Sergio Perez ended a long wait in Formula 1 when he took his first pole position after 215 race starts, on his 216th attempt. He did it in Jeddah during qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 26, 2022, edging Charles Leclerc by just 0.025 seconds. The result came after more than a decade in the sport and several team changes.
Pierre Gasly's recent pole at Monza for Alpine was another surprise. He had started 191 races before finally topping a qualifying session. Gasly had strong showings at Toro Rosso; later, he impressed at AlphaTauri and Alpine, but pole kept eluding him until his lap at Monza, the same track where he took his only Grand Prix win. The result moved him up the list of longest waits for a first pole, as noted in a recent report.
In qualifying for the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz finished third behind Perez and Leclerc at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Other drivers have spent years waiting for a shot at the front. Carlos Sainz needed 151 races, with stints at Toro Rosso and Renault before later driving for McLaren and Ferrari, to finally take pole at a rain-hit Silverstone, just ahead of Max Verstappen. Kevin Magnussen's story was even more unlikely: after 141 starts, he and Haas made the most of changing weather in Brazil. Magnussen's early Q3 lap held up after a red flag and worsening rain.
Mark Webber waited 131 races, driving for Minardi and Jaguar before stints with Williams and Red Bull. He came close several times before finally breaking through at the German Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli, known for his speed over a single lap, needed 119 attempts before taking pole in Monaco and securing a rare win in 2004. Thierry Boutsen and Nico Rosberg, along with Daniel Ricciardo and Mika Hakkinen, all waited more than 90 races for their first poles. Slower cars or dominant rivals often held them back.
These stories show that talent alone doesn't guarantee a front-row start. Timing and team performance matter, as does luck. For many, the wait means years of frustration and near-misses. Even future champions such as Hakkinen and Rosberg had to wait for the right car and the right day.
In 2024, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosted another dramatic qualifying session: Max Verstappen claimed pole position, while Sergio Perez finished third. Fortunes can change quickly in Formula 1 qualifying.
Formula 1's structure can leave even top drivers out of the spotlight for years. Technical and competitive barriers make a single lap at the front a rare prize, often won through persistence and a well-timed chance. Perez and Gasly show how a breakthrough can come suddenly, changing careers and the record books in one session. In Formula 1, patience and ability to recover matter as much as speed, and the path to pole is rarely simple, even for the best drivers.
