Formula E’s original qualifying format was criticised for putting certain drivers at a disadvantage. Was that criticism fair, and will the new ‘duels’ format which will be used for the first time next week prove a change for the better?
What was wrong with the old format?
Since it started in 2014, Formula E used a format which split drivers between four different groups, during which each had a short window of opportunity to set a single timed lap. The fastest drivers from the groups would then go through to an additional round of one-by-one laps to decide the order of the top six cars (originally five).
To begin with the groups were decided by a somewhat laborious qualifying ‘lottery’, which didn’t help to offset the somewhat village-fete-esque vibes of those early Formula E events.
Even in those opening seasons, drivers sometimes considered themselves particularly disadvantaged by the system. The high track evolution on Formula E’s low-grip street tracks sometimes meant…