The third and final stage of Formula One qualifying sessions has been cut from 20 to 15 minutes with immediate effect, the governing body FIA announced on Thursday.
The rule will first be applied on Saturday at the French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours.
The decision to shorten the final session came after at least half of the 20 minutes were used by the 10 remaining cars to burn fuel and not to post a fast time. The first and second sessions are also 15 minutes.
FIA also said that the qualifying session will keep its one-hour format, meaning longer breaks between the sessions.
In another rule-change to be applied immediately, drivers are no longer able to serve drive-through (the pit lane with its speed limit) penalties when the safety car is on the track.
FIA also decided to scrap the three-car rule for weaker teams in Friday practise from 2007 onwards. All teams apart from the top four in the previous constructors standings were allowed to use three instead of two cars in Friday's two practise sessions.
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