2022 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia

The **2022 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia** is a scheduled 207.15 mile (333.38 kilometer) motor race set to take place on 6 March 2022. It will be the first race of the 2022 AT&T Champ Car World Series season, and the first race in which the series will use the Andromeda Automotive Initiative (AAI) CC-22 chassis. The race will be held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the third consecutive year, with the venue first taking over hosting rights for the event in 2020. Two practice sessions took place on Friday, 4 March, with qualifying taking place on Saturday, 5 March.

Hazel Lacasse enters the race as the defending Indycar World Driver's Champion, while Esther Hoffson will enter the race as the defending race winner, having won the 2021 race. All 26 full time cars for the Champ Car World Series are entered for the event.

Astrid Krane claimed her first pole position since the 2019 season, but failed to finish due to an engine failure. Esther Hoffson, starting from 6th on the grid, survived the strategy roulette to claim her second career Champ Car victory, and second in a row at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, following her success in 2021. Like the year before, Simona Leroux finished second for Red Bull Highlight Racing, while Cat Devil Racing's Kunimitsu Kinoshita claimed third to complete the podium.

## Race Background

The race marks the last year of the current contract between Horizon Corporation, the parent company of the Champ Car World Series, and the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Both sides are actively negotiating a contract extension, while other venues, such as the renovated Sydney Motorsports Park are also under consideration for the event beyond the 2022 season.

### Rule Changes

With the series coming back down to 26 cars, after running the 2021 season with 28 cars at most of the races, the qualifying format has been readjusted. Q1 will see positions 19-26 locked in, while Q2 will see positions 11-18 locked in. Q3 will continue to be a 10 person pole shootout.

### Tire Compound Selection

Firestone will be supplying the teams with the alternate, 'red-wall' tire compound. The alternate compound is the faster of the two tire compounds, but is less durable than the primary 'black-wall' tire compound. While the alternate compound was used for the 2021 race, the tire compound has been revised for 2022 to compensate for the increased weight of the chassis, which went up by about 60 pounds due to the addition of a windscreen and larger carbon floor.

### Attendance

Horizon Corporation and track officials expect around the same amount of spectators to attend the race in 2022. Just under 50,000 attended the event in 2021, whereas the track's maximum capacity sits at 53,000. In 2021, the Champ Car event was the most attended event at the venue, which also was visited by the Motorcycle World Championship, the GT1 World Cup, and the Asian Endurance Championship, among other local events.

## Entry List

All 24 full time entries for the 2022 Champ Car season appeared at the event, in addition to a part time entry for 2010 Indycar World Champion, Zoe Sharp. For the first time since 2019, Mercedes-Benz will not be represented on the grid. 8 rookies participated in the race, in contrast to 2021 when only 1 rookie contested the full season.

## Practice

Two 90 minute practice sessions took place on Friday, 4 March. All 25 entries took part in the sessions, with no major incidents reported.

## Qualifying

Qualifying for the race took place on Saturday, 5 March, with all 25 drivers participating.

## Box Score

### Race Statistics

* Cautions: 1 for 4 laps
* Lead Changes: 15 between 7 drivers
* Weather Report: Cloudy, 75-77 degrees Fahrenheit, winds South-Southwest between 6 and 13 mph.

## See Also

* 2022 AT&T Champ Car World Series season
* 2021 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia, the previous year's event.
* 2022 Arasaka 300, the next event in the season.