03/04/2016
NEWS STORY
A meeting between the eleven F1 teams, Pirelli, the FIA and Commercial Rights Holder, Bernie Ecclestone, at which the controversial new qualifying format was the main focus, proved inconclusive and as a result a further meeting has been scheduled for Thursday.
If anything, yesterday's qualifying session was even worse than Melbourne, with team and drivers now resigned to the fact that they are facing imminent elimination opting not to run.
Meanwhile, at the top of the grid, drivers, in an attempt to preserve rubber for the race, did the bare minimum, a late show from the Williams duo being merely for (race tyre) strategic purposes.
Despite a typically banzai lap from Lewis Hamilton, which saw the Briton take his 51st (F1) career pole, the session was widely panned.
Whilst the teams are seeking a return to the original (2015) format, Ecclestone and Todt, who have ruled out a return to the old format, are understood to favour a hybrid version thought to be based on the current Q1 and Q2, whilst for Q3 drivers would be handed an extra set of tyres. Ignoring the failings of Q1 and Q2 many believe this would still not rectify the issues of drivers not running in Q3 either.
Ahead of Thursday's meeting, the FIA has offered the teams an entirely new format to consider, though details will be kept under wraps until they have been discussed.
"There is a new proposal and by Thursday we should have a final outcome," Todt told reporters. "You need to be a little patient and look forward to a good race today, and by Thursday you will have all the information. I hope the fans will be happy with it. I think I've said enough."
Claims that it will involve the drivers standing in a circle singing "one potato, two potato, three potato, four..." have not been denied, though Ecclestone is said to favour "ip, dip, sky blue...."
"No decision has been made, we haven't reached any conclusions on how we want to continue yet," admitted a frustrated Toto Wolff.
"There is an unwillingness from the promoter and FIA to go back to 2015, though the teams would go back," added Christian Horner. "A compromise has been put on the table now for the teams to consider.
"Let's have a look at what's been out on the table today," he added. "The bottom line is if we don't agree to a compromise, then we're stuck with what we've got and everybody agrees that what we've got isn't right."
Asked to confirm that a return to the 2015 format had been ruled out, Wolff said: "It's not on the table."
Check out our Sunday gallery, here.