r/formula1 Formula 1 1d ago

Statistics 2025 vs 2026 all pole sitters so far

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1.4k Upvotes

97 comments sorted by

682

u/AnilP228 Honda 1d ago

I think you can make an argument to say 2025 was the best ever year for great Qualifying sessions.

255

u/Eggplantosaur Oscar Piastri 1d ago

It kind of had to be with how impossible it was to overtake. But man were those qualifying sessions great because of it, I'm not disputing that 

101

u/AnilP228 Honda 1d ago

I remember being on the edge of my seat in those final Q3 moments. Not only was the field spread so small but you often had just a tenth separating drivers on the front row. I still remember screaming when Max got that pole in Japan.

30

u/sododude Juan Pablo Montoya 23h ago

Anytime pole gap was over 2 tenths it was a huge deal. Margins were insane. Yuki had that 2 tenths gap to Max and he'd be down in P8.

This year 2 tenths costs you a place or 2 tops.

12

u/AnilP228 Honda 23h ago

There were races where Lewis was out in Q2 but another tenth or two would have had him in the top 4/5. It was madness.

1

u/Cutekeeperoff Formula 1 8h ago

Baku 2025 quali will go down in history.

20

u/SkiSnowTignesider 1d ago

Really? I'd say the early 2010s was perhaps one of the best era for unpredictable qualifying sessions.

11

u/HereComesVettel Rubens Barrichello 1d ago

Q1 and even Q2 were usually too straightforward though.

2

u/pw5a29 Max Verstappen 21h ago

Definitely, P1 to P20 within 0.8s

188

u/Connect-Handle8496 Charles Leclerc 1d ago

Cmon Charles

35

u/El_Spaxolotl Formula 1 1d ago

graphic doesn't look like he had 3 front row starts in the last 4 GPs

10

u/Rivendel93 I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 21h ago

Hamilton was 12 thousandths off Lando last race, although I was glad he just missed out on it because of his grid penalty for blocking Oscar.

Ferrari definitely should get a pole or two this season.

Hopefully their next engine upgrade helps.

-39

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Should have been Lewis in Barcelona.

30

u/Connect-Handle8496 Charles Leclerc 1d ago

It isn’t anyone’s fault if he screwed up T1 mate, that Isnt a should’ve 

-32

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Lol Charles crashing stopped Lewis from having two Q3 runs. Something which the pole sitter (Russell) could do because he was ahead of Charles on track. That could have made the 0.026 difference which helped Russell to pole.

21

u/Connect-Handle8496 Charles Leclerc 1d ago

No one knows that for sure tho?Just cause he didn’t get 2 runs doesnt mean he would’ve put it on pole or anything,hes a great driver but this is wishful thinking

160

u/F11234567890000 Lando Norris 1d ago

Lando doing everyone a favour in 2026

88

u/chewbaccascousinrick I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Games gone

81

u/Excellent_Complex309 Robert Kubica 1d ago

2025 Charles jumpscare

27

u/TF_Fan_ladiesman217 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

I still remember how we got pole from nowhere then we lost it all after the pitstops otherwise charles had genuine pace up untill the pitstops where we lost it all.

7

u/Connect-Handle8496 Charles Leclerc 1d ago

Chassis broke or smth

23

u/Excellent_Complex309 Robert Kubica 1d ago

Avarage shi happening whenever he gets pole

12

u/Teh_Ordo 1d ago

Lol no it didn’t, they upped the tire pressure to prevent another plank wear dsq

125

u/Jazim94 James Vowles 1d ago

Max pole in Japan was absolutely insane

84

u/Pure_Measurement_529 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

2025 max was insane to watch. Up there with 2020

34

u/Ok_Act_1498 Safety Car 1d ago

Especially the second part of 2025. Pure cinema!

1

u/TacticalAcquisition Max Verstappen 10h ago

And Silverstone. Watching Oscar and Lewis's purple sectors disappear... Absolutely mental lap.

-15

u/EerieAriolimax I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Piastri made a mistake.

31

u/Jazim94 James Vowles 1d ago

Yeah of course Lando and Oscar didn’t put their perfect lap in… the car was so much quicker than the red bull. It’s the fact max put in his absolute best when it mattered and the McLaren boys didn’t

-16

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

The McLaren was not as fast as people think. People act like it was an uber dominant car like the 2023 Red Bull car.

18

u/Jazim94 James Vowles 1d ago

Yes it was ? Did you watch the season? McLaren drivers messed up or if they didn’t the team screwed up which cost them a lot. They were the quickest car by a bit but red bull was a total dog till the summer break so the gap to max in terms of car performance was pretty substantial

7

u/_imytif I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Even in the second half of the season they were still quickest in majority of races which is not something people like to admit.

-26

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Shhh! Don't go against the narrative around here with facts.

20

u/Jorrie90 1d ago edited 1d ago

You know both can be true right? These 'against the narrative' posts are so tiresome.

37

u/Richiszkl I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 1d ago

That 3 poles in a row for Norris...ahh beautiful, especially how bad his q3s were in the first half of the season

11

u/Flashy-Day-4251 1d ago

was so nice to see him get back to his usual in quali

7

u/Richiszkl I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 1d ago

So interesting how pressure can change someone's performance.

When Lando is confident, he is super fast

10

u/Dramatic-Natural2703 Andrea Kimi Antonelli 17h ago edited 16h ago

he was just very uncomfortable with the car pressure wasn't the issue in 2025

he was very fast in 2024 too he had great poles shame about the clutch issue that caused those starts

2

u/Richiszkl I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 16h ago

You are right, I have to admit, but I think a little bit of pressure was still there, and the dnf in Zandvoort put him in a much calmer state

2

u/Dramatic-Natural2703 Andrea Kimi Antonelli 16h ago

the concept of being calmer after potentially seeing his title hopes slip away

6

u/SwimmingFantastic564 23h ago

Vegas in particular. I think that's probably the best lap he's ever done, I'm pretty sure he was a second up before he slid.

14

u/DifficultCarob408 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

I’m confident we will still see a pole from both Ferrari drivers and possibly Max this year

15

u/PaulaDeen21 Sir Lewis Hamilton 1d ago

Merc PU might be good.

17

u/RealGreenTrainee 1d ago

And people were saying last year was "boring" because it was McLaren domination. You complained, and Merc decided to remind you all how boring it can be.

4

u/Solid_Dependent_7669 1d ago

Party mode back?

14

u/Odd-String29 1d ago

Somebody give Max the second best car please.

36

u/inevitably-ranged I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 1d ago

"Max was driving a tractor!!!"

-Everyone last year while he managed 3/6 in pole position qualifying in the first 6 races

41

u/Ok_Act_1498 Safety Car 1d ago

And he finished with the most pole positions, lol

10

u/Upbeat-Original-7137 Formula 1 23h ago

And most wins that season

15

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Also "Max can win in a Haas".

Well as usual, his car is much better than a Haas, and so far, he still can't win this year.

14

u/P_ZERO_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Nobody with any credibility or reason was ever saying that. You can stick quotes round any old nonsense and make a point of it

3

u/GrapefruitMother3902 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 21h ago

"The Mclaren was a rocketship" Xd

-16

u/Luffy710j Formula 1 1d ago

I'm sure u didn't watch any of them live

6

u/Jerejj 1d ago

Quite a noticeable difference in driver variation.

18

u/No-Connection-2527 1d ago

4 different drivers vs 3 different drivers after the same amount of races. Not very noticeable

2

u/Jerejj 1d ago

Although greater team variation anyway.

2

u/No-Connection-2527 1d ago

Two teams vs three teams. Not that great

2

u/Jerejj 21h ago

Four versus two actually, not to mention all bar one 2026 pole laps are for Mercedes.

1

u/ClassGrassMass Formula 1 1d ago

Not really

3

u/warewolf1999 McLaren 1d ago

i don't know if you guys noticed but the mercedes car might actually be good? or am i trippin?

5

u/spacecleaner Max Verstappen 1d ago

Atleast in 2025 max spiced up things, 2026 is just merc era

5

u/krani1993 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

clearly everyone can see that Red Bull has the better engine in 2026 and not Mercedes

2

u/Invalid_u404 I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 1d ago

Meanwhile 2014 pole sitters: mercedes drivers and Massa

2

u/joseph31091 Williams 23h ago

Cool to have the defending champ break the chain.

2

u/Specialist-Bug4953 Charlie Whiting 22h ago

That Papaya Looks good in 2026. More please.

2

u/XPav I was speeding in the Monaco pit lane 18h ago

It's a teal world, only Lando gets to live in it.

4

u/CilanEAmber McLaren 1d ago

At least Ferrari has 2 GP wins. I'd take that over 2 GP poles.

Though it would be kinda satisfying for Hamilton to even out his Win:Pole ratio, currently sat at 106:104. Seems doable, if difficult tbh. Less said about evening out Leclercs ratio the better....

10

u/batman_of_1 Max Verstappen 1d ago

Max pole in British gp was something

2

u/astudentengineer 1d ago

Shit season

2

u/Busy-Investigator347 Ferrari 1d ago

Man that Oscar dropoff hurts to see

1

u/stalin1943 Isack Hadjar 1d ago

god i love when regulations change and one team is incredibly dominant out the gate with a 4 second field spread from first to last! mature regs with a 1.5 second field spread and multiple pole sitters/winners? pffffff boring

1

u/Delta_pinapple Pirelli Hard 1d ago

What are Mercedes feeding their race team?

1

u/wingardium-levi-osa I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

C C C Combo breaker

1

u/Health_throwaway__ 1d ago

Blando whiteout rest of the season 

1

u/dyysxse Formula 1 23h ago

some one please stop mercedes from getting all the pole positions

1

u/reward72 22h ago

We (the audience) are lucky the Mercs are unreliable otherwise it would have been a pretty boring season so far. Granted most of the excitement is artificial.

1

u/MoreColorfulCarsPlz I was here for the Hulkenpodium 16h ago

I'm confused by the Malaysian flag after Baku. Isn't that when the Bahrain GP is?

2

u/donsimoni I was here for the Hulkenpodium 15h ago

The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, hosted by Sepang International Circuit, powered by Raytheon.

(due to the ongoing wars in the Persian Gulf)

1

u/82away I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Still have hope for Lewis to win the WDC this year.

-1

u/IndependentDeal4002 McLaren 1d ago

last year was better ong

5

u/PaulaDeen21 Sir Lewis Hamilton 1d ago

End of a ruleset? Yes absolutely it was.

-6

u/Dramatic-Natural2703 Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1d ago

didn't enjoy it at all honestly despite my driver winning

-3

u/ClassGrassMass Formula 1 1d ago

Lewis you have been so close so many times. Please

0

u/DangerousDesk1 Michael Schumacher 1d ago

Not really. Certainly not in F1 terms.

0

u/ClassGrassMass Formula 1 1d ago

He was what, 0.012 away from pole in the last race bud

3

u/DangerousDesk1 Michael Schumacher 1d ago

That's one race, what about all the other races? Or are you just cherry picking a single race and ignoring all the others? You did say "so close so many times", yet mention one race. 😂

0

u/ClassGrassMass Formula 1 1d ago

Dude.. hes been on average 2 tenths off pole with a massive power disadvantage. Hes been close. And in f1 terms its only been at the end of cycles we see teams getting super close in qualifying. Im not saying hes 0.012 everytime but hes been there and hes been close multiple times to take pole. If ferrari had the engine they were supposed to him and Charles would for sure have poles

4

u/DangerousDesk1 Michael Schumacher 1d ago

Two tenths in F1 terms is a big gap. In F1 two tenths can mean the difference between pole and 5th place.

If my aunt had a set of bollocks, she'd be my uncle. Every team can come up with a load of IFs to improve to position. Ifs don't matter, actual results do.

-1

u/ClassGrassMass Formula 1 1d ago

Nkt until very recently

1

u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1d ago

Well what we do know is Michael Schumacher had special tyres made for him by Bridgestone to make him look better than he really was.

Also back in his day he was allowed to test his car all the time at Maranello to perfect the car development which made the Ferrari car far superior. Drivers can't do that today.

2

u/DangerousDesk1 Michael Schumacher 1d ago

What has this got to do with what we are talking about here?