How qualifying will change in 2026
1st March 202622 drivers will form up the grid in all 24 race weekends in the upcoming campaign, and with that, here is how qualifying will be changed for 2026.
Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool
Melbourne is set to kick off the action next weekend for the opening round of the 2026 championship season, for the Australian Grand Prix. It will mark the first grand prix with 22 cars on the grid for the first time in a decade, with 2016 the last season with so many drivers.
As such, there will be slight tweaks to the current knock-out system format to qualifying, whilst the session will remain an hour long.
For both formats of qualifying, race and sprint, in Q1 (22-17), the slowest six drivers will be eliminated, and this will be the same for Q2 (16-11), leaving the top 10 to still fight it out for pole position.
However, the FIA has confirmed a tweak to the final third of qualifying (race), with the session going on for an extra minute, extending from 12 to 13 minutes.
In turn, the break between Q2 and Q3 will be slightly shortened to take this into account. Instead of an eight-minute break, there will now be a seven-minute break between the second and final thirds.
Sprint qualifying is set to remain the same, with the usual imposed time restrictions: 12 minutes (SQ1), 10 minutes (SQ2) and eight minutes (SQ3).
The first qualifying session of the season, at the Australian Grand Prix, will get underway at 4pm local time (5am GMT).
Read more Formula 1 here:
- FIA approve new power unit test following vote
- Honda face shortages to limit Aston Martin’s Pre-Season Test runs
- Lando Norris tops opening hours of Day 2 test
- George Russell tops first day of Bahrain second test
- Oscar Piastri pips Leclerc to fastest time in afternoon of Day 1 test
Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from ApexMotorsports.co.uk!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
