New qualifying format

Each car must complete six laps in each of the sessions with the fastest time from each period aggregated to produce the overall grid time. Both sessions will be run with free fuel levels, meaning that once again we will see a return to flat out qualifying with cars in their optimum specification.

The parc ferme rules will continue but teams will fuel the cars after qualifying in preparation for the race. Many of the teams are believed to have pushed for the second session to be run with race fuel levels but Ferrari's Jean Todt pointed out that if fuel conservation was a factor, drivers would then crawl round on their in-laps having set their quick time, leading to potentially hazardous situations.

A prime consideration has been a simple format that is easily understandable and any aggregate system could be seen to fly in the face of that, but timing equipment is considered sophisticated enough not to make this a problem.