How Formula 1’s current qualifying format began in 2006 and still shapes the grid. A look back at how Formula 1’s knockout qualifying format.

In 2006, the Q1-Q2-Q3 elimination system was introduced, and it is still used today to determine the Formula 1 starting grid.

This weekend, the highly anticipated 2026 Formula 1 World Championship will finally get underway, with fans around the globe eager to see the new generation of cars in action, all built to comply with significant regulatory changes. The sport continues to evolve, technologies keep advancing, yet the system used to set the starting grid remains the same format that was first introduced twenty years ago, in 2006. Some may find it hard to believe that so much time has passed, others perhaps less so, but the fact remains that for two decades drivers have had to battle against the clock, first to progress through Q1, then Q2, and ultimately fight for pole position in Q3.

1996: the first major change

The qualifying format has rarely undergone major transformations throughout Formula 1 history, with the fight for pole position from the 1950s to the early 1990s typically spread across two sessions between Friday (pre-qualifying) and Saturday. The first real change came exactly thirty years ago, during the inaugural edition of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

In 1996, qualifying was concentrated for the first time into a single Saturday session, with one hour available to all drivers and a maximum of 12 laps per competitor. Unlike the early years of that decade, drivers now had to keep their lap time within 107% of the pole sitter’s benchmark in order to qualify for the race, otherwise they would be excluded from the Grand Prix. This rule remained in place until 2002, followed by another major variation introduced the following year: in 2003, in an effort to increase the show, the ‘single-lap’ format was introduced, giving each driver just one attempt to set their time and determine the starting grid. However, contrary to FIA expectations, this system was not well received by fans and was eventually abandoned during the 2005 season.

2006: the knockout era begins

In 2006, exactly twenty years ago, Formula 1 introduced the knockout qualifying format for the first time. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sakhir circuit, which at the time hosted the season opener, a three-part elimination system divided into Q1, Q2, and Q3 was implemented.

Then as now, due to the similar number of cars on the grid (22 at the time), the six slowest drivers are eliminated in the first phase, followed by another six in the second session. In the third and final segment, the remaining ten drivers battle it out for pole position. The first driver to secure pole under this format was Michael Schumacher, who lined up ahead of his new Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa.

Since its introduction, the system has remained largely unchanged, apart from an attempt made ten years ago, in 2016, with the introduction of the unsuccessful ‘elimination-style’ format often referred to as the “hot seat.” After the start of each session (lasting 16 minutes in Q1, 15 in Q2, and 14 in Q3), one driver would be eliminated every 90 seconds, eventually leaving just two drivers to fight for pole position. The format was immediately rejected by both fans and drivers alike, leading to a swift return to the original knockout system after only a few races.