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Max Verstappen is on the verge of equaling a 35-year-old record for most consecutive pole positions at the F1 Imola GP. The Red Bull driver currently finds himself with 7 consecutive pole positions, a streak that began last season in Abu Dhabi.
The record for the most consecutive pole positions is 8 by Ayrton Senna, which was accomplished from the 1988 to 1989 season when he was at McLaren and teamed up with Alain Prost.
At the F1 Imola GP, Max Verstappen is coming to the race weekend after securing pole position at every race of the season. Currently, he's tied with five other drivers who had a streak of 7 consecutive pole positions. Let's take a look at the top 6 drivers that have the longest streak of pole positions.
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#1 Ayrton Senna: 8 (1988 Spanish GP to 1989 US GP)
Ayrton Senna is at the top of this list, with as many as 8 consecutive pole positions. These were achieved in the dominant McLaren era, and what makes it even more interesting is that it was done with the F1 legend Alain Prost driving the same car in the same team.
#2 Ayrton Senna: 7 (1990 Spanish GP to 1991 Monaco GP)
At the second spot as well, we have Ayrton Senna with 7 consecutive pole positions from the 1990 Spanish GP to 1991 Monaco GP. At the time, the Spanish GP was not in the first half of the season, and that's where Senna's streak started, and it continued into the next season at Monaco.
Someone whose name tends to be synonymous with the Imola GP for varied reasons, Ayrton Senna in the top 2 positions is a testament to his qualifying ability.
#3 Alain Prost: 7 (1993 South African GP to 1993 Canadian GP)
Alain Prost was not usually termed a great qualifier, but in 1993, when he got his hands on the Adrian Newey-designed Williams, he dominated in qualifying. The Frenchman would score as many as 7 consecutive pole positions, the second-best streak in the sport.
#4 Michael Schumacher: 7 (2000 Italian GP to 2001 Brazilian GP)
Michael Schumacher went on a 7-race pole position streak during Ferrari's dominant era from 2000 to 2001. It is interesting to note that the years 2000 and 2001 are not necessarily the ones that we associate with the team's most dominant (those were 2002 and 2004) but even in those years, the fact that the German could string a 7-race streak was very impressive.
#5 Lewis Hamilton: 7 (2015 Monaco GP to 2015 Italian GP)
The most successful driver in F1 who would be racing this weekend in the Imola GP also finds himself on the list. Lewis Hamilton went on a 7-race streak during his title battle with Nico Rosberg in 2015. The British driver ended up winning the title with ease that season, as he held a clear advantage over his teammate.
#6 Max Verstappen: 7 (2023 Abu Dhabi GP to 2024 Imola GP* (* = ongoing streak)
Max Verstappen is currently on a 7-race pole position streak. The driver has been in pole position in every race this season. He was very close to being dethroned in Suzuka when teammate Sergio Perez came within a tenth of his benchmark. He will be looking to extend this streak at the Imola GP and own both the longest win and the longest pole position streak in F1.
