[ashwin.terminat]

Qualifying will be axed from F1 in 2020, according to Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.

A secret vote is said to have taken place between teams and they came to a unanimous decision that the Saturday before a race needs to be revamped.

Instead, a ‘mini-race’ is expected to determine the grid position of the drivers, however, the terms of such event have yet to be decided.

“All teams have said yes, including us," Binotto told Gazetta dello Sport.

"So in 2020, it will be done."

Source:
1) https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...otto-mini-race

2) https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/45546...positions.html

[thehighwayman]

They tried something like this last year but had to revert back to the old format following heavy criticism from fans. Hope this one is well thought out .

[SilentEngine]

What's the reason to change it? Is it because of what happened in Monza? How would they determine the starting order for such a race?

Most likely, it should be a rolling start to avoid first lap incidents, otherwise why would the drivers want to risk it on a Saturday?

[GTO]

Didn't quite understand this. Mini-race means what? And who starts in what order in this mini-race? Won't there be a qualifying for that mini-race?

I have an idea that might kill two birds with one stone. Form the starting grid based on the fastest lap ranking of the previous race. Usually, the final 10 laps of a race are boring, with the order more or less settled. My idea will make all cars push to the limit and also make the final stages interesting.

While at it, please bring fuel pitstops back. That will overnight make F1 twice as interesting.

[StarrySky]

I doubt if the qualifying race idea will actually be implemented. Given the reliability requirements for various components, I doubt the teams will agree to do any more laps than absolutely necessary during a race weekend. I guess this means a qualifying race cannot last more than the 13-15 laps the teams reaching Q3 currently do during the whole qualifying session (including in/out laps). When the full-length races don't feature too much overtaking, how much overtaking will we get in a race that is possibly 75% or more shorter? Especially in places like Monaco, should I watch two processions instead of one in a weekend? One of the highlights in Q2/Q3 is the teams and drivers giving it the full beans for that one qualifying lap. The qualifying race format takes that away too.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by GTO

Didn't quite understand this. Mini-race means what?

They may probably have the old, one hour qualifying session and start based on their fastest time during that one hour session.

I doubt it very much if fueling during the race would return on at least two counts;
1. Safety. There had been many incidents that caused this to be stopped
2. Ecomony. With the increased focus on fuel economy and energy savings worldwide.

[myavu]

As per my understanding they are going to sample these mini qualifier races at few race-weekends in 2020 to evaluate it before implementing in 2021. Since the regulation is stable for 2020 they can easily execute these experiments.

Words from horse's mouth

"I'd like to see in '20 for us to try a few things," Brawn told Sky Sports on Friday. "I think in '20 we've got a stable platform in terms of the cars, things aren't changing that much and I think that '20 could be a good opportunity perhaps for one or two races to try some variations.

Read more https://www.espn.in/f1/story/_/id/27...es-2020-season

Cheers!

[nikhilthegunner]

Actually I'd prefer a small change. Each driver gets 3-4 laps in which they set their fastest lap time, that's it. Based on the fastest timings recorded at the end of each 4 lap stint, the order is decided.

[ds.raikkonen]

I prefer the 2 day qualy session split in the pre-2006 era. Give each driver just one hot lap to set a time on Sat and Sun. Then take the average of both times and form the grid. This will save both time and fuel. Also, like in WRC, fastest driver gets to go first on a green track the next day for the timed lap and lay down some rubber for others.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

I prefer the 2 day qualy session split in the pre-2006 era. Give each driver just one hot lap to set a time on Sat and Sun. Then take the average of both times and form the grid. This will save both time and fuel. Also, like in WRC, fastest driver gets to go first on a green track the next day for the timed lap and lay down some rubber for others.

That format of aggregate times from Sat and Sun was a short lived one. Issue with any single lap qualifying is the possibility of changing weather condition affecting the drivers depending on when they run. I don't think the drivers themselves liked that format much.

Here's a history of all different qualifying formats, up to 2016. Surely the 2016 format of 90 second elimination was probably the worst ever! No wonder it was taken off after one race!

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/f...g-formats.html

[ds.raikkonen]

Yeah, though drivers get caught out due to changing weather conditions even in the current format. I actually skip forward to Q3 whenever watching a recorded qualy as the previous 2 sessions sometime become too long to watch! What spectators need is an exciting one lap all out barn stormer of a lap and not slowing down on the main straight in Q2 so that the time set on mediums gets them through and starting on soft becomes a strategic issue during the race.

[wrongturn]

I think the reverse championship grid lineup would be much more exciting. The driver leading the championship starts from the very end. It would make the races interesting for half the number of laps at least, no need for qualifying, more time for practice which would create much more suspense, would produce more action and drama.

Imagine this scenario if it would have been in place for 2019 season then Kubica would have almost always had started from pole and Vettel could have spun out much later in the races, however Mercedes 1-2 would have been inevitable, though races would have been watchable.

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

I think the reverse championship grid lineup would be much more exciting. The driver leading the championship starts from the very end. It would make the races interesting for half the number of laps at least, no need for qualifying, more time for practice which would create much more suspense, would produce more action and drama.

Exactly, unfortunately the bigger teams will simply veto it out of contention. Nobody wants to risk starting from the back else half the time they'll end up getting punted! This format can be tried out in single make series only.