F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Schedule & Session Times

F1 qualifying uses a three-part knockout format to set the grid for the Grand Prix:

• Q1 (18 minutes) — All 20 drivers. The slowest 5 are eliminated and start P16–P20.
• Q2 (15 minutes) — 15 remaining drivers. The slowest 5 are eliminated (P11–P15).
• Q3 (12 minutes) — The top 10 shoot for pole position. Each driver gets two flying lap attempts.

The entire qualifying session lasts approximately one hour including breaks between segments. The Grand Prix starts Sunday, Mar 15 at 15:00 CST, UTC+8.

Sprint weekends replace Friday's second practice with Sprint Qualifying (also called Sprint Shootout). The format mirrors standard qualifying (SQ1/SQ2/SQ3) but with shorter sessions — 12, 10, and 8 minutes respectively.

The Sprint Race runs on Saturday over approximately 100 km (about one-third of a full race distance).The top 8 finishers score points (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1). No mandatory pit stops required.