F1 Qualifying explained: The new rules for 2026

Isack Hadjar, Lewis Hamilton, Generic, Bahrain, 2025, test — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Qualifying

F1 Qualifying explained: The new rules for 2026

The F1 qualifying format will change in 2026 - we have all the details

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 6 March 2026 11:57 Updated: 14:40

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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?

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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 seven-minute break followed finally by Q3 which will now last 13 minutes.

That's a tweak from last year, when there was an eight-minute break after Q2 before a 12-minute Q3. 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.

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F1's regulations for 2026 state that 'if 22 cars are eligible, six will be eliminated after Q1 and Q2' (instead of five in the past).

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.

107% rule

The 107% rule was introduced back in 1996 to ensure that each car or driver is fast enough to compete in Sunday's race.

The reason for this is to prevent dangerous situations that could arise from having cars with vastly different speeds on the track, especially in situations when slower cars are lapped by faster ones.

The rule says that a driver must set a lap time within 107% of the fastest time in the first qualifying session (Q1). If they fail to do so, they won't be eligible to participate in the race.

However, this rule doesn't apply when the race director announces a wet track, as the conditions of the track can hugely impact lap times and performance.

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 at Albert Park on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET.

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