Vettel equals record for best start to a season
2011 Monaco GP stats and facts
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Monaco, 2011
No driver in F1 history has made a better start to a season than Sebastian Vettel has over the first six races of 2011.
Five wins and a second place from the first six races is as good as any driver has done at the start of a season.
Here’s how he stacks up so far against the drivers who made the best starts to a season:
| Year | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 2011 | Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1994 | Michael Schumacher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | Nigel Mansell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | DNF |
| 2009 | Jenson Button | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | Michael Schumacher | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1965 | Jim Clark | 1 | NE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1969 | Jackie Stewart | 1 | 1 | DNF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2004 | Michael Schumacher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | DNF | 1 |
| 1954 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 1 | NE | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1952 | Alberto Ascari | NE | DNF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
DNF: Did not finish; DNS: Did not start; NE: Not entered
Read more about those drivers’ achievements here.
Vettel started from his 20th career pole position, which gives him as many as Fernando Alonso and Damon Hill.
It was his 11th consecutive front row start and Red Bull’s seventh pole position in a row.
His 15th race win puts him on a par with Lewis Hamilton.
For Red Bull it was their 20th victory. They are ninth in the list of all time winners, behind Tyrrell with 23.
Jenson Button gave McLaren their 10,000th lap in the lead of a race. They are only the second team to achieve this, the other being Ferrari.
McLaren also scored points for the 25th race in a row – the entirety of the Button-Hamilton partnership.
Remarkably for two of the most famous and prestigious names in motor racing, Ferrari have not won the Monaco Grand Prix in the last ten attempts. Here’s how they’ve fared since Michael Schumacher last won for them in 2001:
| Year | Highest car | Driver |
| 2002 | 2nd | Michael Schumacher |
| 2003 | 3rd | Michael Schumacher |
| 2004 | 3rd | Rubens Barrichello |
| 2005 | 7th | Michael Schumacher |
| 2006 | 5th | Michael Schumacher |
| 2007 | 3rd | Felipe Massa |
| 2008 | 3rd | Felipe Massa |
| 2009 | 3rd | Kimi Räikkönen |
| 2010 | 4th | Felipe Massa |
| 2011 | 2nd | Fernando Alonso |
Mark Webber set the tenth fastest lap of his career, four of which have come this season. He now has as many as Graham Hill, John Surtees and Mario Andretti.
Kamui Kobayashi achieved his best ever finish with fifth place.
Williams finally scored their first points of the year courtesy of Rubens Barrichello.
The safety car made its first appearance of 2011.
Despite a troubled race, Lewis Hamilton finished in the points for the tenth time in a row, Fernando Alonso has been in the points for 12 consecutive races.
Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen and Vitantonio Liuzzi are the only drivers who have out-qualified their team mate in every race this year.
Vitaly Petrov failed to reach Q3 for the first time in 2011.
Mercedes failed to score for the second time this year.
Review the year so far in statistics here:
- 2011 F1 statistics
- 2011 F1 statistics: Championship points
- 2011 F1 statistics: Season records
- 2011 F1 statistics: Races
- 2011 F1 statistics: Qualifying
- 2011 F1 statistics: Retirements
- 2011 F1 statistics: Strategy
Spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Monaco Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
2011 Monaco Grand Prix
- New video of Maldonado and Hamilton's Monaco crash
- Vettel would have gone the distance in Monaco - Pirelli
- Williams: first points of 2011 "bittersweet"
- 2011 Monaco Grand Prix: complete race weekend review
- Vettel made call to stay out, says Horner
- Hamilton apologises to Massa and Maldonado
- Vote for your Monaco Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend
- McLaren: Hamilton loses cool after weekend of frustration
- Red Bull: Vettel takes another win under pressure
- Ferrari: Red flag decided the race
devotee said on 30th May 2011, 17:38
“Jenson Button gave McLaren their 10,000th lap in the lead of a race. ”
This is wrong, Lewis Hamilton gave McLaren their 10.000th lead lap at the previous race.
Adrian J said on 30th May 2011, 20:33
Sorry but I’m going to believe Keith on this one, especially as he’s in good company including Martin Brundle and, oh yes, Martin Whitmarsh:
http://mclaren.com/page/we-went-for-it
devotee said on 30th May 2011, 21:33
http://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiques/constructeur/entete/tour.aspx
Adrian J (@adrian-j) said on 31st May 2011, 0:57
That’s not an official site.
Again, I hold the word of the McLaren Team Principal in an official press release as holding slightly more authority.
devotee said on 31st May 2011, 12:13
McLaren Team Principal is a human and he can make mistakes.
Jonathan said on 30th May 2011, 19:01
Vettel is homing in on the title like a bull to a red flag.
sumedh said on 31st May 2011, 4:09
Was this the first time that the podium consisted of drivers who have all won races with atleast two different teams?
I tried to think back to a previous example of such a feat occurring but couldn’t find any. I guess it has indeed been really long.
Paul Gilbert said on 31st May 2011, 23:14
Italy 2009 had Barrichello, Button, Raikkonen (it could be argued that Button had only won for the same team in 2 different guises, but Honda and Brawn are officially considered different teams).