How F1 qualifying works: Q1, Q2, Q3 and the 2026 format explained

Qualifying decides the starting grid for every Formula 1 Grand Prix. It is a one-hour knockout split into three parts: Q1, Q2 and Q3. With 22 cars on the grid in 2026, the slowest six drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1 and another six at the end of Q2, leaving the fastest 10 to fight for pole position in Q3. On a standard weekend, qualifying takes place on Saturday after the final practice session. The F1 calendar shows when it starts in your time zone.

How does F1 qualifying work?

Every driver can set as many laps as they like in each part, and only their fastest lap counts. At the end of each part, the slowest cars are knocked out and their positions on the grid are fixed. Lap times are then wiped clean for those who go through, so everyone starts the next part from scratch.

• Q1, 18 minutes: all 22 cars run, the slowest six are eliminated and fill grid slots 17 to 22
• Q2, 15 minutes: the remaining 16 run, the slowest six are eliminated and fill slots 11 to 16
• Q3, 13 minutes: the top 10 decide pole position and the order of the first five rows

There is a seven-minute break between each part. If two drivers set exactly the same time, the driver who set it first is placed ahead.

How many cars are knocked out in Q1 and Q2 in 2026?

Six in each. From 2017 to 2025 there were 20 cars and five were eliminated in each of Q1 and Q2. Cadillac’s arrival in 2026 took the grid to 22 cars, so the eliminations went up to six while Q3 stayed a 10-car shoot-out.

What tyres do drivers use in Q3?

In a dry Q3, the rules name the softest compound of the weekend as the Q3 tyre, and each driver must keep one set of it unused until Q3 starts. In Q1 and Q2 teams can choose from their allocation, although most run the soft tyre for outright pace.

Since 2022, the drivers who reach Q3 no longer have to start the race on the tyres they used in Q2, so every driver has a free choice of starting tyre. In a dry race they still need to use at least two different compounds. F1 tyre compounds explained covers what each tyre does.

What is the 107% rule in F1?

A driver who is eliminated in Q1 with a best lap more than 7% slower than the fastest Q1 time is treated as unclassified, unless the race director has declared the track wet. The same applies to a driver who sets no time, or whose laps are all deleted. For example, if the fastest Q1 lap is 1:30.000, the cut-off is 1:36.300.

Unclassified drivers can still race if the stewards allow it. They usually do when a driver has shown competitive pace earlier in the weekend, for example in practice. Those drivers start behind everyone who qualified normally.

Why do drivers have lap times deleted in qualifying?

A lap time is deleted if the driver exceeds track limits, which means no part of the car stays on the track. The white lines count as part of the track but the kerbs do not. A deleted lap can be the difference between going through and being knocked out, so drivers often leave a fast lap until the very end of each session, when the track is usually at its quickest.

How does F1 sprint qualifying work?

On sprint weekends, a shorter session called Sprint Qualifying sets the grid for the Saturday sprint. It runs on Friday after the only practice session and uses the same knockout format, with six cars eliminated in each of the first two parts:

• SQ1, 12 minutes: drivers may use one new set of medium tyres
• SQ2, 10 minutes: again one new set of medium tyres
• SQ3, 8 minutes: one set of soft tyres

Grand Prix qualifying then takes place on Saturday after the sprint. The F1 sprint weekend format explained goes through the whole timetable.

How do grid penalties change the starting grid?

The final grid is not always the same as the qualifying order. Drivers can be given grid penalties for driving offences or for using more power unit parts than the rules allow. Penalties are applied after qualifying, so the drivers behind move up, and anyone with more than 15 places of penalties starts behind all the drivers who qualified normally. The final order is confirmed about an hour before the race.

You can follow every qualifying session on F1 live timing, and the full classifications sit with each Grand Prix in the F1 race results.