Formula 1 bosses "failed to agree on a new format for qualifying after a meeting at the Bahrain Grand Prix," according to Andrew Benson of the BBC.
Teams "discussed the failure of the new elimination format" with F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Jean Todt.
Mercedes F1 Exec Dir Toto Wolff said that Todt and Ecclestone "refused to revert to the 2015 system despite teams' wishes to do so."
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said that all parties had agreed that the new system introduced on the eve of the '16 season -- "where the slowest car is eliminated every 90 seconds in three sessions -- was not the way forward."
Horner said, "There is an unwillingness from the promoter and FIA to go back to 2015. The teams would go back. A compromise has been put on the table now for the teams to consider" (BBC, 4/3). In London, Daniel Johnson wrote Todt and Ecclestone tabled an entirely new suggestion -- the exact nature of which is unclear -- "which will be analysed in the coming days." One source from the meeting, which lasted 90 minutes without reaching agreement, simply said, "Crazy."
The elimination-style format "had its second outing on Saturday in Bahrain and was as unpopular as the first in Melbourne." It "is universally disliked by the drivers, fans and teams but F1's broken rule-making structure has made it so far impossible to abandon."
To change the rules during the middle of the season requires unanimous agreement of Ecclestone, Todt and the teams, "which is proving hard to come by" (TELEGRAPH, 4/3). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin wrote F1 teams agreed instead "to go away and consider a compromise by next Thursday."
Wolff said, "No decision has been made, we haven't reached the conclusions on how we want to continue yet." Team bosses said that "various new formats were discussed, as well as staying with the current one, but there would be no going back to 2015 qualifying." Wolff: "It's not on the table."
Williams Deputy Principal Claire Williams said there was a belief that "just going back to 2015 will create more confusion than is necessary" (REUTERS, 4/3).
ECCLESTONE'S TAKE: In a separate article, Baldwin wrote Ecclestone "has hit back at drivers for seeking change in the way the sport is run, suggesting they were powerless and simply doing the bidding of their teams."
The Grand Prix Drivers Association "issued an open letter last week urging the sport to abandon 'obsolete and ill-structured' decision-making processes that stood in the way of progress."
Ecclestone: "They can say what they like can't they? They can't do anything. They can give an opinion. Everyone has got an opinion. Really their discussions are with their team and the team has got a voice. They are only saying what the teams have told them to say."
Asked whether he considered them to be "windbags," Ecclestone replied, "Some of them."
In a "feisty exchange," Ecclestone was "also cutting" when it was put to him that the drivers were not looking to put on a show of strength.
He said, "They haven't got any." McLaren driver Jenson Button "also rejected a suggestion that the drivers were being manipulated" (REUTERS, 4/2). In London, Daniel Johnson wrote handily, Mercedes Chair Niki Lauda "walked in to Ecclestone’s office to field the 85-year-old’s accusation." The three-time champion "pointed the finger of blame at Alex Wurz, a fellow Austrian former F1 driver who now runs the GPDA." Wurz "has become increasingly vociferous since taking over in October 2014." Lauda said, "Mr. Wurz got together and spoke in the name of all the drivers. It’s all bull----. This is Wurz alone. He was the master of this. We had nothing to do with it."
Lewis Hamilton "spoke at length about qualifying, the cars, the difficulty to overtake, and F1 losing fans."
Hamilton said, "People have fallen out of love with the sport. It has the opportunity to be the greatest sport in the world, which is what it should be" (TELEGRAPH, 4/1).
DRIVER'S CHOICE: In a separate piece, Baldwin wrote "aggrieved McLaren boss Ron Dennis says Formula One teams must decide whether a driver is fit to race, rather than the governing body's doctors, after Fernando Alonso was barred from the Bahrain Grand Prix."
Alonso "failed a medical at the Sakhir circuit on Thursday after breaking ribs in a huge Australian Grand Prix crash."
Belgian reserve Stoffel Vandoorne "was drafted in but McLaren still tried to persuade the FIA to reinstate Alonso as late as Saturday." Dennis:
"Virtually every team sport in the world, the fitness of the athlete, the football player, the ice-hockey player, the skier, is determined by the team. The position of the FIA, I feel, is to ensure the safety of the other drivers. If a driver feels a bit of pain, and wants to drive with a bit of pain, I think that’s the driver’s decision."
Dennis said that "Alonso arrived in Bahrain, after two sets of Spanish doctors had cleared him to fly and drive" (REUTERS, 4/2).
DESERT RACE: Baldwin also wrote Ecclestone said that Las Vegas "could host a second U.S. race on the Formula One calendar in a few years' time but a deal has yet to be agreed." Ecclestone:
"I am going to be talking to them (Las Vegas promoters) in another 10 minutes' (time). It’s possible that there could be an event there."
Asked when the race in the desert resort might happen, he replied, "In a couple of years I suppose. We’d keep Austin and have another race" (REUTERS, 4/1).
