"Burning" laps

[Belatti]

At least someone realices that there is a Irony between the rule for the 3rd Qualy period and the intended "Greener formula".

I never really understood the sense of that stupid rule.
Having some cars running for a while on saturday, in order to have TV audience and people in the grandstands, maybe?
For sure there are other ways to achieve that without falling into stupidity.

Now I look foward to hear your comments!

[bar555]

I think cars with empty tanks are better than ones with heavy fuel load. Qualifying is to push the car to the limit to get the maximum , not to calculate fuel consumption . This matter must remain crucial during the race so as to let the team strategies play some part to the outcome of the race . After all there are two championships one of which is the construction's one .

[modbaraban]

I agree. That's quite stupid to sit and watch as the fuel burns for some minutes and then have 4 pole contenders doing their hotlaps simultaneously, so the viewers can't see those laps that really matter properly.

My solution would be having four 12-minute free-for-all quali sessions with 3-minute ad.-breaks in between. To ensure more action during all four sessions every driver must record a laptime in each of the sessions to qualify. Fastest laptimes (any session) form the grid. No refueling rules. Very simple and easy to understand... in fact it's the same 2002 system but better for TV (plenty of action all the time).

[waynes]

At least someone realices that there is a Irony between the rule for the 3rd Qualy period and the intended "Greener formula".

honda are doing their part by not having a car quick enough to get into 3rd qualifying

[pRo]

My solution would be having four 12-minute free-for-all quali sessions with 3-minute ad.-breaks in between. To ensure more action during all four sessions every driver must record a laptime in each of the sessions to qualify. Fastest laptimes (any session) form the grid.

They have to have a laptime, but only the best one counts? Surely they would just cruise around during the first sessions then?

How about just totaling all 4 laptimes together and the fastest total gets the pole? That way there would actually be real action even during the first sessions when the track isn't the best.


The fuel burning laps are boring and have always been. Hope they get rid of it. Just let the cars battle it out without having to worry about the race at that point. Hey, we might even see an overtake, if some car/driver is faster on quali than on the race. And the guys ending up 8th-10th wouldn't just fill up, cause they know their position can't change much, no matter what they do.

Come to think of it, the current system isn't THAT bad. Just lose the rule that you have to run your race fuel in the final session and let them run how they wish.

[flynfrog]

My solution would be having four 12-minute free-for-all quali sessions with 3-minute ad.-breaks in between. To ensure more action during all four sessions every driver must record a laptime in each of the sessions to qualify. Fastest laptimes (any session) form the grid.

They have to have a laptime, but only the best one counts? Surely they would just cruise around during the first sessions then?

How about just totaling all 4 laptimes together and the fastest total gets the pole? That way there would actually be real action even during the first sessions when the track isn't the best.


The fuel burning laps are boring and have always been. Hope they get rid of it. Just let the cars battle it out without having to worry about the race at that point. Hey, we might even see an overtake, if some car/driver is faster on quali than on the race. And the guys ending up 8th-10th wouldn't just fill up, cause they know their position can't change much, no matter what they do.

Come to think of it, the current system isn't THAT bad. Just lose the rule that you have to run your race fuel in the final session and let them run how they wish.

ditto

[Sawtooth-spike]

I Agree that the fuel burn laps are boring and pointless. But and its a Big But. I would much rather sit and watch that than watch single lap qualifying, Or thats Stupid 2 session quilfying, or any other one of the crap ideas they have had since they got rid of the hour long season. If the FIA are allowed to come up with another dump arse System of quailfying after this one, its probably gonna suck like the last ones.

I say better the devil you know than the devil you dont. just make season 3 shorter and allow them to run the fuel how they like.

[zac510]

This is the best qualifying we've had for a long time and F1 fans are still whinging and proposing their own 'solutions'.

F1 fans are unbelievable.

[modbaraban]

I'm no sure if the timing of this topic by Bellati is just a coincidence. But the changes seem inevitable.

Formula 1 team bosses will meet up today to talk about the way the qualifying session is working at the moment. In the third and final qualifying session the ten drivers always begin a little race for ten minutes to try and get as little fuel as possible in their tanks. This isn't just boring, it is always a waste of fuel.

Renault's technical director Bob Bell believes the way third qualifying works at the moment is against one of F1's latest issues; saving the environment. "We really need to find a solution to stop wasting our fuel in the final qualifying sector," Bob Bell said. "It is very strange that we are still burning fuel while we want to become eco-friendly."

06 September 2007

[Belatti]

I'm no sure if the timing of this topic by Bellati is just a coincidence. But the changes seem inevitable.

Its not a coincidence, just read the news!

Zac510, I like this Qualy system, too, just do not agree with the 3rd session fuel rule.

pRo, your system proposal seems like Indy qualy, but divided in 4 sessions, but I would prefer a qualy system that make laptimes comparables to last years.

[EAKMotorsports]

This is the best qualifying we've had for a long time and F1 fans are still whinging and proposing their own 'solutions'.

F1 fans are unbelievable.

I agree with you 100%.

[AeroGT3]

This is the best qualy we're going to get. The only thing they could do different, is allow teams to change their fuel loads in the last session, but make them set their fuel loads at the beginning of it.

[modbaraban]

Quick news on the decision worked out in Monza.

- No changes for Q1 and Q2
- Q3 time reduced
- Fuel burned during the Q3 will NOT be compensated, so the amout of fuel from the last Q3 lap is preserved for the race.

This should be discussed by FIA and (hopefully) implemented for 2008.

I've yet no English language article to refer to.

[joseff]

Q3 will NOT be compensated, so the amout of fuel from the last Q3 lap is preserved for the race.

That is ridiculous... as the rules stand now, 11th and 12th place qualifiers already have a fuel/strategic advantage against those placed 8-10. If this goes ahead, even those further ahead (6th?) are in danger of losing out.

Implement this rule and we'll see "best of the rest" teams in a slow bicycle race to qualify 11th. Come on, what's wrong with having another low fuel run in Q3, then allowing everybody to refuel to whatever level they like?

[Fridge13]

Quick news on the decision worked out in Monza.

- No changes for Q1 and Q2
- Q3 time reduced
- Fuel burned during the Q3 will NOT be compensated, so the amout of fuel from the last Q3 lap is preserved for the race.

This should be discussed by FIA and (hopefully) implemented for 2008.

I've yet no English language article to refer to.

Wow, thats spectacular, while we are at it, we should make the top four qualifiers turn off two cylinders!!!