F1 Grid Slot Stats: British Grand Prix at Silverstone

The polesitter at Silverstone has gone on to win only two of the last six F1 races at the track. Historically, the pole to win conversion rate is under 40% at Silverstone, with only 21 of the 57 races here having been won from the front of the grid.

Pole has had its dominant streaks at the circuit – the polesitter won four consecutive races at the track between 1960 and 1967, four times between 1991 and 1994 and, more recently, Lewis Hamilton converted all of his poles into wins between 2015 and 2017. In the 28 races here since 1995, the polesitter has won only nine times, four of those wins being by Hamilton. That being said, a good finish is still likely for the polesitter, with 18 podiums from the last 23 Silverstone races.

Since 2001, Nico Rosberg’s DNF in 2014 with gearbox issues and Max Verstappen’s first lap crash in 2021 are the only times the polesitter has failed to finish the British Grand Prix. The polesitter has recorded non-finishes at the Silverstone circuit on fewer occasions than any other grid slot in the top 20.

The driver starting from second has won three of the last six races at Silverstone – in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Second on the grid has scored on more occasions than the polesitter (42 times) and has had the same number of podiums as the polesitter (34).

Second on the grid has also had fewer non-classified finishes than any other grid slot, failing to finish the race only 11 times. The last non-finish from this grid slot came all the way back in 2000, when Heinz-Harald Frentzen retired with gearbox issues. Since 2001, Mark Webber’s tenth place finish in 2008 and Valtteri Bottas’ 11th place in the 2020 British Grand Prix are the only times the driver starting from second has failed to score.

In the last 22 Silverstone races, there has been just one retirement from third on the grid at Silverstone. That was for Sebastian Vettel in 2013. Eight Silverstone wins have come from this grid slot in total, three since the turn of the millennium. The most recent win from this grid slot was in 2011, when Fernando Alonso was victorious.

Fourth on the grid has the longest active streak of points-scoring races at Silverstone, having scored points in every season since 2006. It’s also on the longest current podium streak, with top three finishes coming from this position in all of the last four Silverstone races – including victory for Max Verstappen at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Jarno Trulli, who was out after a first lap collision in 2001, is the most recent driver to have retired from fourth on the grid at the British Grand Prix.

In 2022, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to finish on the podium having started fifth at Silverstone since 2010. In the 11 races between its two most recent podiums, the grid slot supplied two DNFs and nine points-scoring races. During that time, fourth places for Felipe Massa in 2012, Pierre Gasly in 2019 and Lando Norris in 2021 were the only times during that period that the driver starting here has gained a place during the race.

Three wins have come from fifth on the grid at Silverstone, the most recent being for Johnny Herbert in 1995.

In the last 47 years, no victory at Silverstone has come from further back than sixth on the grid. The only win from outside the top five on the grid since 1975 came in 2014, when Lewis Hamilton started from sixth. The position recorded podium finishes in successive years, with Hamilton winning in 2014 and Sebastian Vettel finishing third in 2015.

There have only been two DNFs from this grid slot in the past 24 years – for Ralf Schumacher in 2007 and Robert Kubica in 2010.

In the last 15 races at the track, Romain Grosjean’s retirement in 2013 is the only time that the driver starting here has failed to finish the race. Seventh is the furthest back grid slot to have won at Silverstone, with Emerson Fittipaldi winning from seventh on the grid in 1975.

The driver starting eighth on the grid at Silverstone has suffered more non-finishes than any other grid slot in the top ten, with 25 non-finishes in total – including in each of the last two seasons.

The position last supplied a podium finish in 2014 for Daniel Ricciardo. It was the fourth podium to be recorded from eighth on the grid at Silverstone.

Ninth on the grid has supplied more top ten finishes than either of the two grid slots immediately ahead of it and any of the positions behind it.

Ninth has given two podium positions at Silverstone in the last 10 years, with third place for Fernando Alonso in 2013 and second for Valtteri Bottas in 2017. Those are two of four podium finishes for this grid slot, the others being in 1981 and 1989.

Tenth is the only grid slot in the top 14 to have never supplied a podium finish at Silverstone. The best result from tenth position is fourth, recorded by Nelson Piquet in 1989 and Lewis Hamilton in 2011. In 2022, Nicholas Latifi’s 12th place finish ended a five race streak of points for this grid slot.

In the last nine Silverstone races, the driver starting eleventh has scored four times, finished outside the points twice, recorded two retirements and suffered a DNS.

Jolyon Palmer, who failed to start the race in 2017, took the unwanted honour of being the third driver to fail to start at Silverstone having lined up in the top 11 on the grid. Palmer is in good company, though, with Jack Brabham and Michael Schumacher the only other drivers to do so.

All three podium finishes from this grid slot have been the runner-up spot, most recently recorded by Jean Alesi in 1997.

The driver starting 12th has scored in three of the last six Silverstone races. Twelfth on the grid has supplied two podium finishes here in the past, with Alfonso de Portago and Peter Collins sharing a drive to finish second in 1956 and Kimi Raikkonen coming home third in 2005.

Since 1999, there have been only three retirements from twelfth. The grid slot has the least DNFs of any position outside the top six.

13th on the grid at Silverstone has recorded six non-finishes in the last 15 races. Nico Hulkenberg failed to even start the 2020 British Grand Prix when he was due to line up 13th on the grid.

This grid slot has not scored since 2019, when Carlos Sainz finished in sixth place. That’s one of only eight top six results for the driver starting 13th at Silverstone – and the only one since 2003.

Valtteri Bottas recorded the best ever finish for a driver starting 14th at Silverstone in 2014 with second place. 14th on the grid had previously supplied a podium finish for Jacques Laffite in 1981.

This grid slot has recorded nine points finishes in total, less than any grid slot ahead of it. It has had more non-finishes than it has had top ten finishes. In two of the last three Silverstone races, the driver starting 14th has finished eighth.

Since 1990, only two points finishes have been scored from 15th on the grid. Those were eighth place for Kazuki Nakajima in 2008 and tenth for Daniil Kvyat in 2016. Prior to that, the driver starting 15th finished sixth four times in the eight races here between 1977 and 1989. The best finish for this grid slot is fifth, ironically recorded by Mark Donohue in 1975 despite him failing to finish.

The driver starting 16th has scored in the two of the last three Silverstone races, with tenth place finishes for Daniil Kvyat at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and Yuki Tsunoda at the 2021 British Grand Prix.

This grid slot has failed to finish the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 30 occasions, more than any other grid slot. Between 1987 and 2002, the driver starting here reached the end of the race on only three occasions. Felipe Nasr failed to even start the race here in 2015 with gearbox issues, Kevin Magnussen retired three laps from the end in 2016, Carlos Sainz was eliminated after a collision with Romain Grosjean in 2018, Kevin Magnussen retired in 2019 and Alex Albon was involved in the first lap crash in 2022.

In 2022, Kevin Magnussen became only the sixth driver to have scored starting from 17th at Silverstone. Fernando Alonso finished tenth in 2015 and Daniil Kvyat finished ninth in 2019, but those are the only other occasions in the last 31 years that the driver starting here has finished in a points-paying position.

Between 1998 and 2002, the grid slot recorded top ten finishes four times, but in the lower regions of the top ten, before the positions offered points. At the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020, Magnussen became the first driver to retire from this position at Silverstone since 2011.

In the last 38 races at Silverstone – since 1985 – the driver starting 18th has scored only twice. Jaime Alguersuari took tenth place in 2011, while Sebastian Vettel finished ninth in 2022.

During that time frame there has been only one better result from this grid slot than that. Mika Salo finished eighth in 2000, before the place gave any points.

The driver starting 19th has had fewer top ten finishes than drivers starting from any other grid slot in the top 20. The grid position has supplied only three points finishes, with Daniel Ricciardo’s fifth place in 2017 being the best-ever result for a driver starting here.

The other two points finishes from this grid slot were for Luigi Villoresi, who finished sixth in 1956 and for Mick Schumacher, who finished eighth in 2019.

In Silverstone’s 57-race tenure on the F1 calendar, the driver starting 20th has scored only twice. Reg Parnell finished fifth in 1951, while Giancarlo Fisichella came home sixth in 2004. In total, there have been 14 top ten finishes from this grid slot.

Five starts have been made from the pit lane at Silverstone, including three in 2018. No points have been scored from a pit lane start here, and two pit lane starts have resulted in retirements.