Gary Anderson's F1 qualifying blueprint

Before Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, the failure of the new qualifying system was the big story in Formula 1 and I can't say I'm surprised.

There was nothing wrong with the previous qualifying format that small adjustments in timing and tyre allocation wouldn't sort.

As I've said many times before, everyone is trying to fix things but nobody is bothering to sit down and identify the problem that needs tackling. It's all just kneejerk.

But let's assume we did need to change qualifying. How might we do it?

First off, if mixing up the grid is the answer to the question of how to deliver an exciting race on Sunday, then reversing the order based on championship position would be the ultimate change.

Look at the grid for last Sunday's race - it could have been from any grand prix in 2015. The real challenge for the drivers in Melbourne was the start. Ferrari did well, Mercedes was poor and we had the order mixed up at the front.

Unfortunately, we can't expect that to happen too often.

I would not try to define a qualifying system that intentionally mixed up the grid, but I do believe the teams and/or drivers should pay a bigger price for their mistakes. Having the average time of two flying laps means errors in timing or on track will be compounded.

Aggregate timing is never an easy thing to get your head around, unless the screen graphics are really on the ball. Currently, they don't explain things well to the viewer. To gain any real understanding from them, you have to watch them constantly. But if that's sorted, it shouldn't be a problem.

While the short-lived aggregate qualifying format of a decade ago was unpopular, and was quickly dropped, my system is different. It's based on two flying laps set in each qualifying segment. So you can't simply do one lap and then park.

Some might not like it, but I think a lot of fans don't care too much about the details of the qualifying format - provided it works. They'll always follow racing, but what F1 needs is more excited casual viewers. For that you need to create a spectacle.

With two flying laps, there's going to be far more track activity. The sponsors, the viewers, the spectators at the track, the teams, the drivers... everyone wants to see more action.

To deliver that, you need to keep them on the edge of their seats all the way to the chequered flag in both qualifying and the race.

But F1 seems to have its head buried deep in the sand. Those who run things seem unable to take a view from outside their own little box, and they assume they know it all.

This latest qualifying mess is a typical example. And the 2017 regulation changes are going to be the same - but that's a topic for another day.

For now, let's try to come up with an instant fix for qualifying based not on the likely return to the old format, but in a bid to ensure the maximum number of cars are running for the maximum amount of time.

And there also needs to be the threat of a driver paying a big price for any mistakes.

My proposal is based on the average of a driver's fastest two laps in each session. To make that possible, we need to cater for a worst-case scenario in terms of the time available. So if a long lap is around 1m40s, with a two-minute out-lap and a 1m50s in-lap, they need five-and-a-half minutes for a run of one timed lap.

Then a pitlane tyre-change requires 30 seconds, taking you to six minutes. Add a second two-minute out-lap and the total time required to do that and cross the line before the chequered flag comes to eight minutes.

Obviously, you can shorten this by doing two timed laps on the run. That's just one of the strategic decisions teams and drivers will have to take. No refuelling will be allowed during the whole session, which will still be made up of three segments, as we have now.

This means the teams and drivers who know - or think they know - they can make it through Q1 to Q2 and then Q3 need to start with a minimum of 18 laps of fuel on board. So the faster cars will carry a bigger weight penalty.

The structure will work like this:

Q1 - 22 MINUTES, ALL 22 CARS

The end-of-session order is defined by the average of each driver's two fastest laptimes in Q1. Any grid penalty previous earned will be applied to the final order of this session.

The bottom seven drivers, who will be eliminated, will be made up of:

A) Any driver who has completed only one laptime. If more than one driver is in this category, they will be ranked in order of leaving the pits.

B) The slowest seven drivers based on a two-lap average.

C) Any driver whose previously allocated penalty drops them into the bottom seven.

Using these rules, provided all 22 cars comply with the session lap requirements, we should see a minimum of 132 laps in 22 minutes. That equates to a car going across the start/finish line every 10 seconds.

This will be followed by a seven-minute break.

Q2 - 15 MINUTES, 15 CARS LEFT

The end-of-session order is defined by the average of each driver's two fastest laptimes in Q2. Any grid penalty previously earned (that did not result in elimination from Q1) will be applied to the final order of this session.

The bottom five drivers, who will be eliminated, will be made up of:

A) Any driver who has completed only one laptime. If more than one driver is in this category, they will be ranked in order of leaving the pits. For their final grid position, these cars go to the back of those that completed two timed laps in Q1.

B) The slowest five drivers based on a two-lap average.

C) Any driver whose previously allocated penalty drops them into the bottom five.

If every car complies with the session lap requirements, we should see a minimum of 90 laps in 15 minutes or a car going across the start/finish line every 10 seconds.

There will then be a six-minute break.

Q3 - 10 MINUTES, 10 CARS LEFT

The top 10 on the grid will be defined by the average of the two fastest laptimes in Q3. Any remaining grid penalty previous earned will be applied to the final order of this session:

A) Any driver who has completed only one laptime. If more than one driver is in this category, they will be ranked in order of leaving the pits. For their final grid position, these cars go to the back of those that completed two timed laps in Q2.

B) Fastest two-lap average laptime.

C) Any previously allocated driver penalty will be applied.

If every car complies with the session lap requirements, we should see a minimum of 60 laps in 10 minutes, or a car going across the start/finish line every 10 seconds.

As I've said, the old format didn't have too much wrong with it. But this is a way to deliver the desired amount of on-track action and ensure it lasts until the end of the session.

But I think we know the answer to the question of whether or not qualifying is the real problem.