Kimi Raikkonen doesn’t believe Formula 1 will adopt the Sunday qualifying format that was used in Japan.
As Typhoon Hagibis took a swipe at the country on the Saturday, F1 postponed the full qualifying session to Sunday for just the fifth time ever, three of which have now come at Suzuka.
After the first instance back in 2004, however, the sport thought it worked so well that, for 2005, they introduced a two-part, one-shot qualifying with that second part on Sunday, albeit it would only last for six races.
And with Raikkonen the only remaining driver from that era, he was asked if the largely positive reaction to the different format could lead to another full-time change in the future.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “It worked OK, but the day gets, obviously, a bit more hectic but it’s the same for everybody.
“If it comes to that it’s still better than not running at all. As long as there are no issues with the car it’s OK, obviously, if there’s a big issue, there’s limited time to fix it.”
That last point was evident at Suzuka as Robert Kubica, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg all faced a race against time to be ready after crashes or mechanical issues in the morning.
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Although as for whether that risk means drivers are perhaps more conservative, Raikkonen said: “No, it makes no difference.”
It was also suggested the tighter schedule perhaps meant less time for media sessions, something Kimi notoriously doesn’t enjoy…
“Oh, there are always some, unfortunately, they always find a way,” he said ruefully.