After eight seasons, Formula 1 has once again focused on the qualifying format to enhance the spectacle. Starting in 2022, the Great Circus will experience another major change in regulations.
Until last season, the ten fastest drivers in Q2 and who, therefore, went on to the final round of qualifying (Q3), had to start the race with the same set of tires with which they had set their best time in that second qualifying round.
Thus, it was common to see the leading cars risk riding mediums in Q2 to have a strategic advantage in the first stint on Sunday. This, initially, favored the drivers who started from the 11th place, since they could choose new tires of any compound (soft, medium or hard) for the start.
This 2014 rule was abolished at the latest Strategy Advisory Committee meeting and has finally been upheld by the latest update to the 2022 sporting regulations published by the FIA on Friday 18th February 2022. The article which stated that “at the start of the race, each car that qualified for Q3 must fit the tires with which he set his best time in Q2”.
Throughout all these years, this rule caused different strategies to be seen between the teams with the highest speed and those that were fighting to enter the points zone. Drivers who made the last cut often commented in interviews prior to grand prix that they preferred to start further back on the grid than to be at the front with worn tyres, as they would have to go through the pits earlier.
The difference between the one who started tenth and those who did it in his wake was abysmal, and the fact of going to Q3 already conditioned the rest of the event. That is why Formula 1 has decided to modify the regulations in search of better races, and they will have the help of the move to 18-inch tires from Pirelli .
The Italian supplier confirmed after the pre-season tests in Abu Dhabi that the drivers will be able to compete almost every lap without having to worry about the management of the wheels, since they had solved the problems of overheating with these new tires that will be introduced in 2022.
“If we look only at the grip, they are similar to the 13-inch ones, but they are more consistent because of the way we have designed them,” said Mario Isola , revealing that the Milanese manufacturer’s games have improved.
However, they also warned that it would be very possible to have appointments where the cars only passed through the pitlane once, so this change would not be as important as it might seem.
It will be interesting to see how this decision affects the development of the races, but we will have to wait until March 20 in Bahrain, when the traffic lights go out at the start of a new era for the category, with cars totally different from what has been seen so far.
