Formula 1's new qualifying format to be delayed, Ecclestone says

Following meetings of the Strategy Group and F1 Commission in Geneva last Tuesday, it was announced qualifying would revert to a knock-out style system.

Across the three qualifying sessions, the slowest driver would be dropped at various intervals until there is a last man standing on pole position.

The FIA confirmed it would be introduced "potentially as soon as the beginning of the 2016 season", the Australian Grand Prix next month.

But Ecclestone has now revealed that due to complications developing the software, the new qualifying format is on hold, potentially until the Spanish Grand Prix in mid-May.

"The new qualifying won't happen because we can't get everything together in time," said Ecclestone, speaking to The Independent.

"It was going to come in at the start of this year, but we are not going to be able to get all the software done in time, so the qualifying changes will probably be in Spain.

"In Australia it will be the old qualifying. All of the software has got to be written so it's not easy."

Ecclestone has revealed the latest tweak to qualifying is "not what I wanted in the end", and instead he sought to introduce a time-penalty system for poles and race wins.

"All I'm trying to do is muddle up the grid so that the guy that is quickest in qualifying doesn't sit on pole and disappear, because why he should be slow in the race if he is quick in qualifying?" added Ecclestone.

"I wanted a very simple thing. I wanted qualifying to stay as it is, because it is good, and then if a guy is on pole and has won the last race, he gets so many seconds added to his time so he has to fight through the bloody pack to get in the lead, which he would do in the end.

"It would be exciting racing while he is doing it."

But Ecclestone claims it was vetoed by the teams as "they don't want to do reverse grids".

He said: "There are a million things they could do, but they are completely mad.

"We can't do it alone because to get things voted through it has to go through the commissions and then we have got the teams all deciding."