Pre-Season 2016 Season Preview

[Titch]

So , if I'm interpreting the above correctly, as they slide back into the pits at the end of Q3, we, the viewers, will have no clue as to who is on pole, until they publish the times shortly after.. A bit dull, in fact a lot dull. Q3 was quite often the best bit of the week end.

I despair.

 

[Hamberg]

We'll know as we'll see the live timing. The official publication has always come out afterwards.

 

[ATL11]

Interesting question in regards to the new qualifying.

If we're in the middle of the razzmatazz elimination section, what happens if the session is red flagged?

Previous quali sessions, depending on when the red flag came out, dictated if the cars had enough time to set another lap when the session was restarted, e.g. 1m 30s left, but the out lap takes 1m 40s, session in theory is over.

So what happens with the clock when the qualifying restarts, if the cars don't have enough time when they restart, e.g. a 1m 40s outlap to have any impact on the next 90 second elimination section of qualifying?

 

[Westy]

I think it is just tough luck for those in the elimination zone. If there is time to restart a session I guess they'll restart but the timing of eliminations will not change in my opinion.

 

[Kewee]

In a disrupted qualifying session that has become unfair times should be wiped and the grid determined by drivers current positions in the championship standings. It is absolutely fair for all the teams and drivers. Tough luck is not good enough for the worlds premier motorsport class.

 

[RasputinLives]

It kind of occurs to me that this system means even less track time for those teams at the back that need it most to develop and keep the team in sponsors.

Manor can only promise 7 mins TV time now and they prob won't even be able to guarantee any camera time by going out early like they have been able to do previously.

Less sponsors equals more pay drivers which equals less development and getting further away from the pack.

The rich get richer......

 

[ramilas1]

RasputinLives , especially if they do not get to the front of the queue for the green light at the start of Q1.

Seven minutes of 'carnage' is all we can look forward to, in my opinion, as all the cars need a lap to survive the first cut-off, then the faster ones can go and hide in the garage or go and do a pit stop in case they are at risk of one of the later cutoffs.

One of the questions I asked earlier in this thread still seems to be un-clarified - how early can the cars be in the pit lane before each session of Quali starts? Those at the front of the queue can control a great deal of the session, or act as a spoiler for others.

Imagine both Williams, Red Bulls, Force Indias and/or others out first, with Ferrari and Merc stuck behind - they don't have to get out of the way and the big boys will find it difficult to overtake without pushing the tyres on the out lap, and the first flying laps are going to have a lot of cars out there.

OK, instead of joining the first stampede, some may look to go out a minute or 2 later but this will still mean getting stuck among slower cars, but not necessarily on in-laps and not, arguably, bound to pull over as they all fight to avoid that first cut-off. Is a Manor on a 'fast' lap going to be blue-flagged just because Hammy or Vettel is up his exhaust pipe?

The more I look for detail on this the less seems to have been considered, and too many ways for it to completely fuck up!