After the first round of the championship, the teams saw how bad the new qualifying system was. They submitted a proposal to revert back to the 2015 format, but it was denied. The teams resubmitted their proposal again and it has made it further through the process.
On the moring before the Australian Grand Prix, the F1 team bosses had unanimously agreed to ditch the new elimination-style qualifying format before the Bahrain Grand Prix. This proposal was shot down by Jean Todt, the FIA president, and Bernie Ecclestone, the representative of the sport’s commercial rights holder. Additionally, the second proposal that requested some changes to the new format was unable to move past the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Earlier today, the F1 team bosses resubmitted their proposal to revert back to the 2015 qualifying format before the Chinese Grand Prix. Things have gone much better the second time, as both Todt and Ecclestone have allowed the proposal to go forward. It has now moved to the next stage where it will require unanimous approval from the F1 Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council. If it gets that approval, the 2015 qualifying format will be restored for the Chinese Grand Prix and the rest of the 2016 season.
The FIA and FOM explained the situation in a statement:
“At the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, commercial rights holder representative, accepted, in the interests of the Championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015.
This proposal, if approved by the F1 governing bodies, will take effect as from the Chinese Grand Prix and will apply for the rest of the season.”
Although the 2015 qualifying may be restored for this season, it isn’t necessarily safe for the seasons to come. Todt and Ecclestone have taken the teams’ suggestion to assess the weekend’s format for the 2017 season. It’s still unclear whether the 2015 format will actually be restored for the Chinese Grand Prix, but many people have their fingers crossed.
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