F1 Drivers Who Reached Q3 on Debut

Since the current qualifying system was introduced in 2006, there have been only seven drivers who reached Q3 on debut. We take a look at the times that it has happened, and the other drivers who have qualified in the top ten on their maiden Grand Prix appearance.

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Robert Kubica, 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix

Robert Kubica made his first Formula 1 appearance at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, replacing Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber. After setting the fourth fastest time in Q1, Kubica reached Q3 with the tenth fastest time in the second part of qualifying. He went on to qualify in tenth and lined up ninth on the grid due to a grid penalty for eventual race winner Jenson Button.

Kubica became the first driver to line up in the top ten on their first Grand Prix appearance since Felipe Massa at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix – though the Brazilian’s first race would come to an end at the first turn. Things went better for Kubica in his first race, but the Pole was still unlucky. He finished seventh, picking up points on his debut – only to be disqualified after the race for his car being too light.

Lewis Hamilton, 2007 Australian Grand Prix

It’s no surprise that the most successful driver in F1 history reached Q3 on his debut appearance. At the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton easily progressed to the final stage of qualifying with McLaren. After setting the second fastest time in Q1, Hamilton eventually qualified in fourth place, around seven tenths of a second away from pole position. He was less than three tenths slower than World Champion team-mate Fernando Alonso. Hamilton went on to finish on the podium in his maiden Grand Prix – the first driver to do so since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996.

Sebastian Vettel, 2007 United States Grand Prix

Robert Kubica missed the 2007 United States Grand Prix following a huge crash during the Canadian Grand Prix. He was replaced by Red Bull-backed youngster Sebastian Vettel. Vettel was within the seven top times in all three stages of the qualifying hour, and ultimately lined up seventh on the grid. He lost one position in the race to finish eighth, becoming Formula 1’s youngest points-scorer.

Daniil Kvyat, 2014 Australian Grand Prix

Daniil Kvyat became the second Russian driver to race in Formula 1 at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. The reigning GP3 champion impressed on his first outing, qualifying in eighth place – two positions down on team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne. The Toro Rosso driver went on to become the youngest driver to score on their Formula 1 debut, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record from seven years previously.

Kevin Magnussen, 2014 Australian Grand Prix

Kvyat wasn’t the only rookie in Q3 at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. Danish newcomer Kevin Magnussen was also in the top ten shootout. While his team-mate Jenson Button was eliminated in Q2, Magnussen set the second fastest time in Q1 and set the fourth fastest time in Q2.

Fourth would be where he qualified, and he’d go on to impress again in the race. Magnussen became the first driver to finish on the podium on his maiden F1 appearance since Hamilton in 2007. That was as good as things got in the Dane’s career – becoming one of only six drivers to record their only podium appearance on debut.

Carlos Sainz, 2015 Australian Grand Prix

Of the four drivers making their debut at this race, Sainz was the only one to reach Q3. While the hype surrounded Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver was eliminated in Q2 while Sainz reached Q3. The Spaniard qualified in eighth place, but an injury saw Valtteri Bottas sit out the race, and Sainz moved up one position on the grid. Bottas’ injury also meant that Sainz’s fellow debutant Felipe Nasr would begin his first Grand Prix from inside the top ten on the grid too.

Lando Norris, 2019 Australian Grand Prix

Lando Norris is the last driver to reach Q3 on his maiden race appearance, doing so at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. Though McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz was unluckily eliminated in Q1, Norris set the eighth fastest time in Q3. He failed to convert his top ten starting spot into a points finish, coming home in twelfth place.

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Drivers who lined up in the top 10 on the grid for their first Grand Prix

Below is a list of every driver who lined up in the top ten on the grid for their first World Championship Grand Prix appearance. This list does not include drivers who lined up in the top ten on the grid for the Indianapolis 500 between 1950 and 1960, nor does it include drivers who qualified in the top ten but were later handed a grid penalty.

	Driver	Race	Grid Position
1	Giuseppe Farina	1950 British Grand Prix	1
2	Luigi Fagioli	1950 British Grand Prix	2
3	Juan Manuel Fangio	1950 British Grand Prix	3
4	Reg Parnell	1950 British Grand Prix	4
5	Prince Bira	1950 British Grand Prix	5
6	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	1950 British Grand Prix	6
7	Eugene Martin	1950 British Grand Prix	7
8	Emmanuel de Graffenreid	1950 British Grand Prix	8
9	Louis Rosier	1950 British Grand Prix	9
10	Peter Walker	1950 British Grand Prix	10
11	Jose Frolian Gonzalez	1950 Monaco Grand Prix	3
12	Luigi Villoresi	1950 Monaco Grand Prix	6
13	Alberto Ascari	1950 Monaco Grand Prix	7
14	Raymond Sommer	1950 Monaco Grand Prix	9
15	Pierre Levegh	1950 Belgian Grand Prix	10
16	Consalvo Sanesi	1950 Italian Grand Prix	4
17	Dornio Serafini	1950 Italian Grand Prix	6
18	Piero Taruffi	1950 Italian Grand Prix	7
19	Rudi Fischer	1951 Swiss Grand Prix	10
20	Ken Richardson	1951 Italian Grand Prix	10
21	Peter Collins	1952 Swiss Grand Prix	6
22	Mike Hawthorn	1952 Belgian Grand Prix	6
23	Paul Frere	1952 Belgian Grand Prix	8
24	Dennis Poore	1952 British Grand Prix	8
25	Eric Thompson	1952 British Grand Prix	9
26	Ken Downing	1952 British Grand Prix	5
27	Hans Klenk	1952 German Grand Prix	8
28	Willi Heeks	1952 German Grand Prix	9
29	Elie Bayol	1952 Italian Grand Prix	10
30	Oscar Galvez	1953 Argentine Grand Prix	9
31	Carlos Menditeguy	1953 Argentine Grand Prix	10
32	Tony Rolt	1953 British Grand Prix	10
33	Luigi Musso	1954 Argentine Grand Prix	7
34	Karl Kling	1954 French Grand Prix	2
35	Olivier Gendebien	1956 Argentine Grand Prix	10
36	Colin Chapman	1956 French Grand Prix	5
37	Alfonso de Portago	1956 French Grand Prix	9
38	Archie Scott-Brown	1956 British Grand Prix	10
39	Wolfgang von Trips	1957 Monaco Grand Prix	9
40	Masten Gregory	1957 Monaco Grand Prix	10
41	Innes Ireland	1959 Dutch Grand Prix	9
42	Richie Ginther	1960 Monaco Grand Prix	9
43	Alfonso Thiele	1960 Italian Grand Prix	9
44	Ricardo Rodriguez	1961 Italian Grand Pix	2
45	Neville Lederle	1962 South African Grand Prix	10
46	Mike Spence	1963 Italian Grand Prix	9
47	Peter Arundell	1964 Monaco Grand Prix	6
48	Peter Revson	1964 Belgian Grand Prix	10
49	Dick Attwood	1965 Monaco Grand Prix	6
50	Denny Hulme	1965 Monaco Grand Prix	8
51	Mike Parkes	1966 French Grand Prix	3
52	Dave Charlton	1967 South African Grand Prix	8
53	Andrea de Adamich	1968 South African Grand Prix	7
54	Derek Bell	1968 Italian Grand Prix	8
55	Mario Andretti	1968 United States Grand Prix	1
56	Ignazio Giunti	1970 Belgian Grand Prix	8
57	Clay Regazzoni	1970 Dutch Grand Prix	6
58	Reine Wisell	1970 United States Grand Prix	9
59	Mark Donohue	1971 Canadian Grand Prix	8
60	Carlos Reutemann	1972 Argentine Grand Prix	1
61	Arturo Merzario	1972 British Grand Prix	9
62	Jody Scheckter	1972 United States Grand Prix	8
63	Masahiro Hasemi	1976 Japanese Grand Prix	10
64	Gilles Villeneuve	1977 British Grand Prix	9
65	Andrea de Cesaris	1980 Canadian Grand Prix	8
66	Teo Fabi	1982 San Marino Grand Prix	10
67	Johnny Herbert	1989 Brazilian Grand Prix	10
68	Michael Schumacher	1991 Belgian Grand Prix	7
69	Eddie Irvine	1993 Japanese Grand Prix	8
70	Michael Andretti	1993 South African Grand Prix	9
71	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	1994 Brazilian Grand Prix	5
72	Jos Verstappen	1994 Brazilian Grand Prix	9
73	David Coulthard	1994 Spanish Grand Prix	9
74	Jacques Villeneuve	1996 Australian Grand Prix	1
75	Felipe Massa	2002 Australian Grand Prix	9
76	Robert Kubica	2006 Hungarian Grand Prix	9
77	Lewis Hamilton	2007 Australian Grand Prix	4
78	Sebastian Vettel	2007 Untied States Grand Prix	7
79	Kevin Magnussen	2014 Australian Grand Prix	4
80	Daniil Kvyat	2014 Australian Grand Prix	8
81	Carlos Sainz	2015 Australian Grand Prix	7
82	Felipe Nasr	2015 Australian Grand Prix	10
83	Lando Norris	2019 Australian Grand Prix	8

^{This article was originally published in April 2021 and has since been updated.}