The format for the Formula One qualifying round of every race weekend has been changed for the 2016 season.
The format for the Formula One qualifying round of every race weekend has been changed for the 2016 season. Qualifying is held a day before the actual race after the third practice.
The round consisted of three parts and the slowest few in each session was eliminated. In the third session, only the top 10 drivers took part and it sometimes ended with a nail-biting finish to determine the pole setter. The qualifying round went on for an hour every race weekend. The drivers could decide when to come out so that they would not get stuck in traffic and lose out on a good timed lap.
However, for the 2016 season, the qualifying round has been changed from an elimination style to a knockout style. There will still be three rounds where the slowest cars will be kicked out and the top 10 will go on to the last round where the fastest car will take pole position. However, unlike the previous method, the cars will start being eliminated while the session is in progress. When a session has nine minutes remaining, the slowest car will be eliminated from further contention for a grid spot. Every 1.5 minutes after that, another car will get elminated until the session ends. This means that in the final session, the battle for pole will come down to the last 2 cars that are still running, instead of multiple cars.
This means that all the cars should set a quick lap time as soon as possible and that will guarantee a action filled session. What are your thoughts on this new method? Comment below to share your views.
The first pre-season testing has begun and is currently under progress at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Barcelona. The first race of the season will be held in Melbourne, Australia on the 20th of March.