Scrap fuel-corrected qualifying?

[V12]

I've just finished watching Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso play dodgems on the final qualifying lap. Allen and Brundle are suggesting some sort of minimum speed that drivers who elect to save fuel must keep in order to avoid any unsafe speed differentials, which is a very 21st century F1 way of overcomplicating things IMO.

Isn't it time to ditch this whole idea of qualifying with your race fuel and getting qualifying back to the essence of how it used to be - a hot lap on minimal fuel?

Yes, in 2003 it seemed like a fairly innovative idea to shake up the grids and add an extra strategic dimension to the race weekend, but these days everyone seems to run fairly similar strategies and they rarely add to the excitement in the race - so why not just ditch the whole idea?

Anyone else agree?

[ShiftingGears]

The 3 periods of qualifying are good, but its time to ditch the fuel load bull****. People want to see the cars at their very fastest in qualifying, not teams playing a strategy game.

[gloomyDAY]

I agree.

How about giving each team a few laps to complete a time? The IRL has a pretty good system that makes their qualifying exciting to watch.

http://www.indycar.com/tech/101/qualifying.php

[AJP]

I've just finished watching Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso play dodgems on the final qualifying lap. Allen and Brundle are suggesting some sort of minimum speed that drivers who elect to save fuel must keep in order to avoid any unsafe speed differentials, which is a very 21st century F1 way of overcomplicating things IMO.

Isn't it time to ditch this whole idea of qualifying with your race fuel and getting qualifying back to the essence of how it used to be - a hot lap on minimal fuel?

Yes, in 2003 it seemed like a fairly innovative idea to shake up the grids and add an extra strategic dimension to the race weekend, but these days everyone seems to run fairly similar strategies and they rarely add to the excitement in the race - so why not just ditch the whole idea?

Anyone else agree?

I'm all for it. I would be very happy if it went back to low fuel runs for everyone.

Then you can fill up as much fuel as you want for the race..

It will still sort the faster cars out from the rest anyway.

[Tazio]

The only problem I really have with the current quali is the way these guiys limp in on their in laps. very dangerous today. They need to get way off line.
They cost Fred some time on his final flyer!

[Valve Bounce]

I've been advocating this for like forever. What more can I say?

[inimitablestoo]

Isn't it time to ditch this whole idea of qualifying with your race fuel and getting qualifying back to the essence of how it used to be - a hot lap on minimal fuel?

No - but only because it was actually time to do it some time ago. Has the spectacle really been enhanced in any way by carrying race fuel through qualifying ever?

[BDunnell]

It has to go. As I said in the thread about qualifying following the Australian GP, any system that requires the amount of explanation required to describe the system used at present is too complicated.

[maxu05]

I agree 100%, get rid of this stupid fuel rule. Start the race with the fuel load that you want IMO. Lets get Qualifying rocking.

[cosmicpanda]

if we go back to the old system people will complain that it's boring, since the cars only go out for a little bit and there's the big gap at the start.

What's to guarantee that letting them refuel before the race will improve the race, though? As far as I can see, that would just encourage everyone to lap on the soft tyre until the pitlane opened (not sure how long that takes in F1), at which point they would pit, put on hard tyres, fill the car to the brim and go to the end of the race on that. Certainly, the first season in A1GP showed that that was quicker than refueling in the middle of the race.

It might encourage passing on the track, but it also eliminates the only source of overtaking possible on tracks like Monaco and Hungary, and let's face it, the rest of the tracks are usually processional as well (and it's not like drivers wouldn't pass if given the chance).