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This article first appeared in GP Racing magazine.
One of Formula 1's greatest contradictions is that while it's a hotbed of technical innovation and continuous transformation, the people who actually call the shots are change-phobic to an almost hysterical degree. Worse still, since Bernie Ecclestone short-sightedly granted the teams a voice in decision-making, the blunt hand of tawdry self-interest has crushed many new ideas at the embryonic stage.
Older readers and trivia whizzes will recall that Elvis died on the toilet. Well, despite an extraordinarily long sitting, and a copious amount of heaving and straining, F1 has managed to pass the 2021 regulations without suffering a heart attack. Sadly, one of the more interesting ideas that could have been implemented, and which was mooted to be trialled next year, has fallen foul of the it-can't-be-done crowd.
The phrase "reversed grids" naturally causes a collective shriek among 'purists', but the concept put forward by Liberty wasn't quite the gimmick those in opposition made out. No less a brain than Ross Brawn thought it worthwhile to evaluate a different qualifying format at two or three events next season, for which the grid would be set by a qualifying race in which the field went off in the reverse of their championship order.
