Qualifying tweaks confirmed

Formula One have tweaked the qualifying rules ahead of the new 2014 Formula One World Championship.

In a move that is likely to be popular with fans the slight tweaks should ensure that there is more running during qualifying, including all ten cars making a bid for pole position during Q3.

The changes are yet to be ratified by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, but that is likely to be a formality after F1’s Strategy Group approved the alterations when it met in Bahrain.

‘It’s constructive to have a little review of qualifying. Some people say, ‘no we cannot go out in Q3 because we don’t have enough tyres,’ We are not talking about getting involved in a revolution. By doing a little refinement, a little fine tuning, we can get at something [better].’ FIA president Jean Todt told Autosport Magazine.

The first change will see two minutes knocked off the available time during Q1.

This change should make teams go out a little bit quicker during the first stage of qualifying as there will be less time to set a good lap without traffic.

Those two minutes will be used to extend Q3 from ten to twelve minutes, which on some circuits might ensure two quick laps for each driver in a bid to take pole position.

Teams and drivers will also no longer feel the need to save tyres during Q3, to have the advantage of selecting their tyres for the race.

In previous years this would have seen a few drivers qualify for the Q3 pole position shoot-out and then fail to set a time.

However this season, drivers in the top ten will start the race on the tyres they used to progress through Q2, whilst Pirelli will also hand each driver a new set of tyres specifically for Q3 and a run at pole position.