Max Verstappen secured his 50th Formula 1 pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix, becoming only the sixth driver in the sport’s history to reach the milestone and joining one of motorsport’s most exclusive clubs.
The Red Bull driver topped Saturday’s qualifying session at Marina Bay to achieve the feat, according to Formula1.com. Only five drivers before him have reached 50 or more pole positions in Formula 1 — Sebastian Vettel, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Lewis Hamilton among them.
Hamilton leads the all-time pole position standings by a commanding margin, with 104 to his name — a record he set at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023. Schumacher held the record before him with 68, a tally the German accumulated largely during his dominant years with Ferrari, with his final pole coming at the 2006 French Grand Prix.
Senna, widely regarded as one of the greatest qualifiers in the sport’s history, sits third on the all-time list with 65 pole positions. The Brazilian reached his 50th at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix and added three more with Williams in 1994 before his death at the San Marino Grand Prix that same year.
Vettel, the last driver to reach the 50-pole milestone before Verstappen, achieved it at the 2017 Mexico City Grand Prix. The four-time world champion finished his career with 57 poles, his last coming at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s journey to 50 poles has tracked closely with his rise to the top of the sport. The Dutchman has been a dominant force in qualifying throughout his Red Bull career, and the Singapore result adds another statistical landmark to a record that continues to grow.