Qualifying vs. Race Pace

Qualifying rewards a single low-fuel lap on fresh soft tyres with everything turned up. Race pace is about sustaining competitive lap times over a stint, with heavy fuel, managing tyre wear, and looking after the car. A team can be strong at one and ordinary at the other.

That gap is why grid position and race result often diverge, and why practice long runs, not the quick laps, are the better read on Sunday pace.