F1 drivers with the most pole positions in history

The driver who laps the quickest time in qualifying on a Saturday starts on pole position, meaning they have a clear run to the first corner.

Some drivers mastered the art of setting quick lap times under pressure. RadioTimes.com brings you the top five F1 pole-sitters of all time.

5. Max Verstappen – 35 poles

Ok, for the past few years, Verstappen has been aided by having far and away the best car on the grid.

But a driver still must pedal it around quickly and efficiently and Verstappen certainly has done that.

He has had a habit of dashing the hopes of other teams and drivers just when they think they have got top spot secured.

In 2023, he started on pole in 12 of 22 races and won every race on which he was frotn of the grid.

4. Sebastian Vettel – 57 poles

When Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel were dominating F1 between 2010 and 2013, the German qualifying on pole position was almost an inevitability.

His first pole came in 2008 with Toro Rosso (the sane weekend he grabbed his first win) but Vettel became a qualifying titan when he was promoted to the senior Red Bull team in 2009.

2011 was the high point for the four-time world champion, qualifying first in an incredible 15 of 19 races.

He was also the top dog in 2013, the year he won the title by 155 points, coming first in nine of the 19 races.

3. Ayrton Senna – 65 poles

Senna was a demon in qualifying and over 40% of his Grand Prix starts saw him begin the race on pole position.

The Brazilian, widely regarded as the most naturally talented F1 driver of all time, frequently laid down a marker for the race ahead during qualifying sessions.

His maiden pole came in the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, the same weekend he scored his first win and he had the highest number of pole position in six of the following eight seasons.

Senna was particularly dominant driving for McLaren alongside Alain Prost in 1988 and 1989 – he topped the charts in 26 of the 32 races over those two years.

Poignantly, his final pole position came in the weekend where his death sent shockwaves around the world – he was the fastest driver at Imola in 1994 with his new Williams car.

2. Michael Schumacher – 68 poles

For all his titles and race wins, Schumacher wasn’t necessarily the most lethal in Saturday qualifying.

The German took pole in just over 22% of his race starts but his longevity saw him break Senna’s record in the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix.

Despite the perhaps surprising lack of poles, he put in some incredible laps when it mattered.

His pole lap in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, where he out-qualified Damon Hill by half a second, was superb as was his effort in the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix, where he prevented Kimi Raikkonen from scoring a maiden pole despite making a mistake early on.

Schumacher excelled more often in races (ultimately when it matters most) but he was still a fine operator in qualifying

1. Lewis Hamilton – 104 poles

Unsurprisingly, it is Hamilton who sits top of the tree with 104 poles.

The 38-year-old has been a mainstay at the top of the F1 grid for the last 15 years and first earned pole position in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.

Like others in this list, it was the same race where he scored his first victory and Hamilton has continued to excel in qualifying.

He has had the most number of poles in a season nine times, which is a record, and his most fruitful year came in 2020 when he was the man to beat in 10 of 17 races.

His best qualifying lap was arguably at the Singapore GP in 2018 where he broke the lap record time, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff describing it as “stardust”.

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