Bernie Ecclestone is seeking an urgent overhaul of Formula 1’s qualifying system, according to a report in this week’s Autosport magazine.
The sport’s impresario is apparently ready to present a proposal for a streamlined format to team owners at this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix.
He is understood to want the existing aggregate system, which is widely regarded as too complicated and a turn-off for armchair fans, to be scrapped in favour of a single session on Saturday – possibly as soon as mid-season.
The current format has come in for particular criticism from broadcasters, since Saturday's session has lost some of its significance and they have found it hard to justify devoting the extra air time to F1 on Sunday mornings.
As a result, many TV companies have not broadcast final qualifying and those that have done so have seen their ratings dwindle.
Frank Williams admitted at the start of the season that the situation was far from ideal, but suggested that the teams did not have the willpower to come up with a revised system, which requires their unanimous agreement.
However, the process is likely to be given a renewed impetus if Ecclestone throws his weight behind a change.
Lets hope it's before mid season