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The Monaco Grand Prix is and always has been a true test for an F1 driver. If you're able to hook the car up perfectly, grab it by the neck, and hustle it through the tight and twisty bits of the track, you're worth your weight in gold in F1. There have been so many instances throughout the history of the sport where a driver has just shown what it means to do a perfect lap around Monaco.
There is onboard footage from Ayrton Senna in the 1980s and 90s, one of Michael Schumacher in 2012 when he was more than 40 yrs old, and one where Kimi Raikkonen obliterated the field in 2005 including his closest challenger.
There are so many of them where drivers just produce something special around the streets of the principality. It takes a special one, however, to do it again and again and make a habit out of it, so much so that people anoint you as the king of Monaco.
Who has the most poles in the F1 Monaco GP?
In the history of F1, there have been several drivers that have been able to figure out the streets of Monaco for some time. Niki Lauda had a stint of 3 consecutive pole positions in his time. Jackie Stewart did the same as well. Michael Schumacher too plugged in and had 3 pole positions to his name, while the great Juan Manuel Fangio had four on the trot and was the first man to master the principality.
There was, however, only one man who took it a notch further. Ayrton Senna had 5 pole positions in Monaco and he did that while driving for two different teams.
Senna had always endeared himself to the track at Monaco ever since he made his debut in 1984 in a Toleman and almost won the race. He was always the driver that needed to be kept an eye on whenever the F1 circus reached the Principality.
After missing out on what looked like a certain win in 1984, Senna redeemed himself the very next year as he muscled the Lotus-Renault to his first pole position on the track.
Once the Brazilian did get his hands on one of the more competitive cars in McLaren, he never looked back as he reeled in 4 consecutive pole positions from 1988 to 1991 and became the most successful qualifier in Monaco, a record that still stands.
Which F1 pole position was the most impressive?
Ayrton Senna was a breathtakingly amazing driver whenever he drove around the tight and twisty sections of the track. After scoring his first pole position in Monaco in 1985, however, he was unable to repeat the feat with a rather uncompetitive car at his disposal.
It all changed in 1988 when he got his hands on the all-conquering McLaren. While the pole position for Senna would not have been a surprise in any which way as he was the faster driver in qualifying over Alain Prost, what was surprising was the dominance he had over his teammate.
Senna out-qualified Prost, a certified legend in his own right, by a whopping 1.4 seconds! It was this lap that left everyone not only stunned but also cognizant of the fact that the Brazilian was a different breed of a driver.
Senna's dominance in Monaco has been unmatched for almost 30 years since his departure and if we are honest, it might even stay unmatched forever.
