Charles Leclerc’s unwanted record: Every time he failed to convert pole position into victory
Of the 27 pole positions Charles Leclerc has taken so far in F1, the Ferrari driver has converted just five of them into a race win.
It makes for a conversion rate of just 18.52 per cent and means he has the most poles of any driver in history without a World Championship to his name. Let’s take a closer look at the 22 Leclerc wins that got away…
2019 Bahrain Grand PrixWinner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Leclerc: 3rd
Led comfortably before developing an engine issue in the closing laps, losing places to Hamilton and Bottas.
Verstappen might have passed him too, but a late Safety Car stopped Leclerc losing a further place as he took his maiden podium finish and the first for a Monegasque since the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.
2019 Austrian Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 2nd
A poor start for Verstappen saw him lose places off the line, with Red Bull opting to extend his first stint to give him a nine-lap tyre advantage later on.
He caught and passed Leclerc with a controversial move on Lap 69 of 71, surviving a post-race investigation to keep the win.
2019 Singapore Grand PrixWinner: Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Leclerc: 2nd
Vettel overcut his Ferrari team-mate to take the lead, negotiating the lapped traffic astutely to establish a gap over Leclerc.
Three Safety Car periods interrupted the battle as Vettel collected his 53rd and final F1 win.
2019 Russian Grand PrixWinner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Leclerc: 3rd
Wary of the slipstream threat of the Mercedes cars on the long blast to the first corner, Leclerc and Vettel worked together to allow the latter to take the lead.
Yet Vettel reneged on a pre-race agreement to swap back before suffering a race-ending MGU-K issue, the ensuring Virtual Safety Car vaulting Hamilton into the lead.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Leclerc: 4th
Leclerc inherited pole after Verstappen failed to slow for yellow flags for Bottas’s crashed Mercedes in Q3, copping a three-place grid penalty.
A slow second pit stop meant Leclerc failed to reach the podium.
2021 Monaco Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: DNS
Leclerc crashed at the Swimming Pool session on his final Q3 lap, securing pole in the process.
Despite repairs overnight, a driveshaft issue was discovered on his reconnaissance lap on Sunday, leaving the unusual sight of an empty grid slot at the front of the pack in Monaco.
2021 Azerbaijan Grand PrixWinner: Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Leclerc: 4th
After overachieving in qualifying, Leclerc was passed by Hamilton, Verstappen and Perez in quick succession early on.
He was denied a place on the podium by Gasly after an entertaining battle across the final two laps following a red flag.
2022 Miami Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 2nd
Ferrari secured a front-row lockout for the first-ever Miami Grand Prix, but the Scuderia’s supremacy did not last long on race day.
After passing Sainz at the start, Verstappen overtook Leclerc for the lead on Lap 9.
2022 Spanish Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: DNF
All was well in Leclerc’s world as he established a 13-second lead over Russell in the first half of a race.
A turbo and MGU-H failure denied him what had looked to be a near-certain victory.
2022 Monaco Grand PrixWinner: Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Leclerc: 4th
Seven days after Spain, Leclerc dealt with the challenges of a wet Monaco to establish a healthy early lead.
Then came the confusion when he was told to pit, then stay out when he had already committed to the pit lane.
2022 Azerbaijan Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: DNF
A third spurned pole in as many weeks.
A smoky engine failure on Lap 21 saw him once again retire from the lead.
2022 French Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: DNF
A thrilling battle between Leclerc and Verstappen was on the cards at Paul Ricard.
After Verstappen pulled the trigger with an undercut attempt on Lap 16, Leclerc was pushing hard ahead of his own stop when he lost the rear and spun into the tyre barrier at Beausset. Game over.
2022 Italian Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 2nd
Even with Verstappen starting down in seventh, Leclerc could not contain the Red Bull driver as he continued his march towards a second consecutive title.
The race controversially ended behind the Safety Car after Ricciardo’s McLaren stopped late on.
2022 Singapore Grand PrixWinner: Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Leclerc: 2nd
With Verstappen out of victory contention after a fuel misjudgement in qualifying, a rain-delayed Singapore 2022 came down to a straight duel between Perez and Leclerc.
Perez nipped into the lead at Turn 1 and, try as he might, Leclerc could not force him into a mistake.
2023 Azerbaijan Grand PrixWinner: Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Leclerc: 3rd
Pole for both the sprint and main race in Baku, but Leclerc could not hold back the dominant Red Bull RB19.
Perez collected his last F1 win after a tense battle with Verstappen as Leclerc finished more than 20 seconds behind.
2023 Belgian Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 3rd
Another inherited pole after Verstappen served a five-place penalty for a gearbox change.
Perez slipstreamed past Leclerc on the first lap on a day neither could keep Verstappen honest. Despite starting sixth, the World Champion won by 22 seconds from Perez with Leclerc a further 10s back.
2023 United States Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: DSQ
Verstappen was fast enough for pole position in Austin, but his best lap in Q3 was deleted for a track limits breach.
He still dominated anyway with Leclerc, who finished sixth on the road, disqualified (along with second-placed Hamilton) for excessive skid-block wear.
2023 Mexican Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 3rd
Cooling conditions in Q3 opened the door for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to secure a surprise Ferrari front-row lockout.
Leclerc suffered damage to his front-wing endplate in a first-corner collision with Perez as the normal balance of play was re-established on race day.
2023 Las Vegas Grand PrixWinner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Leclerc: 2nd
Leclerc mastered the cold conditions in Vegas to secure pole, with his chances enhanced by a five-second penalty for Verstappen for forcing the Ferrari off the track at the first corner.
Even that could not stop a Verstappen win, although Leclerc salvaged second by passing Perez at the very last braking zone of the race.
2024 Belgian Grand PrixWinner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Leclerc: 3rd
Leclerc inherited pole once again after Verstappen served a 10-place grid drop for an engine change.
He was cut adrift of the lead battle on race day, but was promoted to third after Russell, the winner on the road, was disqualified for being underweight.
2024 Azerbaijan Grand PrixWinner: Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Leclerc: 2nd
Another year, another Baku pole.
But Oscar Piastri took the only shot he had to snatch the lead with a bold move into Turn 1, denying Leclerc for a fourth time in Baku.
2025 Hungarian Grand PrixWinner: Lando Norris, McLaren
Leclerc: 4th
A change to the conditions in Q3 – cooler temperatures and the wind direction/speed – allowed Leclerc to usurp the dominant McLarens, leaving the man himself surprised.
After comfortably leading the first stint, Leclerc’s pace disappeared alarmingly, likely as a result of Ferrari’s need to manage its ride-height concerns.
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