Three Formula 1 race weekends to again include a non-traditional Saturday qualifying race that will set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Formula 1’s Sprint race qualifying format is back for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy. The Saturday 30-minute race will determine the starting order for the April 24 main event.
The format has changed somewhat, and Autoweek briefly runs through what’s the same, and what’s changed, since its debut in 2021.
What’s Not Changed
The Sprint Structure
The basic structure of an F1 Sprint weekend is the same as in 2021.
• One practice session will take place on Friday ahead of qualifying (7:25 a.m. ET, ESPN2). As per 2021, the usual three-stage qualifying hour sets the grid formation for Sprint.
• A second practice session is scheduled for Saturday (6:25 a.m. ET, ESPN2) prior to lights out for Sprint race itself (10:25 a.m. ET, ESPN).
• Sprint is once again 100 km (approx. 62 miles)—a third distance of a traditional Grand Prix—which at Imola means it will last 21 laps, or approximately 30 minutes.
• As per 2021, drivers will be allowed to use any of the three tire compounds for Sprint and they do not need to make a pit stop.
Setting the Grid for the Grand Prix
There had been suggestions after 2021 that for 2022 Sprint could be taken as a standalone race within the Grand Prix weekend itself. But this has not happened.
• As per last year, the finishing order after the 21-lap Sprint will be how the drivers line up on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
• Any engine-related penalties—highly unlikely at this stage of the season, but still possible—will be applied to the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, not Saturday’s Sprint qualifying race.
• Any driver who retires from Sprint will line up at the back of Sunday’s grid, or in order of retirement in the case of multiple failures.
Three Sprints in ’22
Formula 1 had hoped to expand Sprint’s presence for 2022 with more weekends to include the Sprint format after declaring it a success in 2021. Fans and pundits were a little less enthusiastic, but Formula 1’s owners praised their own idea—and the supposed financial benefits it brought.
As 2021 rolled into 2022, an agreement to expand Sprint to more than three weekends had not yet been reached. Changes within the same calendar year required a super majority approval of Formula 1, the FIA and at least eight of the 10 teams.
Some bigger teams wanted a raise to the budget cap limit in order to compensate for the risk of extra damage incurred during Sprint, but other teams felt they were pushing the financial boundaries for their own gain and Sprint was just a pawn in this exercise.
Ultimately, plans for Sprint to be run at six Grands Prix collapsed and an agreement to hold three was finalized.
Drivers will battle for more championship points on the three Sprint qualifying weekends in 2022.
TPNGetty Images
What’s Changed for ’22
Who Is Awarded Pole Position
When Sprint was introduced in 2021, the driver who topped qualifying was handed the awkwardly named Pirelli Speed King award—which sounds like something out of a non-licensed low-rent computer game—while the driver who won the Sprint race officially took pole position.
The reaction to such an approach was lukewarm at best and even leading drivers were a bit miffed at the situation.
For 2022, pole position will be officially awarded to the driver who tops qualifying on Friday, while the leader after Sprint will simply start Sunday’s Grand Prix from first place.
Points System
Last year, Sprint only offered points to the leading three drivers in a modest 3-2-1 points order. Formula 1 chiefs, however, wanted to offer more incentives to drivers and to encourage more real racing in the Sprint by providing more points for Sprint.
For Sprint in 2022, the top eight finishers will receive points, with eight for the victor, and one for the driver in eighth (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points system).
“I think it’s interesting, as last year sometimes it was a little less exciting as people were more conservative because there wasn’t as much at stake,” said Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. “Now that there are points, I think we’ll see more tough racing, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Where We’ll See Sprint
For Sprint in 2022, two of the three locations where it is being held have changed.
This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola and July’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring will both host Sprint for the first time. The Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, the penultimate round of the year, will again host the third and final Sprint in November.
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone and Italian Grand Prix at Monza will revert to a normal weekend for 2022 after both running Sprint in 2021.
Keyword: F1 Sprint Qualifying Format Features Several Changes for 2022