F1 to consider qualifying change

Formula One bosses will meet to discuss a new qualifying system on Monday. F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone wants to replace one-lap qualifying with three seperate Saturday sessions, but some of the teams do not back the proposal.

The teams, FIA president Max Mosley, Bernie Ecclestone and sponsors and promoters will be attend a meeting in London. It starts a busy week for F1 - The 2006 race calendar is due race calendar is due out on Wednesday and Mosley is set to be re-elected as FIA president on Friday.

Bernie Ecclestone is proposing that the first two 15-minutes qualifying sessions should become a knockout, with the slowest five cars in each dropping out and taking positions 16-20 and 11-15 on the starting grid.
The remaining 10 drivers would then fight for pole position over 20 minutes, with each obliged to start the following race with only the fuel left in their tank.
By contrast, the bottom 10 qualifiers would be allowed to refuel. But there are fears the suggestion for a new qualifying system will further confuse a format that has been changed many times in the past.

Ron Dennis, McLaren boss "If you make it a format that reinstates the concept of having the fastest car at the front and the slowest at the back, you will have less exciting races. There's nothing more certain. I think you should leave it alone through until 2008 and then we need a lot of change, not tinkering change."

Restrictions on the use of tyres and spare cars are also up for discussion.