Formula 1 will ditch the new elimination-style qualifying format and revert back to the old system used last year – and in the previous nine seasons before that – following unanimous agreement to do so.
Team bosses met with FIA president Jean Todt on Sunday morning in the Melbourne paddock after Bernie Ecclestone arranged a meeting to discuss the format – which many branded “boring” or “rubbish” including Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
“I’m the first one to say we shouldn’t be speaking bad about things on TV, but I think the new qualifying format is pretty rubbish,” said the Austrian on Saturday.
During the meeting, there was unanimous support to ditch the current format which sees drivers eliminated at 90 second intervals and reinstate the old format which sees six cars knocked out at the end of Q1 and Q2 before ten drivers battle it out for pole position in Q3.
The change will happen almost immediately with it likely to be rushed through the Strategy Group, F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council in time for the Bahrain GP in a fortnight.