Kimi Antonelli made history at the Japanese GP by becoming the youngest driver to take the lead in the Formula 1 world drivers’ championship. His triumph is also part of a historic milestone: it is the 500th victory for a driver who started from pole position in the history of the world championship.
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Since the first edition of the championship, at the 1950 British GP, when Giuseppe Farina converted pole into victory, the performance of those starting in first position has been decisive. Of the 1.152 Grands Prix held to date, 500 of them were won by the driver who started from pole. Among the record holders, Lewis Hamilton leads with 61 victories starting from first position, the most recent of which was at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Throughout history, drivers who started in the top five positions have won the majority of victories: 1st place accounts for 500 victories, with Antonelli being the latest to achieve this feat; 2nd place had 272 victories, the most recent by Max Verstappen in Las Vegas 2025; 3rd place generated 138 victories, also with Verstappen in Qatar 2025; 4th place accounted for 68 victories, with Piastri winning in Miami 2025; and 5th place totaled 49 victories, the most recent by Norris in Miami 2024.
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With this, Antonelli begins to accumulate historic milestones in his career, which appears to have a promising future for the Mercedes youngster.
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