Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has called the new qualifying format "rubbish" and says it needs an immediate rethink after a farcical first run at the Australian Grand Prix.
The controversial format was adopted for the new season midway through winter testing, changing Saturday afternoons to a live elimination system. After a flurry of activity at the start of the three sessions the format meant many drivers were either unable to complete a lap to avoid elimination when the countdown timer started or were already in the garage when in the drop zone.
Q3 was perhaps the most farcical, with the grid order already set before fourth place had been eliminated and over three minutes of no running, leading to a barrage of complaints on social media. Despite seeing Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg lock out the front row Wolff thinks the new format needs to be looked at immediately.
"I'm the first one to say we shouldn't be speaking badly on TV about some of the things but I think the new qualifying format is pretty rubbish," Wolff told Sky Sports.
The justification for the new format was to mix up the grid but there were few surprises in the session, with Mercedes and Ferrari locking out the first and second rows.
Asked if it can be changed for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Wolff replied: "I think we need to discuss that. Everybody is trying to do their best to improve the show and sometimes when we find out we haven't improved the show, we have made it worse, we need to sit down and say 'what can be done, can we come back'. I think that discussion is going to take place."
Speaking about the decision to vote in favour of a new format despite the old qualifying system being popular with F1 fans, Wolff said: "We all sat in the room and what we want is to listen to everyone who sells tickets and promoters. If the Saturday is something that needs to be improved then we need to look at it, that's what we did. The solution is not good, that's my personal opinion, and that's why we have to have a look at it again."
When asked finally if fans had been complaining about qualifying, Wolff said: "No, but the guys selling the tickets said that and you need to listen to them."