It has been known for some time that in Formula 1, during the 2022 season, 6 Sprint Qualifying will be disputed, or double compared to those carried out during the current season.
During a meeting on Saturday between the team principals and F1 leaders in Jeddah, an initial proposal was made on the 6 events that will have to host the Sprint Qualifying over the course of the next season.
The proposed ideas are not yet ratified. These are only hypotheses, but several key details have nevertheless been outlined. In particular, F1 has revealed its preferences regarding the six Grands Prix in which it will want to compete in the Sprint Qualifying.
The proposed races are:
Bahrain Grand Prix – Sakhir
Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna – Imola
Canadian Grand Prix – Montreal
Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring
Dutch Grand Prix – Zandvoort
Brazilian Grand Prix – Interlagos
Now it’s a question of money
The proposals have therefore been made, but now the key factor becomes the financial aspect. This year the teams received extra income as accident compensation in the event that they sustained costly damage in accidents during Saturday’s Sprint Qualifying.
Sources suggest that F1 would prefer bonuses to be replaced by fixed rates starting next season. Teams hitting budget caps would prefer the extra fees to be added to what they can spend over the course of the season, while other teams would prefer the budget cap to stay put and instead all teams just get the extra cash.
The first proposal made is approximately $ 500,000 for Sprint Qualifying up to a maximum of 5 events. What is certain is that the teams have no intention of losing money: “We cannot accept losing money to take part in sprint races,” a team source said.
Poles and points change
While discussions will focus on the financial aspect, the teams have been told that if the problem is resolved, F1 will want to make other changes to the Sprint Qualifying format.
The three ideas that have arisen concern the allocation of points for the first 10, and no longer the first 3 as happened this year.
In addition, F1 is looking forward to the FIA changing the rules regarding the allocation of pole position. This year it was the Sprint Qualifying that set the starting grid for Sunday’s grand prix, but F1 wants to bring qualifying back to the center of the weekend in terms of importance.
The further will of F1 would be to make the Sprint Qualifying events independent, so as not to affect the starting grid of the race as it did this year.
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