De Ferran a fan of new qualifying

The new qualifying system will see the five slowest drivers eliminated after 15 minutes, a further five drivers eliminated after an additional 15 minutes, leaving the top ten to battle over their grid position in a final 20-minute session.

De Ferran admitted he was a fan of the knockout format, but the Brazilian Indy 500 winner said he also sees the new format highlighting the real speed of each car and driver, as well as revealing the fuel loads the top cars are carrying into the race.

This is because the top 10 drivers will run initially - in the first two 15-minute sessions - with a low fuel load, and in the final 20 minutes will be forced to qualify with their race-start fuel load.

"I think the new qualifying format will be hugely exciting," de Ferran said at the Autosport International Show. "I like the idea of elimination rounds, and the first two rounds of elimination will give you a good idea of who is fast and who is not. 

"It will also indicate the level of fuels everyone has for start of race, so you can play a little bit more with strategy and might be able to have a few more options there in the race, which might be a little bit exciting."

De Ferran admitted he was disappointed to see the tyre rules altered, with tyre changes again allowed during the race, but the Brazilian said the new set of rules were overall "okay".