The polesitter has led every lap of both Grands Prix at Lusail Circuit so far, while tenth on the grid has recorded the furthest back podium finish. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Qatar Grand Prix!
QATAR GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- Only front row starters have won so far
- 5 of 9 podium finishes have come from outside the top three
- 1st, 5th and 8th are the only positions to finish in the top eight in all three races
- 14th is furthest forward grid slot to not score
QATAR GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
| Position | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | - | 1st |
| 2 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | - | 1st |
| 3 | - | 2021 | 2024 | 2023 | 3rd |
| 4 | - | 2024 | 2024 | - | 3rd |
| 5 | - | 2024 | 2024 | - | 2nd |
| 6 | - | 2023 | 2023 | 2021 | 2nd |
| 7 | - | 2021 | 2024 | - | 2nd |
| 8 | - | - | 2024 | - | 7th |
| 9 | - | - | 2023 | 2024 | 5th |
| 10 | - | 2023 | 2024 | - | 3rd |
| 11 | - | - | 2024 | - | 4th |
| 12 | - | - | 2024 | 2023 (DNS) | 6th |
| 13 | - | - | 2021 | - | 8th |
| 14 | - | - | - | - | 12th |
| 15 | - | - | - | 2024 | 17th |
| 16 | - | - | - | - | 11th |
| 17 | - | - | - | 2021 | 14th |
| 18 | - | - | - | 2024 | 14th |
| 19 | - | - | 2023 | 2024 | 9th |
| 20 | - | - | - | 2024 | 18th |
- Polesitter led every lap of first two races
- 100% win rate ended in 2024
The polesitter won both of the first Grands Prix held at Lusail Circuit. Lewis Hamilton won by 25 seconds in 2021, while Max Verstappen won the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix by just under five seconds. Both drivers led every lap on their way to victory.
In 2024, George Russell became the first polesitter to fail to win in Qatar. He finished off the podium, in fourth place.
- 2024 win was first podium finish
- Scored points twice
In 2024, Max Verstappen became the first driver to start second for the Qatar Grand Prix and win the race. This was the first podium finish for the driver starting here.
Pierre Gasly failed to score having started here in 2021, while George Russell became the first driver to score from second on the grid in Qatar in 2023, finishing fourth.
- One podium, one points-score and one DNF so far
- Hamilton’s race ended at Turn 1 in 2023
While Fernando Alonso finished where he started in 2021 and claimed a podium finish – his first in over seven years – Lewis Hamilton failed to finish the Qatar Grand Prix in 2023 having started third. Hamilton was taken out at Turn 1 in a collision with his Mercedes team-mate.
In 2024, Lando Norris finished tenth having started third after picking up a stop/go penalty which curtailed his race.
- First podium in 2024
- 100% points rate
The driver starting fourth has scored points in all three Qatar races so far. Oscar Piastri’s third place finish in the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix marked the first top five finish for the driver starting fourth in Qatar. Fernando Alonso recorded this grid slot’s best result to date with sixth place in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, while Lando Norris finished ninth in 2021.
- Points in all three races
- Podium marked first position gain
The driver starting fifth has also scored points in all three runnings of the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail Circuit to date. Carlos Sainz finished seventh having started here in 2021, while Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc bettered that with fifth place in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
In 2024, Leclerc again lined up fifth for the Qatar Grand Prix and became the first driver starting here to gain positions in the race. He moved up three positions to finish second, recording this grid slot’s first podium result.
- Finished runner-up in 2023
- 2023 podium is only points-score so far
One good race and two bad races so far from sixth on the grid at the Qatar Grand Prix. While Oscar Piastri finished as runner-up with McLaren having started sixth in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas retired with damage from a puncture in 2021 and Lewis Hamilton finished only 12th when starting here in 2024. Hamilton received a drive-through penalty in the race for speeding in the pit lane.
- Finished second in 2021
- Never finished outside of the top 12
Max Verstappen finished as runner-up having started seventh in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. It’s one of two points-scoring races to date for this position at Lusail Circuit, with Carlos Sainz finishing sixth having started here in 2024.
Pierre Gasly recorded the worst result to date for the driver starting seventh at the Qatar Grand Prix, with 12th place in 2023. He originally finished tenth but received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.
- Finished seventh in the last two years
- Yet to finish in the top six
Esteban Ocon’s seventh place in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was the first time that the driver starting eighth scored at Lusail Circuit. One year later, Fernando Alonso followed suit and gained one position having started here, finishing seventh. Yuki Tsunoda finished a lap down, in 13th place, in 2021.
- Two top eight finishes
- Best result of fifth
- Lost 100% points rate in 2024
The driver starting ninth finished in the top eight at both of the first two Qatar races. It was one of only three grid slots to have done so, after 1st and 5th. Esteban Ocon has had the best result from this position to date with fifth place in 2021, while Valtteri Bottas finished eighth in 2023. In 2024, Sergio Perez brought this position’s 100% points rate to an end when he spun out of the race at a Safety Car restart.
- Furthest back podium recorded from tenth
- Points in all three Grands Prix so far
Tenth is the furthest back grid position to have recorded a podium finish at the Qatar Grand Prix. Lando Norris finished third having started here in 2023. The driver starting here is yet to fail to score in Qatar. Sebastian Vettel finished where he started from in 2021, while Kevin Magnussen finished ninth in 2024.
- Two top five finishes
- 100% finish rate
Sergio Perez gained seven positions when he started 11th at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix in 2021, recording the best result to date for the driver starting here with fourth place. In 2024, Pierre Gasly gained six positions to finish fifth. Yuki Tsunoda is the only driver yet to score have started here, being unable to finish any higher than 15th in 2023.
- Two top eight results in first three races
- Grid slot mistakenly left clear in 2023
Lance Stroll finished sixth when he lined up 12th on the grid for the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. As a result of Carlos Sainz failing to start in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, this grid slot should have been left clear. However, Nico Hulkenberg – who was due to start 14th – erroneously pulled too far forward and started here instead. Hulkenberg was given a 10-second penalty for the mishap and ultimately finished the race 16th.
In 2024, Zhou Guanyu became the second driver to score points having started 12th in the Qatar Grand Prix. He gained four positions to finish eighth and score Sauber’s only points of the season.
- One points scoring race to date
Charles Leclerc converted a 13th place start into points at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, finishing in eighth place. Alex Albon failed to make the same happen in 2023 and he finished where he started, in 13th, while Valtteri Bottas finished 11th from this position in 2024.
- Furthest forward grid slot with no points yet
- Best result of 12th
14th is the furthest forward grid slot which is yet to score a point in the Qatar Grand Prix. All three drivers starting here have finished the race. Daniel Ricciardo moved forwards two positions in 2021 to finish 12th, Nico Hulkenberg lost two positions having started here in 2023 and Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th from here in 2024.
Notably, Hulkenberg didn’t actually start 14th as the grid slot ahead of him (12th) was left clear. He erroneously pulled into the grid slot in front for the start of the race, for which he received a ten second time penalty.
- No finishes inside the top 16
- DNFs in the last two seasons
No one has finished above 17th having started 15th so far at the Qatar Grand Prix. George Russell finished 17th from here in 2021 – but that’s the only finish from this position to date. Logan Sargeant retired after falling ill with heatstroke in 2023, while Lance Stroll retired due to damage picked up on the opening lap in 2024. It made 15th the first grid slot to record multiple DNFs at the Qatar Grand Prix.
- 100% finish rate
- No points scored yet
There’ve been three finishes so far from 16th on the grid but no points have yet been scored from here. Lance Stroll came close to doing so in 2023. He finished ninth on the road but two five-second time penalties dropped him to 11th in the final order.
- 14th is best result to date
Nicholas Latifi retired from 17th on the grid in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. Liam Lawson did at least finish the race in 2023, finishing in the same position as he started. It was Lawson who started 17th once again in 2024, this time gaining three positions and recording the grid slot’s best result to date with 14th.
- No points yet
- Two top 15 finishes
18th completes a run of five consecutive grid slots which are yet to score in Qatar. Antonio Giovinazzi finished 15th from here in 2021, while Kevin Magnussen finished 14th in 2023. In 2204, Nico Hulkenberg became the first driver to record a DNF from this position, spinning out of the race.
- Picked up points in 2023
- First DNF in 2024
The driver starting 19th scored for the first time at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, with Zhou Guanyu finishing ninth. It is the furthest back grid position to score at the track, aside from the pit lane. Mick Schumacher finished 16th from 19th on the grid in 2021, while Franco Colapinto recorded the first DNF from this grid slot in 2024, retiring on the first lap.
- 18th in 2021
- Grid slot left clear in 2023
Due to a pit lane starter in 2023, 2021 and 2024 are the only Lusail races to date in which a driver has started from 20th on the grid. Nikita Mazepin finished 18th having started here in 2021, while Esteban Ocon was out at the first corner in 2024.
There has been one pit lane start to date at the Qatar Grand Prix. In 2023, Sergio Perez started from the pit lane and went on to pick up one point with a tenth place finish.
