It think it is quite fair to recap who was right and who was wrong a few weeks ago:
hollus wrote:The more I think about the consequences of the new Q format, the more I like it. It will be stewarding hell, but a good improvement to "the show". Yes, it is a show (and a sport).
The old Q format was becoming too predictable but for two flurries of action when everyone tried to improve a the same time in the last minute of Q2 and Q3, and then everything happened too fast to follow. Now things will happen one at a time and it will be easy to know where to focus as an spectator. One could make awesome graphics showing, for example, the current sector times of the last 3 cars plus the sectors of their best laps so far. A 4-way split screen allows to follow precisely those cars.
A bit of chaos will be thrown in the mix, but the order will still be decided by who is fastest on track when it matters, and people will learn to love the accasional last minute save or last minute fumble, including the need to come back through the field come race day...
Here comes a bold prediction: this will be called the best format ever way before year's end.
But while I get my foot out of my mouth, I think the system was maligned more on concept and perceptions than on real life effects. Yesterday in Sochi we did have cars on track for the final minutes. But instead Raikonnen had the track for himself for the first 2 minutes, the first significant time was set more than 4 minutes into the session and we were delighted with superslow motion replays and shots of mechanics in their pit boxes between 6 and 4 minutes to the end. And then came all the "excitement" of the final minutes.
This is Q3 from Sochi in 3 screenshots. Completely different to the elimination system /sarcasm off/.
P.S. That said, there is nothing wrong with the current system, IMO, one of the best we've had.
In most cases, the majority is below the average.