2022 F1 sporting regulations update confirms removal of Q2 tyre rule. F1 regulations update confirms removal of Q2 tyre rule.

The FIA has officially confirmed that Formula 1 drivers which will qualify in the top ten will no longer have to start the race on their Q2 tyre from the 2022 campaign.

Team officials have talked about the possibility of removing this rule for several years now. The idea was introduced back in 2014 and stated that all drivers who made it through to Q3 have to begin the Grand Prix on the set of tyres used in Q2.

The thinking behind the rule was to add an extra layer of jeopardy as it would encourage some teams to attempt and make it through to Q3 on a harder set of tyres to gain an advantage for the race start.

However, the pace difference in favor of the top sides has led to only few races in which this actually happened, with few strategy variation or opportunities being given to the chasing pack. At some events, conditions even saw all drivers opt for the medium compound tyre to get through to the final stage of the qualifying session.

After the introduction of Formula 1’s sprint race weekends in 20221 which did away with the Q2 tyre rule, it has now been official expanded to scrap the rule for all races, meaning all drivers will get a free choice of starting tyre.

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In the latest edition of the 2022 sporting regulations published by the FIA on Friday, the article stating that “at the start of the race each car which qualified for Q3 must be fitted with the tyres with which the driver set his fastest time during Q2” had been struck through.

It will now create an extra layer of intrigue before each race as teams consider what tyre to start the race on with their cars inside the top 10.

In previous years, this free choice has only been afforded when Q2 has taken place in wet conditions with either intermediate or wet tyres.

Along with the removal of the Q2 tyre rule, the updated sporting regulations have also offered a first tweak to the safety car rules and how races will restart, as well as explaining how the FIA’s new ‘show and tell’ technical sessions will operate.

More changes are possible in meetings between the Sporting Advisory Committee and the F1 Commission in the coming weeks ahead of the season opener in Bahrain on 20 March.