Charles Leclerc pole positions: Record so far and woeful win percentage

Graham Shaw
Friday 17 June 2022 06:00 - Updated: 17:26

Charles Leclerc has claimed six pole positions already this F1 season - but that has rarely translated into crucial championship points.

The Monégasque has no trouble finding searing pace out of his F1-75 on Saturday afternoons, but converting that into victories on Sundays is proving to be an issue.

The latest example was in Azerbaijan in June 2022, where, after claiming pole Leclerc was leading the race before his Ferrari power unit went up in smoke.

Here is a rundown on how Leclerc has fared on Saturdays across his F1 career so far, and how that translates to wins on Sundays.

How many pole positions does Charles Leclerc have?

In total, Leclerc has racked up 15 so far during his F1 career.

His first was in Bahrain in 2019, kicking off a stellar haul of seven during his first season with the team from Maranello.

Leclerc then endured a miserable 2020 along with then team-mate Sebastian Vettel as the mighty Italian team struggled to compete.

The 24-year-old scored two more in 2021, followed by his super-six haul so far this year.

Leclerc’s pole positions so far are:

Is Charles Leclerc starting last?

Yes, the Ferrari driver started from the back of the grid in his most recent race - the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix.

Leclerc eventually started P19 due to penalties totted up for taking multiple new elements on his Ferrari power unit.

How often does Leclerc convert poles into wins?

Okay, here is the really grim part, when Leclerc starts P1 he has a woeful record of going on to win the race on Sundays.

Of his 15 so far, only four have been converted into wins - a miserable strike rate of just 26.67 per cent.

Who has the most F1 pole positions?

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton leads the way with an astonishing 103 throughout his career.

The British star is followed by legends Michael Schumacher [68] and Ayrton Senna [65] and then four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel [57].

Who is the youngest ever F1 pole sitter?

A very young Sebastian Vettel [at 21 years and 72 days] holds that record after qualifying on pole for the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen remains the youngest driver to win a grand prix [aged 18 in Spain in 2016]. Perhaps bizarrely though, he did not claim a pole until Hungary in August 2019.

By then he was ancient - almost 22 years of age!