The FIA shares about the latest F1 Commission meet regarding the 2022 calendar, sprint races and how to tackle Spa-like events.
As was noted during the Turkish GP, the latest meet of F1 Commission was to take place on Wednesday of this week in London – the third of the 2021 season. They were not just to talk about the 2022 changes, but also the future engine regulations.
In a release from the FIA, they revealed of three topics discussed, with the first being of the record-breaking 23-race calendar for 2022 – one up from the current 22. The first draft is set to be made public on Friday when the World Motor Sport Council sit to meet.
It is set to feature all of the current races apart Portugal and Qatar, the latter re-joining the calendar in 2023. Apart from the returning races, Miami is set to have its first race in May, while there is a latest discussion of Imola replacing the Chinese F1 event.
In addition to the race calendar talk, the pre-season test dates were provisionally firmed with eight days likely to be run in five and three-day format. With regards to the sprint events, the F1 Commission studied Silverstone and Monza feedback.
They are looking to gather more information from the Interlagos event, but even before that study, they are expected to firm up 6-7 sprint races. Following the the debacle in Spa this year, they are discussing on how to tackle the Sporting Regulations for that.
Here’s what the FIA shared:
The F1 Commission gathered today, 13 October, in London, for its third meeting of 2021. The FIA and Formula 1 confirm that positive discussions took place, reviewing some of the major points from the 2021 season so far, as well as looking ahead to what will be a record-breaking 23-race championship in 2022.
2022 Calendar
The Commission was presented with the draft calendar for the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship. This calendar will be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council for approval on Friday 15 October.
As the world emerges from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission praised the remarkable achievements of Formula 1 and the FIA in staging what will be a 22-race schedule in 2021, and a record-breaking 23 races in 2022.
Treatment of short races
Following the weather-affected 2021 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the Commission discussed potential updates to the Sporting Regulations and asked that the Sporting Advisory Committee considers this topic at its next meeting to propose options for updated procedures and regulations.
Sprint
The Commission was presented with a report on the first two Sprint events held at Silverstone and Monza earlier in the season. The report gathered feedback from a large number of stakeholders, which were positive about the Sprint concept. Further evaluation will take place following the third and final Sprint event of 2021 in Brazil. Elements relating to potential future Sprint events and the associated regulatory framework will then be discussed with a positive resolution anticipated in the weeks following the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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