Summary
F1 qualifying sets the Grand Prix grid, usually on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s race. Las Vegas runs a day earlier. Qualifying runs in three knock-out segments, jump to The segments: the slowest cars drop out at the end of each, until the ten quickest fight for pole, jump to Why pole in a final shoot-out. Pole earns no championship points on its own. Six weekends in 2026 and ten in 2027 add a sprint, jump to Sprint weekends with its own short qualifying.
Qualifying is the session that decides the Grand Prix’s starting order. It is usually held on Saturday, although Las Vegas runs qualifying on Friday ahead of its Saturday race. The field is cut down over three segments until the ten fastest drivers compete for pole. On a Sprint weekend, Saturday also includes a separate short race.
From 2026 there are twenty-two cars on the grid, Cadillac the new arrival. The knock-out format itself has been around since 2006; only the timings have changed.
The three segments
- Q1Eighteen minutes, all twenty-two cars. Everyone runs as many laps as their tyres allow, and the slowest six are out, locked into grid places 17 to 22. This is where a big name occasionally gets caught napping in traffic.
- Q2Fifteen minutes, sixteen cars. The slowest six are eliminated into places 11 to 16. The strategy round: teams weigh burning a fresh set of soft tyres to get through against saving them for the race.
- Q3Thirteen minutes, the top ten. The pole shoot-out: fresh softs, usually two flying laps, and the single fastest lap of the day takes pole. Tenth fastest starts tenth. The part worth watching.
Why pole matters
Pole position is the inside of the front row, and on most circuits the best piece of tarmac on the grid: the cleanest line, the rubbered-in groove, the shortest route to the first corner. On its own it is worth nothing, just a good start. Win the race from it and that is twenty-five points.
How much it matters depends on the track. Monaco is the extreme: the streets are too tight and the cars too big to overtake, so pole usually means the win and the race can be a procession. Spa is the opposite, a slipstream down the Kemmel Straight long enough that a car starting second with a tow can be past the pole-sitter before the first corner. Over a season it tells: the drivers with the most poles tend to be the ones lifting the title. Lewis Hamilton holds the record at 104, ahead of Michael Schumacher on 68 and Ayrton Senna on 65, all multiple world champions.
Sprint weekends
The six 2026 Sprint weekends are China, Miami, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. In 2027 there are ten: Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Britain, Italy, São Paulo, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Friday’s Sprint Qualifying has three segments lasting 12, ten and eight minutes. It sets Saturday’s Sprint grid; Grand Prix Qualifying takes place separately on Saturday and sets Sunday’s grid. The Sprint result does not determine the Grand Prix grid.
Things that trip people up
- No lap time setStarts from the back of the grid, and needs the stewards' nod to start at all.
- Damage in qualifyingYou keep the grid slot you earned before the shunt. Repairs are allowed, but swapping a gearbox or engine can bring a grid penalty.
- The 107 per cent ruleAny car slower than 107 per cent of the fastest Q1 time can be refused a start. Rare in the dry, occasionally decisive in the wet.
- Yellow flagsSlow down through that sector. Improve your time through one and the lap is deleted, which in Q1 or Q2 can be the difference between out and through.
For most rounds, qualifying is on Saturday; Las Vegas holds it on Friday. The days covered by your chosen experience determine which sessions you can attend.
Chloe Burchell
Event Manager
Event Manager at Imperial Corporate Events. She’s hosted clients at everything from the Six Nations to the Eastern & Oriental Express, and she’s good company on the day.
