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The more I think about it the more I'm not sure. They are just ebbing away at the purity of the event bit by bit.
I wonder if they've been a bit short-sighted in the sense that for the last two seasons qualifying was a fairly pointless exercise, certainly in P1. It was which Toyota and by how much. This year's qualy definitely felt like a low point.
I can't help but think this is a bit of a headline grab and an attempt at shiny new PR in a 'down' year for Le Mans. The Fillon quotes back that up. If it's viewed as an experiment then okay. But you'd have to assume it will probably be retained when Hypercar arrives and pole gradually starts to matter again. Albeit the physical lap times themselves will be nothing special.
As for James' point about the suspense throughout the six hours and waiting to see - I took a look at which session pole was set in for the last 10 years. And it was a decent spread. So it's a very valid point.
PQ 1 - 4
PQ 2 - 2
PQ 3 - 4
This new structure just feels a bit messy. You go from qualifying, then back to a free practice mentality. Then you're qualifying again. Then the last session is just an excuse to beat the traffic back to the chateau. I wouldn't even bother televising those race engines being fitted. Also, when was the last time Le Mans evening sessions actually ran to the intended timings?
I hope someone does go quicker in a free practice session just to make a mockery of it. But I will admit that the current format is a sh*t TV product. Not sure how anyone could argue otherwise really. But the current fans and purists love it. It's a bit of a journey just like the race.
Finally, there's something a bit soulless about setting the grid up entirely in classes too. Might spare the blushes of a few teams, but stops others taking scalps.
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