F1 Qualifying rule

[E36GUY]

Just been reading the regs changes for 2011. Delighted to see a return of the 107% qualifying rule.

Hispania must be bricking that one?!

[Forbes82]

Yeah i dont mind the rule coming back at all, means we get to see some slow cars really pushed hard as they desperately try to make the cut off time.

Could almost kills hispania though, no testing so far and with the testing ban, if they fail to qualify in a couple of early GPs its going to make it very hard to develop the car into something that can qualify without any race miles when everyone else is developing with race miles.

[JxT]

Ah but its 107% of the Q1 time, where the fast cars won't be on the super sticky tyres... one assumes Hispania will be. I think the new teams would have made the 107% limit all through last year.

Having said that, who knows whether HRT will have 2 cars ready for tomorrow anyway..

[tyranical]

Hispania should just quit right now they're the biggest joke of a team thats come into F1 for years, they don't belong in F1 imo, and if the rumours are to be believed they are in serious financial trouble as it is if they don't start the races they'll fold by China hopefully.

[P924]

JxT said:

Ah but its 107% of the Q1 time, where the fast cars won't be on the super sticky tyres... one assumes Hispania will be. I think the new teams would have made the 107% limit all through last year.

Having said that, who knows whether HRT will have 2 cars ready for tomorrow anyway..

I didn't realise that. Looked at the times from this morning and realised at least one driver wouldn't be racing.

[Forbes82]

JxT said:

Ah but its 107% of the Q1 time, where the fast cars won't be on the super sticky tyres... one assumes Hispania will be. I think the new teams would have made the 107% limit all through last year.

There were a fair few races last year where hispania would not have made it, and a couple where virgin would have lost out too, with little development and testing on thier car and others pushing on i would not be surprised to see them very close or perhaps even out of the 107%.

[Forbes82]

http://www.f1pulse.com/news/The-effects-of-the-107...

A surprising number would have missed out last year, there will almost certainly be times this year where the rule stops people racing.

[bigsocksmallfiat]

Don't like it. Webber ditches it in q1 tomorrow morning and he misses his home GP. Alonso would have sat out Monaco last year. How can that be good for the paying fans?

ETA - Having said that, the rule states “Under exceptional circumstances however, which may include setting a suitable lap time in a free practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race.” So fairy nuff I suppose.

Edited by bigsocksmallfiat on Friday 25th March 12:57

[P924]

bigsocksmallfiat said:

Alonso would have sat out Monaco last year. How can that be good for the paying fans?

As I watched the race in a spanish bar, and got hit, everytime Alonso overtook someone, I would have loved it.

[ADEuk]

tyranical said:

Hispania should just quit right now they're the biggest joke of a team thats come into F1 for years, they don't belong in F1 imo, and if the rumours are to be believed they are in serious financial trouble as it is if they don't start the races they'll fold by China hopefully.

Bit harsh. USF1 maybe, but at least HRT turned up for every race and gave it their best. Blame the FIA for not granting a grid slot to more established team

[EDLT]

Forbes82 said:

http://www.f1pulse.com/news/The-effects-of-the-107...

A surprising number would have missed out last year, there will almost certainly be times this year where the rule stops people racing.

Doesn't do much for Senna's reputation!

EDIT: I wonder if we'll see people putting in a bank lap during practice on the softest tyres and no fuel...

[Allyc85]

Looks like Virgin will have to up their pace as using FP2 times they would have missed out by a few tenths

[skinny]

i don't see what they can hope to achieve with this rule. it's not before with more teams turning up than were able to race.

how is preventing HRT and MVR from racing going to help them?

the only thing that can possibly happen is that we lose these teams.

[Mr Sparkle]

Don't like it or really see its point - so what if a team is qualifying slowly, it might be a temporary problem, or issues for other cars in the race due to unreliability might make it possible to pinch the odd point.

[MadMullah]

apparently all teams will race regardless of times for the aussie gp

it kicks in the next gp.

[AJS-]

bigsocksmallfiat said:

Don't like it. Webber ditches it in q1 tomorrow morning and he misses his home GP. Alonso would have sat out Monaco last year. How can that be good for the paying fans?

ETA - Having said that, the rule states “Under exceptional circumstances however, which may include setting a suitable lap time in a free practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race.” So fairy nuff I suppose.

There used to be instances just like that, but it was down to the race stewards to decide. The rule is there to prevent cars dribbling round 10 seconds a lap off the pace, not prevent competitive cars from running.

I think it's a good thing on balance (though I'm not really sure it was necessary. I don't seem to remember slow cars being a serious problem last year) but might benefit from some adjustment upwards - I would actually like to see more small teams in F1, but if they can't even get a place on the grid it makes it that much harder for them. It's a case of striking a balance between that and having stupid teams that just turn up for fun.

A lot of people used to slate Minardi for that though, but they did give some decent drivers their first drives.

[MadMullah]

they will have some get out clause - at the stewards discretion

[davepoth]

MadMullah said:

they will have some get out clause - at the stewards discretion

Yes they do. So if a drive has a problem in Q1 but isn't going to be slow in the race they'll be allowed in. HRT were shaking their car down on the track, I doubt they even expected to make the start this weekend anyway.

[Forbes82]

Apparently Hispania have been refused their request to be allowed to race, which makes sense seing as they were never even close to making the 107%, like Brundle said they are effectively just shaking down the car while acting as mobile chicanes to the rest of the field. In thier first year this could maybe be excused, but they are no longer a new team and still show no signs of taking F1 seriously.

[KaraK]

Forbes82 said:

Apparently Hispania have been refused their request to be allowed to race, which makes sense seing as they were never even close to making the 107%, like Brundle said they are effectively just shaking down the car while acting as mobile chicanes to the rest of the field. In thier first year this could maybe be excused, but they are no longer a new team and still show no signs of taking F1 seriously.

Allowing them in would have been disasterous for this race - IMO they are so slow at the moment and the car has done so little mileage at this point that it could potentially have been dangerous. With the lack of in-season testing its difficult to see where they are going to get the mileage on the car to get it anywhere near the 107% anytime soon. I feel for the guys at the team (and the drivers obviously) who are obviously working very hard for nothing at the moment but they've had a year and they should be able to at least have been level with where they were this time last year and they haven't even be able to manage that. Brundle was pretty daming about them during qualy and you can't really argue with him.