The 29 Greatest Qualifiers in F1 History

Count the poles if you like, then weigh the laps that left rivals speechless. Midfield cars dragged to the front row sit beside records that stood for a decade or more.

1. 1
   Nelson Piquet

   Three-time champion with 24 poles for Brabham and Williams.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Ayrton Senna

   Brazilian three-time champion whose 65 poles from 161 starts set the standard for one-lap speed.
   952pts
3. 3
   Charles Leclerc

   Ferrari's qualifying specialist with more than two dozen poles, many in a car that could not win.
   871pts
4. 4
   Lewis Hamilton

   Seven-time champion and the only driver with more than 100 F1 pole positions.
   837pts
5. 5
   James Hunt

   1976 champion who took eight poles in his title season with McLaren.
   742pts
6. 6
   Nigel Mansell

   1992 champion who took 14 poles in a single season with the Williams FW14B.
   742pts
7. 7
   Valtteri Bottas

   Mercedes driver who took 20 poles, often outqualifying his champion team-mate.
   685pts
8. 8
   George Russell

   Mercedes driver nicknamed Mr Saturday for his consistent qualifying form.
   621pts
9. 9
   Alain Prost

   Four-time champion with 33 poles, famed for racecraft but quick over a lap when it counted.
   621pts
10. 10
    Juan Manuel Fangio

    Five-time 1950s champion with the best pole rate in F1 history, 29 from 51 starts.
    548pts
11. 11
    Niki Lauda

    Three-time champion who took nine poles for Ferrari in 1974 alone.
    548pts
12. 12
    Stirling Moss

    1950s great who took 16 poles in an era of fragile cars.
    548pts
13. 13
    Sebastian Vettel

    Four-time champion who set a single-season record of 15 poles in 2011.
    548pts
14. 14
    Nico Rosberg

    2016 champion who traded poles with Hamilton through the Mercedes era, finishing with 30.
    548pts
15. 15
    Juan Pablo Montoya

    Williams and McLaren star whose 2004 Monza pole lap stood as the fastest in F1 history for 14 years.
    548pts
16. 16
    Ronnie Peterson

    The Super Swede, a one-lap phenomenon with 14 poles for March and Lotus.
    464pts
17. 17
    Max Verstappen

    Four-time champion whose Red Bull pole streaks made him the qualifying benchmark of the 2020s.
    464pts
18. 18
    Mario Andretti

    1978 champion who put the ground-effect Lotus on pole 18 times in his career.
    464pts
19. 19
    Alberto Ascari

    Two-time Ferrari champion who started from pole 14 times in only 32 races.
    365pts
20. 20
    Jackie Stewart

    Three-time champion with 17 poles for Matra and Tyrrell.
    365pts
21. 21
    Jochen Rindt

    Lotus driver and posthumous 1970 champion with 10 poles in 60 starts.
    365pts
22. 22
    Jim Clark

    Lotus great who took 33 poles in just 72 starts during the 1960s.
    249pts
23. 23
    Michael Schumacher

    Seven-time champion who took 68 poles with Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes.
    249pts
24. 24
    Mika Hakkinen

    Two-time champion who took 26 poles for McLaren, 20 of them in 1998 and 1999.
    249pts
25. 25
    Rene Arnoux

    Renault turbo charger who took 18 poles in the early 1980s.
    249pts
26. 26
    Fernando Alonso

    Two-time champion whose 22 poles span three decades of F1.
    249pts
27. 27
    Jarno Trulli

    Nicknamed the King of Qualifying for hauling midfield cars to the front, including pole at Monaco 2004.
    249pts
28. 28
    Damon Hill

    1996 champion who took 20 poles for Williams.
    249pts
29. 29
    Keke Rosberg

    1982 champion whose 160mph Silverstone pole lap in 1985 became a qualifying legend.
    0pts

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