Update: FIA wants to ban engine qualilfying modes from Belgian GP
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- GPblog.com
It is possible that the engine qualifying mode will end in 2021. The FIA would like to see the same engine configuration during the races on Sunday as during the Saturdays. For Mercedes this would mean bad news, because they always know how to find several tenths during qualifying.
According to Motorsport.com, the international motorsport federation has sent a letter to all teams to see how they feel about this. The FIA would like to see the engine stands also fall under the parc fermé rules as from next season.
This means that as soon as qualifying starts, nothing may be changed in the settings by the F1 teams. As a result, drivers will be forced to finish the race with the same configuration as they qualified with. A qualifying mode would disappear in this way.
FIA wants to tackle dominance Mercedes
The intention of the FIA is to reduce the dominance of Mercedes and thus level the playing field. During the last two Grands Prix at Silverstone, the German world champion was one second faster than the competition in qualifying each time.
Update 14:15
The FIA does not seem to want to introduce the new rules until 2021, but already wants to do so from Belgium. The teams have received a letter from the FIA informing motorsport.com of this. According to the FIA all drivers have to drive their car 'alone and without help'.
The letter says that "the changes to ICE modes that are currently in force could potentially mean that the driver does not drive the car alone and unaided."
The letter makes it clear that "in order to address the above concerns in the future, we will be requiring that during the qualifying session and the race, the PU should operate in a single mode." It is then confirmed that this rule will apply from the Belgian Grand Prix.