How F1 qualifying works: Q1, Q2, Q3 and the 2026 format explained
F1 qualifying is a three-part knockout. With 22 cars in 2026, the slowest six drop out in Q1 and Q2, and the top 10 fight for pole in Q3. Here is how it works.
10 articles from the F1 Helper newsroom: explainers on how Formula 1 works, guides to following a race weekend and updates on the site.
Looking for the numbers? See the F1 championship standings, the F1 race calendar and F1 live timing.
F1 qualifying is a three-part knockout. With 22 cars in 2026, the slowest six drop out in Q1 and Q2, and the top 10 fight for pole in Q3. Here is how it works.
F1 stewards can hand out 5- or 10-second penalties, drive-throughs, stop-and-gos, grid drops and penalty points. Here is what each means and how it is served.
F1’s 2026 rules brought smaller, lighter cars, a near 50/50 split of fuel and electric power, moving wings instead of DRS, and new teams Audi and Cadillac.
The 2026 US Grand Prix starts at 3pm CDT (20:00 UTC) on Sunday 25 October at COTA in Austin. Here are all session times, track facts and the title picture.
F1 awards points to the top 10 in every Grand Prix and the top 8 in sprints. Here is how drivers’ and constructors’ points add up and how ties are broken.
Sprint weekends swap two practice sessions for a short Saturday race. Here is the order of sessions, how sprint qualifying works and the points on offer.
Soft, medium or hard? How Pirelli’s F1 tyre compounds differ, what the coloured sidewalls mean and how the tyre rules shape race strategy and pit stops.
F1 Helper shows every practice, qualifying, sprint and race session in your local time. Here is how to switch to track time and add the calendar to your phone.
F1 Helper’s live timing uses the public OpenF1 feed for positions, gaps, tyres and race control messages. Here is how often it updates and why it can lag.
F1 Helper has been rebuilt: a faster F1 calendar in your time zone, live timing, race weekend pages, standings, results and driver and team profiles.