Formula One teams have united in rejecting another new qualifying format and have instead reissued their call for last year's system to be reinstated.
FIA president Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone proposed a vote on a new aggregate qualifying system on Thursday, but teams responded by writing a collective letter arguing firmly for a return to 2015's format. Unanimous agreement is needed to change the qualifying format and unless either the teams or Todt and Ecclestone back down, the unpopular live-elimination format used at the first two rounds will continue at the next race in China.
The teams were united in wanting to revert to the 2015 system following the Australian Grand Prix, but when it came to vote ahead of Bahrain the option of last year's format was not offered by the FIA. Instead the governing body proposed a hybrid system with Q1 and Q2 under the live-elimination system and Q3 under the 2015 rules. Williams, Red Bull and McLaren voted against the hybrid offering, leading to further meetings on Sunday in Bahrain.
The Bahrain meeting lasted 90 minutes only to agree that the aggregate idea, which had not been tabled before, would be analysed ahead of Thursday's vote. However, the teams' letter suggests the analysis of the aggregate system offered little hope of an improvement, although they are willing to try new ideas at the end season once the title had been decided.
The initial change to the qualifying system this year was spurned by circuit promoters arguing that the 2015 system did not offer enough track action. The teams, FIA and Ecclestone unanimously voted for the live-elimination system, but soon after the drivers and team strategists started to pick holes in it. By that time the process was too far gone and rather than scrap the system, the FIA World Motor Sport Council rubberstamped it ahead of the first round in Australia.
More than anything, the qualifying debacle has shone a light on the failings of F1's decision-making process.