Currently, qualifying consists of three knockout sessions — Q1 (18 minutes), Q2 (15 minutes), and Q3 (12 minutes). After the first session, the slowest five drivers are eliminated, followed by another five at the end of Q2. The remaining top ten then fight for pole position in Q3.
However, with the number of entrants set to increase from 20 to 22 drivers in 2026, the FIA has confirmed an adjustment to ensure balance and fairness across the sessions.
How the new 2026 qualifying format will work:
Q1: The six slowest drivers will be eliminated.
Q2: A further six drivers will drop out.
Q3: The top ten will continue to battle for pole position as usual.
Formula 1 management reportedly considered an alternative structure that would have seen seven drivers eliminated after Q1, but that proposal was ultimately rejected.
The update effectively marks a return to a layout similar to that used in 2016, the last season in which 11 teams competed on the Formula 1 grid.
This change is designed to accommodate the sport’s growing roster while maintaining the intensity and strategic depth that make the qualifying hour one of Formula 1’s most exciting spectacles.
