Formula One needs to change its new qualifying format after it fell flat at yesterday’s Australian season-opener and tweaks can be made before the next race in Bahrain, according to commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The new format, based on racers being progressively eliminated during the sessions rather than at the end of each, was intended to infuse excitement but instead took away any suspense with no cars on track in the final minutes.

Asked whether the format should and could be changed before the second round of the championship in Bahrain on April 3, Ecclestone replied “Yes”.

“This idea was the (governing) FIA’s,” he added.

“If we can get them to agree to change and we agree to change, we can change it. Or if we get all the teams to agree with us, we can change it.”

The new qualifying format was agreed unanimously by the 11 teams and approved by the International Automobile Federation but Ecclestone stressed it was not what he had proposed or wanted.

“My idea was to leave the old qualifying alone and whoever won the previous race, or finished second or third down to 10th, would have time added to their qualifying time,” he said.

“You just add the times on. Qualifying would stay as it was, which is what I’d like and it would have changed the grid completely so at least for two thirds of the race you’d get a lot of racing.”