Changes coming as FIA releases statement on 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, Sprint Qualifying, etc.

The F1 Commission held its first meeting for 2022 on Monday, February 14. During the said gathering in London, the FIA with its newly elected President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, discussed important matters as they look forward to a record-breaking 23-event F1 season in 2022.

In a press statement, the FIA said that its officials have had a detailed discussion about the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The season finale, which took place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, saw a controversial safety car restart that eventually led to Max Verstappen winning the final lap against seven-time world champion and title rival Sir Lewis Hamilton. Both Verstappen and Hamilton were tied at 369.5 points for the F1 World Drivers’ Championship and the contentious race gave the Dutch racer his maiden championship victory.

Mercedes appealed with a post-race protest but was eventually dismissed.

According to the FIA, feedback from the Commission on matters raised will be incorporated into the FIA President’s analysis, in which he will publicly present news of structural changes and action plan, in the coming days.

Following the successful Sprint Qualifying introduced last year, the FIA confirmed that the Commission unanimously approved three Sprint events for the coming season. The said Sprint Qualifying events will be held in the Emilia Romagna, Austrian, and Brazilian GPs.

The Sprint Qualifying rounds involved a 100km dash that lasted around 25 to 30 minutes. The result of the Sprint Qualifying heat determined the grid for that weekend’s main event: the Sunday Grand Prix.

Originally, only the top three drivers of the Sprint Qualifying rounds were allowed to earn points. However, the FIA said that it has made some changes to the qualifying event, and now instead awards points to the top eight drivers.

It has also been decided that the driver who sets the fastest time in the Sprint Qualifying event will earn pole position.

The FIA added that the official name for Sprint Qualifying will be changed to Sprint.

Furthermore, the FIA also said that the Commission has approved proposed updates to the Sporting Regulations after the weather-affected 2021 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The 12th round of the 2021 F1 season, which took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, now holds the record for being the shortest Formula One World Championship race to date. The race was cut short due to very wet conditions and saw only two laps.

The FIA said going forward, no points are to be awarded during short races unless a minimum of two laps have been completed by the leader without a Safety Car and/or Virtual Safety Car intervention. If the leader has completed more than two laps but less than 25 percent of the scheduled race distance, only the top five finishers will be awarded points.

If the leader has completed 25 percent but less than 50 percent of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded to the top nine drivers. If the leader has completed 50 percent but less than 75 percent of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded to the top 10 drivers.

Photos from FIA and Formula 1

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