Qualifying and sessions
Free practice (FP1-FP3)
The untimed-for-points track sessions before qualifying, used for setup, tyre and traffic homework.
Free practice sessions are the scheduled track time before qualifying, typically two or three per event plus longer running at Le Mans. Nothing about the grid or points is decided in them, which is exactly why they matter: teams use the hours for setup work, tyre evaluation over long runs, driver acclimatisation and multi-class traffic rehearsal.
Practice times are a notoriously unreliable form guide because fuel loads and run plans are invisible from outside. Our record tables exclude practice entirely; a lap only counts as a record if it was set in qualifying, Hyperpole or the race.
Part of the WEC Engine glossary. Questions with longer answers live in Answers.