Letter to Ecclestone & Todt was 'last straw' for team bosses
Friday 8 April 2016 10:54, UK
F1 teams' rare show of unity ensured they won their 'power battle' with Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt over qualifying, the British press said on Friday.
Qualifying is set to revert to its popular 2015 format from next week's Chinese GP after plans to introduce an aggregate system to replace the condemned elimination rules were blocked by all 11 teams.
After the teams wrote a letter urging that the old system was reinstated, Ecclestone and Todt agreed to their demands 'in the interests of the championship'.
Debate over F1's qualifying system has turned into the political battle of the 2016 season's opening weeks and Fleet Street agree the teams have come out on top on this occasion.
"Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt have lost a power struggle with Formula 1's teams," wrote The Daily Telegraph's Daniel Johnson.
Qualifying returns to 2015 format
"Ecclestone has repeatedly vented his spleen at the teams having such a significant say in rulemaking and will be bruised by this defeat. Todt, the president of the FIA, said in Bahrain last weekend that he did not want to be a dictator only to refuse the teams' plea on Sunday morning before the race.
"The debate over qualifying had taken on enormous significance since Melbourne and become a key battleground for control in the sport."
Having agreed to revert to the 2015 rules after the elimination system's terrible debut in Australia, only to not be presented with the option when it came to a vote days later, team bosses were not willing for the saga to drag on any longer, according to The Times.
"Ecclestone and Todt were facing a revolt on a scale not seen in some time from the teams, who had become increasingly agitated by the haphazard way in which change was foisted on the sport, puzzling sponsors and fans," wrote Kevin Eason.
"The teams' letter indicated that this was the last straw."
With the unpopular elimination rules now seemingly eliminated themselves, there is now hope the sport can move on from the qualifying saga.
"All sides will be hoping it brings to an end the embarrassing debacle of the new knockout qualifying system that has lasted just two races," said Byron Young in The Daily Mirror.
"It was introduced at the start of the year supposedly to spice up the show but proved an unmitigated disaster.
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"Instead of a better spectacle it resulted in an empty track and deep confusion."
However, although the sport's two most powerful men are now in agreement with the teams on the way forward for qualifying, the Guardian's Paul Weaver warned: "But the elimination system that so dismayed race fans still twitches in its coffin.
"Before it is officially buried the change must be approved by the F1 strategy group and F1 commission, and then presented to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council."
