Top F1 teams spoiling chances for smaller teams in Q1

Leading Formula 1 teams are spoiling midfielders' qualifying chances with their approach to Q1, argues Renault's Jolyon Palmer.

The rookie, who was slowest in Baku qualifying last weekend, felt yellow flags for a mistake by Lewis Hamilton spoiled a lap that would have been up to half a second faster and gained him two places.

Palmer questioned why Hamilton was pushing hard enough to make an error in a session he was guaranteed to get through, and he felt it typified frontrunners' behaviour in first qualifying.

"It's just frustrating, because he's clearly got the pace to get through Q1 and yet he's still causing yellow flags for us when we're trying to do our best in the only session we get," he said.

"In Q1, some of the top teams relax and it's like a practice session for them.

"But for us it's our entire session. So if they're causing yellow flags on two of our four laps it's quite painful for us.

"They can do a lap that's a second off what's possible for them and still get through."

Palmer also feels Baku showed the rules regarding DRS deactivation during yellow flag periods are too stringent.

"It was quite stupid because if there's a yellow flag in Turn 3 you don't get DRS into Turn 1, and clearly there's no hazard at Turn 1 if somebody's well off the runoff in Turn 3 or 4," said Palmer.

"They need to look at that again. There's only one detection and activation point.

"And sometimes the yellow flags aren't out for very long - if, say, somebody turns round in the runoff and carries on."

His complaint over DRS rules was echoed by Manor's Pascal Wehrlein, who felt the deactivations led to him being outqualified by team-mate Rio Haryanto in Azerbaijan as well as missing out on a possible Q2 place.

"I don't really understand - if someone goes off in Turn 3, they switch off DRS on the main straight," Wehrlein said.

"I'm a bit disappointed about that because I lost a few tenths there and even my second lap was quicker, and usually the tyres don't last for two laps.

"Q2 was possible. To have DRS or not is 20km/h difference in the end.

"In the end there is nothing you can do about it and I don't want to complain."