Formula One gave the go-ahead Friday, March 4, to a new qualifying system in which drivers will be eliminated every few minutes, a change strongly opposed by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, the Associated Press reports.
Vettel said he spoke for the rest of the F1 drivers when speaking out against the new rule, which was unanimously approved in a meeting between stakeholders last month and ratified Friday at a World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva.
The three qualifying periods will remain in place, but instead of having the slowest drivers eliminated at the end of each session, they will be dropped one by one every minute-and-a-half.
Governing body FIA said the system will be ready for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 20, AP says.
"It's a little bit chaotic if a couple of weeks before the season you start to reinvent certain rules," Vettel said. "I'm speaking on behalf of the drivers. No driver is (a fan). "
The first section of qualifying, known as Q1, will run for 16 minutes with the first driver dropped after seven minutes, with the remaining 15 drivers heading into Q2 — which lasts 15 minutes and with the first driver eliminated after six minutes.
Q3 lasts for 14 minutes with the first of the eight remaining drivers eliminated after five minutes until two cars are left for the final minute-and-a-half.
The final elimination in each session occurs at the checkered flag — not when time is up.
