F1: Most pole positions of all-time

Formula One is the premier single-seater automobile racing event in the world. The first F1 season was held in 1950 and all 6 races in the inaugural season were held in Europe. Italian Giuseppe Farina of Alfa Romeo team was the first ever Drivers' Champion. Of the 993 races held till the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix, 415 of them have been won by drivers who qualified to start in pole yielding an impressive conversion rate of 42% underscoring the importance of qualifying in the top row. In the early days, every driver was given only a single lap to set the qualifying time.

Today the qualifying rounds are divided into Q1, Q2 and Q3 each timed for 18, 15 and 12 minutes respectively. 5 slowest drivers out of 20 are eliminated in Q1 and 5 slowest drivers are again eliminated in Q2 leaving 10 drivers to battle it out for pole position in Q3. Of the 993 races held so far, 98 drivers have taken pole position. We take a look at 5 drivers with the most poles in F1.

#5 Alain Prost

Frenchman Alain Prost made his F1 debut in 1980 racing for McLaren. In a storied 13 year career, he would also drive for Renault, Scuderia Ferrari and Williams. His on-track duels with Brazilian Ayrton Senna is well-documented in the annals of motorsport history. After 4 barren seasons, Prost won the Drivers' Championship in 1985 and 1986. He won two more Championships in 1989 and 1993. In 202 starts, he took pole on 33 occasions.

=5 Jim Clark

Double world champion, Scotsman Jim Clark was one of the greatest talents that Formula 1 ever produced. Jim was fatally killed in a tragic racing accident at the Hockenheimring Circuit in 1968 but his legacy lives on in the hearts of Motorsports fans across the globe. Jim Clark who also won the Indy 500 race had a remarkable pole conversion rate of 45%. He started on pole position in 33 of 73 races that he took part in.

#4 Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil 2013

Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel holds many impressive records. He is the youngest driver to start in pole position. He did so at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix when he was just 22 years and 72 days old. He is the youngest driver to win a Formula One World title. In his record-breaking 2013 title-winning season, Vettel won 13 out of 18 races and started from pole on 15 occasions. Vettel has till date started from pole position on 56 occasions in 215 starts.

#3 Ayrton Senna

One of the most popular and accomplished Formula 1 drivers of all-time, Brazilian great Ayrton Senna was a 3 time Formula 1 World Champion. He won the famed Monaco Grand Prix a record 6 times. Senna raced for Team Toleman, Lotus, McLaren and Williams and won 41 races and finished on the podium 80 times. He had 65 pole position starts.

#2 Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher or Schumi as he is known is widely considered to be the 'Greatest Motorsport Driver of All-Time'. The German whose career inspired many young Germans to get behind the wheels and aim for Formula One glory won a record 7 Drivers' Championships and won a record total of 91 Grand Prix victories. For 5 years between 2000-2004 inclusive, no driver could match Schumacher wheel-to-wheel. Michael Schumacher has started from pole 68 times in 308 starts.

#1 Lewis Hamilton

Since losing out on the Drivers' Championship title in his rookie season in 2007 by just a single point, Lewis Hamilton has made great strides and has well and truly cemented his place among the Formula 1 greats. The Briton who has 4 Championships under his belt is well and truly on course to grab his 5th World title equaling the tally of late Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio. Hamilton has won in a record 26 different circuits around the world. As of the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton has started from pole in 85 races.

Edited by Vikshith R