New F1 qualifying format

[Tawfik]

Hardcore F1 fans:
Has anyone watched F1 qualifying from Bahrain yet?
I tivoed it and watch it as soon as I got up. I didn t have much confidence in the new qual format but after watching it, the whole session was full of excitement and I really like it.
Of course the last of the 3 sessions determines fuel strategy so it will be interesting to watch the race and see who is really quick.
I won't say who got pole as to not spoil it for those who haven t watched but all I can say is that it was a good surprise.
Can t wait for the race....

[paul hastings]

Qualifying was entertaining. However, I didn't mind the old day's of one session but, this morning was fun.

[Bob Gagnon]

In the new format, those cars that make it to the last session have to start the race on the amount of fuel they started the last session with.

In order to correct for the fuel used during the last session, the rules provide for refueling 2.75 kg of fuel for each lap a car completes during this session at 110% of it's qualifying time.

Due to traffic, Michael completed one lap at greater than 110% and did not receive fuel for the lap.

Had Michael received that fuel, I think he would have been able to turn one more quick lap and Alonso would have come out of the pits behind Michael rather than in front of him after his second stop.

2.75 kg of fuel short of a victory for Michael.......should be a great F1 season.

[ttweed]

In the new format, those cars that make it to the last session have to start the race on the amount of fuel they started the last session with.

Bob-
My understanding of the new rule is that they may not start with MORE fuel than they began the last qualifying session with. It is legal to start with less. That's a subtle difference. If conditions for the race, particularly weather, changed overnight, you might see people starting the race with a different fuel load than the last session.

TT

[Bob Gagnon]

I don't think I was clear in what I said.

My understanding is that in the first 2 qualifying sessions the fuel load is free, you can run what you want during these sessions. Furthuremore the 12 cars that are eliminated in these first 2 qualifying rounds can start the race with whatever fuel load they want.

The 10 cars that make it to the last session will have to start the race on the fuel left in the tank at the end of the third session plus the fuel given back to the car by the FIA. Fuel given back to the car before the race is based on a formula posted at the start of the qualifying session. At Bahrain it was 2.75 kg fuel for each lap driven no slower than 110% of the qualifying speed during the third session. I don't know if you can reject the fuel allowed to go back in the car or not.

Michael did a lap during the third session on which his time was greater than 110% of his qualification lap and he did not get the 2.75 kg of fuel for that lap. He made reference to this during the post-race interview.

Of course I may misunderstand the whole deal anyway!!!

[RickK]

I believe I heard them say that the 3rd qualifying session fuel load was the max they could start the race with. They are able to start with less if they choose.

I also found interesting how they kept referring to 750hp V8 racecars as "momentum cars". The announcers made several mentions to that style of driving. Sure, the old cars were 900-1000 hp but these guys are not running 3000 lb, 150 hp 944s now.

[ttweed]

I don't know if you can reject the fuel allowed to go back in the car or not.

Bob- I think you've got it right, except that the team may choose NOT to reload ALL the fuel allowed them under the rules between the end of the last qualifying session and the race start. It can be rejected, but it would only be under unusual conditions (weather change, etc.) that such an option might be exercised.

Your point about having to run laps at a 110% pace of qualifying speed or better to earn the refueling allowance is important, though. You do NOT get to start the race with the same fuel load as you began final qualifying with if you turn slow laps in the last session. It is a very complex rule, and without weighing all the cars before and after their final qualifying session, and then again before the race start, there would be no accurate way to determine if the teams were conforming to the fuel rule. The "per 110% lap" refueling allowance is a simpler way for FIA to regulate it, I think.

TT

[Bob Gagnon]

This to me is what delineates F1 from Nascar. I love all this stuff.

Michaels claim that his lack of fuel shorting him a lap does fly in the face of the fact that he was faster on average without the fuel during the laps he took....interesting compromises. Do you reject the fuel you are allowed or not?

[Jad]

Just filler er up and start last like Kimi. He had more fun and a fresher engine! Just think, if Michael and Alonso had taken each other out on the pit exit fight, Kimi would have won the race. That, and the fact that the fastest lap was Rosberg in a Williams Cosworth should at least make this a very interesting season for a change

[Bob Gagnon]

That, and the fact that the fastest lap was Rosberg in a Williams Cosworth should at least make this a very interesting season for a change

YES!!!!

[paul hastings]

I have found the last couple season quite entertaining. I am still trying to fully understand the qualifying rules. My current understanding is the third session starting fuel is the max and can be replenished to that point.

Perhaps McLaren should try a similar strategy as Renault and Ferrari with more stops and lighter fuel. Of course, not necessarily when they start from the back. It was fun to watch Rosberg in the Williams Cosworth. After the Ferrari it is the best sounding motor in my opinion.

I am a forever JPM fan so it was a rather uneventful race for me in this respect. However, walking away with solid points is much better then the alternative from the first half of last year with all the mechanical failures. It should be an exciting season! I really believe Honda is going to be a player this year.

[Greg Phillips]

I have found the last couple season quite entertaining. I am still trying to fully understand the qualifying rules. My current understanding is the third session starting fuel is the max and can be replenished to that point.

I think it is a bit more complicated than that. In theory the goal is to have the drivers in the third qualifying session be allowed to start the race with only as much fuel as they started qualifying.
But what they get is an allowance of fuel for each lap at racing speed (110%) that may be added back to what the finished qualifying with.
You could drive a large number of slow laps and not earn much fuel to be replaced. The more I thnk about it the more advantages come forward. It penalizes drivers who would run slower laps to save fuel or engine (or slow down other drivers ). Now if you are running laps you are running at speed if you want to earn your fuel allowance back.
Greg