From the 2003 season Formula One cars have to race just as they qualified on Saturday; no set-up work or additional fuel is allowed in between. But the running order on the track during Saturday qualifying is determined by Friday qualifying, and no restrictions exist on what can be changed between these two days.
As you can imagine, a car that has to do just one flying lap on Friday has different specifications than a car that has to both qualify on Saturday and race on Sunday. On Friday, the speed over one lap is the prime consideration. For that reason, everything is pared down as much as possible. Thinner brake discs are fitted (they don’t have to last a race distance), and the bodywork, which must be more aerodynamically efficient, includes fewer concessions to engine and brake cooling. The biggest difference, however, is the set-up of the cars: On Friday, the suspension settings are optimised for speed over one lap. Such a set-up on race day would quickly destroy the tyres. Similarly, the wing settings are higher than in the race, when speed down the straight is important in order to be able to pass other cars, even if it means sacrificing some cornering grip.
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