Before every Formula 1 (F1) race, drivers take part in something called qualifying. Each driver drives the track alone, as fast as they can, and whoever sets the quickest lap time gets to start right at the front on race day. That order is called the starting grid, and the very front spot is called pole position.
Starting near the front is a huge advantage because in F1, it’s really hard and risky to overtake other cars on tracks. So normally, the driver who starts near the front has a much better chance of winning, and the driver who starts from the back has almost no chance at all.
But sometimes a driver starting from last still manages to win the race.
Top 10 Lowest Grid Positions To Win An F1 Race
So here are the ten lowest grid positions from which any driver has ever won an F1 race.
| Position | Driver | Grid Spot | Race |
| 1 | John Watson | 22nd | 1983 United States Grand Prix West |
| 2 | Bill Vukovich | 19th | 1954 Indianapolis 500 |
| 3 | Rubens Barrichello | 18th | 2000 German Grand Prix |
| 4 | John Watson | 17th | 1982 Detroit Grand Prix |
| 5 | Kimi Räikkönen | 17th | 2005 Japanese Grand Prix |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 17th | 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix |
| 7 | Michael Schumacher | 16th | 1995 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 8 | Jackie Stewart | 16th | 1973 South African Grand Prix |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | 15th | 2008 Singapore Grand Prix |
| 10 | Bob Sweikert | 14th | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
1. John Watson
John Watson, a driver from Northern Ireland racing for McLaren, could not get his tyres to work in qualifying at the Long Beach street circuit in California, and ended up starting at 22nd, with his teammate Niki Lauda right behind him in 23rd. Almost nobody expected either of them to even finish in the points.
But once the race started, with a full tank of fuel, Watson’s tyres suddenly came alive. He and Lauda sliced through the entire field together, overtaking car after car, until, by lap 45, Watson was in the lead. He went on to win by nearly 28 seconds, with Lauda finishing second right behind him.
It still remains the furthest back any driver has ever started and gone on to win an F1 race.
2. Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich’s car struggled to find speed in Indianapolis qualifying in 1954, leaving him down in 19th place. But once the race began, he fought his way to the front and eventually drove away from the field to win, setting a new race average-speed record at the time.
3. Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello had an unlucky qualifying day at Hockenheim in Germany, where an oil leak in his own Ferrari forced him to use his teammate Michael Schumacher’s spare car for qualifying, and he could only manage 18th place.
In the race itself, chaos struck early when Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella collided and both retired. As rain began falling late in the race, most drivers pitted for wet-weather tyres, but Barrichello and his team stayed with dry tyres.
It worked perfectly, and Barrichello won his first-ever F1 race after 123 attempts.
4. John Watson
A year before his famous Long Beach win, John Watson pulled off a very similar feat at the very first Detroit Grand Prix in 1982. A collision during qualifying left him down in 17th place, but Watson fought back through the field during the race to take the win, with early leader Keke Rosberg struggling with tyre problems late on.
5. Kimi Raikkonen
At Suzuka in 2005, a rain shower during qualifying, combined with an engine penalty, left Kimi Raikkonen starting all the way down in 17th place, even though his McLaren was one of the fastest cars of the season.
Raikkonen then carved his way through the entire field, and with just one lap to go, he caught race leader Giancarlo Fisichella and passed him around the outside of the very first corner to steal the win at the last possible moment.
6. Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen had a miserable qualifying weekend in Brazil in 2024, where a red-flagged, rain-hit session left him only 12th, and then an engine-change penalty dropped him even further, down to 17th on the grid for the race.
In pouring rain, though, Max Verstappen was in his element. He gained several places in the very first laps, kept picking off cars ahead of him, and eventually won by a commanding margin of more than 19 seconds.
7. Michael Schumacher
At Spa-Francorchamps in 1995, patchy rain and tyre choice left Michael Schumacher starting from 16th place. But Spa’s long, sweeping corners rewarded confident driving in mixed conditions, and Schumacher used his skill in these tricky conditions to fight all the way to the front and win the race.
8. Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart’s win happened at the 1973 South African Grand Prix. Firstly, Stewart crashed heavily in practice after his own car’s brakes failed, and he had to take over his teammate’s car, which put him in 16th place for the race.
Once the race began, a big first-lap accident up front helped clear a path, and Stewart charged forward, taking the lead within the first seven laps and cruising to victory by more than 20 seconds.
It was part of the same 1973 season in which Stewart won his third and final World Championship.
9. Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso started only 15th at the very first-ever Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, but climbed all the way to victory after a well-timed safety car, triggered by his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. crashing, which played right into Alonso’s race strategy.
Years later, it was revealed that Piquet Jr. had crashed deliberately, on team orders, specifically to bring out that safety car and help Alonso win. This scandal became known as ‘Crashgate’ and remains one of the biggest controversies in the sport’s history.
10. Bob Sweikert
Bob Sweikert qualified 14th in the Indianapolis 500 in 1955, but drove a smart, controlled race to lead 86 laps and take the win.
Later that year, Sweikert became the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500, the AAA National Championship, and the Midwest Sprint Car Championship all in the same season.
