David mistaken

[f1atic]

I believe DC has missed the point for this fan. I am a race fan, not a qualification fan.

In a recent interview, David was quoted as saying, "I am surprised there hasn't been more resistance from the hardcore followers of the sport to try and have a qualifying session where you actually see the cars and the drivers at 100%," said Coulthard, who qualified 11th when the system made its debut here last year."

I have to disagree with him. I would rather see a driver struggle through less than perfect conditions to truly earn his spot on the grid and if he has the optimum car and set up in the race - fight for the win. I specifically thought all of years I have been watching that to qualify a car that was not in race trim, with an engine that would not be used in the race and just enough fuel to hopefully get him through the 3 laps and back to the pits produced a costly and artificial grid position.

I also doubt that even in the driver's seat, without the clock ticking or a radio for intermediate times, one could tell the difference of 1:19 and 1:21. The car may feel heavy or a bit slow or fast in certain areas, to know using only his brain that he is a second or two slower is absurd.

[Knowlesy]

Originally posted by f1atic


I have to disagree with him. I would rather see a driver struggle through less than perfect conditions to truly earn his spot on the grid and if he has the optimum car and set up in the race - fight for the win. I specifically thought all of years I have been watching that to qualify a car that was not in race trim, with an engine that would not be used in the race and just enough fuel to hopefully get him through the 3 laps and back to the pits produced a costly and artificial grid position.

How is it an artificial grid position through the old qualifying? The best driver and car combination takes pole and wins the race.....artificial grids are like what we saw at Suzuka last year.

It did make for an exciting race though!

[Redblurr]

Originally posted by f1atic
I also doubt that even in the driver's seat, without the clock ticking or a radio for intermediate times, one could tell the difference of 1:19 and 1:21.

Schumi at Monza qually: he raised his fist as he crossed the line. So I think that the drivers must have an idea how good the time is.

Originally posted by knowlesy
How is it an artificial grid position through the old qualifying? The best driver and car combination takes pole and wins the race.....artificial grids are like what we saw at Suzuka last year.

It did make for an exciting race though!

Yeah, five drivers running in the wet/damp to qualify.

[Adam43]

Welcome to ten-tenths.

DC can be mistaken, but I'm not so sure here. He has a point.

There is an interesting view on this from Roebuck http://www.autosport.com/featuresask...p?id=26100&s=5

I miss the old balls out qualy laps. The pure controlled agression of the greats on a Q lap. Pure art, science and sport all rolled into one.

I do understand that needs must, and so we have something that mixes it up. However I find Q boring to watch mow and I expect it might be (slightly) worse this year. There is no reason to go for it with everyone on low tanks now. (you don't want to stuff it because you don't get to go out in part 2 and also there is also an arguement that says some may even put quite a bit of fuel in for the 1st part - to get used to it).

As for telling a the difference of a couple of seconds round a lap, I think you can. The car is noticeable improved to gain a couple of seconds. I changed tyres on my car found a couple of seconds and knew even before I go back in and looked at the times.

[fordtc87]

A driver has to know when he hits all of his marks during a qualifying. As many hours as these guys spend in these cars they have the feel for time. They won't konw their exact time, but you know a good run by the way the car flows.

As far as single lap qualifying, I think that it is wonderful. Then everyone is feeling the pressure, no one can whine about someone blocking, they have to decide whether to push so hard that they might wreck or lay back and go for p4 or p6. Plus you have to add strategy of starting the race on the fuel load and tires. Makes for a better show and story.

[Knowlesy]

This single lap qualifying thing is rather dissapointing. When they announced it, I immediately had thoughts of the Superpole in World Superbikes and how the riders pushed to the limit and often fell off, they tried so hard.

In F1 it is totally wrong.....people qualify on their race fuel loads and it simply doesn't allow for people to push....you qualify depending on your fuel load. It's ****.

It has supplied some good races though, I wilkl admit that. However, old qualifying was much, much, infinitely better!!!

[Kicking-back]

I'd rather have a less exciting qualifying if it makes for a better race.

Racing is what it's about, after all.

[Knowlesy]

I'd rather have both!

[Glen]

The old style qualifying is only, truly, sadly to be missed if you ignore what the top teams were turning it into - a totally separate race in different cars. You had a completely brand new engine, usually with a higher state of tune, different electronic settings, lighter valve train, super-skinny qualifying gearbox with ultra-slim gears... You had a totally different qualifying set-up, with stiffer suspension, more agressive wheel alignment to generate more heat... and goodness knows what else. DC's remarks would be worth a lot more if it was (as he tries to pretend) a straight fight for the fastest lap - but in fact it was mostly a question of which team could deploy the best science to get the pole.

The regulations now still benefit the drivers with the most raw ability and sheer nerve - and I'm afraid that DC has not taken to the system at all.

[f1atic]

Exactly! The car they qualified in was not even the same car they raced in reality. Different tires, different fuel, different aeros, AND different engine usually.

It was a separate competition, which, by design or default, made it almost impossible for a mid-field team to get to the front EVER.

As for knowing the times mate, they get radio coms from the interemediates and don't even keep track of the whole lap - I don't care how many hours you put in behind the wheel - to 'know' you have a tenth or two made up in your head is an absurd concept.

[jhansen]

I like the single-lap format, but the full fuel load is rubbish in my opinion. Let them qualify on a light fuel load, and fuel after quals, but prior to parc ferm for the race. They must qualify on their race tyres and with the engine rules for 2004. I am for good racing, but quals should be left to be interesting. I've tried to find a balance given the existing rules.

[Teretonga]

Actually I really liked last years system but I also liked what we had in the 80's and early 90's. The simple reason is that with the advent of all the manufacturers in the mid-late 90's it became so technically difficult and extreme it actually diluted the sense of a sporting occasion from F1 and what happened last year (much better than what is happening this year) threw up some variations that at least made the whole qualifying thing interesting. I won't watch qualifying this year, probably not at all and if we have another year like 2002 probably won't even stay up to watch all the GP's(Sthn hemisphere) I had no trouble getting up at 11.30 and sitting up till 2pm to watch an entralling GP, but i won't be doing it if we get the boring rubbish that happened in 2003.

As far as knowing your lap times is concerned even in karts i knew if i had hit the mark on a really quick lap, but I'd agree that less than a couple of 10ths is pretty hard to notice over a three or four mile track. If they made an error they would know why it was slow, but not necessarily how much.

[ljakse]

While I did like the old style quals for that absolute limit of the 'man and machine', I hated it when someone was blocked (unless it was MS, ofcourse ). So I am not really sure which is better...

About knowing your time - few tenths of a second is probably impossible to feel, but 2 seconds you must know! You simply feel that you've been hitting perfect braking points, and that you were on the perfect line, and when you feel that, you know you're fast.

[RWC]

Wether the qualifying system is the old type or new,it just don't matter.
The cars will still look boring on track