Will there be sprint races this year?
After testing three sprint qualifying races in 2021, F1 proposed a doubling to six for the coming season. However, after a meeting on February 14, it was confirmed that only three sprint races would take place in 2022, subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council.
Fortunately and wisely, the FIA has also changed the official name of the event to ‘sprint’ instead of ‘sprint qualifying’. They will be present at the next rounds.
round 4, Imola
Round 11, Austria
Round 22, Brazil
This year, however, there will be more points on offer. Last year it was a 3-2-1 formation for first, second and third place, but this year points are awarded up to eighth, gradually decreasing from eight points for first place.
The sprint races will be approximately 100km long – or about a third of a Grand Prix distance – and will be run on Saturday, with traditional three-part qualifying setting the starting grid for the sprint and taking place on Friday.
Another minor change is that the driver who surpasses qualifying on Friday when these sprint races take place will get pole position, not the winner of the sprint.
What are the driver lineups?
Unlike in previous years, there have been very few driver changes this season, with seven out of 10 teams keeping the same lineup, two teams making one change (Williams and Mercedes) and one team having a completely new lineup (Alfa Romeo). .
The only rookie is Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou, who will become the first driver from China to race in F1. Alexander Albon returns for Williams after two seasons with Toro Rosso and Red Bull in 2019 and 2020.