www.gp2005.com are reporting that it is pretty much a one deal that F1 will be reverting to something like the old one-hour, 12-lap Saturday qualifying session. At last, the FIA are actually starting to listen to the teams and the fans and use some common sense. About bloody time!

Quote Originally Posted by www.gp2005.com
After several attempts to alter the qualifying format in such a way that it would produce more excitement, the FIA has finally realized that the one lap format is just not working.

Already changed once this year due to constant complaining form the British media that it was a drama covering the second and final qualifying session on the Sunday morning, GP2005.com can now reveal that the format that was put in place at the Nurburgring, one flying lap per driver in just one session on Saturday afternoon, will only last until the end of the current season when a new, hopefully much improved, formula will be put into action.

The FIA and team bosses have all agreed, oddly enough, to return to a one hour session, and while they are yet to full decide on the format to be used in that hour, they are all in agreement that it can’t continue the way it is. While still unofficial at this stage, the one hour session has the most votes so far, however it isn’t expected to return to the way it was in 2002. Instead it is expected that we will see a few tweaks to the old 12 lap format that should help satisfy all teams and their sponsors while providing a good spectacle for the fans.

Each driver will carry out three or four sets of fast laps, on an empty fuel tank like they used to, but with one proviso, every driver MUST take to the track in the fist thirty minutes, and not leave it until the dying minutes to record their best times of the session.

While this was cause for heart stopping breathtaking moments, the rest of the session used to be quite dull and the smaller teams, such as Minardi and Jordan, failed to get any TV time, hence the one lap session currently in place.

The new format still needs to be finetuned, but one thing is clear, it is coming and once again fans will get to see their drivers put in passionate storming laps like they used to.