Journey into the unknown: Analysis of the new qualifying system
For the fifth time, Formula One will have a new qualifying format in four years, with drivers no longer confined to a single fast lap on an empty track. The new knockout system appears simple, but it offers multiple challenges to the drivers and the teams, as well as to fans and commentators. Adam Cooper explains how the new format works and what the teams will have to take into account
We've all had a few months to ponder the new knockout qualifying format, but none of us will really know how it will pan out until Bahrain. Even that first Saturday of the season might not tell the full story, and it could take two or three races before we really know how it works.
There's been a lot of talk about it being too complicated, but the basic system of elimination could not be any simpler for us observers: the slower guys get weeded out, and then the top 10 just go as fast as they can at the end.
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