Team Leaders Positive about New Qualifying Format

Senior leaders of Formula One teams joined together in giving Max Mosley's new Formula One a warm welcome on Friday after seeing their first single-lap qualifying session run at Albert Park in advance of Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Gerhard Berger, BMW's retirement-bound motorsport director, described the spectacle on Friday as drivers came out in order to attempt to clock a fast lap as "very interesting" and he was backed strongly by Eddie Jordan and Paul Stoddart with more muted support from Ron Dennis, Jean Todt and Frank Williams.

All six spoke out during the routine FIA news conference which ran for a full hour and was filled with conjecture, argument and intrigue as a wide range of questions on the future of the sport's business structure followed discussion of the new-look structure.

"It was very interesting when the practice started, it was such a different picture than the past, to what we are used to seeing, but I think everything went well," said a smiling Berger, who leaves his role after the Australian race.

"I think there was no big problems and it was quite interesting to watch and especially with one car on the circuit and the camera on the car, you have time really to see each car, to concentrate to see what they are doing. I found it a nice Friday practice and more interesting than in the past."

He said that it would be fascinating to see how things unfolded on Saturday in the final qualifying session to decide the grid for Sunday's race. "Everybody has a lot of speculations, nobody really knows what is the right thing to do," he said.

"Especially in the first three races, we are going to see different ways to approach this new regulation. I think everybody is just looking forward to see really how it works and what is going to be the problems, what is going to work out well. It's very interesting."

Team boss Eddie Jordan was also happy with the new regulations as it meant his team got nearly four minutes of television coverage.

"Maybe because there were new regulations, I was slightly more apprehensive," he said. "I think it's more daunting, maybe because you are focused on one thing. Slightly differently to Gerhard, my thoughts were that I got three and a half minutes of uninterrupted television.

"My sponsors should be happier because it's a more equitable situation, which is very important to me particularly, I like that. Apart from that, it was different and I'm still not sure whether it's better or not, time will tell, but it's certainly different and it gives me right at the moment something that I wouldn't normally be able to guarantee, which is coverage, which is important."

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart was also delighted with the new format.

"I think the qualifying session was very, very exciting, and that is what it was supposed to be," Stoddart said. "I think today we've seen the closest thing we will see to qualifying in that all the cars were running undoubtedly low fuel and closest to their qualifying trim, whereas tomorrow strategy is going to play a lot."