The slightly different qualifications in 2013 following the withdrawal of HRT
Following the withdrawal of the HRT team, there will only be 22 cars on the starting grid for the 2013 Formula 1 Grand Prix, which will slightly alter the qualification process.
Next year, Formula 1 will only have 11 teams, following the withdrawal of the Spanish team HRT. There will therefore only be 22 cars at the start of the Grand Prix, which implies some changes in qualification routines.
As a reminder, the positions on the grid are determined by the standings during the qualifying session. In 2012, 7 drivers were eliminated in Q1 and Q2 to retain only 10 for the final part, Q3. With two fewer cars, the number of eliminations cannot remain the same next season.
Article 33.1 of the FIA sporting regulations for the 2013 season regarding the qualifying session specifies that 8 cars will be eliminated in Q1 and Q2 – in the case of a grid with 26 cars, the maximum possible number of Formula 1 cars at the start of a race. The same article specifies that in the case of a grid with 24 cars – as in 2012, 7 cars will be eliminated in Q1 and Q2, and in the case of a grid made up of 22 cars – as will be the case in 2013, 6 cars will be eliminated in Q1 and Q2, in order to retain 10 drivers for Q3.
If in 2012, among the 7 drivers eliminated in Q1, we often found the 6 drivers from the “small” teams and one “unlucky” one from the “established” teams, things should be different in 2013. Indeed, with 6 eliminated but only 4 drivers within the “small” teams, there will be two drivers eliminated in Q1, promising an exciting battle between the drivers from the mid-field teams.
