Max Verstappen is on the verge of equaling Lewis Hamilton’s career-best pole position count in the remaining two rounds of the season. The Dutch driver requires just one more pole position to reach a total of 12, putting him on par with his rival’s record for most P1 awards in a single campaign.
Verstappen’s dominance has been evident, clinching victory in 17 out of the 20 races this season. However, his control during qualifying sessions hasn’t always mirrored that commanding form.
Despite Red Bull’s triumph in 19 races so far this season, the team, based in Milton Keynes, has made strategic sacrifices. They’ve notably favored setups optimized for Sundays, often sacrificing single-lap speed. The RB19’s exceptional tire degradation has allowed Verstappen to expertly manage longer stints without compromising on impressive race pace.
McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, addressed this aspect earlier in the season. Despite the team’s absence from the pole position tally in 2023, Lando Norris has emerged as the most consistent challenger to Verstappen in the latter half of the campaign.
“We have seen that when some of the cars get some grip from the soft tyres, certainly McLaren, we can almost close the gap to Red Bull – like in a Q3 session or the sprint shootout Q3,” he explained.
“But I think it was apparent already, even in the shootout on medium [tyres], that they had this advantage. Then, in the races, as soon as the tyres degrade and you have less grip available, you see that they can extract the real advantage from their car.”
As a result of prioritizing their Sunday performance, Verstappen has secured just 11 pole positions alongside his 17 race victories this season, while his teammate Sergio Perez has managed only two.
Perez has encountered challenges on Saturdays, struggling to optimize the car’s performance during qualifying sessions. However, he’s demonstrated remarkable race pace, making up ground during Sunday races. Despite his strong race performances, his starting positions have often left him with substantial ground to cover, ultimately contributing to Verstappen’s comfortable race wins.
Of the limited pole positions secured by non-Red Bull drivers this season, Ferrari claims six out of the seven, primarily driven by Charles Leclerc with four, notably consecutive P1 finishes in Austin and Mexico City. Unfortunately, these pole positions haven’t translated into victories for Leclerc.
The remaining three poles were split between Carlos Sainz and Hamilton, with the latter notably clinching his first pole position since the 2021 season with an exceptional lap at the Hungaroring.
