Formula 1 Sprint Race changes for 2022 and when they take place

Sprint Races are back in Formula One for the 2022 season following their trial introduction last season, with this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix set to see the first of the campaign.

So far this season, Ferrari and Red Bull have been significantly better than their rivals during the standard qualifying sessions but the Sprint Race will present a new challenge – albeit one they should still be able to navigate through considering their speed superiority.

Last year, Sprint Races were trialled at Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos and three more will take place in 2022, with qualifying for the Sprint at Emilia Romagna taking place at 5pm on Friday and the Sprint itself taking place on Saturday.

The introduction came in a push to increase the excitement of a race weekend, providing three days of competitive action, and Sprint Races were chosen ahead of alternative qualifying options such as reverse grid races.

Each sprint is run over 100km, a third of the race distance on Sunday, and lasts for around half an hour. Spots for the Sprint are decided by qualifying on Friday, in the usual format, all of which is the same as last year – but there has been some changes.

Formula 1 had hoped to hold six Sprint Races this season but dropped those proposals as a compromise over the level of compensation for accidental damage picked up in the Sprint – with Emilia Romagna, the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Brazil's Interlagos the Sprint venues for 2022.

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The biggest change comes regarding the points, with the winner of the Sprint Race picking up eight, compared to the three on offer last year, while points will also be issued for the top eight – whereas last year it was only the top three who picked up points.

Another change is in regards to Pole Position, with the status given to whichever driver finishes fastest in Q3 on Friday regardless of where they finish in the Sprint – which means that the driver in second-place could be dubbed as holding the 'Pole Position' if they set the fastest time on Friday but finish second in the Sprint.

For the teams, there's also been an increase in the cost cap with each team permitted to spend £115k per Sprint Race and an additional £77k if one of the team's cars retires from the Sprint. An extra adjustment to the cost cap can be made to cover crash damage if it leads to the retirement of a team’s car.

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