The FIA have confirmed some huge changes to the sprint race format for the 2022 F1 season.
The sport’s governing body met in London on February 14 to discuss changes to the format which has been in place for one season.
Sprint races took place at three different Grands Prix in 2021. The British GP, Italian GP and Brazil GP all hosted F1’s newest format, which was run over 100km.
Unlike a traditional weekend, qualifying took place on a Friday, rather than a Saturday, for the three Grands Prix in question. The results of qualifying made up the grid for the F1 sprint race.
From there, the finishing positions in the sprint race made the grid proper for the traditional Sunday race. Points were awarded in a 3-2-1 format for the top three finishers of the F1 sprint race.
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The concept behind the sprint race was to make race weekends more entertaining. Speaking upon the announcement of the new concept, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Seeing the drivers battling it out over three days will be an amazing experience, and I am sure the drivers will relish the fight.”
How is the F1 sprint race different for 2022?
After their London meeting, the FIA released a statement on how sprint races will look different for 2022.
They said on their official website: “The Commission unanimously approved the three Sprint events for the coming season, incorporating a number of updates to the format based on the feedback of fans, media and teams.”
The three races will occur at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Austrian Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix. Brazil will host an F1 sprint race for the second consecutive year.
The significant change, however, is to the points system. Eight drivers will now receive points instead of only the top three finishers being rewarded for their efforts. Drivers will also be awarded more points than before for higher finishes.
In addition, the driver that qualifies on pole position via the sprint qualifying format will receive pole position for the subsequent Grand Prix.
The new system is as follows:
- 1st place – 8 points
- 2nd place – 7 points
- 3rd place – 6 points
- 4th place – 5 points
- 5th place – 4 points
- 6th place – 3 points
- 7th place – 2 points
- 8th place – 1 point
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