The FIA (International Automobile Federation) has confirmed that the 2022 F1 competition rules do not include a rule that requires the top 10 qualifying drivers to start the final with the tires that set the time in Q2.
This rule has been in F1’s competition rules since 2014 and was aimed at improving the show by giving drivers on the upper grid a strategic advantage on the lower grid, starting with unfavorable tires.
However, in reality, there is rarely any variation in strategy among the top teams, and drivers who were able to advance to Q3 with a hard compound gained a strategic advantage and advanced to Q3 with soft tires just before the cutoff. Was born in a situation where the grid was in a disadvantageous position even at the top.
Therefore, the 2022 F1 competition rule states that “at the start of the final, each vehicle qualified for Q3 must be fitted with the tires that the driver used when he achieved the fastest time in Q2.” It was abolished.
From now on, all drivers in Q3 will be free to choose the final start compound as in the rest of the field, just like last year’s sprint qualifying trial.
This year, F1 will introduce 18-inch tires as part of a major regulation change, and F1’s exclusive tire supplier Pirelli will manufacture new tires and compounds.
