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Before drivers and teams compete for points during a Grand Prix weekend, they first need to earn the positions they’ll start from when the race begins. That’s where the Qualifying race comes into play.
- There’s one Qualifying race per weekend, taking place after several practice rounds to determine race starting positions later that weekend
- Qualifying doesn’t award points. They are comprised of 3 rounds, with drivers competing to set their fastest lap time each round
- After each of the first and second rounds end, the 5 slowest drivers in that round are eliminated
- The third and final round has the remaining 10 drivers competing just the same, with the fastest driver earning the coveted pole position title
- The pole position driver generally starts the Grand Prix from the front of the grid, also known as P1, with all other drivers slotted behind them based on their lap times
- On Sprint weekends, Qualifying is used to set the starting grid for the Sprint race instead of for the Grand Prix
Earn your starting position
Qualifying races take place after teams warm up during practice and before any races that award points (e.g., a Sprint or Grand Prix).
While Qualifying races do not award points, they are still critical for drivers and teams, as the results determine the starting order on the grid for the next point-awarding race (usually the Grand Prix).
To decide the starting order, drivers compete in three timed rounds to set their fastest lap time possible each round. They have as many laps around the track as they can fit into the time limit, but not all teams use the time. Sometimes staying in the pit lane after setting a strong time is a sound strategy.
Survive elimination
Round 1 lasts 18 minutes, and at the end the 5 drivers with slowest lap times are eliminated. Their lap times decide their starting order in the next race from positions 16-20.
Round 2 resets the lap times and puts the remaining 15 drivers back on the track for 15 minutes. When time expires, the 5 drivers with the slowest lap times that round are eliminated and start the next race from positions 11-15.
Round 3 is the final and shortest round, lasting only 12 minutes. The remaining 10 drivers once again compete to set the fastest lap time. This time, however, the driver with the fastest lap time earns the coveted pole position title and starts the next race from the first position (P1) with the remaining drivers filling in positions 2-10.
Start your engines
The results from Qualifying are generally what determine the Grand Prix starting grid, barring any penalties for race issues or exhaustive repairs which may shift some drivers.
The only other exception is on weekends with Sprint races. In those cases (3 instances for the 2022 season), the Qualifying results decide the starting grid for the Sprint race. The results from the Sprint race then decide the starting grid for the Grand Prix.
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