Charles Leclerc’s 27 pole positions scrutinised - is awful record his fault?

After finishing fourth at the 2025 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has now converted just one of his last 16 pole positions into a race victory.

It’s a remarkable statistic that stretches back to the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.

There’s no doubt that Leclerc is one of F1’s fastest – and most talented – drivers, but what does this incredible stat actually tell us?

How many of those failed conversions were his fault? And how many races have Ferrari let him down?

In his F1 career, Leclerc has won five races from his 27 pole positions – an 18.5% ratio.

Those five victories are:

• 2019 Belgium
• 2019 Italy
• 2022 Bahrain
• 2022 Australia
• 2024 Monaco

Here’s a rundown of all of Leclerc’s pole positions and why he did - or didn't - win...

#1 – Bahrain 2019 – Finished: 3rd

Leclerc’s maiden F1 pole position came at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix. It was a stunning lap that put him on pole nearly 0.3s ahead of Sebastian Vettel. He would finish the race in third after an engine issue dropped him behind Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Poor reliability cost him a guaranteed victory.

#2 – Austria 2019 – Finished: 2nd

Leclerc failed to convert pole into victory at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen overtook him in the closing laps following an aggressive battle.

Was Leclerc to blame? Yes. While Verstappen’s recovery was impressive, Leclerc was schooled by the Dutchman in wheel-to-wheel combat.

#3 – Belgium 2019 – Finished: 1st

Leclerc converted pole into victory at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix – his first top step appearance in F1.

#4 – Italy 2019 – Finished: 1st

Leclerc once again converted pole into the win. It was an emotional day as Leclerc won in front of Ferrari’s adoring Tifosi.

#5 – Singapore 2019 – Finished: 2nd

Leclerc’s impressive run of poles continued in Singapore, beating Vettel in qualifying. However, Vettel undercut Leclerc as Ferrari tried to cover off an undercut attempt from behind.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. The strategy didn’t work in his favour.

#6 – Russia 2019 – Finished: 3rd

Team orders thwarted his chances of winning the 2019 Russian GP, and then a compromised strategy due to the timing of the Virtual Safety Car.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Unfortunate timing of the VSC.

#7 – Mexico 2019 – Finished: 4th

Strategy proved to be Leclerc’s downfall as a two-stop strategy didn’t pay off. Hamilton won the race ahead of Vettel and Bottas.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Once again, strategy didn’t work in his favour.

#8 – Monaco 2021 – Finished: DNS

In an uncompetitive Ferrari, Leclerc delivered a magic lap to secure pole for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. A crash in Q3 ended qualifying early, meaning his rivals couldn’t improve. Leclerc didn’t start the race due to a driveshaft failure.

Was Leclerc to blame? Yes. His crash in qualifying led to the pre-race failure.

#9 – Azerbaijan 2021 – Finished: 4th

Leclerc showed why he’s a Baku specialist by taking pole for the 2021 Azerbaijan GP. He ultimately finished the race in fourth. 

Was Leclerc to blame? No. The 2021 Ferrari wasn’t a top-three car on the grid.

#10 – Bahrain 2022 – Finished: 1st

Leclerc won the first race of the ‘ground effect’ era from pole position, as Ferrari clinched a 1–2 finish.

#11 – Australia 2022 – Finished: 1st

A perfect weekend for Leclerc at Albert Park. Pole, victory and the fastest lap.

#12 – Miami 2022 – Finished: 2nd

Ferrari’s 2022 challenger remained the car to beat in qualifying as Leclerc secured another pole position. He ultimately finished behind Verstappen in the race.
Was Leclerc to blame? No. Verstappen and Red Bull had superior race pace.

#13 – Spain 2022 – Finished: DNF

Leclerc was on course for a guaranteed race victory at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix. However, reliability wasn’t on his side.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Engine failure.

#14 – Monaco 2022 – Finished: 4th

Leclerc’s 2022 title bid quickly unravelled as poor strategy choices cost him in front of his home crowd.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Baffling Ferrari strategy calls.

#15 – Azerbaijan 2022 – Finished: DNF

Another lightning qualifying lap put Leclerc on pole in Azerbaijan. However, he retired from the lead of the race due to another technical issue.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. More reliability issues.

#16 – France 2022 – Finished: DNF

Leclerc’s most memorable mistake came at the 2022 French Grand Prix. He was leading the race but crashed out. It’s probable he wouldn’t have won – but it was close with Verstappen at the time.

Was Leclerc to blame? Yes. A race-ending mistake.

#17 – Italy 2022 – Finished: 2nd

While Red Bull had a slight edge on race pace at Monza, Ferrari didn’t fully capitalise on the early VSC period when Leclerc stopped.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Unfortunate (or poor) strategy again.

#18 – Singapore 2022 – Finished: 2nd

Leclerc lost the lead of the race to Sergio Perez on the opening lap. After that, they were evenly matched. Even though Perez was handed a five-second time penalty for a Safety Car infringement, he pulled a big enough gap on Leclerc to win at Marina Bay. Perez was fortunate not to pick up another five-second penalty for the same offence.

Was Leclerc to blame? Yes. He lost the lead into Turn 1. Without that, he’d have likely won.

#19 – Azerbaijan 2023 – Finished: 3rd

Leclerc produced another devastating lap to take pole in Baku. Ferrari didn’t have the race pace or tyre degradation to fight the Red Bulls.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Outperformed the car in qualifying. Third was the maximum.

#20 – Belgium 2023 – Finished: 3rd

Leclerc only inherited pole position for the 2023 Belgian GP due to Verstappen’s engine penalty.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. The Red Bull was the dominant car.

#21 – USA 2023 – Finished: DSQ

Ferrari’s SF-23 once again performed well in qualifying trim, as Leclerc stormed to pole. Verstappen was too quick in the race, as Leclerc was ultimately disqualified for excessive plank wear.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. The Red Bull was dominant again, even without the DSQ for Leclerc.

#22 – Mexico 2023 – Finished: 3rd

A familiar story. Leclerc over-delivers in qualifying, but the SF-23 doesn’t have the race pace or tyre management to compete with Verstappen.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Red Bull and Verstappen were far superior again.

#23 – Las Vegas 2023 – Finished: 2nd

Las Vegas was the race Leclerc should have won had Lady Luck been on his side. Verstappen and Perez stopped under the SC and had five-lap fresher tyres.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Slightly unfortunate with strategy and Red Bull’s race pace.

#24 – Monaco 2024 – Finished: 1st

Leclerc finally won his home race with a commanding drive from pole position.

#25 – Belgium 2024 – Finished: 3rd

Leclerc once again inherited pole thanks to an engine penalty for Verstappen. The Mercedes appeared to be quicker in the race, as did Piastri’s McLaren.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Other cars were quicker on race day.

#26 – Azerbaijan 2024 – Finished: 2nd

Leclerc had the 2024 Azerbaijan GP under control until the round of pit stops. Piastri’s undercut put him in DRS contention before pulling off a ballsy pass.

Was Leclerc to blame? Yes. Caught sleeping with Piastri behind.

#27 – Hungary 2025 – Finished: 4th

Leclerc produced the lap of the season so far, beating the two McLarens to pole at the Hungaroring. A chassis issue ruined his race, dropping him behind George Russell. Without it, Norris would have likely won on the one-stopper.

Was Leclerc to blame? No. Ferrari-related issue again. McLaren still had superior race pace.

So overall, Leclerc has failed to convert 22 of his 27 poles into victory.

Only five of them can reasonably be blamed on him – and even then, some are debatable, such as Verstappen’s robust overtake in Austria 2019 or Perez escaping a second penalty in Singapore 2022.

That means 17 of those non-wins were down to poor strategy, reliability issues, or simply because Ferrari weren’t expected to be on pole in the first place.

While it’s a statistic Leclerc would love to put right, it arguably enhances his reputation when you delve into the detail – proving just how much he has over-delivered in qualifying across multiple seasons.

The verdict

Five races were down to Leclerc’s own mistakes or defeats in wheel-to-wheel combat, but 17 were not. 

More often than not, it was Ferrari’s poor reliability and pit wall decisions that cost him, with a consistent lack of race pace compared to Red Bull and Verstappen also playing a major role.