Qualifying Sessions
Qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon in a three-stage "knockout" system. One hour is dedicated to determining the grid order, divided into three periods with short intermissions between them. The first qualifying period is twenty minutes long, and sees all twenty-four cars on the circuit. At the end of twenty minutes, the seven slowest drivers are eliminated, and they fill positions eighteen to twenty-four on the grid. Any driver attempting to set a qualifying time when the period ends is permitted to finish his lap, though no new laps may be started once the chequered flag is shown. After a short break, the second period begins, with seventeen cars on the circuit. At the end of the fifteen minute period, the seven slowest drivers are once again elminated, filling grid positions eleven to seventeen. Finally, the third qualifying period features the ten fastest drivers from the second period. The drivers have ten minutes to set a qualifying time, which will determine the top ten positions on the grid. The driver who sets the fastest qualifying time is said to be on pole position, the grid position that offers the best physical position to start the race from.
During the three qualifying periods, the drivers may complete as many laps as they choose. However, the top ten drivers must start the race on the set of tyres they used for qualifying. These may only be changed if qualifying and the race are held under different weather conditions, or if a tyre is damaged as a result of an accident. The remaining fourteen drivers are free to start the race with any tyres they choose.
Generally, a driver will leave the pits and drive around the track in order to get to the start/finish line (the out-lap). Having crossed the line, they will attempt to achieve the quickest time around the circuit that they can in one or more laps (the flying lap or hot lap). This is the lap time which is used in calculating grid position. Finally, the driver will continue back around the track and re-enter the pit-lane (the in-lap). However, this is merely strategy, and no teams are obligated by the rules to follow this formula.
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