2022 marks the start of a new era for Formula 1, who will be back on track at the end of February for testing with all-new ground-effect cars. Technical regulations, however, aren’t the only change to be introduced in the upcoming season.

The calendar will include a record 23 races over 36 weeks – from the Bahrain opening on 20 March to the Abu Dhabi season finale on 20 November - with two triple-headers: Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, followed by Russia, Singapore and Japan.

The high number and the very short time between fixtures had already put under great pressure the teams’ personnel over the 2021 season, especially over the triple-headers that were proved to be rather difficult under a logistical point of view as well.

Particularly between Mexico and Brazil, F1’s strict schedule paired with adverse weather conditions meant that some teams were unable to have their equipment delivered on time for the start of the weekend. This season is set to weight significantly on the staff, even more than the past.

In 2022 Formula 1 will also leave behind the classic four-day weekend for a shorter schedule that will go from Friday to Sunday.

Meetings, scrutineering and media sessions will take place on Friday morning, while track action will begin in the afternoon with two 60-minute free practice sessions and will be followed by further briefings and media activities.

On Saturday morning cars will be out on track for a third free practice session that will last one hour, while qualifying will take place on Saturday afternoon and will follow the usual Q1- Q2- Q3 schedule and timings.

This revised format will save at least 24 days over the season, two days for the Monaco Grand Prix and one for each of the other 22 fixtures.

A solution that means a day less of potential income for the hosting venues, but that leaves a bit more time off to the strictly packed schedule of F1 personnel and reduces costs for teams.