Formula 1 has historically operated according to a four-day schedule (from Thursday to Sunday), with sole exception of the Monaco Grand Prix, which was operated starting with Wednesday. The first day of each Grand Prix weekend started with media and administrative sessions, while the circuit activities would start on Fridays. In 2022 one big change will be represented by the fact that all races, including the Monaco Grand Prix, feature a schedule made up of three days, as on-essential personnel will not have paddock access on Thursdays.
This means that there will be no pitlane walkabouts for the Formula 1 fans, with the Monaco public being particularly hard hit.
The Formula One Grand Prix weekends will therefore commence Friday morning, with documentation, meetings and media sessions taking teams through to around midday depending upon specific timings for an event. The first track action will include the two free practice sessions – each with a duration of one hour and 30 minutes, separated by at least 120 minutes.
For the majority of the circuits, FP1 is scheduled to begin at 13:00 local time, while the second free practice sessions takes place between 17:00 and 18:30. More media activities are scheduled after the two practice sessions, as well as meetings/briefings, maybe keeping personnel trackside for 12 (or more) hours at a stretch. For fans and media, definitely one positive change is the fact that Formula 1 is reverting to two 90-minute sessions in place of last year’s two one-hour practices.
The new rules and regulation state that “a further free practice session (P3), lasting one hour and starting no less than seventeen-and-a-half hours after the end of P2, will take place on the day before the race”, so from 12:00 on Saturday. The regulations continue: “The qualifying practice session will take place on the day before the race and start no less than two hours after the end of P3”, so 15:00 (or later).
The qualifying sessions follows the familiar structure and timings, so Q1 lasting 18 minutes with the bottom five cars eliminated (20 car entry), followed by a 15-minute Q2 session commencing seven minutes after the end of Q1. The final 10 cars will then go through to a Q3 of 10-minute duration. The Grand Prix proper shall not start later than four hours before official sunset, so usually 15:00.
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Yet the new rules and regulations make provision for driver interaction with fans: “Within a one-hour period finishing no later than one hour and 30 minutes before P3, all drivers must be available for fan activities (including, but not limited to, autograph sessions and fan forums) for a maximum period of 15 minutes each within the hour.”
Three days packed full of Formula 1 action, on and off the circuit. As a result, a normal weekend schedule during the 2022 Formula 1 season will be:
Friday
09:00 – Media/documentation/scrutineering
13:00-14:30 – FP1
15:00-16:00 – Team representative media session
17:00-18:30 – FP2
19:00 onwards – Media/briefings
Saturday
09:00-10:30 – Driver/fan interaction, autographs (each team minimum 15 minutes)
12:00-13:00 – FP3
15:00-16:00 – Qualifying
17:00 onwards – Media/briefings
Sunday
13:30 – Driver parade
15:00 – Race start
18:00 – Media
Note: exact timings will vary within permitted parameters, particularly for dusk/night races.
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