Elimination-style qualifying format to be retained for next week's Chinese GP; Teams write letter to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt urging return to 2015 qualy system
Thursday 7 April 2016 17:36, UK
F1 teams have rejected a proposal to introduce an aggregate system for qualifying and are continuing to push for 2015's format to return.
Sky Sports News HQ understands the teams have written to the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone to outline their opposition to the proposal of aggregate times in qualifying.
With unanimous agreement required to change the regulations mid-season, the failure of teams to back the FIA's idea means the heavily-criticised elimination system will stay in place for next week's Chinese GP.
Teams have argued since the new-for-2016 qualifying rules flopped on their debut at the Australian GP that they wanted the 2015 rules to be reinstated.
How aggregate qualifying would work
However, the FIA and Ecclestone have resisted a complete U-turn and instead proposed other alternatives, with the issue becoming a political battleground.
After some teams failed to back a proposal to only change Q3, the FIA floated the aggregate system for China - round three of the 2016 season - after another meeting discuss the way forward took place last Sunday in Bahrain.
Although some team bosses initially gave the new idea more favourable response, further analysis in the following days appears to have shown the aggregate system would not prove any better than the little-loved elimination rules.
Several drivers have been outspoken in their criticism of the system, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel labelling the idea "s***".
In a Sky Sports online vote, the proposed aggregate system proved more popular than the current elimination format - fans still overwhelmingly backed a return to last year's rules.
"We expressed our opinion and all teams have had the same opinion that we probably need to go back to 2015," Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said in Bahrain.
"But there are various agendas and the [Sunday] morning proved it's not an easy one. So I can't really tell you. Last time I told you [qualifying would be changed] I was totally wrong."
A return to the old system has not yet been given to the teams as an option.
Speaking after the pre-race meeting in Bahrain attended by all 11 teams, the FIA, Ecclestone and tyre supplier Pirelli, Todt said: "You need to be patient, by Thursday you will have all the information. I hope that fans will be happy."
The idea of aggregating two lap times together has been used in F1 before - albeit to little success in 2005 in a system that lasted just five races.
With the latest furore over qualifying dominating the start of the 2016 season, the teams, Ecclestone and the FIA have become increasingly entrenched in their respective positions.
Ahead of further key votes on F1's future in the coming months, Sky Sports' Craig Slater said: "What we have in Formula 1 at the moment is a full-blown civil war. On the one hand, Ecclestone and Todt who want to take the sport in one direction, and the teams who are extremely reluctant with the way they are ruling things at the moment."
