F1 unfortunates: the drivers who led most laps without winning a grand prix

That said, he has come close.

At the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, he grabbed pole in the wet for Williams — although a slow start cost him the lead as the field piled into Turn 1.

Hülkenberg was in similarly brilliant form at the same race two years later and stormed through the field from seventh to lead amid ever-changing conditions. He remained at the front of the pack for 30 laps, until a half spin saw him passed by Lewis Hamilton. Hülkenberg gave chase but mistimed an overtake and slammed into the side of the leading McLaren. He received a drive-through penalty and later finished fifth.

Further chances for podiums followed in Belgium (2016), Azerbaijan (2017) and Germany (2019) but for the vast majority of his career, Hülkenberg’s prospects of victory have been bleak due to him being sat in mediocre machinery.

Moving to a struggling Sauber outfit for 2025 is unlikely to improve the German’s odds of reaching the top step, He’ll be hoping that it’s more competitive when it transforms into the Audi team in 2026.

4. Ivan Capelli — 46 laps

Between 1985 and 1993, Ivan Capelli entered 98 world championship grands prix. He was forced to retire from 67 of them, yet still found a way to be relatively competitive in an era dominated by Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell — who all secured drivers’ world titles and won 81.25% of all races on offer.

Capelli led for a grand total of just 46 laps across his nine year F1 career, 45 of which came at 1990 French Grand Prix — a race the Italian should have won.

From seventh on the grid, Capelli rose through the field to lead by the halfway mark aboard an Adrian Newey-designed Leyton House CG901. He continued to maintain his advantage over Prost’s Ferrari and Senna’s McLaren as the lap counter climbed, but with just five to go, engine trouble saw Capelli slow.

Prost passed and inherited the victory, while Capelli was made to settle for second. Three further disappointing years followed, before the Italian hung up his helmet in 1994.

3. Jean-Pierre Jarier — 79 laps 

In the words of Motor Sport‘s Simon Arron, Jean-Pierre Jarier was a driver “blessed with potential” but — in Formula 1, at least — the stars never quite correctly aligned.

The Frenchman contended 147 F1 grands prix between 1971 and 1983, in which he scored 31.5 points, set three fastest laps and secured three podium finishes. He also led the field for a combined total of 79 laps over three grands prix, but his dreadful misfortune ultimately kept him from the top step – and out of possible title contention too.

He started on pole at the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix for Shadow and led in relative comfort for 28 laps before his fuel metering unit packed up, leaving Carlos Pace to inherit a win for Brabham. Later that same year, he was running second to Niki Lauda in Sweden when he developed an oil leak and retired.

Further missed chances would follow but it was in 1978 that Jarier suffered arguably his most painful loss. In his second race for Lotus, having replaced the late Ronnie Peterson, the Frenchman snatched pole in Montreal and quickly built a commanding lead over the trailing field.

It looked to be a performance that would launch Jarier’s name to the top of every F1 team’s wish list. But Lady Luck had other plans, as after leading for 49 laps the brakes on Jarier’s Lotus began to fade heavily — the consequence of an oil leak. He retired, and local hero Gilles Villeneuve was left to take the first victory of his own career.

Jarier never led another world championship lap after that, and retired in 1984.

2. Jean Behra — 107 laps 

Jean Behra was renowned for his bravery, and many would agree that his courage – let alone his immense talent – more than merited a grand prix victory. But, despite leading for 107 laps across his career, he never secured a spot on the top step.

Some of the blame for Behra’s winless record must lay with Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss – who dominated F1 through most of the mid ’50s. But Behra was widely considered as the best of the rest. Across eight world championship seasons, he secured nine podiums – five of which came during a banner year in 1956 — and scored 51 championship points. However, his best chance at a debut victory arguably came at Aintree in 1957, home to the British Grand Prix.

Starting second on the grid behind the Vanwall of Moss, Behra stuck with the Briton during the early stages and took the lead on lap 23. There he stayed for the next 47 consecutive laps – a victory looking almost certain. But on his 69th tour of the flat and largely featureless circuit, the clutch on Behra’s Maserati gave out and Moss was left to coast to the finish.

The Frenchman’s last realistic shot at victory came on the streets of Monte Carlo in 1959, where after qualifying second he led for the opening 21 laps before his Ferrari developed a terminal engine issue.

Behra contended just three more world championship grand prix before being killed in a crash at Avus – a day before the German GP.

1. Chris Amon — 183 laps

Chris Amon could and should have won at least eight world championship grands prix.

At Watkins Glen in 1967, he qualified fourth and was piling the pressure on the leading Lotuses of Jim Clark and Graham Hill when his engine failed – causing him to retire his Ferrari 18 laps from the chequered flag.

In 1968, a year which many consider to be Amon’s finest, he led for a combined total of 115 laps at races in Spain, Belgium and Canada – starting from pole in the former two. But a failed fuel pump at Jarama (where he’d been leading by almost a minute), a leaking oil radiator at Spa and a jammed transmission at Mont-Tremblant ensured that Amon’s winless streak continued, and kept him out of drivers’ title contention too.

The Kiwi’s poor luck worsened (almost unbelievably) in 1969, as he failed to finish five out of the six races he entered for Ferrari – with engine, differential and gearbox failures all to blame. His only consolation prize was a third-place finish at Zandvoort and he had led for 37 laps in that year’s Spanish GP before misfortune caused him to make another premature return to the pitlane.

A move to Matra in 1971 saw Amon feature regularly at the front once again, and he should have won from pole at the Italian GP after taking the lead from Mike Hailwood with just ten laps remaining. But when he tried to remove a visor tear-off, his entire visor came off instead! He then ran out of fuel too and the victory was inherited by Peter Gethin.

In 1972, Amon had one last realistic chance at victory. At the French Grand Prix, he led effortlessly from pole position and built up a commanding lead in the early stages before his front-left Goodyear developed a puncture. He made an unscheduled pitstop to replace it, but could only charge his way back to third – obliterating the lap record on the way.

Amon never raced a full F1 season after that, and returned home to New Zealand for good in 1976.