90 years of qualifying: F1's greatest one-lap performances

Alfa Romeo‘s Rudolf Caracciola had been one of the favourites for pole position and the race win, having earned a reputation as one of the most calculating and successful drivers in the paddock. But his charge to the front was short-lived, when in the first practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the German locked his front wheels and plowed into a concrete balustrade – breaking his legs on impact.

This left Bugatti’s Achille Varzi and hometown favourite Louis Chiron to take centre stage – the former coming out on top. Around Monaco’s tight and twisted streets, Varzi outqualified the rest of the field by a second – his lap (2min 2sec) being set on a drying track during the final practice session of the weekend.

In familiar fashion to a modern Monaco Grand Prix, pole-winner Varzi went on to win the race itself after a heated duel with Tazio Nuvolari.

Timed qualifying was here to stay.

Eugenio Castellotti

1955 Belgian Grand Prix

In an era of Mercedes dominance, led by the all-star duo of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, it was rare that any other driver would be deemed ‘the fastest’. But not so at the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix.

In just his third world championship race, Eugenio Castellotti, a 24-year old kid from Lodi, shocked the F1 paddock by stealing pole position from the German frontrunners in a Lancia D50.

Around the 8.7 miles of Spa-Francorchamps, there were plenty of opportunities to make mistakes but Castellotti persevered. He “did very nearly a whole Grand Prix race during the evening [practice],” reported Motor Sport and, in the end, it was consistency that gave Castellotti his defining moment in F1 – setting a lap of 4min 18sec and outqualifying Fangio by half a second.

The Italian would fail to finish in the race itself, retiring on lap 16 due to a gearbox failure, but his performance was enough to be signed by Ferrari for the rest of the 1955 season.

Juan Manuel Fangio

1957 German Grand Prix

Determining which of Juan Manuel Fangio’s 29 F1 pole positions is the greatest is a near-impossible task – but a strong case could be made for the 1957 German Grand Prix.

Racing at the ‘Green Hell’ that is the Nürburgring, Fangio proved to be in a league of his own. Whilst Vanwall‘s Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks found the physical strain of the 14.1 mile lap almost unbearable, Fangio was seen powersliding his way through the trees, going 10 seconds clear of his nearest competitor almost immediately.

Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn emerged as the only true threat, but even through gritted teeth, he still failed to lap within almost three seconds of Fangio, who took pole position with a time of 9min 25.6sec.

His triumph would transfer into the grand prix itself, recovering from a catastrophic mid-race pit stop to chase down Hawthorn’s Ferrari – which had a 45 second lead with 10 laps to go. Numerous record-breaking laps later, Fangio passed Hawthorn with just a few miles remaining and claimed his fifth and final F1 world championship.

Jim Clark

1965 South African Grand Prix

In a year where he arguably became the greatest motor racing driver of all time, winning his second World Championship, the Indy 500, the British and French F2 championships — as well as the Tasman Series, Jim Clark rose to new heights at the 1965 South African Grand Prix.

The season began with what would become familiar dominance, as Clark set the fastest time in each of the three practice sessions. A final lap at the end of the first day saw a 1min 27.6sec lap, and an average speed of just over 100mph.

The next day brought a crushing display as Clark reeled off a series of sub-1min 28sec laps, bringing his fastest time down to 1min 27.2sec, while also avoiding a spinning local driver. Next quickest was defending champion John Surtees, 0.9sec behind. Windy conditions at the 2.4-mile East London circuit meant that Clark couldn’t improve in the final session, but still went quicker than any other driver.

Clark’s pace would translate into the race, winning the first race of the 1965 season by almost half a minute and whilst nursing a slipped disc.

Jackie Stewart

1970 Canadian Grand Prix

Remembered as one of the more chaotic qualifying sessions in F1 history, Jackie Stewart’s pole position at the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix was nothing short of mesmerising.

Racing a March under legendary team boss Ken Tyrrell, Stewart was enduring a mixed season in 1970, persevering with an older chassis whilst chief designer Derrick Gardner was building Tyrrell‘s first in-house challenger – the 001.

The car still wasn’t quite race-ready when the F1 circus entered Canada, Stewart forced to spend critical practice sessions switching between cars to ensure progress was being made. But in the dying moments of the final practice session of the weekend – with grid places now up for grabs – the older March broke down, forcing Stewart into the underdeveloped car.

“Stewart leapt into the Tyrrell, did a spectacular standing start in the pit area and roared away,” wrote Denis Jenkinson for Motor Sport. “The last lap of the day he did in a shattering 1 min 31.5 sec to snatch pole-position from [Jacky] Ickx, and as someone remarked ‘How professional can you get?’”

During the grand prix itself, the Tyrrell-001’s lack of development caught up with it, as an axle broke 31 laps into race, forcing Stewart to retire. But its raw one-lap pace showed promise, and led to the car that would deliver Stewart his second world title in 1971.

Carlos Reutemann

1972 Argentine Grand Prix

Of the many ways a driver can mark their F1 debut, there are few better than claiming a pole position on home soil.

Partnered with Graham Hill at Brabham, Carlos Reutemann entered the 1972 Argentine Grand Prix as a hometown hero but left as a serious F1 prospect, snatching the fastest time from reigning world champion Jackie Stewart.

The Buenos Aires circuit had attracted hordes of screaming crowds and in the final hour of the last practice sessions, they got their fair share of F1 action. Denny Hulme and Peter Revson of McLaren were in a joint battle for pole alongside paddock favourite Stewart, as the only cars to break the 1min 13sec mark – but Reutemann was up next.

In a frantic five-lap effort, the Argentine driver delivered a Jim Clark-esque performance, going faster and faster before setting a time that would not be beaten – a 1min 12.46sec lap – two-tenths quicker than Stewart and almost seconds quicker than Hill.

Sadly, Reutemann was unable to complete his dream start to F1, falling to seventh during the grand prix itself after a prolonged pitstop – but his qualifying performance had already put the paddock on notice.

Keke Rosberg

1985 British Grand Prix

Keke Rosberg left the paddock after qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix as the fastest man on the planet – for one weekend at least.

The Finn’s pole lap at Silverstone – a 1min 5.951sec – saw his Williams average 160.9mph, thanks to some of the fastest corners on the F1 calendar. It was a pace not beaten until Juan Pablo Montoya‘s 161.4mph pole lap at Monza in 2002.

Battling the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and eventual world champion Alain Prost, Rosberg flew around 2.92-mile circuit to claim the front slot on the grid — outqualifying teammate Nigel Mansell by over a second and later discovering he had suffered a slow puncture on his final qualifying run.

Rosberg would go on to retire during the race due to an exhaust failure but record-breaking qualifying performance ensured his place in F1 history.

Ayrton Senna

1988 Monaco Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna‘s pole lap at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix was never actually captured with on-board film, but survives in F1 history as perhaps the greatest qualifying performance of all time.

Battling team-mate and rival Alain Prost, every qualifying session was considered critical in the Brazilian’s attempt to claim his first F1 world title and he certainly stepped up to the mark on the hazard-filled streets of Monte Carlo.

“I was over two seconds quicker than anybody else, including my team-mate with the same car,” Senna told Jenks. “Not because he was going slowly, but because at that stage I was going too fast. You understand?

“I realised suddenly that I was over a level that was reasonably safe. There was no margin whatsoever, in anything. When I had that kick, I immediately lifted. I didn’t have to, but I was not at the same level you work in all the time. I didn’t and still don’t really understand, fully understand, that different level.

“I backed off, came slowly back to the pits and stopped. I said to myself, ‘Today is special. That’s enough. You just don’t go out any more because you are vulnerable in terms of putting yourself in an area you don’t really understand. You’re doing it more from your subconscious.’”

Senna continued his blistering pace in the race, pulling out a 55-second advantage over the rest of the field before an uncharacteristic mistake forced him to retire with just a handful of laps remaining. Nevertheless, his qualifying performance remains part of Monaco history.

Roberto Moreno

1992 Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix has produced its fair share of miracles, but few are more meaningful than Roberto Moreno‘s blistering qualifying lap in 1992.

To be clear, this Brazilian wasn’t competing for a slot at the front of the grid – those honours left to Nigel Mansell and fellow countryman Ayrton Senna. Instead, he was fighting just to get on the grid for the race itself, whilst driving for what is often considered the worst F1 team of all time: Andrea Moda.

Operating on a minimalist budget and with a car barely holding itself together, Moreno willed himself to 26th in the overall standings – 0.036 seconds quicker than Brabham‘s Eric van de Poele. Critically, this would be the difference that would qualify the team for its first and only F1 grand prix, a moment Moreno described to Motor Sport as a “unique, an amazing feeling.”

Moreno’s Andrea Moda career lasted just 11 laps the following day, after which he retired due to engine failure but his qualifying performance will remain as one of Monaco’s greatest.

Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen

2000 Japanese Grand Prix

Qualifying for the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix was the setting for a titanic battle between two of F1’s greatest ever drivers – Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and McLaren’s Mika Häkkinen.

The pair traded places throughout the session, leading the rest of the field by four-tenths in a true showcase of their title-conquering dominance. Schumacher was the first to lead before Häkkinen bested his rival his next attempt – a theme that continued until qualifying’s dying moments.

The Flying Finn set a blistering time of 1min 35.834sec with just moments remaining, leaving Schumacher just one lap to eclipse his rival. 3.6 miles and 19 corners later, the German crossed the line to claim pole position – just 0.009sec faster. Häkkinen’s disappointment was tangible in the subsequent press conference and a stark contrast to the bouncing Schumacher sat alongside.

Sunday’s grand prix was equally as dramatic, Schumacher battling Häkkinen for lap after lap of qualifying-level commitment; the Ferrari driver crossing the line to take a critical victory which sealed his third F1 world championship.

Jenson Button

2004 San Marino Grand Prix

In the midst of Michael Schumacher’s F1 dominance, Jenson Button‘s pole lap at the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix stood out as a performance to remember.

The Briton had burst onto the scene in 2000, and had already earned a reputation as one of the series’ future stars, but whilst at the wheel of a BAR Honda, little was expected of him. Nevertheless, around Imola’s sloping yet punishing track layout, Button catapulted himself to the top of the time sheets.

Full commitment through Variante Alta sent his BAR flying down toward the circuit’s final corners, still almost neck-and-neck with Schumacher, before negotiating the final chicane. Three purple sectors saw Button take pole position with a final time of 1min 17.753sec – three tenths clear of the eventual world champion.

Lewis Hamilton

2018 Singapore Grand Prix

As F1’s greatest ever qualifier — a title he holds thanks to a record 103 pole positions — it’s no easy task to pick out Lewis Hamilton‘s best one-lap performance.

Honorary mentions include his record-breaking lap at Monza, which saw his Mercedes average 164.26mph, and in Styria, where he out qualified the rest of the field by over 1.2 seconds. But the Briton’s performance at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix is widely considered as one of his best.

Under blinding lights and in excruciating heat, Hamilton was among the underdogs for pole position on the streets Marina Bay – Red Bull and Ferrari having dominated all three practice sessions. But when the pressure was at its peak, the five-time world champion delivered, going fastest in every sector to take pole position by three-tenths of a second. “That lap felt like magic,” said Hamilton. “I don’t really know where it came from but it all came together… I’m super overwhelmed, absolutely overwhelmed, my heart’s racing. I might have an anxiety attack in a second.”

The lap’s chaotic nature makes it one of Hamilton’s most memorable qualifying performances and would ultimately help him secure victory at the grand prix the following night.