Why is Qualifying So Important in Formula 1
Winning a Formula 1 race is about much more than what happens during the race on Sunday. A large percentage of the work on a race weekend takes place in the time before the cars take the starting grid on Sunday. Practice and qualifying sessions go a long way in deciding in how a driver will finish during the main race. Many weekends are decided before Sunday comes around.
Qualifying is an important part of the Formula 1 weekend. In fact, qualifying can cause a driver’s fortunes to sink or swim. A strong qualifying session can put a driver into a prime position for a strong finish. However, a poor qualifying effort can make it almost impossible for a driver to earn a podium finish. It can also put them in a dangerous situation in having to charge through the field to get to the front. Not only can this cause teams to try risky tire strategies, it can also make drivers over-drive their cars and put themselves in position for a dangerous accident.
The starting procedures in Formula 1 is one reason why qualifying is so important. Unlike American forms of motorsports like Indy Car or NASCAR, Formula 1 races begin from standing starts. This gives a person an opportunity to make up several positions if they time the start right. However, taking chances on the start can also backfire and create big starting line crashes. Having a high starting position means that drivers don’t need to be as aggressive at the start of the race, avoiding trouble while getting in position for the rest of the race.
Passing in Formula 1 racing can also be very difficult; critics can even say that racing is boring because of the difficulty in passing. Certain tracks are especially difficult to pass at such as street courses. It can be almost impossible to rebound from a poor qualifying effort at these tracks. At venues like Monaco, having a strong qualifying run is critical to having a solid finish in the race.
Even at a wide-open track, passing can be tough. More importantly, passing is dangerous and is when drivers are most likely to get into trouble. The worse you qualify, the further back in the pack you need to start. This means that you will need to pass more cars in order to make it to the front, increasing your opportunities to have disaster happen.
Qualifying is also an important psychological weapon. A top qualifying spot sends a message to other teams and drivers that you are someone to watch. It also keeps sponsors happy along with buoying the confidence of the entire team. A driver whose car qualifies at the front of the grid can race knowing that they have a car underneath them which can win the race. This sort of confidence is invaluable and can help a driver to feel like they can overtake other cars if needed or hold off challengers.
In 2006, Formula 1 changed their qualifying procedures in order to make it more interesting for fans. Instead of having an open session where all cars can try to set their best time, Formula 1 moved to a “knockout” format. All cars are on the track for the first session, with the fastest 20 cars moving on to the second session while the other cars take the spots after 21 based on their time. The second qualifying session knocks out all but the first 15 cars. This goes on until a fourth and final qualifying session sets the first 10 spots. This rewards cars which can turn in solid qualifying times over and over again and eliminates slower cars holding up drivers attempting to qualify for the pole.
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