Vettel against Q4 qualifying proposal

Sebastian Vettel has suggested less is more when it comes to qualifying in Formula 1 and does not want to see more sessions added.

After a farcical Q2 at the Russian Grand Prix, where there was effectively no battle for the top 10 shoot-out, Formula 1 chiefs revealed that a proposal is on the table to add an extra qualifying session with four cars, instead of five, being eliminated from Q1, Q2 and Q3.

Ross Brawn has said that this idea would not be implemented for the 2019 season, but it acts as a further indication that the current qualifying format is vulnerable to being repackaged in the future.

However, in the FIA Drivers’ Press Conference in Japan, Vettel does not approve of the Q4 idea at all.

“I’m just wondering what we will discuss in 10 years’ time, whether we will talk about Q9 and Q10?” Vettel said.

“Probably not but maybe we should go less. Without going too deep, my personal opinion is nowadays we need too much entertainment to be happy.

“I think it would be nice to settle for something less as well.

“My personal preferred qualifying was back in the day where they had one hour and you can do what you want.

“Obviously qualifying for some people will never be as exciting as the race, but for other people it’s more exciting than the race, so it depends on your taste.

“I think it’s about getting the perfect lap and I don’t think it matters how many qualifying sessions you have.

“Now we have three and the one that most people look out for is the last one. So if you have Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7… that’s not going to change.”

Follow us on Twitter @Planet_F1 and like our Facebook page.