F1 drivers with the most poles at a single race but no wins

Charles Leclerc continued an unwanted record at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix by failing to convert yet another pole position into victory around the streets of Baku.

It meant the Ferrari driver has now started the event from pole on four occasions but is still to win the Azerbaijan GP in his career.

The first pole came in 2021 when the Monegasque was surprisingly faster than championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, after picking up a significant tow from the Mercedes driver in the closing stages of the track.

But Ferrari trailed Mercedes and Red Bull in race pace that year, so within the opening seven laps Leclerc had dropped behind Hamilton, Verstappen and the Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez. So, he eventually came fourth, despite neither title challenger finishing the race.

He lost his lead even quicker the following year, as Perez overtook Leclerc at race start before the Ferrari driver retired on lap 21 due to a power unit failure.

A “surprised” Leclerc then completed a hat-trick of poles at the 2023 grand prix, but Red Bull was again superior that year as both of its drivers had overtaken the pole sitter by lap six.

Leclerc did finish third though for his first podium at the Azerbaijan GP and he stood on the steps again in 2024, but not the top one despite a fourth successive pole. 

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 (Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images)

This time McLaren had the superior race pace and Leclerc was overtaken by Oscar Piastri at Turn 1 on lap 20. Although Leclerc made several attempts to repass his McLaren rival, the Ferrari tyres eventually faded and the 26-year-old settled for second.

So that first F1 win in Azerbaijan still eludes Leclerc, but are there any other drivers to have a similar pole record with no wins at a certain grand prix?

F1 drivers with three or more poles at a single grand prix but no wins

Jim Clark - Monaco Grand Prix (four)

Year on pole	Finishing position
1962	DNF
1963	DNF
1964	4th
1966	DNF

In 2024 Leclerc tied Jim Clark for the most pole positions at a single grand prix without winning it. That’s because the double world champion started from pole on four occasions at the Monaco GP, yet failed to even claim a podium in the principality.

Clark first raced there in 1961 where he finished 10th after suffering a faulty fuel pump, though he took the first pole position of his career at the 1962 grand prix. But more bad luck struck, as the Lotus driver was overtaken by Ferrari’s Willy Mairesse at Turn 1 before retiring just over halfway through with a clutch problem.

That weekend was the first of three successive pole positions for Clark in Monaco, as he went seven-tenths quicker than Graham Hill in 1963 but eventually retired with a gearbox issue while the BRM driver won.

Jim Clark, Lotus 25 Climax (Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images)

Clark again failed to finish in 1964, despite being classified in fourth. He started from pole and led for most of the early stages, but pitted on lap 37 because of a broken anti-roll bar which dropped him behind Dan Gurney and Hill. Although Clark fought back and challenged Hill for the lead, an engine failure scuppered his chances and he retired with four laps to go - only the BRM driver completed the full distance.

The late great skipped the 1965 race to contest the Indianapolis 500, which he won, before returning in 1966 to claim another pole. Once again it ended in agony though, as the then 30-year-old suffered a horrendous start because his Lotus 43 was stuck in first gear.

It dropped him down the order and although Clark climbed back to third, he eventually retired on lap 60 due to a failed suspension. A suspension problem also cost him in 1967 when he started the Monaco GP from fifth, meaning his final race in the principality also ended in retirement.

Rene Arnoux - Austrian Grand Prix (three)

Years on pole	Finishing position
1979	6th
1980	9th
1981	2nd

Rene Arnoux is one of five drivers to have claimed three pole positions for a grand prix which they never won. The Frenchman did this at the Austrian GP, where he took his first career pole in 1979 during his first season at Renault. 

He finished sixth that year after dropping to fifth on lap one, yet Arnoux still claimed another pole at the Osterreichring in 1980 and once again endured a poor start.

Although he eventually reclaimed the lead, Arnoux began suffering from severe tyre degradation which forced him to pit and finish ninth in the end. 

But for a third successive occasion, the eventual seven-time grand prix winner took pole for the Austrian GP in 1981. This time, Alain Prost overtook him at race start but Arnoux was first again when his Renault team-mate retired on lap 26 due to a suspension failure. 

Rene Arnoux (FRA), Renault RE25. (Photo by: David Phipps)

The pace of Jacques Laffite in the Ligier proved too much though, as he took the lead in the closing stages forcing the Renault driver to settle for second.

Even though he stayed in F1 until 1989, Arnoux only had one more big opportunity to win the Austrian GP. This came during his first season at Ferrari in 1983, where he started and finished in second but led for much of the race until Prost overtook him in the closing stages.

Nelson Piquet - Austrian Grand Prix (three)

Years on pole	Finishing position
1982	DNF
1984	2nd
1987	2nd

Nelson Piquet also failed to win the Austrian GP and didn’t even stand on the Osterreichring podium until his fourth race there in 1981.

But third for the Brabham driver that year was still an achievement, as Piquet started in seventh and it helped him to clinch a maiden world championship two months later.

The reigning world champion then started from pole in 1982, but endured a disastrous race as he was overtaken by team-mate Riccardo Patrese on lap two before retiring 29 tours later because of an electrical fault.

Although Piquet returned to the Austria podium the following year, the third-placed driver finished 27.7s behind winner Prost - but still won the 1983 title.

His best chance of winning the Austrian GP arguably came in 1984 when he started from pole and thwarted a charge from Prost before the Frenchman spun on lap 28. But, the Brabham driver experienced tyre trouble and Piquet was overtaken by Niki Lauda with 10 laps remaining, in which the McLaren driver then pulled 23.5s clear.

Nelson Piquet, Brabham BT53 BMW, Alain Prost, McLaren MP4/2 TAG (Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images)

That was his penultimate podium at the Austrian GP, as Piquet also finished second during his third title-winning campaign in 1987, when he was now driving for Williams.

He was once again on pole, yet this race began two hours later than planned and started on its third attempt as crashes disrupted the first two.

The chaos didn’t stop Piquet though, as he led early on but then lost the lead to team-mate Nigel Mansell whilst attempting to navigate traffic. The Briton quickly pulled away and finished 55.7s ahead of Piquet on what was the final Austrian GP for 10 years.

Nelson Piquet - British Grand Prix (three)

 

Years on pole	Finishing position
1984	7th
1986	2nd
1987	2nd

Piquet features twice on this list as he also qualified on pole for the British GP three times, yet never won the event. He spun off on his debut there in 1979 before finishing second the following year, but could not get close to Alan Jones who maintained a comfortable advantage.

He then retired from his next two: in 1981 Piquet’s tyre blew while running third at Silverstone and in 1982 his fuel pump failed when he was leading after nine laps at Brands Hatch.

Piquet stood on the Silverstone podium in 1983, but was second and 19.1s behind winner Prost. In 1984, this one at Brands, he finally claimed his first British GP pole but was overtaken by the previous year’s victor at the lap 12 restart which was caused by Jonathan Palmer’s crash.

The Brabham driver failed to repass Prost and he eventually dropped to seventh after a late failure to his turbocharger. He was on the podium for his other two poles at the grand prix though, but both times finished second in a Williams 1-2.

Nelson Piquet, Williams FW11 leads his team mate Nigel Mansell during an exciting race-long battle for the lead, British Grand Prix, 1986 (Photo by: Sutton Images)

In 1986 Mansell overtook him a third of the way through, while the 1987 race was an all-time classic as the Williams pair battled for the lead throughout. But with 28 laps remaining, Mansell pitted and rejoined 29s behind yet broke the Silverstone lap record eight times to be on his team-mate’s tail again.

Piquet ultimately lost the lead with two laps remaining and finished 2s behind for his final British GP podium before retiring at the end of 1991.

Graham Hill - Belgian Grand Prix (three)

Years on pole	Finishing position
1962	2nd
1963	DNF
1965	5th

Hill qualified on pole for the Belgian GP three times in the space of four years. The first was in 1962, where he lost the lead to Trevor Taylor on lap two amid an epic five-way battle between Hill, Taylor, Bruce McLaren, Willy Mairesse and Clark at Spa-Francorchamps.

By lap eight Hill had dropped back and was in a back-and-forth battle with McLaren for third. But, the eventual 1962 world champion then lost another position as a rapid Clark progressed through the field, before Hill claimed fourth again when McLaren retired on lap 19 after losing oil pressure.

The BRM driver then gained another two positions as Taylor and Mairesse suffered a devastating crash while battling for second with seven laps remaining. It came after Mairesse gave a slight nudge through Blanchimont which caused both to slide, with Taylor slamming into a trackside telegraph pole while his Ferrari rival hit a ditch before being ejected from the car that caught fire.

Fortunately, both drivers were unharmed and Hill came second for his first podium in Belgium, finishing behind Clark who took his maiden grand prix victory. The following year, Hill again lost his lead from pole early on, this time to Clark, before retiring on lap 17 with a gearbox problem.

Graham Hill, BRM P261. (Photo by: LAT Photographic)

Fifth place followed at the 1964 Belgian GP, which was also Hill’s position in 1965 despite taking his third pole at Spa. That year, Hill was overtaken by Clark at the end of lap one before the Lotus driver quickly pulled away, while the BRM car struggled in the wet causing the Englishman to drop to fifth.

That was Hill’s final points finish in Spa, despite winning his second championship in 1968 where he retired in Belgium on lap five due to a halfshaft failure.

Rubens Barrichello - Brazilian Grand Prix (three)

Years on pole	Finishing position
2003	DNF
2004	3rd
2009	8th

Rubens Barrichello endured a lot of heartache at his home race as he retired from 10 of his first 11 Brazilian GPs. During that run, his best chance of victory was arguably in 1999 when he led early on before dropping to fourth after his pitstop.

On lap 35 Barrichello overtook Eddie Irvine for third, the position the Brazilian started, before retiring from that position seven tours later when his Stewart’s Ford engine failed.

Barrichello’s 11th trip to Interlagos saw him start from pole while driving for Ferrari in 2003. But, he lost the lead to David Coulthard at the lap eight start, the race began behind the safety car, before dropping further down until retiring on lap 46 when his Ferrari ran out of fuel.

He also started on pole the following year, this time Brazil was the season finale, yet Barrichello again lost his lead on the first racing lap as Kimi Raikkonen overtook him through the opening sector. Barrichello struggled to fight back in the damp conditions and eventually finished third, also falling behind Juan Pablo Montoya who won the race.

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari F2004 leads Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren MP4-19B Mercedes and Felipe Massa, Sauber C23 Petronas at the start. (Photo by: Rainer Schlegelmilch)

But that was Barrichello’s only podium at his home grand prix, despite also starting from pole in 2009 while driving for that year’s world champion Brawn GP. It was the race his team-mate Jenson Button sealed the drivers’ title, while Barrichello controlled the first phase of the grand prix before being overtaken by Red Bull’s Mark Webber during the pit window.

Barrichello subsequently faded away, as Robert Kubica next overtook him for second before the 11-time race winner dropped to eighth, his finishing position, as contact with Lewis Hamilton in the battle for third caused a puncture on the Brawn.

F1 drivers with two or more poles at a single grand prix but no wins

Driver	Grand prix	Years on pole
Alberto Ascari	Spanish Grand Prix	1951, 1954
Jack Brabham	United States Grand Prix	1961, 1966
Mario Andretti	United States Grand Prix	1968, 1978
	Swedish Grand Prix	1977-78
Jacky Ickx	Italian Grand Prix	1970, 1972
	Spanish Grand Prix	1971-72
Ronnie Peterson	Brazilian Grand Prix	1973, 1978
	British Grand Prix	1973, 1978
	Dutch Grand Prix	1973, 1976
James Hunt	Brazilian Grand Prix	1976-77
	South African Grand Prix	1976-77
Jean-Pierre Jabouille	South African Grand Prix	1979-80
Jacques Laffite	Spanish Grand Prix	1979, 1981
Rene Arnoux	British Grand Prix	1981, 1983
	San Marino Grand Prix	1982-83
Keke Rosberg	British Grand Prix	1982, 1985
Nigel Mansell	Monaco Grand Prix	1987, 1992
Riccardo Patrese	Hungarian Grand Prix	1989, 1992
Jean Alesi	Italian Grand Prix	1994, 1997
David Coulthard	Argentine Grand Prix	1995, 1998
	European Grand Prix	1995, 2000
Jacques Villeneuve	Australian Grand Prix	1996-97
	Belgian Grand Prix	1996-97
	Japanese Grand Prix	1996-97
Mika Hakkinen	San Marino Grand Prix	1999-00
Juan Pablo Montoya	Belgian Grand Prix	2001, 2005
Kimi Raikkonen	European Grand Prix	2003, 2007
	German Grand Prix	2005-06
	Italian Grand Prix	2006, 2018
Felipe Massa	Malaysian Grand Prix	2007-08
Nico Rosberg	United States Grand Prix	2014-15
	Hungarian Grand Prix	2014, 2016
Valtteri Bottas	Brazilian Grand Prix	2017, 2021
Charles Leclerc	Singapore Grand Prix	2019, 2022
	Mexican Grand Prix	2019, 2023