Qualifying in Formula 1 is the only time during a hectic race weekend where you know that every driver is straining to the very limit of their ability to set the fastest possible lap time, in pursuit of a high grid slot for the following day’s race.
For some drivers, such as Charles Leclerc, extracting the maximum performance from their car over a single lap is a speciality. Others find it more difficult to put everything on the line, without going too far and risking a devastating crash that could ruin their race the following day.
So how does F1 qualifying actually work?
F1 qualifying format
Qualifying takes place on the Saturday of a race weekend. The idea is simple: the driver with the fastest time starts on pole for the following day’s grand prix. The next fastest driver starts second, and so on.
All cars start in the pits and can head out on track at any point in the session. They make their way round to the start/finish line on their out-lap, warming up their tyres and making sure their power unit battery remains fully charged before crossing the line to start their flying lap at maximum speed. Once the lap is complete, they start their in-lap, travelling round most of the circuit to the pitlane entrance.
Charles Leclerc is one of F1’s best qualifiers
Clive Rose/Getty Images
F1 qualifying sessions
F1 qualifying sessions are split into three sections: Q1, Q2, and Q3.
Q1 lasts for 18 minutes and is the busiest session of the hour, with 20 cars all out on track — often at the same time. On shorter circuits, in particular, it can be difficult for drivers to find a gap in the traffic — essential to avoid being blocked by other cars and to run in clear air that generates maximum downforce.
At the end of the session, the slowest five cars are knocked out of qualifying and do not compete in Q2. Their fastest times determine their places at the back of the grid.
Backmarkers will typically make several runs, each using a fresh set of soft tyres with the goal of making it to the next stage. The likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes will often just make a single run on slower but more durable medium tyres, in the knowledge that their time should be enough to put them in the top 15. This conserves their fresh soft tyres for later in the session.
The Chinese GP at Shanghai is set to host the first F1 sprint race of 2025, as part of a new calendar and refreshed format. Here’s how sprint race weekends work, including the points awarded, race length and other changes this season
By
Motor Sport
Q2 lasts for 15 minutes. At the end, the slowest five cars are once again knocked out of qualifying and do not compete in Q3. These drivers start in positions 11 to 15 for the race, based on their Q2 times: the Q1 times are irrelevant.
As the field thins, the front-runners will start to ramp up the pace to ensure that they make it to the final stage — perhaps switching to soft tyres or making additional runs, which can also act as a rehearsal for the pole shootout in Q3.
Q3 lasts for 12 minutes and determines the starting places for the ten remaining competitors, from pole (first) to tenth on the grid.
Every driver will now push to the very limit in order to extract the best lap time possible — braking later and cornering as fast as they dare. They’ll normally be on the softest tyres for maximum grip. At only 12 minutes long, Q3 doesn’t offer much room for error for drivers targeting pole position. The majority of drivers only being able to complete two flying laps during the final period of qualifying.
At the end of the session, the final grid is determined and any grid-place penalties are applied to make up the confirmed starting order.
F1 qualifying tyre strategies
F1 drivers have limited allocation of tyres over a race weekend — but must choose carefully during qualifying
Grand Prix Photo
Throughout an F1 qualifying session, teams have free choice over which tyres they use and when.
Pirelli have a range of 18-inch F1 tyres, which comprises six slick compounds from hardest, offering the least grip but longest life, to softest with the most grip but least durability: the C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C5) alongside intermediate and wet weather tyres.
Backmarker battles can provide just as much F1 entertainment as the fights at the front, so why don’t the drivers get championship points? Here’s how a new system could reward the top 18 finishers — and give a more accurate ranking
By
Edward Hardy
From the slick range, Pirelli picks three compounds to be used at each race based upon the characteristics of the circuit and climate. The highest-numbered slick tyre will then be known as the soft (or red tyre), the middle choice will be known as the medium (or yellow tyre), and the lowest-numbered is known as the hard (or white tyre). Teams are given 13 sets of dry tyres for the whole race weekend and can pick how many if each compound they want. An extra set of soft tyres is provided for teams that reach Q3.
For example, a front-running team such as Red Bull may choose to have a larger number of soft compound tyres as their drivers are more likely to spend more time in qualifying and will therefore require additional sets of fresh soft tyres. On the other hand, a team at the back may choose to have more medium and hard tyre compounds to be flexible with their race day strategies.
During qualifying itself, drivers can still be tactical with their soft tyres.. Tyres used in early practice sessions will be worn, but can still be run in Q1 when, generally, a slower lap time is required to get to the next stage. The same tyres are also available in the race, so if a driver looks after their tyres well during qualifying, it can open up more strategy options later in the weekend.
However, the tyres reserved for Q3 are only available for that session and will be returned to Pirelli after qualifying has ended.
F1 qualifying fuel levels
Depending on the venue and weather conditions, F1 drivers will choose to have varying levels of fuel in their car during qualifying.
In dry weather, teams will put as little fuel in the car as possible in order to save weight and decrease lap time. But this does mean that drivers will often have to go quite slowly on out and in-laps — while also keeping to a minimum lap time — in order to preserve the 5-7 litres of fuel that sits in the tank.
In wet weather, fuel level strategy dramatically shifts. At 300km/h (186mph), Pirelli’s full wet weather tyres can shift 85 litres of water every second from the track surface. This means that as the session continues the racing line will begin to dry out and drivers will be theoretically be able to achieve faster lap times. In order to take advantage, teams will fuel their cars for longer runs so that instead of completing one or two flying laps per section of qualifying, drivers can now complete five or more laps depending on the circuit.
What is Parc Fermé?
As soon as the drivers exit the pitlane for Q1, parc fermé is enforced — meaning the teams can no longer make any changes to a car’s set-up aside from some very minor adjustments. These include: adding or removing fuel, removing the wheels, taking out spark plugs, fitting cooling or heating devices, fitting a jump battery to test electronic systems, charging or discharging the ERS system, bleeding the brakes, draining engine oil, changing the front wing angle, changing or balancing tyres, checking tyre pressure, testing marshalling systems and changing the pedals, steering wheel or drinks bottle.
This means that during the practice sessions prior to qualifying, drivers must have their cars ‘in the right window’ of performance in order to extract the best qualifying position and race pace. Failure to do so can ruin an entire race weekend.
If a team or driver wants to break parc fermé rules, they will be required to start the grand prix from the pitlane.
F1 qualifying set-up conflicts
Red Bull vs Ferrari: the perfect example of race pace vs qualifying pace
Red Bull
Ahead of each grand prix weekend, teams will aim to strike a balance between good qualifying performance and race pace in order to extract the best result from each. Commonly, this is decided through the driver’s set-up preferences but it can also be deeply embedded into the car itself. For example, Ferrari’s SF-23 was a consistent contender for pole positions throughout the 2023 season, but lost the majority of its pace on race day due to excessive tyre wear. On the other hand, Red Bull’s RB19 was often able to find a brilliant middle ground as it scored 14 pole positions and 21 race wins across the season — each the most of any constructor.
However, the balance between qualifying and race day performance can change depending on the circuit. On the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo, teams will be inclined to find more one-lap pace in their car as qualifying is widely regarded as the most important session of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend due to the lack of on-track overtaking opportunities. Conversely, on tracks such as Zandvoort, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, teams may lean toward a more race-ready set-up as there is plenty of opportunity to make up places regardless of where they finishing in qualifying.
How is F1 qualifying different on a sprint weekend?
Sprint races take place on a Saturday and have a dedicated qualifying session, on the Friday of a race weekend. GP qualifying retains the same format and still takes place on a Saturday afternoon.
