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Qualifying lottery gets a revamp for season four

Formula E’s controversial qualifying lottery will be scrapped for the 2017-18 season.

Drivers were told at Valencia during preseason testing the qualifying draw – which determines which group a driver will qualify in – would remain for season four. The random nature of the system drew criticism from drivers, as running in an early qualifying group could put them at a disadvantage.

However, the FIA performed a U-turn and told teams on Thursday in Hong Kong that qualifying groups would be decided by championship order instead.

Drivers will still be split into four groups, labelled A, B, C, and D. The top five in the championship will be in Group A, those classified sixth to 10th in Group B, 11th to 15th in Group C, and 16th to 20th in Group D.

It means those fighting one another in the championship will qualify in the same conditions.

One element of the system will still be down to chance. Instead of the groups going out in alphabetical order, the running order will be decided by a lottery.

The system will come into place for the second round of the championship, with the groups being decided by lottery for the first race.

Bethonie Waring

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