement regarding the decisions made by the WMSC is expected later on Friday.

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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.