Imola, Austria & Brazil Set to Host Sprint Races in 2022 as F1 Tweaks Point-Scoring System

Back in 2021, Formula One attempted a trial run with Sprint Races amidst mixed opinions from the entire racing community. Many backed the sport’s heritage and hence, deemed the addition of sprint races unnecessary. Meanwhile, another group of fans considered this a huge breakthrough for F1, especially with the owners, Liberty Media, seeking higher viewership.

Hence, the 2021 British Grand Prix trial started off the proceedings by hosting the sport’s first-ever sprint race. And one might reckon the 30-minute race was rather stale. Apart from the initial couple of caps, the rest of the race looked quite predictable, with most of the cars stuck behind the others causing a hopeless train.

A similar story followed in Monza and later in Brazil. But, of course, this time around, there was some action to look forward to. And neither of the circuits failed to disappoint. Hence, sprint races have been a success! Well, following the trial run in 2021, it is time to experience the first proper set of sprint races in 2022.

And it certainly is going to be far more exciting, thanks to the regulation changes that will help the drivers bolster the on-track racing.

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Sprint Race receives green light for 2022 F1 season

Much like 2021, the upcoming season will also have three circuits hosting a sprint race, with two of them set to make their debut; Austria and Imola. Brazil will host a sprint race for the second straight season. The regulations, too, have received a few tweaks.

First, the confusion around pole position; Last year, F1 affirmed that the driver winning the sprint race would gain the pole position award. And it hardly made any sense. So, going into 2022, the driver topping Friday’s qualifying session will instead be awarded as the pole-sitter of the weekend.

The other regulation change is around the point-system of the sprint race. In 2021, the drivers finishing in the top 3 were the only ones capable of scoring points out of the sprint race. But, that’s no longer the case.

Instead, the top 8 will gain points; The driver securing P1 will receive 8 points and for each following position, the point reduces and ultimately ends with 1 point for the driver securing P8. So, with such big changes to the sprint race regulations, are we set to witness exhilarating weekends in Imola, Austria, and Brazil this year?

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