POLE HAS WON ONLY ONE OF THE LAST SIX ITALIAN GRANDS PRIX

Eight of the 10 Monza races held during the 2010s were won from pole position. Since 2020, the pole-sitter has converted just once in six attempts.

Monza is Formula 1’s Temple of Speed, where qualifying position and a clean run into the first chicane should provide a major advantage.

Recent results tell a different story.

From 2010 through 2019, eight of the 10 Italian Grands Prix were won from pole.

Across the six races held since 2020, only Max Verstappen in 2025 has converted pole position into victory.

THE SIX WINNING STARTS

2020: Pierre Gasly — P10 → 2021: Daniel Ricciardo — P2 → 2022: Max Verstappen — P7 → 2023: Max Verstappen — P2 → 2024: Charles Leclerc — P4 → 2025: Max Verstappen — P1

The average starting position of those six winners was P4.3.

Gasly’s 2020 victory followed a disrupted race involving a penalty for pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton and a red flag.

Ricciardo started second in 2021, took the lead from Verstappen at the start and delivered McLaren’s first victory since 2012.

In 2022, Verstappen overcame a power-unit penalty and won from seventh. He started second when he won again in 2023.

Leclerc’s 2024 victory came from fourth after Ferrari committed to a successful one-stop strategy.

Verstappen finally ended the sequence in 2025, becoming the first driver since Leclerc in 2019 to win at Monza from pole.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR 2026

The recent record does not make pole position unimportant. It shows that Monza has become less predictable after qualifying.

Grid penalties, tyre strategy, starts and race interruptions have all influenced the last six results. Three of those races were won from outside the top three.

For the 2026 pole-sitter, the opportunity will be clear—but so will the warning.

Only one of the previous six drivers starting first at Monza was still first when the chequered flag fell.