From pole to win: Verstappen dominates, Leclerc is in bad shape
General
- GPblog.com
Getting pole position is an important achievement in Formula 1, but it doesn't really mean anything if a driver is unable to convert pole into victory. GPblog lists the drivers with the best and worst pole position stats.
Qualifying is a crucial part of the race weekend. After all, clinching victory is a lot easier when you start from first place, but pole position certainly does not guarantee a win. Which drivers managed to turn the most poles into wins?
Strong on Saturday and Sunday
Max Verstappen has the best pole-to-win percentage. The Dutchman has 20 pole positions to his name, 15 of which he also managed to convert into wins, a percentage of 75 per cent. Last season, Verstappen was on pole seven times, only once of which he failed to convert the first position into victory.
Alberto Ascari was active in Formula 1 between 1950 and 1955 and is second on the list. He managed to convert nine of his 14 pole positions into victory. World champions Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost are also in the list.
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From pole to loss
René Arnoux is a French driver who was active in F1 between 1978 and 1989. He managed to take pole position eighteen times, but of these he was only first across the line in the race twice. This puts him in the worst position with a percentage of 11.11 per cent. David Coulthard is in second place with only two of his 12 pole positions as wins.
Charles Leclerc has worked his way up the list of worst pole-to-win percentages in 2022. The Ferrari driver only has five wins in F1 to his name, but with 18 pole positions, that number could have been a lot higher. Four of his wins came from pole, moving him up to fifth place in the list of worst 'pole-to-win' conversions with a percentage of 22.22 per cent.
Fun fact: Verstappen's 'Leclerc pole-to-win' percentage is higher than Leclerc's own 'pole-to-win' percentage. In other words, the Dutchman has won more races in which Leclerc started from pole position than the Monegasque himself. The Ferrari driver will be hoping to change that next season.
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Note: Only drivers with at least 10 pole positions are included in the statistics.