List of Formula One polesitters
, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. The polesitter is the driver that has qualified for a Grand Prix in pole position, at the front of the starting grid. Drivers are awarded points based on their position at the end of each race, and the driver who accumulates the most points over each calendar year is crowned that year's World Champion. Out of the 1,021 completed Grands Prix, the driver that has qualified on pole position has gone on to win the race 428 times.
Qualifying is traditionally contested on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend to determine the drivers' positions on the starting grid. Historically, there have been a number of different qualifying systems; previously, each driver was only allowed a single lap to set his qualifying time. Drivers currently have to compete in three rounds before pole position is determined. The first round known as Q1 is contested by twenty drivers in an 18-minute session, at the end of which the five slowest cars are eliminated. This is followed by Q2, a 15-minute session, where the slowest five are again eliminated. The remaining ten cars contest Q3, the final 12-minute session to determine their places on the grid and who will sit on pole position.
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions, having qualified first on occasions. Michael Schumacher is second with 68 pole positions. Ayrton Senna is third with 65 poles. Senna holds the record for the most consecutive pole positions; he qualified in first place eight Grands Prix in a row from the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix to the 1989 United States Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel is the youngest polesitter; he was 21 years, 72 days old when he qualified in first place for the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. The oldest person to qualify in pole position was Nino Farina, who was 47 years, 79 days old when he was polesitter for the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix. As of the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, 100 drivers have been on pole position in the 1,021 Grands Prix since the first World Championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix. Since 2014, the driver with the most pole positions in a season has been awarded the Pole Trophy. The inaugural Pole Trophy was won by Nico Rosberg, while Charles Leclerc was the most recent recipient of the award with 7 poles in 2019.
By driver
All figures correct as of the 2020 British Grand Prix| Driver has competed in the season | |
| Formula One World Champion | |
| Has competed in 2020 season and a Formula One World Champion |
is a six-time world champion and holds the record for most pole positions, and for the most wins from pole.
has won the World Drivers' Championship a record seven times – twice with Benetton and five times with Ferrari.
was known for consistently high qualifying performance.
achieved 44 of his pole position tally with Red Bull Racing, for whom he also won four consecutive titles.
held the record for most F1 pole positions for 22 years.
is a five-time world champion, and holds the record for the highest percentage of pole positions.
is the most recent and 100th first-time F1 polesitter.
| Rank | Driver | Nationality | Poles | Entries | Seasons active | First pole | Last pole |
| 1 | – | 2007 Canadian Grand Prix | 2020 British Grand Prix | ||||
| 2 | 68 | 308 | – – | 1994 Monaco Grand Prix | 2006 French Grand Prix | ||
| 3 | 65 | 162 | – | 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix | 1994 San Marino Grand Prix | ||
| 4 | – | 2008 Italian Grand Prix | 2019 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||
| 5 | 33 | 73 | – | 1962 Monaco Grand Prix | 1968 South African Grand Prix | ||
| 5 | 33 | 202 | – | 1981 German Grand Prix | 1993 Japanese Grand Prix | ||
| 7 | 32 | 191 | – – | 1984 Dallas Grand Prix | 1994 Australian Grand Prix | ||
| 8 | 30 | 206 | – | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix | 2016 Japanese Grand Prix | ||
| 9 | 29 | 53 | – – | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix | 1958 Argentine Grand Prix | ||
| 10 | 26 | 165 | – | 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix | 2000 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 11 | 24 | 177 | – – | 1974 South African Grand Prix | 1978 South African Grand Prix | ||
| 11 | 24 | 207 | – | 1980 United States Grand Prix West | 1987 Spanish Grand Prix | ||
| 13 | 22 | 314 | – | 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix | 2012 German Grand Prix | ||
| 14 | 20 | 122 | – | 1993 French Grand Prix | 1996 Portuguese Grand Prix | ||
| 15 | 18 | 131 | – – | 1968 United States Grand Prix | 1982 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 15 | 18 | 165 | – | 1979 Austrian Grand Prix | 1983 British Grand Prix | ||
| 15 | – – | 2003 European Grand Prix | 2018 Italian Grand Prix | ||||
| 18 | 17 | 100 | – | 1969 Monaco Grand Prix | 1973 German Grand Prix | ||
| 19 | 16 | 67 | – | 1955 British Grand Prix | 1961 Monaco Grand Prix | ||
| 19 | 16 | 272 | – | 2006 Turkish Grand Prix | 2014 Austrian Grand Prix | ||
| 21 | 14 | 33 | – | 1951 German Grand Prix | 1954 Spanish Grand Prix | ||
| 21 | 14 | 123 | – | 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1978 Austrian Grand Prix | ||
| 21 | 14 | 93 | – | 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1977 United States Grand Prix | ||
| 21 | 14 | 326 | – | 1994 Belgian Grand Prix | 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 128 | – | 1959 British Grand Prix | 1970 Spanish Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 179 | – | 1962 Belgian Grand Prix | 1968 British Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 122 | – | 1968 German Grand Prix | 1972 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 165 | – | 1996 Australian Grand Prix | 1997 European Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 95 | – | 2001 German Grand Prix | 2005 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 25 | 13 | 217 | – | 2009 German Grand Prix | 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||
| 31 | 12 | 210 | – | 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix | 1997 German Grand Prix | ||
| 31 | 12 | 247 | – | 1995 Argentine Grand Prix | 2001 Monaco Grand Prix | ||
| 31 | – | 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix | 2020 Austrian Grand Prix | ||||
| 34 | 10 | 62 | – | 1968 French Grand Prix | 1970 Austrian Grand Prix | ||
| 35 | 8 | 113 | – | 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix | 1968 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 35 | 8 | 257 | – | 1981 United States Grand Prix West | 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix | ||
| 35 | 8 | 309 | – | 2004 San Marino Grand Prix | 2012 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 38 | 7 | 180 | – | 1976 Italian Grand Prix | 1981 Spanish Grand Prix | ||
| 38 | – | 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix | 2019 Mexican Grand Prix | ||||
| 40 | 6 | 51 | – | 1960 Italian Grand Prix | 1961 German Grand Prix | ||
| 40 | 6 | 146 | – | 1972 Argentine Grand Prix | 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix | ||
| 40 | 6 | 149 | – | 1972 Monaco Grand Prix | 1974 Canadian Grand Prix | ||
| 40 | 6 | 55 | – – | 1979 South African Grand Prix | 1980 South African Grand Prix | ||
| 40 | 6 | 117 | – – | 1979 British Grand Prix | 1980 German Grand Prix | ||
| 40 | 6 | 182 | – | 2001 French Grand Prix | 2005 Japanese Grand Prix | ||
| 46 | 5 | 36 | – | 1950 British Grand Prix | 1954 Argentine Grand Prix | ||
| 46 | 5 | 108 | – | 1968 Spanish Grand Prix | 1972 French Grand Prix | ||
| 46 | 5 | 139 | – | 1970 Mexican Grand Prix | 1976 United States Grand Prix West | ||
| 46 | 5 | 128 | – | 1982 British Grand Prix | 1986 German Grand Prix | ||
| 46 | 5 | 123 | – – | 1983 United States Grand Prix West | 1984 French Grand Prix | ||
| 51 | 4 | 47 | – | 1958 Belgian Grand Prix | 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix | ||
| 51 | 4 | 72 | – | 1980 Monaco Grand Prix | 1982 German Grand Prix | ||
| 51 | 4 | 231 | – | 1998 Austrian Grand Prix | 2009 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 51 | 4 | 256 | – | 2004 Monaco Grand Prix | 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 26 | - | 1951 British Grand Prix | 1955 Argentine Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 39 | – | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix | 1959 German Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 87 | – | 1962 German Grand Prix | 1964 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 143 | – | 1975 Argentine Grand Prix | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 113 | – | 1976 Swedish Grand Prix | 1979 Monaco Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 109 | – | 1983 European Grand Prix | 1985 Canadian Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | 3 | 71 | – | 1985 German Grand Prix | 1986 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 55 | – | 2016 Monaco Grand Prix | 2018 Mexican Grand Prix | ||||
| 63 | 2 | 14 | – | 1957 Italian Grand Prix | 1958 Dutch Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 100 | – | 1968 Mexican Grand Prix | 1971 Austrian Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 154 | – | 1977 Monaco Grand Prix | 1978 French Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 68 | – | 1979 United States Grand Prix West | 1981 San Marino Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 215 | – | 1984 Belgian Grand Prix | 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 202 | – | 1994 Italian Grand Prix | 1997 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | 160 | – | 1997 Monaco Grand Prix | 1999 European Grand Prix | ||
| 63 | 2 | – | 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix | 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix | |||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – – | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 5 | – | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 9 | – | 1952 Indianapolis 500 | 1952 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – | 1953 Indianapolis 500 | 1953 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – | 1954 Indianapolis 500 | 1954 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 5 | – | 1955 Indianapolis 500 | 1955 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 14 | – | 1955 Belgian Grand Prix | 1955 Belgian Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – | 1956 Indianapolis 500 | 1956 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – | 1957 Indianapolis 500 | 1957 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 6 | – | 1958 Indianapolis 500 | 1958 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 8 | – | 1959 Indianapolis 500 | 1959 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 108 | – | 1959 Dutch Grand Prix | 1959 Dutch Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 7 | – | 1960 Indianapolis 500 | 1960 Indianapolis 500 | ||
| 71 | 1 | 29 | – | 1961 Italian Grand Prix | 1961 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 42 | – | 1966 French Grand Prix | 1966 French Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 7 | – | 1966 Italian Grand Prix | 1966 Italian Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 32 | – | 1972 Canadian Grand Prix | 1972 Canadian Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 112 | – | 1973 South African Grand Prix | 1973 South African Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 95 | – | 1974 Swedish Grand Prix | 1974 Swedish Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 73 | – | 1975 South African Grand Prix | 1975 South African Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 79 | – | 1975 Swedish Grand Prix | 1975 Swedish Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 42 | – | 1975 British Grand Prix | 1975 British Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 82 | – | 1980 United States Grand Prix | 1980 United States Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 214 | – | 1982 United States Grand Prix West | 1982 United States Grand Prix West | ||
| 71 | 1 | 164 | – | 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix | 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | 1 | 185 | – | 2005 European Grand Prix | 2005 European Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | – | 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix | 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||
| 71 | 1 | 112 | – | 2008 British Grand Prix | 2008 British Grand Prix | ||
| 71 | * | – | 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix | 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix | |||
| 71 | 1 | 96 | – | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix |
By nationality
All figures correct as of the 2020 British Grand Prix| Country | Poles | Driver |
| 277 | 17 | |
| 166 | 8 | |
| 126 | 6 | |
| 79 | 9 | |
| 62 | 5 | |
| 48 | 13 | |
| 46 | 3 | |
| 39 | 15 | |
| 38 | 3 | |
| 35 | 4 | |
| 22 | 1 | |
| 15 | 2 | |
| 15 | 2 | |
| 14 | 2 | |
| 13 | 1 | |
| 7 | 2 | |
| 7 | 1 | |
| 6 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 |
Most pole positions per season
All figures correct as of the 2020 British Grand Prix| Driver has competed in the season | |
| Bold | Won the World Championship in the same year |
| Year | Driver | Constructor | Poles | Races | Ref. |
 Juan Manuel Fangio |  Alfa Romeo | 4 | 7 | ||
| Juan Manuel Fangio | Alfa Romeo | 4 | 8 | ||
| Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 5 | 8 | ||
| Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 6 | 9 | ||
| Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati,  Mercedes | 5 | 9 | ||
| Juan Manuel Fangio |  Mercedes | 3 | 7 | ||
| Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari | 6 | 8 | ||
| Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 4 | 8 | ||
 Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 4 | 11 | ||
| Stirling Moss | Cooper-Climax | 4 | 9 | ||
| Stirling Moss | Cooper-Climax | 4 | 10 | ||
 Phil Hill | Ferrari | 5 | 8 | ||
| Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 6 | 9 | ||
| Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 7 | 10 | ||
| Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 5 | 10 | ||
| Jim Clark | Lotus-Climax | 6 | 10 | ||
 Jack Brabham | Brabham-Repco | 3 | 9 | ||
| Jim Clark | Lotus-Ford | 6 | 11 | ||
 Chris Amon | Ferrari | 3 | 12 | ||
 Jochen Rindt | Lotus-Ford | 5 | 11 | ||
| Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | 4 | 13 | ||
 Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 4 | 13 | ||
| Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | 6 | 11 | ||
| Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 4 | 12 | ||
 Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford | 9 | 15 | ||
| Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 9 | 15 | ||
| Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 9 | 14 | ||
| James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | 8 | 16 | ||
| Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 7 | 17 | ||
| Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 8 | 16 | ||
 Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 4 | 15 | ||
| Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 4 | 15 | ||
| René Arnoux | Renault | 3 | 14 | ||
| Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 3 | 14 | ||
 Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford | 4 | 15 | ||
| René Arnoux | Renault | 4 | 15 | ||
| Alain Prost | Renault | 5 | 16 | ||
| René Arnoux | Renault | 5 | 16 | ||
| René Arnoux | Ferrari | 4 | 15 | ||
| Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 4 | 15 | ||
| Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 9 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 7 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 8 | 16 | ||
| Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 8 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 13 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 13 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 10 | 16 | ||
| Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 8 | 16 | ||
| Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault | 14 | 16 | ||
| Alain Prost | Williams-Renault | 13 | 16 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Benetton-Ford | 6 | 16 | ||
| Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 7 | 17 | ||
| Damon Hill | Williams-Renault | 9 | 16 | ||
 Jacques Villeneuve | Williams-Renault | 10 | 17 | ||
 Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | 9 | 16 | ||
| Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes | 11 | 16 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 9 | 17 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 11 | 17 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 7 | 17 | ||
 Juan Pablo Montoya | Williams-BMW | 7 | 17 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 5 | 16 | ||
| Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 8 | 18 | ||
 Fernando Alonso | Renault | 6 | 19 | ||
| Fernando Alonso | Renault | 6 | 18 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 6 | 17 | ||
| Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 6 | 17 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 7 | 18 | ||
| Jenson Button | Brawn-Mercedes | 4 | 17 | ||
| Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 4 | 17 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 4 | 17 | ||
| Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 10 | 19 | ||
| Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 15 | 19 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 7 | 20 | ||
| Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 9 | 19 | ||
| Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 11 | 19 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 11 | 19 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 12 | 21 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 11 | 20 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 11 | 21 | ||
 Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 7 | 21 | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 3* | 4* | ||
| - | - | - | - | - |