New qualifying rules.

[MagpieRacer]

More detail about the tweaks to F1's knockout qualifying format for 2008 have emerged.

It was revealed in September that the F1 'Sporting Working Group' had agreed to rid the sport of the controversial fuel-burning phenomenon, chiefly by reducing the time for the 'Q3' format from 15 minutes.

La Gazzetta dello Sport now quotes Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali as revealing more about the new format, which is believed to have been recently ratified by the World Motor Sport Council.

He said Q1 will now last for "20 minutes instead of 15", while Q2 remains at 15 minutes.

"Q3 becomes 10 minutes, instead of 15," Domenicali added, explaining that competitors will no longer be allowed to add fuel to their cars before the Grand Prix.

So, basically the teams will now just wait until the last moment to get a lap in.

 

[mipuumal]

So, basically the teams will now just wait until the last moment to get a lap in.

I don't think so, I think we'll be seeing more action on an average.

But for sure there will be times when drivers get the perfect lap on their first try, and no matter what their position is they won't do another one because they want to save fuel for the race.

Previously:
10 minutes of boredom followed by 5 minutes of action

Now:
worst case scenario = 3 minutes of action followed by 7 minutes of boredom
best case scenario = 10 minutes of action

Also I think the traffic won't be as big an issue, so I think they might've gotten this one right.

 

[Appie]

Great, more changes!!!

 

[Alfaholic]

Great, more changes!!!

That's what I was thinking. The FIA are like canaries with a speech impediment: tweak tweak tweak

 

[Appie]

That's what I was thinking. The FIA are like canaries with a speech impediment: tweak tweak tweak

I wonder where they finding the seeds. lol

 

[Metar]

I can't see what's wrong with this change.

Drivers now have a choice between qualifying better at the expense of risking their strategy, or qualifying lower and going for a longer stint.

And mipuumal - I don't think we'll be seeing any change. Basically, we'll see everyone still trying to be the last man on the track, for obvious reasons. Actually, I think we'll have less action in the first few minutes, since everyone will try to conserve fuel for the last moments on the track. So, probably not more than two hotlaps per driver.

 

[Skid Mark 33]

I can't see why they mase the first session longer. That just sucks. So, I think I speak for everyone when I say "FIA, PLEASE STOP ****ING AROUND WITH THE RULES"!

 

[Roo]

Constructive posts are fun, huh?

They made the first session longer so that, overall, the teams get the same amount of track time as before - meaning the same amount of sponser exposure time.

It's a good change; we get even more guaranteed action. I'm looking forward to see it in action.

 

[m7ammed]

I will reserve my judgment until I see the first qualifying of the 2008 season

 

[Metar]

I can't see why they mase the first session longer. That just sucks. So, I think I speak for everyone when I say "FIA, PLEASE STOP ****ING AROUND WITH THE RULES"!

They made the first session longer so that, overall, the teams get the same amount of track time as before - meaning the same amount of sponser exposure time.

It's a good change; we get even more guaranteed action. I'm looking forward to see it in action.

That's one thing I haven't thought of - sponsor-exposure. I'm sure Spyker had theirs when they were the first ones out...

At the same time - we've seen how, quite often, the on-the-edge backmarkers can't get a clean run, despite being capable of it. Take, for example, Takuma Sato, who was summoned to the weightbridge quite often, costing him potential Q2 appearances. With 20 minutes, the busiest time on the track will become more spaced-out.

 

[Casio]

I even liked the one lap shoot out thing better than this.

I think we should do this crap they're doing now, then the top 5 go out on fumes and have a 1 lap shoot-out. That'd own.

 

[Alfaholic]

I can't see what's wrong with this change.

Me neither. I think, as changes go, this one's a step in the right direction. I just have a problem with the fact that they keep making changes. All the time. It's like they have to meet an annual target to get their bonuses.

Some people will like the change, others will prefer the way it was, and then others just wish they'd stop fiddling because it doesn't matter if the changes are for better or worse, the sport was just fine the way it was. I fall into the third camp, sort of, but can agree that the other two points of view are also reasonable.

 

[Boundary Layer]

I'm fine with this change also... well, fairly neutral.

As it was, the first 8-10mins of Q3 was pretty boring to watch - everyone just creating space from their teammate to make sure they can get in and out of the pits unobstructed and space from their rivals so they could do their runs in clean air. (I did prefer it to the single lap qualifying or 12 laps/hour formats previously used though)

Granted, the new format may not have as many cars on track at one time as the old, but it opens up a new strategic game for the race engineers to play against each other, as mipuumal and Metar described. Drivers who get a good lap in on their first flyer might choose to do no more, but the rest of the Q3 runners always have the option of burning fuel down to bring their car up to pace, at the cost of a shorter first stint in the race. I think it'll make some interesting talking points, if nothing else... maybe not at the very front of the grid, but that 4th-8th area perhaps.

Any indication if drivers who park in the pits/garage after doing what they figure is a solid lap are able to rejoin the session later, or not?

edit:
And I can see the merits of getting out early in the session and setting a fast time. It puts some pressure on the rest of the field to catch you and while you hope that they have to dip into the fuel they'd wanted to keep for their first race stint to do so. Qualifying 4th or 5th on a full tank could end up being a better tactic than front row but having to stop 4 or 5 laps sooner. We'll have to see.

Naturally, qualifying at the front on a full tank with no time left in the session for anyone to better the time is ideal, but I don't think it's something we're likely to see that often.