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Why F1 teams should back the reversed grid revolution

Formula 1 has been searching for the answer to its overtaking problem for decades. But its teams can never agree to something that may hurt their chances. Here's why a compromised but radical event format idea could solve that issue

There was a flurry of excitement last week when some slightly edited and relatively old quotes from Mattia Binotto began circulating on social media, as they suggested that Formula 1 teams had agreed to ditch qualifying and switch to reversed grid heats to decide the grand prix starting order from 2020.

But while the reports suggesting this was a done deal were wide of the mark, the reality is that it looks like something of this nature is coming.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.