The basics
How F1 qualifying works: Q1, Q2, Q3 and the starting grid
Qualifying sets the order the cars start the race in, and on many tracks, where you start is most of the battle. It's a three-part knockout, and the 2026 grid of 22 cars changed the numbers.
The three sessions
| Session | Length | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 18 minutes | All 22 cars run. The six slowest are knocked out and fill grid positions 17 to 22. |
| Q2 | 15 minutes | The remaining 16 start from scratch. The six slowest are knocked out and take positions 11 to 16. |
| Q3 | 12 minutes | The top ten fight for pole position. Their order sets the first five rows of the grid. |
Times don't carry over: everyone starts each session again, so a driver who was fastest in Q1 can still be knocked out in Q2. Before 2026, with 20 cars, five drivers dropped out in each of Q1 and Q2. Cadillac's arrival as the eleventh team added a car to each of the bottom two groups.
Why the end of each session matters most
The track gets faster as the session goes on, because more rubber is laid down on the racing line ("track evolution"). Teams therefore send their drivers out as late as they dare for the final run. Leave it too late and a crash, a red flag or a queue of cars at the final corner can wreck the lap. That's why so many qualifying shocks happen in the last two minutes of Q1.
Laps can also be deleted. If a driver runs wide beyond the track limits, the lap time is struck off, and on tight sessions that can be the difference between Q3 and an early exit.
The 107% rule
A driver whose best Q1 time is more than 7% slower than the fastest Q1 time isn't guaranteed a place in the race. In practice the stewards usually allow them to start from the back if they've shown competitive pace elsewhere in the weekend, for example when a car breaks down in qualifying.
From qualifying order to starting grid
The qualifying result isn't always the grid. Penalties are applied afterwards: most often for using more engine or gearbox parts than the season allowance, or for driving offences earlier in the weekend. A driver penalised five places from pole will start sixth, and everyone they drop behind moves up. Drivers with very large penalties start from the back.
Parc fermé
Once qualifying begins, the cars are in "parc fermé": teams can't make meaningful set-up changes until the race. Any team that changes the car anyway has to start that driver from the pit lane. So a team has to choose a set-up that works both for one fast qualifying lap and for a long race on heavier fuel.
Sprint qualifying
Sprint weekends add a shorter version for the Saturday sprint: SQ1 runs 12 minutes, SQ2 10 minutes and SQ3 8 minutes, with the same six-and-six knockout. See how sprint weekends work.
The latest qualifying was at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen took pole with 1:31.373. See every driver's Q1, Q2 and Q3 times.
