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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Famous phrase, isn’t it?
The 2016 Formula One has barely begun, with the 58-lap Australian Grand Prix yet to be contested, and already one of the greatest farces in the sport’s history has been witnessed.
And no, it’s not Lewis Hamilton’s recent obsession with reading glasses.
The new rapid elimination qualifying format, which was only mere weeks ago brought to the fore by the Strategy Group and Formula One Commission in Geneva, ended its first running in complete disarray.
It was a format change that was agreed upon amid a serious push to nail down major regulation changes for the 2017 season, which are yet to be decided on.
Originally the concept was to ensure that there would be more drivers on track throughout the entire qualifying period, rectifying the lull stages when cars retreated to their garages. As well as make the end of Q3 more exciting, by pitting the final two drivers to fight for pole position in the final 90 seconds.
In reality, that didn’t happen. In fact pole position may as well have been declared when there were two minutes remaining on the clock, because Ferrari had no more tyres to send Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen out again to challenge Mercedes AMG. The latter in the end had no reason to better their already record-breaking lap time.
With the idea aimed at making qualifying more exciting for fans, it is an irony as well as quite a bleak image to see a mass exodus of disgruntled spectators from the grandstands at that two minute mark.
Not to mention also that the ‘updated’ graphics boasted by FOM were very difficult to follow, even for the initiated spectators.
It’s unpleasant to ponder that from the beginning the push to introduce this new qualifying system, when the previous had no complaints to its name, was doomed all along.
During the post-qualifying press conference, Ferrari’s Vettel revealed while debating with pole sitter Hamilton over the contentious topic that “we knew it was a bad idea but still did it anyway”.
Across the entire weekend there have been many to state their disliking the change, including Fernando Alonso, who during a Honda press conference claimed that the outcome of qualifying “will be the same” as previous years, which did end up coming to fruition.
His teammate Jenson Button on the other hand was quick to say that there’s “many other areas [other than qualifying] that need addressing”, however when asked what in particular he’d like to see implemented or altered, there was very little in the way of a response.
That also highlights how not many in the paddock seem to have any solid conclusion as to what the regulation changes in 2017 ought to be. Either that or drivers are unable to speak freely about how they want to race in the future.
However, as far as indecision in Formula One rulemaking goes during the last five or so years – this has to be the crown jewel.
Having only decided on the format weeks prior to the first grand prix, the commercial rights holder could not even establish a time to implement it.
The excuse of lengthy reprogramming of software was acquiesced upon the public by Bernie Ecclestone and the Melbourne debut was pushed back to Barcelona. Now it suddenly has happened at the curtain-raising race weekend.
Logically it would be sound to make an immediate return to the erstwhile layout for qualifying, come the second round of the championship in Bahrain. But the damage has already been done and regrettably the illustrious sport again has fallen on the sword of an ill-conceived regulation.
Difficult to fathom then how this rule, if despised aplenty by the figures that comprise the almighty Strategy Group, unanimously agreed to its creation.
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