# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-29-greatest-qualifiers-in-f1-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Nelson Piquet** — score 1000/1000
   Three-time champion with 24 poles for Brabham and Williams.
2. **Ayrton Senna** — score 952/1000
   Brazilian three-time champion whose 65 poles from 161 starts set the standard for one-lap speed.
3. **Charles Leclerc** — score 871/1000
   Ferrari's qualifying specialist with more than two dozen poles, many in a car that could not win.
4. **Lewis Hamilton** — score 837/1000
   Seven-time champion and the only driver with more than 100 F1 pole positions.
5. **James Hunt** — score 742/1000
   1976 champion who took eight poles in his title season with McLaren.
6. **Nigel Mansell** — score 742/1000
   1992 champion who took 14 poles in a single season with the Williams FW14B.
7. **Valtteri Bottas** — score 685/1000
   Mercedes driver who took 20 poles, often outqualifying his champion team-mate.
8. **George Russell** — score 621/1000
   Mercedes driver nicknamed Mr Saturday for his consistent qualifying form.
9. **Alain Prost** — score 621/1000
   Four-time champion with 33 poles, famed for racecraft but quick over a lap when it counted.
10. **Juan Manuel Fangio** — score 548/1000
   Five-time 1950s champion with the best pole rate in F1 history, 29 from 51 starts.
11. **Niki Lauda** — score 548/1000
   Three-time champion who took nine poles for Ferrari in 1974 alone.
12. **Stirling Moss** — score 548/1000
   1950s great who took 16 poles in an era of fragile cars.
13. **Sebastian Vettel** — score 548/1000
   Four-time champion who set a single-season record of 15 poles in 2011.
14. **Nico Rosberg** — score 548/1000
   2016 champion who traded poles with Hamilton through the Mercedes era, finishing with 30.
15. **Juan Pablo Montoya** — score 548/1000
   Williams and McLaren star whose 2004 Monza pole lap stood as the fastest in F1 history for 14 years.
16. **Ronnie Peterson** — score 464/1000
   The Super Swede, a one-lap phenomenon with 14 poles for March and Lotus.
17. **Max Verstappen** — score 464/1000
   Four-time champion whose Red Bull pole streaks made him the qualifying benchmark of the 2020s.
18. **Mario Andretti** — score 464/1000
   1978 champion who put the ground-effect Lotus on pole 18 times in his career.
19. **Alberto Ascari** — score 365/1000
   Two-time Ferrari champion who started from pole 14 times in only 32 races.
20. **Jackie Stewart** — score 365/1000
   Three-time champion with 17 poles for Matra and Tyrrell.
21. **Jochen Rindt** — score 365/1000
   Lotus driver and posthumous 1970 champion with 10 poles in 60 starts.
22. **Jim Clark** — score 249/1000
   Lotus great who took 33 poles in just 72 starts during the 1960s.
23. **Michael Schumacher** — score 249/1000
   Seven-time champion who took 68 poles with Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes.
24. **Mika Hakkinen** — score 249/1000
   Two-time champion who took 26 poles for McLaren, 20 of them in 1998 and 1999.
25. **Rene Arnoux** — score 249/1000
   Renault turbo charger who took 18 poles in the early 1980s.
26. **Fernando Alonso** — score 249/1000
   Two-time champion whose 22 poles span three decades of F1.
27. **Jarno Trulli** — score 249/1000
   Nicknamed the King of Qualifying for hauling midfield cars to the front, including pole at Monaco 2004.
28. **Damon Hill** — score 249/1000
   1996 champion who took 20 poles for Williams.
29. **Keke Rosberg** — score 0/1000
   1982 champion whose 160mph Silverstone pole lap in 1985 became a qualifying legend.

Tags: formula-1, drivers, all time, motorsport, qualifying