Reverse points order a proposal for potential 2020 F1 qualifying races

Lining up the Formula 1 drivers in reverse points order for the proposed qualifying races is one idea currently under consideration for 2020.

Formula 1 has been evaluating whether to make changes to the weekend format going forward and one initiative currently being assessed is the concept of qualifying races for 2020.

These would only take place at three grands prix in 2020 – as an experiment for 2021 – with the 10 Formula 1 teams having given their approval to the FIA and Formula 1 to keep investigating the concept.

All teams will nonetheless need to give a final thumbs-up to whatever finalised proposal is ultimately made by the FIA and Formula 1 if a new format is to be introduced as early as next season.

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“There’s more work that’s going to be done, seeing if we can have a qualifying race at three races,” confirmed Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer in Singapore.

“We have to answer a lot of questions about what happens in parc ferme, what happens if you crash in the qualifying race, we then have to carry more spares, who’s going to pay for it, engine mileage might be a little different. Tyre usage.

“But we decided to go forward with that, to investigate it, because for this to happen next year we need unanimous agreement. So the FIA asked and said ‘we don’t want to waste all our time asking these questions if one of you is going to say ‘forget it’', which kind of makes sense.

“So we all said go ahead and answer the questions. So it could happen. But we do need unanimity for that to happen in 2020. And it’s hard to get unanimity in Formula 1.”

Szafnauer added that “one of the things it to make sure the race is as long as the miles you’d use up in qualifying”, in order for fair engine and tyre usage, and that “the proposal was to start in reverse championship order.”

Front-running teams typically complete around 18-20 laps during the course of the qualifying hour.

The three locations under consideration have yet to be revealed but Szafnauer expressed doubts over whether a full reverse grid would lead to the desired outcome.

“I think if you go in reverse championship order the guy in front of you is only marginally slower than you,” he said.

“So you put the fastest guy at the back but the guys around him aren’t the slow guys any more, like sometimes happens if you have a penalty or screw up qualifying and start at the end and it’s fun watching him go through the field.

“This isn’t going to be like that. The guy leading the championship is at the back, then the guy probably in a car just like him is right in front of him, and so on up the field.

“So I don’t know how that’s going to pan out after, I don’t know, 25 laps. It’ll be different.”