Formula 1’s teams have forced CEO Bernie Ecclestone to "ditch the reviled knockout qualifying system after a united show of power," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES. All 11 teams wrote to Ecclestone and FIA President Jean Todt to "demand that the elimination format of the past two races be discarded" and the sport return to the "successful qualifying system used last season." The old qualifying system "will return in time for the next grand prix, in China over the weekend of April 15-16." The letter is "also thought to have gone" to F1 majority shareholder CVC Capital Partners Chair Donald Mackenzie. Mackenzie has "the power as the commercial rights holder to bypass Ecclestone," but it seems that his CEO "had already got the message loud and clear from the furious teams and disgruntled fans around the world." Ecclestone and Todt "faced a revolt on a scale not seen in some time from the teams," which have become "increasingly agitated by the haphazard way in which change was foisted on the sport," puzzling sponsors and "angering fans" (LONDON TIMES, 4/7). In London, Daniel Johnson reported the debate over qualifying "had taken on enormous significance since Melbourne and become a key battleground for control in the sport." Ecclestone has "repeatedly vented his spleen at the teams having such a significant say in rulemaking and will be bruised by this defeat." Todt said in Bahrain last weekend that he "did not want to be a dictator only to refuse the teams’ plea on Sunday morning before the race." It all means after weeks of "bewildering fans, sponsors, television companies and drivers, F1 should return to the old style of qualifying" for the next race in China (TELEGRAPH, 4/7). The BBC reported the letter was sent before a meeting on Thursday, "where the decision to go back to last year's format was taken." Following the meeting, the FIA issued a statement which confirmed Todt and Ecclestone had agreed "to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015." Qualifying was changed this year because Ecclestone "wanted to spice up race weekends, which he felt were becoming too predictable" (BBC, 4/7).
FERRARI CLEARED: MOTORSPORT's Roberto Chinchero reported Ferrari "has been cleared of using an illegal coded message on a pitboard" at the Australian Grand Prix, following a query raised by a rival team. As part of the FIA clampdown on team-to-car communication, "strict guidelines have been laid down about what teams can and cannot tell drivers." Coded messages to "get around the issue" have also been banned. Following an explanation of what happened -- and the fact that it was the first race operating to new limits -- "there were no grounds for the FIA to take any action" (MOTORSPORT, 4/7).
