motor

tekwar · 10-04-2003, 08:31 AM

Quotes from F1-live http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.h...04134425.shtml

The format for grand prix weekends has undergone further changes after the F1 team bosses agreed to revamp race weekends.

Friday qualifying, which was implemented this season, has been given the boot although with Friday’s private testing, that Jaguar, Jordan, Minardi and Renault took part in this year. However, to make allowances for the smaller teams, the bosses agreed that the bottom six teams in the standings will be allowed to run a third car during Friday’s two free practice sessions.

Friday’s first practice session will take place from 11h00 to 12h00 as per usual, while the second will be run from 14h00 to 15h00, filling the slot left by Qualifying 1.

Saturday mornings will still host two practice sessions, while the one-and-only qualifying session will take place from 14h00 to 15h30. Instead of the one lap shoot-out that was implemented this season, drivers will now take part in a two-lap shoot-out.

The running order for the first shoot-out will be determined by the previous race’s results, while the running order for the second shoot- out will see the driver with the slowest time in the first run be the first out.

Sunday’s format will remain as it was this season.

Sounds interesting, but i still prefer the old style qualifying format where you get the madness of 20 drivers trying to get the best time of the day in the dying minutes of qualifying where anything can happen, and where us fans can trully get to see the best car and best driver prevail at the end of the day. Not some strategy driven qualifying where you dont know who is the better driver or car because of race strategies where cars have different fuel loads in qualifying, but thats just my 2 cents. Two years ago, it was such joy to see Montoya snatching pole after pole from schumy on his final laps. Qualifying was just as exciting as the races themselves, this year qualifying seems more of a formality than anything else. Its too early to critisize the new format, we will just have to wait and see.