Qualifying in Formula 1 is a timed knockout session held before the race to decide the starting grid order. It’s split into three parts: Q1, Q2, and Q3, with slower cars eliminated along the way.

How qualifying works (standard weekend)

  • When it happens
    • Usually on Saturday afternoon of a Grand Prix weekend. The results set the grid order for Sunday’s race.
  • Basic idea
    • Drivers run laps and try to set the fastest possible time within each session.
    • The faster your best lap in qualifying, the further forward you start on the grid (fastest = pole position).

Q1 – First knockout round

  • All cars take part in Q1. Traditionally there are 20 cars, though recent formats can have more; all of them can run as many laps as they want within the time limit.
  • Q1 lasts about 18 minutes. Drivers go out, do an out‑lap to warm tyres, then a flying lap at maximum speed, then cool down.
  • When the clock hits zero, lap times stop counting. The slowest cars are eliminated and locked into the back grid positions:
    • In the long‑standing format, the bottom five in Q1 start 16th–20th.
* Newer 2026-style proposals with 22 cars eliminate six in Q1 (they start 17th–22nd).

Q2 – Smaller field, more pressure

  • Only those who survived Q1 go into Q2.
    • Traditionally, 15 cars enter Q2; newer formats with 22 cars use 16.
  • Q2 is 15 minutes long. Same idea: drivers push to set a fast lap before time runs out.
  • Again, the slowest group drops out and is locked into midfield grid spots:
    • Classic format: bottom five in Q2 start 11th–15th.
* 22‑car concept: six eliminated in Q2, starting 11th–16th.

Q3 – Shootout for pole

  • The remaining top 10 (or top 10 after eliminations) go into Q3, a short 12‑minute session.
  • This is the all‑or‑nothing phase. Drivers may do one or more flying laps, but they must manage tyres, traffic, and track evolution.
  • The fastest lap in Q3 earns pole position; next fastest starts second, and so on down to 10th.
  • Grid penalties (for engine changes, gearboxes, etc.) can move a driver back even if they qualify well.

Key rules and details

  • 107% rule
    • A driver must set a lap in Q1 within 107% of the best Q1 time to be formally allowed to start the race.
* Example: if fastest Q1 lap is 100 seconds, you must be 107 seconds or faster. Otherwise, stewards can refuse your race start for safety reasons.
  • Tyres and strategy
    • Teams can choose which tyre compounds (soft/medium/hard) to run in qualifying, balancing pure speed (softer, faster) against tyre usage limits.
* Each race weekend, teams get a limited number of tyre sets (a mix of dry compounds plus intermediates and full wets for rain), so they decide how many sets to “burn” in quali versus saving for the race.

* Cars may do multiple runs in a session, coming back to the pits for fresh tyres and set‑up tweaks.
  • Lap types
    • Out‑lap: leave pits, warm the tyres and brakes, charge the battery.
* Flying lap: full push, this is the lap that counts for time.

* In‑lap: back off and return to the pits to save tyres and energy.

Sprint weekends (extra note)

In some events, F1 uses Sprint weekends: a separate short race (Sprint) and a special Sprint Shootout session determine Sprint starting order, while normal qualifying is still used to set the main Grand Prix grid. Regulations and exact formats have evolved season by season, but the core knockout idea for the main qualifying remains.

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