Formula 1 to postpone 2022 sporting changes by one year. F1 to postpone 2022 sporting changes by one year.

Australian motorsports director Michael Masi has revealed that Formula 1 will postpone making wholesale changes to the sporting regulations until the 2023 championship, in order for teams to be able to fully focus on the technical changes which will be introduced in 2022.

Formula 1 will bring an entirely new set of technical regulations next year, as cars will look and feel very different in an attempt to improve the spectacle and allow for closer racing. This also means that teams will need more time in order to better understand the new cars and the regulations, which has led to the decision to place the new sporting rules on hold for a year despite the fact that some necessary changes will still filter through.

FIA race director Michael Masi explained: “It was a consensus with the teams actually. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me but a number of them said straight out that with all of the other things that we have going on with new cars etcetera, let’s do ourselves all a favour with finetuning what we have. Grab all the elements that have changed in ’22, put them in the known format that we have because with everything else happening next year with the new car, let’s go for something known rather than something completely unknown where we’re all just going to be flying a bit blind and not as used to it.” – he said.

“Let’s do that. Postpone it until 2023, get all of the relevant elements that were changed in the ’22 regulations will be brought into the current format.”

Changes that will be made include the reduction of a weekend from four days to three days through the removal of the traditional Thursday media day as well as various aspects related to the sprint qualifying format. Asked if the FIA will definitely introduce the full, updated sporting regulations in 2023:

“Yes, we will. For ’23 is the aim. The sporting directors have all clearly acknowledged together with all of that, with all of the various management of Covid requirements and so forth that everyone’s time to get their head around that is something that they would prefer just to put off for 12 months.” – FIA race director Michael Masi concluded.