F1’s ‘missing’ pole winners

Motivation is a powerful tool for athletes. Some think back to past slights or wrongs they have endured to drive them onwards. Others are determined to reward faith shown by supporters or family. Some target specific milestones.

There’s a curious anomaly in Formula 1, which threads through the motivation for drivers at each grand prix. In qualifying, every driver wants to start as high up the grid as possible. The Q1-Q2-Q3 session isn’t as meaningful as the points-awarding race, or as glamorous as a ‘grand prix’, but the