Qualifying is about to be shaken up at some races in 2020 after teams agreed to their introduction at a Strategy Group meeting on Thursday.
Earlier this month it was revealed that at circuits where overtaking is tricky but not impossible, a short 100km race was proposed to decide the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix with the drivers starting in reverse championship order.
Only three or four events are expected to take on the new format, but Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto reveals it got unanimous support.
“All the teams said yes. Including us. Therefore in 2020, it will be done,” he told Italy’s La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
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Other changes for 2021 were also brought up for vote but did not get the go-ahead from teams.
An important one was the idea of bringing back refuelling, something that drivers had mentioned as a possible way of reducing the ever-increasing weight of today’s F1 cars.
Another was the possibility of making two-stop races mandatory, in an effort to reduce the tyre-saving done in races but that was also not passed.
Ferrari’s take on Liberty’s vision for the future of F1 has always been closely watched as changes to the financial structure and more standard parts go against many of their long-held priorities.
And Binotto was keen to stress their wish to see the series not stray far from its roots.
“Two concepts must be clear,” he said. “F1 must remain a platform where technological competition exists.
“This is the only reason why Ferrari invests in it. We don’t like any attempt to make the cars all the same.
“It must also remain a discipline in which the best wins because trying to mix the cards is wrong. Ours is not a show, it is a sport.
“The regulation that we will vote in October will be the starting point for continuing to discuss and improve.”