Voicing concerns: Format flop overshadows Hamilton’s 50th pole
Drivers condemn new system ahead of season-opening Australian GP.
Hamilton picked up where he left off last season as he destroyed his rivals, including teammate Nico Rosberg, to claim pole position for the Australian Grand Prix. PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE:
World champion Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes at Formula One’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday but condemnation for the revamped qualifying format was almost as quick as the Briton’s fastest lap.
The new system, based on progressive elimination during the three sessions rather than at the end of them, was intended to instil more excitement but instead proved a monumental flop at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. Rather than battle to the finish of each session, drivers posted early laps and then were content to return to their garages.
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The last few minutes of both the second and final qualifying periods petered out with no drivers on track, sapping the entire process of suspense.
Hamilton, however, will be delighted by the work he did put in that allowed him to celebrate his 50th pole after posting a lap of 1min 25.351sec, with second-placed teammate Nico Rosberg nowhere near his time.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are third and fourth on the grid, having confined themselves to the garage after one flying lap apiece, not bothering to even attempt to catch Hamilton’s time.
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The top three qualifiers wasted little time in condemning the format as a “wrong” decision and bad for fans.
“We said at the beginning it wasn’t the right way,” three-time world champion Hamilton told reporters.
Four-time world champion Vettel said: “We all knew what was going to happen. I didn’t think it was very exciting. And in the end for the people in the grandstands, I don’t feel it’s the right way to go.”
Ironically, the new format saw little change in Formula One’s status quo, with no major surprises in the top eight positions.
Max Verstappen will line up fifth for Toro Rosso, with his teammate Carlos Sainz seventh behind Williams’s Felipe Massa.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will line up eighth on the grid as the first eliminated from Q3.
His teammate Daniil Kvyat was among the first seven knocked out of Q1, however, along with both drivers from Manor Racing, Haas and Sauber.
Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer will start 14th behind McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2016.
World champion Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes at Formula One’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday but condemnation for the revamped qualifying format was almost as quick as the Briton’s fastest lap.
The new system, based on progressive elimination during the three sessions rather than at the end of them, was intended to instil more excitement but instead proved a monumental flop at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. Rather than battle to the finish of each session, drivers posted early laps and then were content to return to their garages.
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The last few minutes of both the second and final qualifying periods petered out with no drivers on track, sapping the entire process of suspense.
Hamilton, however, will be delighted by the work he did put in that allowed him to celebrate his 50th pole after posting a lap of 1min 25.351sec, with second-placed teammate Nico Rosberg nowhere near his time.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are third and fourth on the grid, having confined themselves to the garage after one flying lap apiece, not bothering to even attempt to catch Hamilton’s time.
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The top three qualifiers wasted little time in condemning the format as a “wrong” decision and bad for fans.
“We said at the beginning it wasn’t the right way,” three-time world champion Hamilton told reporters.
Four-time world champion Vettel said: “We all knew what was going to happen. I didn’t think it was very exciting. And in the end for the people in the grandstands, I don’t feel it’s the right way to go.”
Ironically, the new format saw little change in Formula One’s status quo, with no major surprises in the top eight positions.
Max Verstappen will line up fifth for Toro Rosso, with his teammate Carlos Sainz seventh behind Williams’s Felipe Massa.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will line up eighth on the grid as the first eliminated from Q3.
His teammate Daniil Kvyat was among the first seven knocked out of Q1, however, along with both drivers from Manor Racing, Haas and Sauber.
Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer will start 14th behind McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2016.