F1 2026 Regulations: What are the new qualifying rules?

Amongst all the technical changes wrought by the 2026 regulations, one of F1's most crucial components will also have a slight tweak in the new era - qualifying.

F1 is no longer a field of 10 teams and 20 drivers, with the addition of Cadillac boosting the grid to 11 teams and 22 drivers.

The extra team and two drivers however, means that qualifying needs a small change to accommodate the extra cars in 2026.

What are the changes to qualifying in 2026, and will the fight for pole change?

F1 2026 Regulations: What is active aero?

F1 2026 qualifying changes

F1 qualifying will retain its three-part knockout structure (Q1, Q2 and Q3) with the same timed run plan. Q1 will last 18 minutes, followed by a seven-minute break, then Q2 will run for 15 minutes with an eight-minute break followed finally by Q3 which will last 12 minutes.

The changes will ensure the fight for pole will remain between 10 drivers in Q3, so what will be different from this year onwards is the cut-off line.

F1's regulations for 2026 state that 'if 22 cars are eligible six will be eliminated after Q1 and Q2'.

So, Q1 will decide the grid positions P17 to P22, Q2 will determine positions P11 to P16 and 10 drivers will continue to battle for for P1 to 10 in Q3.

Sprint qualifying will also follow the same pattern and SQ1 will last 12 minutes, SQ2 10 minutes and SQ3 eight minutes.

The conclusion? Don't worry too much about qualifying changes in 2026, the only tweak is an extra car will be eliminated in Q1 and Q2.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

The 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix and the first qualifying session will take place Saturday March 7 at 4pm local time (AEDT), 5am GMT and 12am ET.

The first race of the year takes place on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET.

F1 2026 Regulations: What is lift and coast?

Related