From 1st to 100th, Red Bull new member of the 100 pole positions club

April 18, 2009. On the Shanghai circuit, while the start of the season is marked by the surprise Brawn GP, Red Bull, a team launched four years previously, distinguished itself for the first time. Until now, she had witnessed the prowess of the little sister Toro Rosso, victorious the previous year at Monza thanks to the young Sebastian Vettel.

A little over six months later, the German this time allowed the parent company to find a place among the big guys with the first pole position. The next day, he scored the first success for the Austrian clan and his teammate Mark Webber accompanied him on the second step of the podium for the first double as well.

2009 Chinese Grand Prix, where it all began. ©DPPI/G. The wind

China 2009-China 2024, 15 years of glory and despair

Since April 18, 2009, Red Bull has completely changed dimension. From now on, the energy drink team has become an ogre of the F1, experiencing highs but also lows. But when it comes time to do the math, the results are clear. 7 Drivers' titles, 6 Manufacturers' titles, more than 100 victories and therefore 100 pole positions... the Austrian machine has transformed into a steamroller. There was the golden era with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013 and now there is that of Max Verstappen, started in 2021 and we do not yet know when it will end.

Untouchable for three seasons, the Dutchman offered this Saturday April 20, almost 15 years to the day after the first, the 100^e pole position for Christian Horner and his troops, 37^e of her career.

« Before starting the qualifications, Christian told me that we had the opportunity to get the 100^e team pole position, whispered the world champion. It's very nice to have achieved this. Overall it was a good day. We had a very good pace and I felt very good with the car."

That's our 100th pole as a team 💯

What a milestone to reach where we had our first ever pole in 2009 🙌#F1 || #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/Jr12bBSCXM

- Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 20, 2024

Red Bull with the big guys

In the history of F1, 41 different teams have won at least one pole position but only 5 had reached the 100 mark. Now, there are 6 with the arrival of Red Bull in this very exclusive club.

In front of it, the red bull formation finds historic formations like Lotus, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes or even Williams. In his line of sight, the next target is Lotus which peaks at 5^e position with 107. A figure that the Austrians could and should even surpass this year. With a success rate of 100% in 2024 with 5 pole positions in as many Grands Prix, Red Bull could overtake the English team at the Hungarian Grand Prix (July 19-21). For this, she should not be beaten in the exercise between now and then.

Concerning the others, the Milton Keynes structure will have to wait at least until 2025 since Williams, 4^e in the ranking, there are 128. In front are Mercedes with 137, McLaren with 156 and Ferrari with 249. The latter is safe for a good while.

The numbers of Red Bull's 100 pole positions

During its history, Red Bull has seen 5 drivers offer it pole positions. Sebastian Vettel (44) and Max Verstappen (37) therefore but also Mark Webber (13), Daniel Ricciardo (3) and Sergio Pérez (3). Of all these, 73 were converted into victories.

Throughout the world, the Austrian team imposed its law in the exercise of the tour launched in 24 countries ranging from Spain to Brazil via India and even South Korea. It just goes to show that Red Bull travels well.

Daniel Ricciardo is one of Red Bull's pole men. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

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