Formula 1 is hoping a new regulation will finally see their push for reverse grid qualifying races be successful for 2021.
Twice already F1 bosses have tried to introduce what is understood to be a 30-minute race with drivers starting in reverse championship order as an alternative way of deciding the grid for the Grand Prix itself the next day.
On both occasions, the inability to gain unanimous support from teams has seen those attempts fail, but from next year, that unanimity will not be required, meaning if nine teams are in favour, as was the case in the last reverse grid vote, the rule will be approved.
And as F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn revealed via the official F1 website: “Reverse grid races are still on the table for next year.”
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That will no doubt upset Mercedes, who were the only team against the motion in the last vote, and also the drivers, who have been vocal in their opposition.
“Maybe that would make you play some games in the qualifying race,” Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas commented during an F1 Instagram Live interview.
“I just like fair racing and may the best man win. As we are now, I’m pretty comfortable with the current format.”
Another idea that was proposed for this season was an old rule called ‘dropped points’ which sees the championship standings decided by a set number of results, for example, the best 15 finishes in an 18-race calendar.
The thinking was this could protect teams that potentially had to miss races due to coronavirus cases.
“We did talk at one stage of the feasibility of perhaps dropping one or two results in the current circumstances,” Brawn explained.
“The problem with that is the teams could ‘game it’. They could work out how they could take advantage of an opportunity and you might find they get to a race where they aren’t likely to score points because they are having problems, so they decide not to finish.
“That would look bad for Formula 1. There’s all sorts of gamesmanship that would go on if there was an opportunity to drop a couple of results, so we concluded, particularly as it will be a shortened calendar, it was better to leave all results in place.”