The SON confirmed that the sporting regulations for Formula 1 in 2022 will no longer include the rule which required the top ten drivers in qualifying to start the race on Sunday with the compound used in Q2 on their fastest lap.
Inscribed in the F1 sporting regulations since the 2014 season, this rule was put in place to bring a little more unpredictability in qualifying by encouraging certain drivers (the top ten) to opt for a harder compound in Q2 in the aim to start the race on Sunday among the top ten with a different strategy.
However, over the years this rule has rarely led to a variation in strategy among the top teams on the grid and has therefore been changed from this 2022 season. Thus, the rule that “At the start of the race, each car qualified for Q3 must be fitted with the tires with which the driver set his best time in Q2” has been abandoned.
From the 2022 season therefore, drivers entering Q3 in qualifying on Saturday will – like the rest of the peloton – have a free choice of tires for the start of the race on Sunday.