Charles Leclerc one pole position away from a record no one would want

The season of records
In this 2023 Formula 1 championship, there has been much talk about records and broken records. Almost all of them have revolved around Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The combination of the Dutch driver and the Austrian car has so far dismantled the competition. The Milton Keynes team has won all of the first 12 races of the season, erasing McLaren’s 1988 record, achieved by Senna and Prost with 11 consecutive victories. In the Netherlands, on his home track, Max Verstappen could also secure his ninth consecutive win, matching the record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

Charles Leclerc’s difficult moment with Ferrari
In the coming weeks, however, another record, decidedly less noble and desired, could fall – albeit unwillingly – to Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver for Ferrari is having a positive 2023 season personally, with three podium finishes – the only ones for Ferrari this season – despite a car that often hasn’t lived up to his talent. The Principality’s driver, who could announce a contract renewal with the Maranello team in Monza, has also confirmed his great one-lap pace, managing to secure two pole positions this season. The second, obtained in Spa, came thanks to Max Verstappen’s grid penalty, but it still allowed him to reach a career total of 20 pole positions.

Equaling Bottas
A number that, perhaps not everyone knows, represents an equaled record. Charles Leclerc has become – alongside Valtteri Bottas – the driver with the most pole positions in Formula 1 history without ever having won a world championship title. Therefore, another pole position will suffice to make the Ferrari driver the sole holder of this rather unwelcome record. Certainly, the comparison between Leclerc and Bottas is unfair, as the Monegasque driver has only had a genuinely title-contending car for one poor season, while Valtteri Bottas lived through Mercedes’ entire golden era from 2017 to 2021.

Many poles, no title
In qualifying, Charles Leclerc’s numbers on the single lap are impressive: the Ferrari Driver Academy graduate has a pole position rate of 17.5%, higher, for example, than that of Verstappen, who is at 15.4%. Throughout the history of Formula 1, among drivers who have secured more than one pole position, only eight have outperformed Leclerc in terms of percentage. These are legendary names that have shaped motorsport history: Fangio, Clark, Ascari, Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Moss, Michael Schumacher, and Sebastian Vettel. Among these, only Moss has never become champion, finishing in second place in the standings four times. Another record that Charles Leclerc hopes to avoid in the coming years.

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