Your Driver’s Qualifying and your car’s Power, Grip, and Durability determine your qualifying score that’s translated to your qualifying lap time. We use this score to work out what your perfect qualifying lap time would be for your equipped loadout.

The stats which contribute to this score are:
Component stats: Power, Grip and Durability
Driver stats: Qualifying (weighing as much as component stats added together)

When calculating your qualifying lap time, we use a two-step process. First, we consider your car's Power, Grip, and Durability stats to determine its base time. The higher these stats, the better your base time will be. Second, we factor in your Driver's Qualifying stat and convert it into a deduction in seconds from your base time. The higher your Driver's Qualifying stat, the greater the deduction from your base time will be. The length of the track also affects the Qualifying stat bonus time. Generally, longer tracks result in a higher Qualifying stat bonus time.

In summary:
Your Driver’s Qualifying stat plays the most important role in securing a better starting grid position.
Your car’s Power, Grip and Durability stats have an impact on your final qualifying lap time too.
If you are unhappy with your qualifying position relative to your Rival - try increasing your Driver’s Qualifying stat and your car’s Power, Grip and Durability stats.