How does one like their F1 qualifying?

I did not see where a poll or post was directly brought up here, so I will apoligize ahead of time if this is a repost.

But I thought I would see where the rest of the F-Community stands on how qualifying is run. Basically 3 options, you hate it, you love it, or you have no idea what qualifying is.

My personal opinion is the new format is boring, watching each car come out in singularly. I much rather see all the cars for the hour run no more then 10 laps to qualify. Let them run the same enigine all week long still. Just my 2 cents.

 

Compared to qualifying in recent years I prefer the current mode as it gives me a chance to see each car and each driver. You never got a chance to see how some of the mid fielders or back markers were doing and now it becomes blatantly obvious who can perform under stress and who doesn't.

F1 Qualifying in recent years just sucked as they all sat there waiting for the last five minutes and then simultaneously went out.

F1 Qualifying in the past (as during Senna's time) had different rules and people tried hard over an entire hour to get the best time. THOSE were the days.

So IMHO your poll should have a fourth option for the good ol' days.

 

I was little when Senna raced, so I do not recall the FIA rules and regulations then. So they I take it back then they could run infinite amount of laps? That would be fantastic.

 

I think the old way is the best.... PERIOD!!

 

Actually I have to bite my lip now, not sure anymore what the rules were during Senna's high time in the late eighties. But I do know for certain, that in the really grand ol' days of the early eighties (read: Gilles Villeneuve), they had basically unlimited supply of tires and went through them like crazy. Pole position fights to the drop of the flag. Fantastic!

 

The new system sucks. You get to see all the cars but you only care about the top runners the rest of it is just tedious. Plus no-one is running flat out and pushing it to the limit. Schuey's fastest race lap in Melbourne was 1/2 second quicker than his qualifying time.

Bring back the 12 lap format but make all the drivers do at least one run in the first 15 minutes to avoid the times when no-one goes out in the first few minutes.

 

Fair compromise.

And just for the record: *I* do care about drivers outside the top six. I do want to see the newcomers and how well they do or not. I do want to see Sauber and Minardi. For me it is not just about the first WC contenders.

 

I think it was more dramatic with the old 1 hour 12 lap system.Everybody trying to get that extra bit for pole.Now it's just plain boring.

 

One of the nice things now is that there is a fine line between going too hard in qualifying and having your engine last for the whole weekend. Certainly, some drivers can pull out a little extra in qualifying but at what cost? Is it worth that extra place or two places at the risk of your engine failing near the end of the race? It will interesting to see how this plays out over a whole season. I like that each driver gets a clean shot at qualifying. Not that dramatic but good info.

 

Having grown up with downhill skiing I'm used to the single file "racing". It really shows you the differences between the drivers.

I hope one day they will show some more of those "phantom car" pictures, where they blend one car over the other and you can see how their lines compare.

But even without that you can see how a DC compares to MS.

 

I preferred the old system - however, I understand the issue about everyone waiting for the last 5 minutes for track temperatures to warm up.

How about bringing it back, keeping the one engine rule but teams have to either :

- average out the best 4 laps one from each quarter of the qualifying hour.
- can take the best lap in that hour but must have completed 3 other qualifying laps that are at least 12 minutes apart during that hour.

 

Anyone remember Indy in 2000 when Mika drafted for Coulthard with time running out on the qualifying session. It's tactics like those that really spiced up the qualifying hour.
The only thing I don't miss is some numbskull getting in the way of another driver on their flying lap.
Steve

 

I remember that. That was brilliant.

I also have dark memories of your other comment: Zolder 82...

 

I like the new form of qualifying. The drivers don't have anyone in their way to hinder their times. They also do not have anyone on the track but them selves to blame if they have a poor qualifying. I do how ever think that it should be three laps, and take the best time of the three.

 

Thery need to step back a bit and mix it up a bit more. With next to no overtaking these days the whole weekend is turning into a parade. And the cars are safer so you would think there would be more on the limit driving. Aerodynamics suck. God I miss the old days.

 

Go back to the 12 lap system but enforce 3 laps per quarter hour for each car. I really miss the drama of the old system, although I have to admit watching an extraordinary lap, like Schumacher's lap this morning, alone on the track is pretty exciting!

 

I prefer the old qualifying format, but I don't mind seing the cars doing a laptime before the real one. The more I see F1 the better it is!

 

I agree completely... its nice to see the split times... but side-by-side video is soooo much more revealing.

I like the clear-track, as-fast-as-you-can-go qualifying runs. (I also like SCCA Solo racing... autocrossing.) I am okay with the strategic situation of having to get those fastest laps in the start-of-race-form. But I also like the set-the-car-up-for-fastest-lap format, too... see just how fast they can make it. Either way. The one thing I miss from older formats, though, is the back-and-forth of one guy outdoes the other, and the other comes back to lay down an even faster lap. But how many tries should they get? 3? 6? 12? 1 is too few... 12 is too many... not sure what's just right.

 

Thanks for that Brian.

I think what the supporters of the "old style" forget is, what those qualifying sessions really looked like:

Right now we have cars on the track throughout the hour.

In the old format, we had a Minardi in the first 15 minutes. Then nothing. And ten minutes before the end, everybody at the same time, which meant the cameras would only show the Mc Laren/Williams/Ferrari cars. Is that so much better?