F1 Imola Grand Prix: Who has taken the most number of poles?

The F1 Imola Grand Prix marks three years since its return to the sport. The track returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 after a long absence of 14 years. Looking at the track layout and the lack of overtaking opportunities, qualifying and securing the pole position are pivotal for the race. Since its return, we have seen Mercedes take pole position in both the races that have taken place at the track.

Most successful F1 qualifiers in Imola

#1 Ayrton Senna (8 Poles)

Ayrton Senna was one of the best qualifiers ever in F1 history. Aiding him in his pursuits, he had some rocket ships in the form of cars that were fantastic in qualifying. Even before his association with McLaren, Senna was part of Lotus-Honda and that helped the driver rack up multiple pole positions at Imola throughout his career.

Senna started from pole in every race at Imola from 1985 to 1991. He got his final pole position at the track in 1994 which culminated in his tragic accident.

#2 Michael Schumacher (5 Poles)

Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in Imola with seven wins to his name. His qualifying record is not that bad either as the German picked up pole positions on the track with both Benetton and Ferrari. Schumacher had pole positions in 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, and 2006.

#3 Rene Arnoux (3 Poles)

One of the most forgotten talents in the sport, Rene Arnoux developed a liking to the track and was often able to wring the neck of his cars to claim pole position.

Arnoux had three pole positions to his name in 1980, 1982, and 1983. The French driver was able to secure the first two pole positions with Renault and then in 1983, he achieved that with Ferrari.

#4 Mika Hakkinen (2 Poles)

The two-time world champion too enjoyed some success at the track with his McLaren. He was able to secure a couple of pole positions for the race in 1999 and 2000. Ironically, though, for Hakkinen, he was never able to convert these pole positions to wins at the track.

#5 David Coulthard (2 Poles)

The former McLaren driver was a prominent presence on the grid during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Scotsman was able to secure pole position at the track in 1998 and 2001. Although Coulthard could not win either race, he was able to convert the first pole position into a win for McLaren.

About the author

Charanjot is an F1 writer and Content Specialist at Sportskeeda with over 5 years of experience covering news, trends, and analyses related to the sport.

He started watching F1 when Narain Karthikeyan made his F1 debut in 2005 and was hooked when Kimi Raikkonen delivered a stunning lap in Monaco in the same season. He has been with the firm for almost 4 years and tries his best to put his links in the F1 paddock to the best use so as to report relevant and accurate information.

Charanjot has interviewed Indian motorsports driver Kush Maini during his time with Sportskeeda. He has also written 4K+ articles on the sport and is the key factor behind all the F1-related content that goes out in the domain.

If given a chance, he would like for India’s Buddh International Circuit to be added back to the calendar. A Mechanical engineer and an MBA, Charanjot aims to spearhead the cause of making F1 a mainstream sport in India. Apart from F1, he also follows MotoGP, cricket and MMA.

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