Formula 1 qualifications are used to establish the starting grid for Sunday race and today they take place in three elimination phases: Q1, Q2 and Q3. In the Q1 all the pilots and the 15 faster run to Q2; From here, the best 10 access Q3 for the final challenge. At the end of the last session, the pilot with the best time conquers the pole positionthat is, the right to start in front of everyone. Curiously, the origin of this term has nothing to do with the engines: in fact it derives from the horse racing of the 19th century, where the fastest horse in the tests obtained the right to start near the innermost “pole” (in English pole) of the oval track, that is, in the best position. Formula 1 inherited this concept to indicate the pilot who starts in front of everyone after qualifying.
Because in Formula 1 there are three qualifying shifts: Q1, Q2 and Q3
Formula 1 qualifications are one of the most exciting moments of the race weekend. They take place on Saturday afternoon and serve to decide the starting order for the Sunday race. Today, the system is divided into three elimination sessions called Q1, Q2 and Q3. All drivers start in Q1 and try to take the fastest ride as possible in the 18 minutes available. At the end, the 5 slower drivers are eliminated and will start in the last positions, from 16th to 20th on the grid.
Those who pass the cut passes to Q2, where the 15 left drivers have 15 minutes to improve their times. Here too, in the end, 5 other drivers are eliminated, those from 11th to 15th place. The Q3 is the decisive phase and lasts 12 minutes: here the 10 fastest pilots challenge each other. In this session every penny of second counts because those who score the best time conquers the pole positionthat is, the first position on the starting grid.
Another fundamental aspect to know concerns the “closed park” rule. Until just before the start of the first session, the Q1, the teams can no longer change the structure of the car until the race. This means that the adjustments made before the start of the qualifications are decisive: if a pilot takes to the track with a car not perfectly balanced, he will have to keep it in the race. Only small adjustments (such as the adjustment of the front wing or the pressure of the tires) are granted. If, on the other hand, you decide to modify something more substantial such as the height from the ground or the suspensions, the indoor park breaks and therefore you are forced starting from the pit lane, the lane of the pits.
Despite the common idea that starting in front is synonymous with success, the numbers tell a different story. According to the official data of Formula 1, only 42% of the races held from 1950 to today were won by those who started on pole. In practice, more than half of the races has seen pilots triumph that started from the 2nd, 3rd or even further back on the grid. The probability of victory for the poleman It has increased in recent decades, but also in the period 2010-2023 the average has remained around 40-45%. Much depends on the structure of the track, on the weather conditions, the degradation of the tires, the strategies; All factors that can clearly decide the trend of a GP.
The evolution of qualifications over the years
Over the years, the Formula 1 qualification system has undergone numerous transformations, each designed to improve the show, increase competitiveness and respond to the technical and commercial needs of the discipline. For almost half a century, from 1950 to 1995, the starting grid of the race was decided by 2 sessions, played one on Friday and one on Saturday with the best combined time of both sessions that went to decree the various positions. There were no limits on fuel and no elimination; Those who went faster in front of them. This system, however, had a great flaw: if on Friday the track was dry and on Saturday wet, the fastest times were already marked on Friday and therefore on Saturday he lost his show.
To overcome this problem, in 1996 a new format was introduced which provided for a single qualifications of 1 hour during which each pilot could carry out up to 12 laps to mark the best time. The idea was to concentrate all the action in a single session but soon another problem was discovered: the teams waited too long in the garage to find optimal track conditions, reducing the action on the track and the suspense.
To give more show and visibility to everyone, in 2003 the F1 introduced the system of the single lap: on Friday the pilots came out one at a time in order of the ranking to mark a time that would have determined the exit order of the following day, always around the single but in reverse order compared to Friday. On Saturdays, each pilot had only one timing round to establish the starting position. The peculiarity? They had to qualify with the fuel load with which they would run the race. However, this format was strongly influenced by the conditions of the track that could change rapidly, favoring some pilots at the expense of others.
In 2005 a system was then introduced that added the times of two sessions: a low fuel ride on Saturdays and one with a race load on Sunday morning. The aggregate times decided the grid. However, the novelty does not like it to the fans or to the media, because it made it difficult to immediately understand the starting order and on Saturday he lost drama. After only 6 races, we returned to the single lap system.
Since 2006 the F1 returned to a system with several sessions with progressive eliminations: after each segment the slower pilots were eliminated, until only the best 10 on the track to play the pole on the track. This system was immediately appreciated for the voltage it created, with the real risk of going out soon even for a top driver. However, in Q3 the pilots still had to qualify with the load of tender fuel, limiting the pure attack.
With the prohibition of supply during the race since 2010, the pilots began to qualify for low fuel: with less petrol the machines lightened by reaching greater speeds and making the struggle for pole more spectacular. Small changes were made in the duration of the sessions and in the use of tires, but the 3 -phase system with progressive eliminations remained stable.
In 2016, the FIA (International Automobile Federation) tried an innovative format, eliminating the slower pilot every 90 seconds after a short initial window in each session. The idea was to make the qualifications even more intense and continuous, but the system proved too complicated and not very appreciated, lasting only two races before being abandoned. After the experiment, we returned to the traditional Q1, Q2 and Q3 system.
Some data and statistics on Formula 1 qualifications: historical drivers, stables and records
When it comes to pole position In Formula 1, there are some names that emerge clearly for their ability to be fast on the dry lap. Among all the Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stands out at the top of the ranking, capable of conquering over 100 pole in his career, an absolute record in the history of the category. It is followed by Michael Schumacher (68), Ayrton Senna (65) and Sebastian Vettel (57). Lewis Hamilton also holds the fastest round record in the history of F1 qualifications in terms of an hourly average, setting in Monza in 2020: 1’18 “887 with an average of 264.363 km/h.
Among the stables, on the other hand, Ferrari first excels with over 200 pole position in the history of the championship:
- Ferrari – 253
- McLaren – 171
- Mercedes – 142
- Williams – 128
Speaking of age, the youngest pilot to have ever conquered a pole was Sebastian Vettel who in 2008 at the Italy GP (that day he also won his first career race) marked the pole with the red bull at the age of 21 and 72 days. The oldest was Giuseppe Farina, who in 1954 in the Argentina GP obtained the pole at 47 years old and 79 days with Ferrari.
