Verstappen's Perfect Qualifying Season Broken as Stroll Sets Unwanted Record
Max Verstappen's perfect 2025 qualifying run ended in Brazil, while Lance Stroll set an unwanted record with the most Q1 eliminations, highlighting the vast performance gaps across the grid.
Max Verstappen's flawless 2025 qualifying record was finally broken in São Paulo, but the season's biggest qualifying story was Lance Stroll's historically difficult year. The Aston Martin driver topped the grid for all the wrong reasons, recording the most Q1 exits in a single season, while McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were the only drivers to reach Q3 at every race.
Why it matters:
Qualifying performance is the single biggest determinant of race results and championship outcomes. While Verstappen's rare slip-up was a headline, the vast statistical chasm between the top teams and the midfield, exemplified by Stroll's struggles, underscores the competitive hierarchy of the 2025 season. These numbers reveal which drivers and teams consistently extracted the maximum performance from their packages.
By the numbers:
- Perfect Record: McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were the only drivers to make it to Q3 at every Grand Prix, a testament to the MCL39's exceptional one-lap pace.
- The Streak Ends: Max Verstappen's Q1 elimination in Brazil was his first since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, costing him a perfect 2025 Q3 appearance record. He had been on track to join the McLaren duo.
- A Historic Low: Lance Stroll had the worst qualifying record on the grid, suffering a staggering 14 Q1 exits. He reached Q3 on only three occasions all season.
- Midfield Movers: Isack Hadjar, in his rookie season, out-qualified established stars like Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, and Fernando Alonso, with only two Q1 eliminations to his name.
- Other Strugglers: Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon also had difficult years, each eliminated in Q1 on 13 occasions. Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3 nine times.
The big picture:
The 2025 qualifying statistics paint a clear picture of a season dominated by McLaren, whose car allowed its drivers to operate on a different level in single-lap performance. While the frontrunners battled for perfection, the intense competition and fluctuating form in the midfield created a brutal environment where small mistakes were heavily punished, as seen in the difficult seasons for drivers like Stroll and Hülkenberg. These records will be a key talking point as teams analyze their performance and prepare for 2026.