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Formula E Introduces Playoff Style Qualifying for 2022 Season

Qualifying for pole position is vital to any racing team's weekend, but it's often a bland event for fans. Formula E is turning up the heat next year by making it a playoff-style one-on-one competition.
Formula E 6 photos
Photo: Via Formula E
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The change was just approved by the FIA and goes into effect for the 2022 Formula E season. In past seasons, Formula E has tried many different formats to improve fan engagement. However, teams didn't like the current system that saw leading teams qualify before the rest of the field.

As qualifying unfolds, the track typically gets faster as more rubber is deposited on its surface. Now, two sets of 11 cars each will run for 10 minutes. The added car total and amount of time on the track should make for more parity in the results. During this stage, cars will make 295 horsepower.

Once the initial qualifying sessions are complete, the top four drivers in each group move on. Next, the bottom eight drivers in each group will be placed on the grid according to their fastest lap times.

For the drivers that move on, motors will now output 335 horsepower. They will then compete against each other to see who comes out of the group of four. Then the top two drivers, one from each group, will race head to head for the pole position.

The FIA expects this new qualifying system to be a big hit with teams and fans. In its press release, it said, "A new qualifying format divided into groups and followed by head-to-head duels has been approved to maximize excitement for fans and encourage the emergence of the best drivers and teams."

This marks just the latest case of Formula E shaking things up in an effort to gather more fans. We're big fans of unconventional thinking in motorsport, and this is just one more example of that. It's a fun, innovative way of creating a new competition within the larger race and creating a more even playing field at the same time.
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