2016 Rolex Australian Grand Prix

I was very interested in Q1 for the first time in what seemed like forever. So far, the new format has my approval.
 
Not enjoying this format. There is no commentary here in NZ, the screen is cluttered up and I have no idea when the next elimination is.

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It's nice to see Palmer beat Magnussen in both sessions. The most underrated driver on the grid in my eyes.

Unlucky for Bottas. :(
 
Not sure what McLaren was trying to do there by keeping Alonso and Button in the pitlane until it was too late. Hopefully it was to keep the tyres fresh, but I don't see much point in that.
 
I think the format works because it puts pressure on the driver to deliver a fast lap on demand. I think it also works because the teams have to balance fuel load and tyres against track position. And I think that it will get better once teams realise that they need to approach qualifying differently; they're still trying to think along the same lines as they did in 2015.

But ultimately, I think it fails because it doesn't live up to the vision that the FIA had - I think they were angling for cars constantly turning laps, racing each other to the line to avoid elimination and knock each other out.
 
Yeah the problem is everyone has used the Tyres they need for the race so they have no choice.

On a side note the Torro Rosso is proper fast, if they can keep this pace over the season we should see a more reflective battle between the drivers.
 
NW48
Not sure what McLaren was trying to do there by keeping Alonso and Button in the pitlane until it was too late. Hopefully it was to keep the tyres fresh, but I don't see much point in that.
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Button's confirmed they had no tyres.

So, F1's chewing gum tyres gimmick has thrown a spanner in the works. A quali-specific hard tyre would be nice.
 
mustafur
Yeah the problem is everyone has used the Tyres they need for the race so they have no choice.
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That's because they still insist on the "start on the tyres you qualified with" rule. It was obviously hoped that the rule would force the top ten onto a bad strategy, having eaten the life out of their tyres, and give those further down the grid a fighting chance. But that never happened.
 
prisonermonkeys
But ultimately, I think it fails because it doesn't live up to the vision that the FIA had - I think they were angling for cars constantly turning laps, racing each other to the line to avoid elimination and knock each other out.
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I think if no pit stops were allowed and all had to stay out the for whole session on the one set of tyres with just enough fuel then that might be what you'd get, providing they could all be careful enough with their tyres.
 
Bo
A quali-specific hard tyre would be nice.
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To my mind, the solution is obvious: go back to the three-period format. Use the Q3 results to determine the running order for a Qualifying Final - a top ten (or eight) shootout where the drivers get one lap to produce a blistering lap. Completely open up the use of DRS, allow bonkers engine maps, and arm the drivers with super-hyper-mega-soft tyres that allow phenomenal lap times but completely compromise your lap if you make the slightest mistake. In other words, try to make the difference between qualifying and the race as extreme as possible. Keep one of them as a discipline, but make the other an extreme sport.
 
I'm with Brundle's "gut reaction" on this - there's a bit too much focus on the clock rather than the laps, and whilst it's potentially mixing up the grid it's robbing us of the multi-car mad scraps we used to get at the end of Q1/Q2, which I always liked. And as @UnkaD said in Q2 it pretty much just moved the no-cars-on-track issue from the start of the session to the end.

That said it's probably worth giving it a few races to see if the teams end up approaching it differently.

mustafur
On a side note the Torro Rosso is proper fast, if they can keep this pace over the season we should see a more reflective battle between the drivers.
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And their Ferrari engine is a year old, right? Very impressive.
 
Qualifying concept: Very good, has shown flashes of brilliance.

Concept in its current format: Needs a fair amount of work.
 
Negative for the new format: Qualy sessions are basically done with even though there's still 2-4 minutes on the clock. At least in Q3, anyway.
 

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