Webber fears F1 qualifying clutter

FORMULA ONE embarks on its sixth different qualifying format in five years tomorrow, with Williams driver Mark Webber predicting a “wild goose chase”.

The sport has chased its holy grail of an unpredictable and exciting qualifying hour since 2003, when one-lap shootouts were introduced.

That format, where each driver had the track to himself for one lap to set a qualifying time, was tinkered with three times before finally being dumped.

Now, after fans voted for their favoured system, a knock-out format will be tried for the first time to determine the grid for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Two 15-minute sessions will reduce the field to 10 by removing the six slowest cars in each before a pole position shootout for the remaining drivers.

And Webber expects plenty of action now drivers are once more qualifying with their rivals on track at the same time.

He said: “It’s a bit of a wild goose chase now. The rules are straightforward enough but there are going to be lots of excuses as to why it didn’t happen for some guys.

“The main thing is the race but we are trying very hard to make qualifying spectacular, potentially trying to jostle it up a little bit.

“I think it’s a very high-maintenance hour to do what we are going to do. I think there will be more chance of someone accidentally screwing someone else up.”

Despite the changes, Webber feels qualifying is still not the pure test of speed it was in the past.

For many years drivers were allowed to complete four laps in the one-hour session, with a bare minimum of fuel. Now the final shootout takes place with race fuel on board, slowing the cars.

Former world champion Michael Schumacher admits fans face the confusing spectacle of faster laps in the preliminary two sessions, run on low fuel, than the final deciding 20-minute affair.

However, the Ferrari driver is hoping for some long-awaited stability in Formula One’s qualifying rules.

“We will run empty fuel at the beginning of qualifying so the lap times might be quicker then,” he said. “Any qualifying will be complex but hopefully this one stays for a long time.”