The term originates in horse racing, where the fastest qualifying horse was placed on the inside of the course next to the pole marking the start line.
Grid position is typically determined by a qualifying session before the race. Historically, the fastest qualifier was not always the designated pole-sitter; different sanctioning bodies employ different formats. Some race promoters or sanctioning bodies invert the starting grid, or part of it, for entertainment purposes — for example, the British Touring Car Championship reverses part of the grid for each third race based on a lottery determining how many positions are reversed.
In particularly important events where qualifying spanned several days, the result was segmented by which session or day a driver qualified; in some cases, only drivers having qualified on the initial day were eligible for pole position.
Originally in Grand Prix racing, grid positions including pole were determined by lottery. The first instance of grid positions being determined by qualifying times was at the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix. Since then, the FIA has introduced many different qualifying systems. Between 1996 and 2006, the FIA made six significant changes to the qualifying procedure with the intention of making the battle for pole more interesting to viewers. The current system is a knockout-style qualifying leaving 10 of 22 drivers to battle for pole.
The race-fuel qualifying era between 2003 and 2009 briefly changed the character of pole: drivers were required to qualify with the fuel they would use to start the race the following day. An underfuelled, slower car could therefore take pole ahead of a heavier, faster car. In this situation, pole was not always advantageous, as the under-fuelled driver would need an early pit stop. With the refuelling ban introduced, low-fuel qualifying returned.
When the 107% rule was enforced between 1996 and 2002, a driver's pole time affected which slower cars were allowed to start the race — any car unable to achieve within 107% of the pole time was excluded unless stewards permitted otherwise. Since the rule was reintroduced in 2011, it applies only to the quickest time in the first qualifying session (Q1), not the pole time.
From 2014, the FIA awarded a trophy to the driver who won the most pole positions in a Formula One season. In 2018, the FIA Pole Trophy was replaced by the Pirelli Pole Position Award, under which the polesitter at each race receives a Pirelli wind tunnel tyre bearing their name and time. A whole-season award was given in 2018 and 2019, but discontinued from 2020 onwards.
IndyCar uses four qualifying formats: one for most oval tracks, one for Iowa Speedway, one for the Indianapolis 500, and another for road and street circuits. Oval qualifying averages two laps with one attempt. The road and street course format — installed in 2008 — splits cars into two groups for a 20-minute session; the top six from each group advance to a second session, and the fastest six from that advance to a final 10-minute session determining positions one through six.
The Indianapolis 500 pole position is determined on the first day of time trials. Cars run four consecutive laps (10 miles), and the total elapsed time determines positioning. The fastest car on the first day wins the pole. Times recorded on earlier days start ahead of subsequent days, so a faster time on a later day does not displace the pole winner. Since 2010, the first day is split into Q1 and Q2: at the end of Q1, positions 10–24 are set; the top nine cars have their times wiped and advance to Q2, which provides 90 minutes to set a time for the pole.
Since 2006, Grand Prix motorcycle racing qualifying consisted of a one-hour session on Saturday in which riders had unlimited laps to record a fast time, with the fastest lap earning pole. In 2013 a two-session format was introduced with Q1 and Q2: the fastest ten riders over combined practice times advance automatically to Q2, and the two fastest in Q1 also progress to Q2. In 2023, qualifying results began setting the grid for both a Saturday Sprint Race and the Sunday Grand Prix Race.
Before 2001, NASCAR used a two-day qualifying format. Until 2014, pole position was determined by a two-lap time trial on oval tracks, with the faster lap used as the qualifying speed (one lap on road courses). In 2014, NASCAR adopted a knockout format: a 25-minute opening session (30 minutes at shorter tracks), the 24 fastest cars advancing to a 10-minute session, with the top 12 going to a final 5-minute session. If a team changes its engine after qualifying, the car is relegated to the rear of the 43-car field.
Superpole for Superbike World Championship racing is a timed event to establish starting positions. Under dry conditions, Superpole consists of three laps with riders starting one by one in reverse qualifying order; grid position is determined by each rider's fastest single lap. Under wet conditions, Superpole runs for 50 minutes of timed laps with a limit of 12 laps per rider. Riders must record a lap time within 107% of the pole-position rider's time to qualify.
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