Analysis: Are F1 teams serious about a grand prix format revamp?

So in the end common sense finally prevailed.

With the 11 Formula 1 teams entrenched on one side, and the alliance of Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt on the other, it appeared for a while as if no quarter would be given.

The teams were adamant they wanted a return to the old qualifying system that ran from 2006-15, while Ecclestone and Todt were demanding change, even if it meant tweaks to the much-disliked new elimination format.

The aggregate system suggested in a meeting between the teams, Ecclestone and Todt on the Sunday morning ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix was always going to be a non-starter, especially considering its failure when attempted in 2005.

In days gone by, though, you would have bet your house on the FIA/FOM axis emerging successful, browbeating the teams into submission.

But as discussed at great length by Todt in a media briefing ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the FIA no longer has any power. Those days are gone.

Now F1 lives in a democratic society in which Ecclestone and the FIA are unable to impose their will, leaving the teams to simply do as they are told.

As Todt pointed out, F1's governance structure "does not allow us to impose. We can't impose".

Todt mentioned if he had been allowed his way then Q1 and Q2 would have retained the elimination format, other than a slight time extension, while Q3 would have reverted back to the old system.

The teams, though, put their collective feet down, dug their heels in, resulting in Ecclestone and Todt surprisingly being forced to yield, as they remarked via a collective statement, "in the interests of the championship".

The political in-fighting had certainly cast a shadow over what has so far been, in racing terms, a relatively entertaining start to the season in Australia and Bahrain, even if a Mercedes driver - in the form of Nico Rosberg - has stood atop the podium on both occasions.

For the remainder of the campaign, qualifying should again at least build to a crescendo, as we have come to expect over the years, rather than petering out to a damp squib, with all the action front-loaded in Q1.

And for the rest of the season, the teams have charged themselves with the task of "a global assessment of the format of the weekend", with the possibility we could see a revamp of the three-day structure in place for 2017.

The idea was proposed by the teams who showed surprising unanimity in declaring via a letter to Ecclestone and Todt their rejection of the aggregate system, and desire to return to the old format.

The forceful nature of the letter is understood to have stunned F1's leaders.

Now it becomes a question of how serious were the teams in declaring a willingness to address not only qualifying, but how the entire GP weekend is structured.

Did they simply use it as a bargaining chip to crack the tough nuts in Todt and Ecclestone, or is there a genuine desire to step into the modern world and overhaul a tried-and trusted, but perhaps somewhat staid system?

Few people could argue Friday, in particular, is in drastic need of a makeover, that the two 90-minute free practice sessions are pitifully dull and serve of no interest other than to the teams to nail down set-up and strategy.

We have seen time and again when Friday practice is disrupted, and the teams have to 'wing it' more on Saturday in qualifying and into the race, there is greater potential for the mixed-up grids and grands prix demanded by Ecclestone.

Could Friday even be done away with in its entirety and we switch to a more streamlined two-day weekend? There is scope.

Numerous promoters, however, would certainly demand otherwise.

While there is many an empty grandstand witnessed on a Friday, venues such as Melbourne's Albert Park and Silverstone reel in tens of thousands of fans via strong support programmes and other events.

The money made on such a day goes a long way to helping pay Ecclestone the multi-million dollar fees he demands for the staging of a race.

But without doubt, should Friday remain, it needs spicing up to ensure promoters at lesser-attended events can at least offer something new.

Come Saturday we revert back to the qualifying debate, where there is no shortage of ideas and options - as the Autosport team's recent selection of proposals demonstrated.

Whether any consensus could be reached, however, now that's another matter.

And what of Sunday? In an age when people's attentions spans have boiled down to how quickly they can read a WhatsApp or Twitter message, is there room on a Sunday for a 90-minute race?

Given the need to attract a younger audience, does F1 perhaps switch to a couple of sprint races, or something equally as beguiling and frenetic to get its point and result across swiftly?

Something needs to be done, because F1 is getting left behind by other sports at a rate that is sending alarm bells ringing.

So let's hope the teams do come up with ultra-modern ideas to revamp a weekend, and were not just simply paying lip service to get Ecclestone and Todt off their backs when it came to qualifying.