After a get-together of team principals, Bernie Ecclestone, Pirelli and FIA president Jean Todt, in the Sakhir paddoc on Sunday morning, the discussions failed to reach resolution on what to do.

The parties have agreed to talk again on Thursday to try to find a solution, which will allow them more time to evaluate a host of proposals that have been discussed.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone declined to talk about the situation when he left the meeting, but Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff made it clear that the situation was far from being resolved.

"We haven't reach a conclusion on how we want to continue yet," he explained. "We have agreed to discuss matters internally and then talk again next week."

Options

Although teams had favoured going back to the 2015 format, it is understood that FIA president Jean Todt and Ecclestone are more in favour of a different solution for China.

When asked what options were on the table, Wolff had said: "We discussed the various qualifying formats and what the FIA and the Commercial Rights Holders would want to propose.

"It's various new formats or staying with the current format."

F1 will need unanimous support from teams, the FIA, Ecclestone and other parties if the rules are to change - something that is not easy to achieve.