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Formula 1 All-time Pole Positions List

From Lewis Hamilton to Ayrton Senna, from Sebastian Vettel to Max Verstappen. Here are the all-time poles in Formula 1.

At the top of the all-time poles list, we have Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna whose numbers seem to be unreachable. But everything can change with the rising star Max Verstappen who is already challenging every legend in Formula One.

Formula 1 top 10 all-time poles:

#1 – Lewis Hamilton: 104

Lewis Hamilton conquered his 104th pole position during the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, breaking the record for most poles at the same track. His first pole position was in Canada in 2007 with McLaren, the year of his debut in F1. Right now, he holds the record of most poles, podiums, most laps led, most wins, and he shares the same amount of world titles won with Michael Schumacher.

#2 – Michael Schumacher: 68

The Kaiser took his first pole at the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix during his time in Benetton. Michael Schumacher has the most hat trick, that is pole position, win and fastest lap in a race, the last one was at the 2006 French GP. It was his 22nd hat trick and his last pole position in his career in Formula 1. At the end of the 2006 season, he said goodbye to the circus before coming back in 2010 with Mercedes. He retired from the motorsport world in 2012.

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#3 – Ayrton Senna: 65

The three time world champion has 65 poles: 46 for McLaren, 16 with Lotus and 3 in a Williams. The first one was on the Autódromo do Estoril in Portugal in 1985. The last one was at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the infamous Grand Prix where he tragically lost his life in an incident. Magic is still nowadays known for his speed in qualifying as well as his incredible driving in wet conditions and his ability on city tracks.

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#4 – Sebastian Vettel: 57

Vettel holds the record for being the youngest driver to gain a pole position (and a championship title). He achieved it in 2008 at the Italian Grand Prix which he also won. He has the record of most win starting from pole (9) in a season and most poles in a season (15). His last pole position was in 2019 at the Japanese GP. He retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2022 season.

 

#5 – Jim Clark: 33

The Scottish driver is known for his speed on the track which resulted in 33 poles, the first one on the streets of Monte Carlo in 1962. He didn’t have a proper race strategy, but his insane speed led him to gain pole positions and wins. He has the record of most Grand Chelem (8): pole, the fastest lap and victory after leading every single lap during the race. His last pole was during the 1968 South African Grand Prix. In the same year, in April, he passed away after a fatal incident during an F2 race in Germany.

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#5 – Alain Prost: 33

The Professor gained 33 pole positions in his career in Formula 1: the first one at the 1981 German Grand Prix, the last one at the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix. He won four championships (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993) and he was four time vice-champion (1983, 1984, 1988 and 1990). During his time in the circus, he drove for McLaren, Renault, Ferrari and Williams. His rivalry with Senna is considered one of the most iconic in the history of the motorsport. He raced from 1980 to 1991; after a break from F1, he returned in 1993 then retired forever.

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#6 – Nigel Mansell: 32

Nigel Mansell, The Lion, achieved 32 poles in his long career in F1: 28 with Williams, 3 with Ferrari and 1 with Lotus. His first start at the front was with Lotus at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. The last one was on a Williams at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, after his short come back.

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#7 – Nico Rosberg: 30

The one time world champion has 30 poles, all of them while driving for Mercedes. He conquered the first one at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix. It was his first win in Formula 1 and became the first German to win a GP for a German F1 team. His last pole was in 2016 in Japan. At the end of the season, after winning his first and only world title, he retired from Formula 1.

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#8 – Juan Manuel Fangio: 29

Fangio is considered one of the best drivers of all time. He has 29 poles and started in the front row in 48 occasions. He holds the record for the highest percentage of pole positions in Formula 1: 55,8% in all the Grand Prix he took part of. The first pole was on the track of Monaco in 1950 and the last one in Argentina in 1958.

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#9 – Max Verstappen: 27

The Dutchman has 27 poles on his shoulders: the first in 2019 in Hungary and the last one in Silverstone in 2023. However, the Red Bull driver has been dominating the 2023 season, scoring 7 poles and winning 10 podiums. It’s likely that his numbers will grow very soon. Currently, he has two championships and has the record of being the youngest driver to win a race in F1 (he won the Spanish GP at 18 years old). He’s the driver with most podiums and most wins in a season.

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#10 – Mika Häkkinen: 26

The Finnish driver got his first pole position at the Nurburgring in 1997 on a McLaren. The last one was at the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix. Hakkinen drove for Lotus and McLaren, with the latter, he scored 20 wins and two World Drivers Championships. At the end of the 90s, he was known for his rivalry with Michael Schumacher. He retired from Formula 1 at the end of the 2001 season.

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 Formula 1 top 20 all-time poles:

#11 – Niki Lauda: 24

–   Nelson Piquet: 24

#12 – Fernando Alonso: 22

#13 – Damon Hill: 20

–  Valtteri Bottas: 20

–  Charles Leclerc: 20

#14 – Mario Andretti: 18

– René Arnoux: 18

– Kimi Raikkonen: 18

#15 – Jake Stewart: 17

#16 – Stirling Moss: 16

– Felipe Massa: 16

#17 – Alberto Ascari: 14

– James Hunt: 14

– Ronnie Peterson: 14

– Rubens Barrichello: 14

#18 – Graham Hill: 13

–  Jack Brabham: 13

–  Jaky Ickx: 13

– Jacques Villeneuve: 13

– Juan Pablo Montoya: 13

– Mark Webber: 13

#19 – Gerhard Berger: 12

– David Coulthard: 12

#20 – Jochen Rindt: 10

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Formula 1 all-time poles ( from 21st to 27th position)

#21 – John Surtees: 8

– Riccardo Patrese: 8

– Jenson Button: 8

#22 – Jacques Laffite: 7

#23 – Phil Hill: 6

–  Emerson Fittipaldi: 6

– Jean-Pierre Jabouille: 6

– Alan Jones: 6

– Carlos Reutemann: 6

– Ralf Schumacher: 6

#24 – Nino Farina: 5

– Chris Amon: 5

– Clay Regazzoni: 5

– Patrick Tambay: 5

– Keke Rosberg: 5

#25 – Mike Hawthorn: 4

– Didier Pironi: 4

– Jarno Trulli: 4

– Giancarlo Fisichella: 4

#26 – José Froilàn Gonzàlez: 3

– Tony Brooks: 3

– Dan Gurney: 3

– Jean-Pierre Jarier: 3

– Jody Scheckter: 3

– Elio De Angelis: 3

– Teo Fabi: 3

– Daniel Ricciardo: 3

– Carlos Sainz Jr. : 3

– Sergio Perez: 3

#27 –  Stuart Lewis-Evans: 2

–  Jo Siffert: 2

– John Watson: 2

– Gilles Villeneuve: 2

– Michele Alboreto: 2

– Jean Alesi: 2

– Heinz-Harald Frentzen: 2

Formula 1 one polews:

#28 – Walt Faulkner: 1

– Duke Nalon: 1

– Fred Agabashian: 1

– Bill Vukovich: 1

– Jack McGrath: 1

– Jerry Hoyt: 1

– Eugenio Castellotti:1

– Pat Flaherty: 1

– Pat O’Connor: 1

– Dick Rathmann: 1

– Johnny Thomson: 1

– Jo Bonnier: 1

– Eddie Sachs: 1

– Wolfgang von Trips: 1

– Lorenzo Bandini: 1

– Mike Parkes: 1

– Peter Revson: 1

– Denny Hulme: 1

– Patrick Depailler: 1

– José Carlos Pace: 1

– Vittorio Brambilla: 1

– Tom Pryce: 1

– Bruno Giacomelli: 1

– Andrea de Cesaris: 1

– Thierry Boutsen: 1

– Nick Heidfeld: 1

– Robert Kubica: 1

– Heikki Kovalainen: 1

– Nico Hulkenberg: 1

– Pastor Maldonado: 1

– Lance Stroll: 1

– Lando Norris: 1

– George Russell: 1

– Kevin Magnussen: 1

There is still the second half of the 2023 season to go. Will we see some movements on this list?

 

 

 

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