Formula 1 2022 to be back with a vengeance

Image: F1

The 2022 Formula 1 calendar has finally been revealed, charting the championship’s course for the season as the brand-new breed of F1 cars prepare to make their debut.

The ‘F1’ stated that here are five takeaways from the 2022 calendar announcement…

• It’s set to be the biggest F1 season ever.

 
The 2022 Formula 1 season is set to be the most bumper yet, with 23 races slated for the year – up from the 22 in 2021.

Formula One is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
 

Provisional 2022 Formula 1 calendar

* subject to contract
** subject to FIA circuit homologation
 
As is apparent from the above table, those 23 will be bookended by a season opener in Bahrain – where the 2021 season also got under way – and a season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the recently reworked 60,000-capacity Yas Marina Circuit bringing proceedings to a close.

The ‘F1’ further stated that in between will be a further 21 races taking place in five continents – including the first time F1 has raced twice in the United States since 1984, thanks to the fact that…

• There’ll be a new race in Miami

 
A new race is always exciting – and 2022 will witness Formula 1 returning to the State of Florida (US) for the first time since 1959, as F1 prepare for the all-new Miami Grand Prix from May 6^th-8^th.

Taking place at the 5.41 km Miami International Autodrome, situated in the 75,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, the new track will feature 19 corners and three straights, with cars set to reach a top speed of 320km/h on a circuit that’s been designed to encourage close racing – a subject very much on the collective mind of the sport in 2022, when F1 will see the introduction of a revolutionary new breed of cars with the very same intention.

And while the action is sure to be hot on the track, everyone’s just as excited at the prospect of visiting one of USA’s most dynamic and culturally diverse Cities, for what promises to be an unforgettable event.

• F1 will finally be returning to some old favorites

 
The coronavirus pandemic’s arrival provided without doubt the greatest ever disruption to the Formula 1 calendar in the sport’s history, nixing the first half of the 2020 season – while its effects are still being felt now.

Yes, there were positives to come out of that, with F1 exploring new territories, as well as revisiting some older ones. But it also denied F1 the opportunity to race at some beloved, tried and tested calendar staples.

The plan is for that situation to be redressed in 2022, with the likes of Suzuka, Montreal and Melbourne all back on the calendar, after all three events were forced to be canceled in 2021.

Having returned to the calendar this season for the first time since 1985, Zandvoort (Netherlands) is back, while Imola (Italy) returns too for what will be the third successive year of racing at the classic Italian track.

Sochi (Russia), meanwhile, will host its final Russian Grand Prix before the event moves to St Petersburg’s 50,000-capacity Igora Drive circuit for 2023.

One victim of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the Chinese Grand Prix – in China the virulent virus is rearing its ugly head back again – which won’t feature in the 2022 calendar – with plans for the Shanghai race to be reinstated in the future when conditions allow.

• The Monaco (country in Europe) weekend will be shortened to three days

 
One change in the 2022 calendar will be the shortening of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend from four days to three.

Friday at Monaco was traditionally a non-action day, with media duties taking place on Wednesday, Free Practice 1 and 2 run on Thursday, a break on Friday, then FP3 and qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday – a custom dictated by the tradition of Monaco’s market day being on Friday.

2022, however, will see the weekend compressed into the standard three days, in part to help with logistics for the teams, who should be able to arrive in Monaco a day later than usual.

• The season will end in mid-November

 
And finally, one striking feature of the 2022 calendar is that, despite the 23 races, the racing is scheduled to start in mid-March and finish by mid-November.

The action will get underway in Bahrain on March 20^th – a double header kicking off the season, with F1 then moving on to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for what will be the second ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after the event’s upcoming debut this December.

By November 20^th, the racing will all be over, meanwhile, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix bringing proceedings to a close.

It’s a tight schedule, and one which will feature two triple headers. But that has the added bonus of providing the teams and F1 personnel with a sizable winter break ahead of the 2023 season.

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