James Deane Wants To See One Major Change To Formula DRIFT In 2026

James Deane delivered a mic drop moment during his speech at the Formula DRIFT end-of-year awards ceremony, which was met with huge applause.

Let’s face it, if there’s one driver who could potentially get FD to reconsider the seeding bracket concept, it’s the only person in the series’ history to have won five titles.

The mic drop moment

Following the first-ever series final held in Long Beach using an entirely new layout dubbed ‘Shoreline Showdown’, drivers and teams gathered for the end-of-year awards ceremony.

As the smartly dressed James Deane heads to the mic, he ends his speech with a simple yet powerful statement: “I’ll leave it here, and I think maybe a few might agree… Bring back qualifying!”

The champ speaks bring back qualifying
byu/EyeDefiant9797 inFormulaDrift

Based on the reaction from other drivers and teams in the room, it’s clear he’s not alone in wanting the traditional qualifying process to return.

The ‘old-school’ qualifying concept continues in other popular competitions like Drift Masters, another series where Deane also competes.

Fans have been requesting this for a while

Back in 2024, FD introduced the ‘seeding bracket’ concept to replace the solo run qualifying process that had existed throughout the series’ history.

While new ideas to shake up drifting are welcome, it quickly became apparent that the majority weren’t enjoying the seeding bracket format.

It doesn’t take long to find something to back this up in the thread, as Redditor u/mckeevertdi let his thoughts be known, stating, “I hope FD leadership listens. Seeding blows.”

Despite the criticism, the process has continued through 2025. Alongside this, the decision to drop the battle for third place has also been met with pushback.

How the Formula DRIFT seeding bracket works

Instead of single runs where drivers throw down their best laps to showcase their skills on the day, the seeding bracket considers their previous results. Most top drivers are locked in based on their last round ranking, with the remaining spots earned via seeding bracket battles to complete the Top 32.

The idea was introduced to keep event timing tighter, provide more entertainment, reward consistency, and guarantee lower-ranked drivers get battle opportunities even if they don’t qualify for the main event.

While both fans and drivers were initially willing to try the concept, most have since made it known that they prefer the traditional format.

Not everyone hates it, though, and some fans have also suggested compromises, with u/armoredstarfish mentioning “I don’t see why we can’t have both, I like seeding for the new guys, so maybe have seeding like it is now for the lower drivers so they get some good battle practice, and then qualifying for the rest of the field.”

Whatever happens in 2026, Deane’s mic drop moment confirms that many want to see some changes, and he chose the perfect opportunity to let his voice be heard.

Here’s a throwback to the man himself throwing down a perfect 100-point run back in the good ol’ days of FD qualifying: