2026 F1 qualifying format explained as Cadillac expands the grid to 22 cars

With Cadillac joining the grid for the 2026 Formula 1 season, there will be 22 cars on the grid, two more than we're currently used to. Because of this, qualifying will see a small change to include the extra two cars. This is what you need to know.

F1's 2026 qualifying format will still have the familiar three-part knockout structure that we're all accustomed to. With a larger grid this year, slight changes have been made to ensure the fight for pole in Q3 still includes just 10 cars.

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Under the FIA's 2026 sporting regulations, qualifying is still split into Q1, Q2 and Q3, with the same timed run plan.

Q1 lasts 18 minutes, followed by a seven-minute break. Q2 will run for 15 minutes with another seven-minute break, and Q3 will last 12 minutes with an eight-minute break. What's different is the cut line.

The regulations explain that the “procedure detailed in this Article is based upon twenty (20) Cars being officially eligible”, but then add the scaling clause: “If twenty-two (22) Cars are eligible six (6) will be eliminated after Q1 and Q2.”

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So with 22 cars, this is what the format will look like:

Session

The sporting regulations confirm that lap times achieved by the remaining cars will then be deleted at the end of Q1, and this same rule applies to Q2 when the field is reduced once again. Just like 2025, there is no banking a better time in a previous section.

Sprint qualifying sees the same changes, albeit with shorter sessions.

With 22 cars on the grid, we're not seeing a reinvented qualifying. While six drivers will be eliminated in Q1 and Q2, the format still funnels the top 10 cars into Q3 for a normal fight for pole.

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