The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she starts a race at the front of the grid. This driver is referred to as the polesitter. Grid position is usually either determined by a separate qualifying session where drivers try to set the fastest lap, or based on their position in the previous race(s). Different motorsports series use different formats for determining which driver has the opportunity to start from pole position.
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Originally in Grand Prix racing, grid positions, including pole, were determined by lottery among the drivers.[1] Prior to the inception of the Formula 1 World Championship, the first instance of grid positions being determined by qualifying times was in the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix. Since then, the FIA have introduced many different qualifying systems to F1. From the long standing one session on Friday and Saturday, to the current knockout style qualifying leaving 10 out of 24 drivers to battle for pole, there have been many changes to qualifying systems. Between 1996 and 2006, the FIA made 6 significant changes to the qualifying procedure, each with the intention of making the battle for pole more interesting to an F1 viewer at home.[2]
Traditionally, pole was always occupied by the fastest driver due to low fuel qualifying. The race fuel qualifying era between 2003 - 2009 briefly changed this.[2][3] Despite the changing formats, a driver attempting pole were required between 2003 - 2009 to do qualifying laps with the fuel they would use to start the race the next day. An underfuelled slower car and driver would therefore be able to take pole ahead of a better but heavier fueled car. In this situation, pole is not always advantageous to have in the race as the underfuelled driver would have to pit before their rivals for more fuel. With the race refueling ban introduced, this was no more and low fuel qualifying returned.[3]
Also, when F1 enforced the 107% rule between 1996 and 2002, a driver's pole time might affect cars further down the track, as cars that could not get within 107% of the pole time were disqualified for the race. Since the reintroduction of the rule in 2011, this only applies to the quickest first session (Q1) time, not the pole time.
Since 2006, there has been one hour-long session on Saturday where the riders have an unlimited number of laps to record a fast laptime. Simply, the driver with the fastest lap gains pole position for the race.
Before 2001, NASCAR used a two-day qualifying format in its national series. Before 2002 only one lap was run on oval tracks except short tracks and restrictor plate tracks. Since then, the pole position has been determined by a two-lap time trial (one lap on road courses) with the faster lap time used as the driver's qualifying speed.
The pole position for the Indianapolis 500 is determined on the first day (or first full round) of four days of time trials. Cars run 4 consecutive laps (10 miles), and the total time (and indirectly, the overall average speed) for the 4 laps determines the positioning. The fastest car on the first day of time trials wins the pole position. Times recorded in earlier days (rounds) start ahead of subsequent days (rounds). A driver could record a time faster than that of the pole winner on a subsequent day, however he will be required to line up behind the previous day(s)' qualifiers.
Currently, IndyCar uses two formats for qualifying: one for oval tracks, another for road and street circuits. Oval qualifying runs like the Indianapolis 500, with four laps averaged together with one attempt, although with just one session.
On road and street courses, cars are drawn randomly into two qualifying groups. After each group has one twenty minute session, the top six cars from each group qualify for a second session. The cars that finished seventh or worse are lined up by their time, with the best of these times starting 13th. The twelve remaining cars run a 15 minute session, after which the top six cars move on to a final 10 minute session to determine positions one through six on the grid.
Both formats were new for 2008. In prior seasons, oval qualifying ran for two laps with the best lap used for qualification. Street and road circuits used a one qualifying lap system (the 2007 season used a ten minute shootout for the top six qualifiers).