It’s the qualifying weekend in Indianapolis, and the grid for the 106th edition of the Indy 500 will be established – but what will be different about the sessions in 2022, kno wthe format
After the IMS Grand Prix on the road course and a slew of practice sessions leading up to qualifying and the race, the month of May at Indy is well started.
The green flag for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 will not be raised until Sunday, May 29th, sending the 33 cars into Turn 1, but their order must be determined beforehand. Qualifying for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 will be a little different than in previous years, with some modest changes to the structure – but how exactly will it work?
Explained Indy 500 200 Qualifying Format, Qualification Rules
HOW THE INDY 500 WILL WORK IN 2022
The one thing that is sure during Indy 500 qualifying is that each and every racer is allowed one four-lap pass around the speedway.
The line-up at Indy is limited to 33 cars, with any more cars subject to what is known as ‘Bump Day.’ However, there will be a maximum of 33 runners in 2022, eliminating the necessity for Bump Day – where Fernando Alonso was memorably knocked out in 2019 and did not make it to race day.
Once each vehicle has finished its four-lap run, the provisional order is established, and teams must decide what to do next.
If Would Power, for example, is dissatisfied with his time, he may enter Lane 1 in the pit-lane and be allowed priority entry to the track – but he will miss the run that his #12 would have already completed.
This has the danger of making the new time slower than the previous one — but Power would be stuck with it. Lane 2 is a regular lane that gives vehicles access to the track whenever it is available.
The prior time and position are retained if they achieve a lower average on their four-lap run than they did previously. While the Saturday format of the Indy 500 stays unaltered, the Sunday format has been somewhat modified for 2022.
Slightly Modified Fight for Pole
Previously, Saturday qualifying would establish the grid for places 10-33, with the top nine vying for pole. On Sunday morning, the final row of the three-by-three grid will be selected. The best 12 will move to the second round – the Firestone Fast 12 – in 2022.
After the 12 drivers have completed their laps, the top six will compete for pole position. When the green flag drops, Fast Six will set the grid for the first two rows and select who will lead the pack into Turn 1.
Saturday’s qualifying session begins at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the Last Chance session on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The Fast 12 will take the green flag at 4 pm ET, with the final duel for pole position scheduled for 5.10 pm ET.
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