Section 5: Rules of Play
5.1 Race Weekend Format — Sporting Regulations, Article 12
The standard 2026 Formula One race weekend consists of three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) with the following session structure:
- Friday: Practice 1 (P1) — 60 minutes; Practice 2 (P2) — 60 minutes
- Saturday: Practice 3 (P3) — 60 minutes; Qualifying (Q1/Q2/Q3)
- Sunday: Race
Sprint Race weekends (typically six per season) replace P2 and P3 with a Sprint Shootout (Sprint qualifying) and a Sprint Race (approximately 100 km / 30 minutes), per Article 12.3. The exact Sprint weekend schedule is published in the FIA Event Schedule for each applicable round.
5.2 Qualifying Format — Sporting Regulations, Article 14
Qualifying determines the grid order for the race using a three-segment knock-out format:
- Q1 (18 minutes): All cars participate. The five slowest cars are eliminated and start the race from positions 16–20 in the order of their Q1 times.
- Q2 (15 minutes): The remaining 15 cars participate. The five slowest cars are eliminated and start from positions 11–15.
- Q3 (12 minutes): The remaining 10 cars participate. Grid positions 1–10 are set by Q3 lap times.
Tyre parc fermé begins at the start of Q3. Cars that participate in Q3 must start the race on the tyres used to set their fastest Q2 lap time (Article 24.6.d). Cars exiting in Q1 or Q2 have free tyre choice for the race start.
The fastest Q3 lap time earns pole position. In the case of equal times, the driver who set that time first takes precedence (Article 14.4).
5.3 Parc Fermé — Sporting Regulations, Article 22
Parc fermé conditions apply from the start of Qualifying until the start of the race. Under parc fermé, no work may be carried out on the car except that which is specifically permitted by Article 22.1, including work required for safety reasons approved by the FIA Technical Delegate, changing a complete Power Unit (under PU allocation rules), and changing tyres between qualifying and the race.
5.4 Race Start Procedure — Sporting Regulations, Articles 25 and 33
The pre-race procedure follows a defined sequence:
- A notification board is shown to indicate the number of minutes to the formation lap. Pit lane opens at this time.
- One minute before the formation lap, the pit lane exit closes. Cars must leave the grid for the formation lap no later than this signal.
- During the formation lap, drivers proceed at reduced speed, may weave to warm tyres, but must not overtake unless signalled (Article 25.4).
- Cars take their grid positions. Once all cars are stationary, the five red lights illuminate one by one. When all five lights are on, the start signal is given by extinguishing all five lights simultaneously.
- If a driver fails to get away (stalls or has a technical problem during the formation lap), they must indicate this by raising an arm, and a second formation lap will be conducted (Article 33.8).
A false start is defined as any movement of the car before the lights are extinguished, detectable by FIA sensors in the starting lights gantry (Article 33.4).
5.5 Pit Stops — Sporting Regulations, Article 28
There is no mandatory pit stop requirement under most race conditions; however, the tyre regulations (Article 24.6.a) require that a driver who starts the race on dry-weather tyres uses at least two different dry-weather tyre specifications during the race, effectively mandating a minimum of one pit stop in dry conditions. Under wet race conditions (Safety Car start or full wet designation), this obligation may be waived by the Race Director.
During a pit stop:
- The car must not be released until it is safe to do so (Article 28.13). Release into an unsafe gap may result in a penalty.
- The lollipop man or automatic wheel gun release system must confirm all wheel guns are clear before the car is released.
- Refuelling during the race is prohibited (Article 28.11). This has been the rule since the 2010 season.
5.6 Overtaking and Racing Conduct — Sporting Regulations, Article 27
A driver may use any part of the track (within the defined track limits) during the race. Key conduct rules include:
- A driver is allowed to change direction once to defend a position. A second change of direction to prevent an overtaking manoeuvre constitutes a violation of Article 27.7 ("erratic braking or blocking").
- When two drivers are racing side-by-side, each driver is entitled to their own car's width of racing room (Article 27.5).
- Forcing a competitor off the track or causing a collision may be penalised (Article 27.5).
- Under Article 27.1, the driver must drive the car alone and unaided. Coaching via radio regarding driving technique (including corner entry braking points) is explicitly prohibited and has been enforced since 2016.
5.7 Safety Car Procedures — Sporting Regulations, Article 36
The Safety Car (SC) is deployed when conditions are not suitable for racing but do not warrant a race suspension. Upon SC deployment:
- SC boards or lights are shown at all marshal posts and on the Marshalling System panels in cockpits.
- All cars must reduce speed and form a queue behind the SC. No overtaking is permitted except where a car is lapping another (Article 36.13).
- Cars may pit freely during an SC period. The pit lane speed limit remains in force.
- The SC delta time (minimum lap time during SC phase) is specified in the Event Notes and enforced via timing sensors. Exceeding the delta is a sporting infringement.
- When the SC returns to the pit lane, it signals with flashing orange lights. Drivers may not overtake until they have crossed the Safety Car line (Article 36.16).
5.8 Virtual Safety Car — Sporting Regulations, Article 37
The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) is a procedure allowing neutralisation of the race for short periods without deploying the physical Safety Car. When the VSC is deployed, a message "VSC DEPLOYED" appears on Marshalling System panels. All drivers must reduce their speed to a delta time shown on their steering wheel displays. Overtaking is prohibited. Pit stops are permitted. The VSC is ended with a "VSC ENDING" message, after which normal racing resumes without a physical SC return to the pit lane.
5.9 Race Suspension and Restart — Sporting Regulations, Article 41
The Race Director may suspend the race (red flag) if the track is blocked or conditions are dangerous. Red lights are shown at the start/finish line and at all marshal posts. All cars must immediately slow down and return to the pit lane (Article 41.3). After a red flag, the race may be restarted from a standing start or rolling start, or from the grid. If the race is not restarted, results are taken at the end of the penultimate lap before the red flag for the purposes of classification.
5.10 Race Distance and Duration — Sporting Regulations, Article 5
The race distance is the least of 305 km (190 miles) or two hours of racing time. The Monaco Grand Prix is a traditional exception at approximately 260 km. The maximum race duration (including stoppages) is four hours from the formation lap start. If the four-hour limit is reached, the race is immediately ended (Article 5.4). The race is considered a full points-scoring event if more than 75% of the scheduled race distance has been completed. If between 2 and 25 laps have been completed, half points are awarded; if 26 or more laps are completed (≥75% of race distance), full points apply (Article 57).