The Weird & Wonderful History of F1 Qualifying Formats

F1 qualifying hasn't always been as simple as three knockout sessions. It's changed a lot of over the years with some being absolutely TERRIBLE.
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[@liamturner6135]

I subscribed

[@WTF1official]

This is what we love to see

[@HHPYEPIC42]

Same

[@CostanTheOne]

Same

[@louise7289]

imagine not subscribing

[@BLADE_RISE]

Why does anyone want to know?

[@scsutton1]

One-lap qualifying would be brilliant on the street circuits.

[@WTF1official]

Tell me about it!!

[@SiVlog1989]

...for effectively deciding the races on Saturday anyway

[@xiDynazty]

@@SiVlog1989 one-lap would shake up the grid pretty well

[@CostanTheOne]

@@WTF1official another charles leclerc moment

[@SiVlog1989]

@@xiDynazty if it was scenarios like Japan 2005, you'd have a point, but Street Circuits? Given their very nature, it sows the seeds for single file racing with little to no chances of overtaking in the race. There's a reason why pundits say that qualifying is most of the hard work done with regards to the race at Street Circuits

[@stephanvanderwath6920]

I personally would like the a mix of the system we have now, and the one shot qualifying (which I used to love). Q1 & Q2 can be largely the same, but then Q3 for the top 10 is a one shot session each driver getting one lap, order being the reverse of the top ten in Q2. Then we have the drama of the elimination parts, and we get to watch each driver in the top 10 go out and see their entire lap.

[@shrompingus]

so a bit like Q3 becomes the F1 version of super-pole in FE?

[@dh-cs]

I would like: ONE LAP QUALIFYING, cars going on track in order of drivers' championship standings (1st goes 1st, 2nd goes 2nd etc.), then ELIMINATE SLOWEST FIVE and REPEAT till grid is full. Drivers new to the grid i.e. without a previous drivers' championship standing, would go on track in order of constructors' championship standing. If both driver and constructor are new, they go last (if there is more than one such entry, their positions as the last few are decided by lottery)

[@Ropius777]

@@dh-cs This would take hours, is incredibly convoluted and sounds boring.

[@Ropius777]

I like it!

[@stephanvanderwath6920]

@@shrompingus From what I remember, I think you are right. I have been trying to get into FE but between the broadcasts not being in my country and the racing at Monaco every race makes it difficult for me to get excited for it. I'm always watching the races after the fact so then qualifying loses its value, so I can't remember what they are doing. I wish they could figure out a way to have less management, and more passing in races though. But yeah I would like to see the entire lap in F1 for each driver in Q3, I remember loving it back in the day, but I do like the current system too.

[@ChesnoidGaming]

Definitely open to one lap qualifying coming back at some point!

[@alistairs3934]

Hi ches

[@Raigan_Avalon]

Sounds like one of the best to me. And it's simple to remove the extra session if you want. Just randomize the order. Or if going first is such a disadvantage and you want a closer field, reverse standings.

[@neilweston250]

They should keep q3 and q2 and make the top ten do a single lap shootout

[@ChesnoidGaming]

@@neilweston250 That's a banging idea!

[@randomman57]

@@neilweston250 that’s like what the Australian v8 Supercars championship does. We have q1, q2 and then the “top ten shootout”, at tracks like Bathurst for the Bathurst 1000 the session is absolutely awesome to watch

[@aaronanish7400]

again answering stuff i never would ask but would like to know

[@aaronanish7400]

thanks Matt, u made my day :)

[@jordanmorgan3440]

I loved 1 lap quali. I wish it would come back

[@tylercady3985]

I actually prefer 1 lap qualifying oddly enough. But that's probably because I grew up watching NASCAR and only last year began to watch F1

[@binbin6878]

Gonna be a lot of contra, just like in FE

[@Bartaaron04]

@@binbin6878 the biggest con in FE is that if a driver crashes ahead of you, it’s over. But if it’s one car at a time, it isn’t a problem

[@samiraperi467]

One lap, reverse championship order.

[@chiyolate]

This is what I enjoyed the most! We could watch every driver's hot lap from start to finish. Will he beat the previous drivers? the suspense is awesome. In our current format, I usually just watch the last 2 minutes of the program because the rest are just boring.

[@TheMrAJT]

I loved the one-shot qualifying in the mid-2000's. Everyone got full coverage of their lap and the pressure was on. Yes, it was probably unfair when it came to weather changes but that definitley made it exciting on a Sunday sometimes! Wish it would come back tbh.

[@SamDixon3244]

I agree, for TV audiences it is exciting. However, for the spectators watching (especially those only there for the Saturday, as is relatively common), it's a bit boring, because they'd only get to see each car once

[@stephenyates962]

It made for 1 hell of a race: the 2005 Japanese GP

[@mikelow4374]

One and done, and allow them to run full qualifying setups and adjust to race settings after qualifying

[@gigadonis8684]

We could fix the weather change issue by letting the championship leader chose where he does his lap 1st on the Saturday Morning. For example, if Vettel was leading the championship and it was forecast to rain later on, then the wise thing to do will be to chose to be the very first out on the circuit.

[@goo_dragon]

@@gigadonis8684 That's a horrible idea because it ensures the top dogs stay on top and don't get challenged while the rest of the order struggle, it would lead to consistent Mercedes 1-2s at every track even more so than what we have now

[@charlieohalloran7452]

Formula E quali is an interesting concept that would make F1 qualifying quite interesting

[@karthikganesh2171]

Its my fav. Giving top of the table guys a dirty track and bottom ppl a very good track to set time. Like j. Diriyah where they got almost rverse order grid to the first race even though they never planned for it

[@charlieohalloran7452]

@@karthikganesh2171 Yeah I think it would really suit formula 1 as a way of allowing mid field teams to get into the front positions

[@oscarwhitehead7134]

Yes agree would mix it up

[@deathbower]

Honestly I think that single lap qualifying in reverse championship order would go a very long way to shuffling up the grid fairly regularly.

[@karthikganesh2171]

@@deathbower fe does qualifying in reverse championship order and then the top 6 drivers in that is given single lap qualifying to set on pole position

[@albertwarren6917]

I like the idea of the formula E qualifying. You get to see all the qualifying laps and could lead to more mixed up grids and better races.

[@igorbarretotfracing2439]

@@Noremax still, think about how it would make quali more unpredictable in some way. Tv has nothing to do of how it works. In my opinion FE quali is a really great concept

[@KingsOfRugby]

@@Noremax but the thing is most people watch it all. The best of the best go in Group 1 and they're usually towards the back because they have the dust and they're rubbering in the track. In the 2 races we had at Diriyah on Friday and Saturday Robin Frijns went from starting P17 to starting on pole in the space of a day

[@dsf0501]

Absolutely. Imo, this is the best quali format out there without being too artificial, considering the second best driver on the grid would still start 7th normally, which could happen in normal circumstances as well

[@dylanlubwama2225]

@@KingsOfRugby Robin Frijns didn't qualify on friday because of the crash he had in practice

[@rycbarm]

I really like this method too; wondered if it would get an honourable mention

[@1994ToyotaCelica]

Those are some weird qualifying formats, but remember that one in 2021 where all drivers were required to be addicted to nicotine? Very strange indeed...

[@BigPundo]

Still crying about this? Get a grip, smoke a bine and man up

[@1994ToyotaCelica]

@@BigPundo okay mister tough guy... if man up means smokinnnn

[@TheRomanRuler]

What do you mean?

[@1994ToyotaCelica]

@@TheRomanRuler basically wtf1 had a game competition where you could only enter if you where a nicotine user XD

[@MiguelMedV]

@@BigPundo _Lm🅰️o,_ being more of a man due to smoking, yeah yeah tell me when you can actually stop a robbery or carry on a family marriage by smoking X'D...

[@nickwall2497]

The 1hr 12 lap qually will always have a place in my heart, drivers having time to set there cars up and tweak things after each run and really giving it their all. Also did like the 1 lap qually too

[@alexrobertssings]

I'd keep the knockout format for Q1 and 2 but go back to a one lap shootout for the top ten! I think that gives the best of both worlds, it'd better than a sprint race to mix up the grid at least.

[@jollyfish84]

They do this format in Australian Supercars - I'd love to see it done in F1!

[@mikelow4374]

How about do just 2 rounds .. maybe a top 12 do a 1 lap round after a 10minute 1st round.. and allow teams to run a full qualifying setup for the entire session before changing to a race setup ... It would be AMAZING to see the cars truly unleashed !!

[@gamingninja5196]

@@jollyfish84 exactly. The Top Ten shootout gives lots of excitement.

[@PrinceOfCats5]

I always liked the simple late 90s 1 hour Saturday qualifying session. Gave some great sessions like Jerez 97, Austria 98 and Magny Cours 99

[@nickwall2497]

Jerez 97 was truly remarkable! 0.000 between MSC, JV and HHF

[@mikelow4374]

@@nickwall2497 wow..been a while since I've heard HHF mentioned 👍😅

[@andrew81au]

My Fav aswell

[@ryansshane]

i think the f1 game should add all of these as an option you can turn on- could be fun to mess around with these in myteam or online

[@gigadonis8684]

LAST MAN STANDING QUALIFYING: A demo derby where the grid position is decided by who is the last survivor. REVERSE LAP QUALIFYING: Oh, you thought I meant a lap in the opposite direction of the track? Nonono, that's too boring. Cars are fitted with 8 reverse gears and they do 1 lap IN REVERSE!!! NO RULES QUALIFYING: Same as normal but no penalties for wallriding or track limits, with the added pressure of a rival taking you out on your hotlap. SWEDISH QUALIFYING: The track gets covered in snow, with snowbanks for that added Rally Sweden immersion. POLISH QUALIFYING: Just a 1 shot quali in a 126p. Nothing special MARIO KART QUALIFYING: No walls or grass beside the track. Just an enormous drop to the shadow realm like rainbow road RANDOM TRACK QUALIFYING: A one shot qualifying on a random track but you have to use race setup. You aren't told what the track is until you jump in the session. NEWTON QUALIFYING: No accelerator pedal. The direction you go in is decided by where the car rolls at the startline. If you roll backwards, your doing it in reverse! If the car gets stuck you eliminated REVERSE GRID You thought this was just reverse championship order? OF COURSE NOT! Slowest lap gets pole (RIP Mercedes)

[@gigadonis8684]

@Hot Rod AUSTRALIAN QUALIFYING: The track is covered by a roof and the drivers must follow the track on the roof. If you fall from the roof the lap doesn't count. RALLYCROSS QUALIFYING: As you probably guess, we don't follow the Rallycross system of qualifying. Instead, cars must AVOID the track. If you have 4 wheels ON the circuit you get a penalty. Deciding which side of the track to go on is crucial to victory. NO TYRES QUALIFYING: Just do a lap without the tyres COMMUSNIST QUALIFYING: There is no qualifying. Since everyone is equal, the twenty cars will all line up on pole position EA SPORTS QUALIFYING: Whoever pays the most money gets pole position. Codemasters will see enormous profits this way RANDOM CAR QUALIFYING: Similar to random tracks yet drivers are put in random cars instead with the regular qualifying format. Drivers will revert to their normal cars on race day. THUNBERG QUALIFYING: 100 Trees are randomly placed on the track to save the environment.

[@gigadonis8684]

@yusuf kocaman On grass though. Mid you there are gravel traps. A lot THICCER than normal rally stages like Finland or Greece.

[@Cookie-ei6jf]

i'd love to see the formula e system at least tried, could be interesting

[@01HondaS2kXD]

What is their system?

[@martijnnoordermeer5252]

38SSM if im correct there are 3 or 4 different qualy groups and the last race results decides in which you praticipates (the top finishers in the first group as this sets them back a little and so on) the best driver of the groups go on to the superpole in wich you have 1 lap to give it all and the rest slots in behind the superpole qualifiers in order of their fastest lap, something like this

[@ryanstiffler5632]

@@martijnnoordermeer5252 close, is done in championship order, and the top 6 overall go through to superpole

[@josderbos9571]

I think stay with Q1 and Q2 which decides 9-20 on the grid with top 8 going through to a single lap Superpole

[@francesco165]

Actually the "one lap format" would be great in tracks like Monza (always a shitshow in qualy)

[@pavise6333]

Good idea to prevent another 2019 disaster so one will fight for the tow

[@elliotcrossan6290]

Only real xMattyG fans will remember "IS IT TOO LATE NOW TO CHANGE QUAAALIIIII?!"

[@manuelpadilla1677]

I feel that a combination between Q1 Q2 & Q3 with 1 lap qualifying would be fantastic. Q1 and Q2 would be normal but Q3 could be 1 lap with only one driver, and the order would be decided on the results of Q2 so pole on Q2 would be the first to go out on Q3. This could give a fair advantage to smaller teams so secure better positions on the grid.

[@feraro00]

1 shot qualifying is the only option to really “mix up” the grid but the idea of a limited number of laps to set a fast time is interesting. Have 3 sessions like the current format but you can only set 2 lap times… 🤔?

[@Zarzar22]

Damn I would love some one-lap qualifying... never seen it before but it sounds like it'd be super fun and much easier and simpler to focus, especially for those who aren't familiar with the sport. I remember when I first got into F1 in July this year that I didn't even watch Qualifying because it made no sense to me

[@wonderfulhumanbeingwithagr6381]

I agree. Even though the season was really exciting, qualifying sessions usually were a let down. Not even gonna mention sprint qualifying that's rubbish

[@vorsteppen]

Idea for a qualifying format: All drivers have 25minutes to set a maximum of 3laps. Advantages: More mixed up grids, meaning better races + not mixing up the grid too much/randomly, giving credit to the top teams + giving credit to really good quali drivers + rewarding good strategy calls in the rain even more Disadvantages: Not as good for TV(focus only being Pole)

[@Strudlfaust]

I think that the problem with aggregate quali was that the decider was on Sunday morning, not the two laps itself. Actually when you have refueling and strategies ruining the quali, compining both low fuel and race fuel both on Saturday would have been a really decent idea. But luckily we don't have refueling so that's a thing of the past. But something to consider on certain tracks would be a single lap finale for the top-6 or top-10 insread of regular Q3. Or even top-3 shootout on top of Q3

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Must admit, one lap qually is my favourite. IIRC, when the one driver went onto their flying lap, the next one left the pits for their warm up. Then it wouldn't be long after the first flying lap was completed before the next one was starting. The timing had to be crucial so that the first didn't get in the way of the second. Faster in-laps I think, which is much safer than someone who just makes it past the start line for their last run just before the chequered flag is out, with a bunch of those who've finished dawdling back to the pits. And - again, IIRC - if the car on its flying lap stacked it, the next one could come back into the pits to have a chance at a clean run. Instead of sprint races, they should bring this back. Always something going on, changeable weather could really mix up the grid, and there was next to no "dead air time" as there had been in the one hour session. What would spice things up though would be a random selection regarding the order in which the drivers go out. That could mean a Williams getting the only fully-dry run, or the Mercs cleaning the track. Am I the only one who thinks this way?

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

Bring back 1 lap qualifying!!! But with some tweeks... I'd like to see them run in championship order so the slowest cars get the cleanest track, and than have a second super-pole session for the top 6 or 10 to have a second lap (run slowest to fastest). This way you get constant, interesting action on track. Big names/teams at the start and end of the session with the possibility of upsets throughout. Plus smaller teams get more TV exposure, so are more appealing to sponsors, therefore potentially improving the competition over time as well!

[@samiraperi467]

2:58 That's even more cursed than Jimmy Broadbent's cursed images.

[@Smith559]

Can someone explain to me what exactly are Sprint Races and how that would potentially affect F1 if that would be applied

[@thomasgibbons5082]

No

[@aaronanish7400]

u dont watch f2, huh?

[@stevensmith6874]

F2

[@shaqattack297]

Basically shorter races, maybe with rules such as reverse grids

[@thescranstation2notbetter509]

If it would be applied then the excitment of qualifying is gone, the sprint race is boring because no one is going risk an overtake if they may start last, and the teams now know how the tyre wear for the main race is, removing all strategy and it would almost double the cost for teams per weekend. And it would oversaturate f1 and remove the excitement for the main race

[@nicolaasvanderkruk5029]

Great video, but I think a podcast where you guys talk about the different qualifying formats and the weird and wonderful impacts it had on certain races in history would also be great.

[@PaxMu]

I loved the 2-lap system used in the 2004 season. In the 1st lap with the drivers were going out in order of the results of the last race, they set a time to then establish the order for the 2nd lap (the actual qualifying lap for Sunday's race) in a reverse-grid fashion. As an spectator, it gave you 2 laps to see each driver and had the same level of excitement as the 1-lap.

[@14768]

Based on what we saw with Hamilton at the back in Brazil and your comments here about mixed up grids, i'm surprised more people aren't down for the reverse grid mechanism. I think it would be awesome.

[@SolidSonicTH]

One-lap qualifying would probably be like a rally race where the later runners get a better track to run around with the racing line rubbered in. The one-hour format does allow for more adjustment over the entire session, which I kind of like since it responds to the former point by allowing drivers to figure out where they want to make changes to their strategy.

[@theredguy8746]

The elimination qualifying in 2016 gave me PTSD.

[@HBee5]

I've been watching F1 since the early 90s so have seen a few different formats over the years. I don't mind the current system so much but must admit I've a soft spot for one lap quali. Especially at tracks like Monaco, and it often shook the grid order up.

[@videogamevalley7523]

One lap qualifying sounds really cool (Im coming back to a sport I remember as a kid and I really liked watching grand prix races but then they jus kinda disappeared so there is alot I have to catch up with.......well the last 7 years is not much to look up but before that yea)

[@Hyper_nova]

They should randomly choose each race to do either 3 sessions like now or 1 hour 12 laps or 1 shot qualifying. Those are the 3 most interesting to rotate.

[@joecotter8040]

Fun fact: You're here because F1 just announced Sprint Qualifying

[@Sitania]

I think they should keep the 3 qualifying phases, but then make Q3 a single lap for the top 10. Quickest in Q2 gets to go out last. Similar to the way V8 Supercars in Australia do their "shoot out"

[@MySonBand]

I think the most tricky thing with the knock-out qualifying was that they changed up the rules for the cut-off of the lap. Rather than it being: "you have to have started your lap before the end of the clock" (which we are using now and which it did use for the last to be knocked out), for all other knock outs, it used the "you have to have finished your lap before the end of the clock". This made for some really difficult time in figuring out who was still in the fight and who had gone out too late to make any difference. Not sure if using the other cut-off would've made much of a difference though, but that thing had always struck me as odd, watching that qualifying. That said, I do enjoy the 3-part qualifying we have now, a lot. The only thing I am noticing is that it's getting a bit more stale now than it used to be. Years ago, I know I was always strapped to the edge of my seat for the scramble towards the end of the clock. Nowadays, it does seem that there is less mixing up going on in those final laps than there used to be. Or maybe I'm just starting to become a bit more jaded, not sure ;)

[@aidos_17_]

Could do something like V8 Supercars in Australia, all drivers go out and set there best laps and then the top 10 go to a shootout.

[@octavpredesel2998]

Man I was looking for this episode for sooooo long. Thanks for The informatioon

[@DominikSutara]

OMG I'm so glad that u mentioned favourite qualy format 2003-2005. I totally agree with you. In 2005 i didnt bother combined laps, beacuse local TV (croatian natioanal TV) got 1 hour extra of F1 to watch :D.

[@PaladinNL5]

This is one of those moments where this would work in a video game but not in real life

[@zenokada2278]

For me keep the current system but make q3 one lap qualifying

[@masonbeck566]

Should definitely do 1 lap quali. Supercars Australia has been doing it for years. Have Q1 and Q2 the same, but make Q3 a top ten shootout. Fastest in Q2 goes out last and 10th goes out first.

[@SiVlog1989]

I have a specific example for my favourite format, the one hour 12 laps per driver system. Nürburgring 1999, a session that started in damp conditions but was drying as the session drew on. It featured Murray Walker at his barely able to keep up best, featuring him saying at one point: "... With 20 minutes to go, it going to change, but it's Hakkinen, Herbert, DINIZ third fastest, BADOER FOURTH FASTEST!" Edit: been subscribed since 2017

[@bloodravenkataev91]

Dropped watching F1 15 years ago and thanks to your videos I think I'll return to it.

[@arkadye]

I also loved 1 lap quali. Also, running Q3 as a one-lap shootout would be totally feasible. The big downside to single-lap qualifying was "how to decide the running order", but as a Q3 session it's easy: use Q2 times and run in that order. If there's rain forecast partway through that could cause some fun as Mercedes try to make it into Q3 in 9th and 10th so they get to run first, before the weather hits. But with many laps already done that day, the running order should also matter less anyway.

[@judgedrew2076]

Bring back the 2005 one lap qualifying so we can make the sport interesting again for fans and advertising companies!

[@joshuamifsud9456]

As an f1 fan in Australia I love a system our touring cars use similar to 1 lap qualifying which is the top 10shootout. So q1 and q2 would be the same but then the top 10 would do 1 lap qualifying for q3

[@fourutubez7294]

One lap quali was my favourite , we got a see a full lap of every car (bar TV fuckery) so the guys at the back got great coverage and exposure for their sponsor. Also the weather through some great curve balls every so often .

[@alvaroalejandrovargasmarti6214]

I´m subscribed and also tell you NO WEIRD IDEAS WHIT MIX GRID that is for F2 nos for F1

[@timothydevenport2878]

I wonder if 1 lap quali after the current q1/2/3 system would spice the grid up. Use the q1/2/3 system to determine a running order for the 1 lap session (q-f4/q-final?), slowest goes out first, through to pole.

[@Taterisstig]

1 lap quali will always be my favorite! Wouldn't mind if the set the run order similar to how they do in FE

[@danellard752]

A tweak to amalgamate the current rules and the mid-00's would be amazing. Q1 - bottom 10 eliminated, Q2, bottom 7 eliminated... leaving the final 3 to have a shootout for pole in the old 1-lap qualifying format (i.e. 3rd in Q2 goes out first, then 2nd, then finally 1st). Martin Brundle often talks about how he likes qualifying to be a crescendo up to the final lap of the session - this would almost guarantee that to be the case.

[@brunodays]

1 lap qualifying on a championship position basis would be good, I think. "Penalizing" the front runners just a bit by having them go first in the session and giving that extra bit of grip to the midfield and back. And to you, who's reading this, feel free to suggest stuff around this idea.

[@gavinmader]

The one lap format is something that is done in the Australian Supercar Championship. There's a set amount of time for everyone to run around and see where they place. Anyone that finished in the top 10 gets a second session, straight after, called the Top 10 Shootout. Brilliant and every lap is incredibly exciting.

[@92xsaabaru-]

Any chance we could get a history of Driver communications with the evolution from pitboards to radios and steering wheel messages? It would also be nice to know the history of the related rules and the inclusion of team radio in broadcasts. Thanks!

[@kieronholt5979]

Race grid is set by a score generated from initial qualifying and sprint race. You get points from qualifying: 20 for first to 1 for last After 40 minute sprint race the places a driver has gained/lost is added to this score plus one for fastest lap. After first 5 minutes the driver at the back of the grid is eliminated every 2 minutes. Until three drivers remain. But the twist is the drivers/teams from first to last in qualifying pick their sprint grid position. You can't pick the front of the grid because it's impossible to gain places, can't pick the back because there is too much risk you will be eliminated before you can gain places! Super mixed up grids and tactics in who you think you can overtake.

[@LCaddyStudios]

The Australian Supercars has the right idea, several practice sessions for drivers followed by qualifying followed by a top 10 shootout where every driver in the top 10 gets one lap, usually as the day warms up or cools down different drivers get an advantage, plus the rain can be a factor, means that you often get to see a wildcard of sorts on pole

[@nathanakers45]

After watching this vid it seems like an interesting idea would be a hybrid of the current system and the one-lap system. Use the current Q1 and Q2 to whittle the field to 10, then use the one-lap shootout to determine the pole. P1 in Q2 gets first choice on when they go out (an advantage is weather is coming), then P2 chooses, and so on. I'm certainly curious to see who would melt under that one lap pressure!

[@EverydayADV]

I think in the Australian v8s we have struck a good balance. You get the entire grid for qualifying so you get the suspense then you get the top 10 shoot out so you can focus on each driver.

[@mark6bat]

I think we should have a mix of qualifying sessions in the season, which the current Q1,2,3 being the "standard" but have 2 shot in Monaco & a few other tighter circuits and a few sprint races when you quali / race falls into a European evening slot. Then we'd see different driver skills come to the fore.

[@rikulai]

Ideal quali might be: q1 and q2 unchanged but q3, 2 lap qualifying where the better time is taken. Or with more change: q1 you get top 10 and lower 10, q2 is 1 lap quali for lower 10 and q3 like above

[@margentf1]

I'd like to see a hybrid format of split group qualifying (2 groups, 1 car per team randomly drawn after FP2 on TV, 12 mins per group) top 5 in each group advance to a 1 lap Superpole Shootout for the Top 10.

[@stefanosskourtis881]

I wish they bring back the 1 lap format, for me it's the best to this day

[@nickforsyth2153]

I saw a caterham the other day and the first thing I saw was a big WTF1 sticker on the rear wheel arch.

[@Zzzlol94]

1 lap qualifying is probably the most interesting mix-up they can reintroduce. A lot of other time attack sports do this and it's great to add tension for every attempt. It also rewards the most consistent drivers. As with everything, it has its drawbacks, with rain and changing conditions being very harsh if it rains in the latter of quali, or the quali starts wet but becomes dry. And that track conditions always improve for the latter drivers. They could do something like But, I'd absolutely love to have 30-60 minutes of commentators at their best and following each lap set in qualifying. As much as I'd want this to return, I don't think there's anything which could be overall better and more fair than the current format. It's not broke, so don't fix it.

[@supremachine]

I would like a format where the cars are split into two groups randomly every race weekend and they do a qualifying session each separately, 5 getting through to the final session from each. That could get some of the front runners at the back if more quicker cars are put into one group.

[@j.paulm.1575]

That last one is just like NASCAR was doing before the pandemic. I would actually love to see it, even if just for one race.

[@guessundheit6494]

The current three stage qualifying works is far better than almost every system because it means constant action throughout the session. And it eliminates rain as a factor if weather changes during qualifying, though whether that's good or bad depends on your (see: Minardi going out first on second qualifying).

[@rangr2187]

I reckon they should do a top 10 style shoot out where you have 1 quali for every one then the top 10 go through to the shoot out and go one at a time 10 through to 1st for a single hot lap

[@renarsklavins9850]

i remember when f1 had same thing that motogp now has which is 4th practice session and warm up laps thats a blast from the past.

[@Jackbyrne77]

One-lap qualifying was the best system for the first reasons mentioned. You got to see the entire lap and see where drivers were gaining and where others weren’t. The current system you see one car do the final sector in Q3 and then just watch the timer to see if the rest crossing the line are faster or slower without knowing why. The 2016 system was so embarrassing to the fia that it doesn’t even feature on the season review DVD at all. There is absolutely no mention of it.

[@xudongchen4889]

I would suggest we keep q1 and q2 format like now, but change q3 to one-lap shootout, with the reverse q2 result as drivers' running order. In this way it will normally award fast cars who set up quicker q2 times with better track conditions, and it could mix up the grid when weather changes in q3. Drivers in q3 will have less space for mistakes, but if they should make mistakes, the worst result will be 10th, which is still not so bad. I think this format also achieves pretty good balance between live spectators and TV spectators. The live spectators can still enjoy pretty much track action in q1 and q2, while people at home can watch every driver's q3 lap closely (which for me is the most important thing)

[@snowduff]

Aussie supercars has a decent format - mass quail for a sesh and then one lap format for the top 10 in reverse order, makes for some surprises but rewards 1 lap skill

[@gigadonis8684]

I've got an easy fix for 1 lap qualifying. So, to decide the grid order, we do what the WRC did from 2011-13, where drivers went out on a "Qualifying Stage" and then chose their road position (fastest guy picks 1st). But F1 should remove the "Pre Qualifying Qualifying lap" and just let drivers pick where they start the lap with championship order (In Australia we just do the Constructors Championship from last year, so like Hamilton and Bottas go first then Verstappen and Albon etc.)

[@dcarbs2979]

The 12-lap, 1-hour free-for-all was my favourite (especially the last 20 minutes), and not drastically different to watch than the longest running format that preceded it.

[@outsmiles8538]

Why don’t we learn, if the fia changes something about racing (not safety) it’s not fun

[@BMK500]

Monza, Monaco, Mexico City, Spa, and Singapore one lap qualifying would be lit

[@Jardbig]

we need to start a petition to bring back 1 lap quali

[@launchsquid]

the problem with trying to change qualification to get mixed up grids is it can't work because it isn't actually dealing with the problem. What we actually need is a grid of cars with similar performance, then drivers would make the difference and their errors will mix the grid. everything else is just bandaids on broken bones, it doesn't make a bit of difference.

[@mazf1302]

I never knew about the 2016 one.

[@GarkKahn]

Curious. I thought there was a season with a qualyfing format consisting of 2 laps and the best lap decided the grid result while the slow lap time was erased

[@parrotbrothers6703]

Picture this: 2 practice sessions Friday. One reverse grid sprint race Saturday morning that gives no points but sets the order for one lap qualifying Saturday evening. Then the normal race on Sunday.

[@timo_neumann]

2 laps format was my fav. Yet 1 lap is also good bringing more random as well

[@xtheamazingax]

No no no... that subscribed button was pushed quite a while ago. I think since I started watching IBR back in 2017... can't remember which race it was... Why wouldn't I want to listen to Mr Passion? (Is that ok, Matt?)

[@LayerD92]

Wasn’t there a time when the teams did one lap and then the following day they did a second but they went in the order of how well they did the previous day. I remember it because one weekend there was rain due at the end of the second qualifying session so in the first one, cars were hitting the brakes as they came over the finish line to add a few seconds on so they could come out earlier the next day to miss the rain. Was that a thing or did I just make that all up in my head!?

[@danieljarvis7176]

4:40 lovely super gt cameo

[@tiutubanana7506]

Monaco should get a 1 lap qualifying, its part of the triple crown so it deserves a special format. This would also make it harder cause risk to much at Monaco and you end up in the wall.

[@callumdean]

You were wrong Matt.... I was subscribed 💜

[@girlwithaguitar24]

I'd be interested to see how F1 would work with Formula E style qualifying. Q1 is four short sessions in which 5 cars each go out and try to get their fastest lap. Group 1 is the top 5 in the championship, Group 2 is the next 5 and so on. After that, Q2 is the fastest 5 cars running for pole. Having the fastest cars go out first adds an unpredictability factor as the track will rubber in as the sessions go on and level the speed gap between top and bottom teams.

[@ddm2829]

I think that F1 should do 1 laps for each driver but in reverse of the leaderboard Which means that the points leader will go out 1st That will bring focus for each driver and make no room for mistakes, also the fact that the championship leader will go out first means that it puts him in a disadvantage and that will make Saturdays and the championship more interesting

[@maneeshaliyanapatabendy1481]

I have an idea. Q1 determines the fastest and slowest, no one gets eliminated at this stage. in Q2, each team must deploy their car a few seconds after the earlier car goes out of the pitstop, so the slower cars can get slipstreamed by the cars ahead while the fastest one doesn't. here the last five or 10 gets eliminated. in Q3 the top grid placements are determined like usual Q3. this idea is perfect with the 2022 regulations as slipstreaming will be better, reduced dirty air and slower cars can get better chances at the newly proposed Q2 stage.

[@s.samuel012]

During the 80s to 1992 Pre-Qualifying, the slowest team from previous season and the small teams will participate on Friday, the four fastest car in Pre-Qualifying will enter the 30 car field Saturday Qualifying and the four slowest in Friday will pack the stuff and go home, on Saturday the four slowest cars on Qualifying will be not able to race on Sunday means 26 cars are start on Sunday

[@wow_so_high2510]

one way to mix things up would be for the top5 or top6 of the last race to get a 1s handicap on their lap times in qualifying the next race forcing them to either push their car to the limit from the very beginning of q1 to even get to q2 or q3 or to work their way through the field... At least that would be one way to get Mercedes more on "level" with the other teams...

[@odenwaldquelle8228]

My favorit would be a combination of Q1-2-3 and a one lap shoot-out. The super pole (?) in Formula E for example is a good thing. Saturday practice could determine the order in wich they post their laps in qualifying and then we have qualifying with 3 rounds elimination like we have now but with only one lap and each round the order gets switched. Slowest car starts first in the following round. I would like to see that.

[@Schadows77]

The "Eliminator mode" (as called in video games) wasn't such a bad idea on paper but ... it was based on the fact the cars would stay on track. Considering the limited number of tires available, the short live performances of these tires, the need to protect the engine ... the cars wouldn't stay on track for long, and counting the in-lap and out-lap was way to much of a lost time to make viable (not counting the fact that you couldn't finish your lap when the coundown hit 0). The concept could have worked with "qualification tires" which would have lasted longer, but it would also need more time between elimination, which would have pushed the qualification duration to be way longer, and we would have gone back to the problem of economising the engine.

[@parlmc]

one-lap qualifing, in order of championship. You're first in the championship, you start first. or limit that format for just the Qs (1st in Q3, starts first in Q2)

[@scipio5916]

What if we had Q1 and Q2 then use the final Q2 timings to determine the order of sending drivers out for one-lap quali in Q3? There would be a more competitive aspect to Q2 and it’d be incorporating the old one lap system back, right at the most climactic point of all of qualifying (the shootout for pole). Imagine the car that topped Q2 having the final lap of qualifying but running wide or spinning off, awarding pole to someone who was initially far less likely to get it. That sounds exciting to me.

[@SusannaJ]

One lap qualifying for sure. When I just started watching F1, I remember asking someone if it wouldn't be best to just let one driver go at a time and set a lap...little did I know that is how it was actually done in the past. I say bring it back.