Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFormula 1 race qualifying is a three-stage knockout session: every eligible car runs in Q1, the slowest are eliminated, and the remaining drivers compete in Q2 and then Q3. Under the FIA’s 2026 rules, a 22-car field loses six cars after each of the first two stages, leaving 10 drivers to set the top 10 qualifying positions. Those results determine the race grid, subject to other regulations and steward decisions.
What do Q1, Q2 and Q3 mean?
Q1, Q2 and Q3 are the three consecutive periods of race qualifying. Each stage narrows the field: Q1 includes all eligible cars, Q2 includes only the Q1 survivors, and Q3 decides the order among the final 10 drivers under a 22-car field. The format described here is for race qualifying under the FIA 2026 Formula 1 Regulations, Section B [Sporting], Issue 09, published 1 October 2026; it is not Sprint Qualifying, which is a separate session.
How the 2026 qualifying format works
The FIA’s 2026 procedure assumes 22 eligible cars. The durations and elimination counts below are the current rulebook’s provisions, not a guarantee that every season uses the same format.
| Stage | Who takes part | Duration | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | All 22 eligible cars | 18 minutes | The slowest six are eliminated. The 16 survivors’ times are deleted before Q2. |
| Q2 | The 16 Q1 survivors | 15 minutes | It begins after a seven-minute break. The slowest six are eliminated, and the 10 survivors’ times are deleted before Q3. |
| Q3 | The 10 Q2 survivors | 13 minutes | It begins after a further seven-minute break and sets the positions of the top 10 qualifiers. |
Elimination counts change with the field size
The count is adjusted if a different number of cars is eligible. Under the 2026 regulations, five cars are eliminated after each of Q1 and Q2 in a 20-car field; seven are eliminated after each in a 24-car field. The regulation says the procedure adjusts “and so on if more F1 Cars are eligible.” See the FIA’s 2026 Formula 1 Regulations – Section B [Sporting], Issue 09.
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How lap times determine the order
Times do not carry from one stage to the next. A driver must set a competitive lap again in Q2 or Q3; a faster Q1 time cannot protect a driver from elimination or improve a later-stage position.
- Drivers eliminated in Q1 are ordered against one another by their best Q1 lap.
- Drivers eliminated in Q2 are ordered against one another by their best Q2 lap.
- The 10 Q3 drivers are ranked by their best Q3 lap. The fastest takes first among that group.
In a 22-car field, that means the fastest Q2 eliminator takes 11th, and the fastest Q1 eliminator takes 17th, before any changes to the grid under other rules or decisions. When multiple drivers set identical times in a qualifying period, the driver who set the time first receives the higher classification.
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If a driver does not set a Q2 or Q3 time
The regulations also provide for drivers who do not record a time in Q2 or Q3. Their classification depends on whether they attempted a flying lap, failed to start one, or never left the pits; drivers within those categories are then ordered using the classification from the previous period.
What qualifying decides—and what it does not
Race qualifying establishes the qualifying results used to determine the race starting grid. It is not the race result, and qualifying order does not always equal the final grid: other regulations or steward decisions can affect starting positions. The FIA’s 2026 Section B Sporting Regulations, Article B2.4, set out the qualifying procedure and classification.
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