STATISTIC CORNER: McLaren on pole after 18 years
McLaren driver Lando Norris took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, fractionally beating home favourite Charles Leclerc in a nail-biting session in the Principality. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers some stats and trivia ahead of today's Monaco Grand Prix.
The Monaco Grand Prix was the second round of the 1950 season, the inaugural year of the Drivers’ World Championship. It saw the first appearance of Scuderia Ferrari, the only team to have taken part in every edition of motor racing’s blue riband series.
The Italian marque heads the field when it comes to World Championships (15 Drivers’ and 16 Constructors’), wins (248), pole positions (253), fastest race laps (263) and podium finishes (830).
There have been 70 Monaco GP to date, as it was off the calendar from 1951 to 1954 and in 2020. The “Prince” (the four-wheeled variety) of Monaco is Ayrton Senna with six wins, followed by Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher on five. The Brazilian also holds the record for the most pole positions (5) and podiums (8).
McLaren is the most successful team in the Principality with 15 wins, followed by Ferrari on ten, while Lotus and Red Bull Racing are joint third with seven. The team from Maranello has the most poles (13), with McLaren second (11) and Lotus third (9).
Ferrari also tops the table for podium finishes with 57, more than double the number of second placed McLaren on 28, with Lotus again third on 16.
Almost half the winners (32, equivalent to 45.71%) started from pole. If one considers that a further 16 winners (22.68%) started from second on the grid, it is easy to understand why Saturday’s qualifying is so crucial to doing well on Sunday. However, in 1996, Olivier Panis delivered an exceptionally rare feat by winning from 14th on the grid!
