FIA Decisions regarding 2022 released Feb 14, 2022 Michael Masi will be.....

[airshifter]

Wait... no decision on the race director yet! Still to be released at a later date. I personally think they will keep him, add assistance, and clarify certain procedures to rid as much grey area as possible. But no doubt either decision they make will be controversial, just like the last race.


BUT.... they did make some changes for the better IMHO.




"2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Analysis
The FIA President led detailed discussions of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Feedback from the Commission on matters raised will be incorporated into the President’s analysis and he will publicly present news of structural changes and action plan in the coming days.
Sprint
Following a review of the three Sprint events that took place in 2021 and a recognition by all that the format created positive benefits for the sport, three Sprint events were proposed for 2022, acknowledging this as a sensible number in light of the pressures already on the teams for this season with the introduction of major changes to the regulations. The Commission unanimously approved the three Sprint events for the coming season, incorporating a number of updates to the format based on the feedback of fans, media and teams. The Sprint events will be:

• Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
• Austrian Grand Prix
• Brazilian Grand Prix

The format changes will include:

• Change of official session name from Sprint Qualifying to Sprint
• Awarding World Championship points for the top eight as follows:
  
  • 1^st – 8 points
  • 2^nd – 7 points
  • 3^rd – 6 points
  • 4^th – 5 points
  • 5^th – 4 points
  • 6^th – 3 points
  • 7^th – 2 points
  • 8^th – 1 point
  
  
• Awarding Pole Position for the Grand Prix to the fastest driver in Qualifying on Friday

Cost Cap Adjustments for Sprint events will remain unchanged from 2021.
Treatment of short races
Following the weather-affected 2021 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the Commission approved proposed updates to the Sporting Regulations as follows:

• No points will be awarded 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% of the scheduled race distance, the top five finishers will be awarded points as follows:
  
  • 1^st – 6 points
  • 2^nd – 4 points
  • 3^rd – 3 points
  • 4^th – 2 points
  • 5^th – 1 point
  
  
• If the leader has completed 25% but less than 50% of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded as follows:
  
  • 1^st – 13 points
  • 2^nd – 10 points
  • 3^rd – 8 points
  • 4^th – 6 points
  • 5^th – 5 point
  • 6^th – 4 points
  • 7^th – 3 points
  • 8^th – 2 points
  • 9^th – 1 point
  
  
• If the leader has completed 50% but less than 75% of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded as follows:
  
  • 1^st – 19 points
  • 2^nd – 14 points
  • 3^rd – 12 points
  • 4^th – 9 points
  • 5^th – 8 point
  • 6^th – 6 points
  • 7^th – 5 points
  • 8^th – 3 points
  • 9^th – 2 points
  • 10^th – 1 point

Note that all regulatory changes are subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council."


So the Sprint will remain. It will no longer be called "Sprint Qualifying" but simply "Sprint". The "Sprint" will still determine starting position for Sunday, however for record purposes the person who qualifies 1st on Friday will be credited with winning qualification. To me this makes sense, since it is the fastest person running in whatever space they create during the session and not racing other cars at the time.

Points for the Sprint will now extend down to 8th place, with a one point gap per position. Though it adds some complexity overall, I really don't care one way or another about this one.... I thought starting at the front Sunday was enough motivation already, but at the same time this does protect a team/driver if say they get taken out on race day but performed well in the Sprint.

Overall good changes IMHO.


As for the shortened races, also good changes IMHO. I don't think it should ever be considered a race until they are let loose with no safety car and no VSC. I wish they would have also clarified things further but it's possible they make those decisions up to the race director. In this instance, I think often the only way to clear the track enough to race when conditions are borderline would be to possibly let them loose under VSC conditions with gaps.... essentially let them speed up faster than the (actual) safety car but not cut them loose to race yet. Since anyone not at front is disadvantaged from the spray, giving it some time to clear first serves both safety and actual racing.

And I sure hope we don't have any two lap races!