Charles Leclerc and his unfortunate F1 record involving pole positions

Despite being one of the fastest qualifiers in the sport, Charles Leclerc holds the record for the most pole positions without winning a F1 World Championship. The Ferrari driver has yet to register a pole in the ongoing 2025 season and looks an unlikely contender for the title after 12 races.

Lelerc matched this unfortunate record in 2023, and now the Monegasque currently sits on 26 career poles, tied with two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen – but without the titles to match. The milestone, pointed out on X by the @F1BigData following the British Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc's F1 career promises a lot of speed but no drivers' title despite having 8 wins from 26 pole positions. That number places him third among active drivers, behind only Lewis Hamilton (7-time champion) and Max Verstappen (4-time champion), but without the same return in championships.

He announced himself in 2019 with seven poles and two wins in his first year with the Scuderia, outqualifying four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. That year, he finished 4th with 149 points behind champion Lewis Hamilton. In the next couple of years, Ferrari's car fell off a cliff, as Leclerc finished eighth and seventh.

Charles Leclerc pulls into the pole position after qualifying at COTA in 2023. Source: Imagn

The Monegasque's best shot came in 2022, when Leclerc won two of the first three races. But a mix of strategy errors, DNFs, and Verstappen's relentless form left him in the second place, 146 points adrift. In the next two years, he finished 369 points behind in 2023 and 81 points behind in 2024.

Former drivers Niki Lauda and Denny Hulme famously won titles in 1984 and 1967, respectively, without a single pole position. But Leclerc hasn't had that luck. This year, Leclerc already trails current leader Oscar Piastri by 115 points after 12 races.

Charles Leclerc's another unwanted pole record

Charles Leclerc before the Austrian GP in 2024. Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc's qualifying strength has also led him into another historical oddity. He jointly holds the record for the most poles at a single Grand Prix without a win. With his fourth career pole at the Azerbaijan GP last year, Leclerc matched Jim Clark's long-standing record of four poles at the Monaco GP without converting any of them into a win.

In 2021, despite stunning Hamilton and Verstappen to take pole, Leclerc dropped back quickly due to Ferrari’s lack of race pace, finishing fourth. A year later, Sergio Perez overtook him at the start, and an engine failure forced Leclerc into retirement on lap 21.

In 2023, he was passed by both Red Bulls within six laps but clung on for P3 - his first Baku podium. And in 2024, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri hunted him down and took the lead on Lap 20. Leclerc tried to fight back, but fading tyres forced him to settle for second. It puts him level with Clark, who took four poles at Monaco between 1962 and 1966 but never won there.

For Leclerc, the numbers paint a picture of talent without traction. Ferrari's continued inconsistency and strategic missteps have played a large part. But unless the red team finds answers soon, Leclerc may continue climbing lists no driver wants to top.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale