Echoes Of Grand Prix Past: 1970s F1 One-Time Pole Sitters

We continue our journey through the stories of the past, bringing forgotten F1 drivers back into the spotlight in our own unique way. We explore these stories through different series, from drivers who started fewer than 30 races to one-time race winners, with more stories waiting to be discovered in our Forgotten F1 Drivers category. Next, we turn our attention to the 1970s F1 one-time pole sitters, drivers who reached the front of the grid but never claimed another pole position.

Bringing the names: 1970s F1 one-time pole sitters

For some, it was the beginning of a successful qualifying record, for others, it remained a unique moment that was never repeated, and this article is about that, one-time pole sitters of 1970s.

Their careers included podiums, victories, disappointments and mechanical failures, but only one weekend gave each of them the satisfaction of starting a Formula 1 race from first place.

Peter Revson: McLaren’s First Pole

Peter Revson at the Canadian GP Mosport in 1972 — Credit: Laurie Button – Peter Revson, Canadian Grand Prix, Mosport 1972 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

American driver Peter Revson claimed his only F1 pole position at the 1972 Canadian GP at Mosport Park.

Revson was driving the McLaren M19C-Ford and produced a remarkable qualifying performance, he finished three-tenths of a second ahead of his McLaren teammate Denny Hulme, putting the two McLarens at the front of the grid.

What makes this story even more unique is that Revson became the driver who secured McLaren’s first-ever pole position as a Formula 1 constructor, marking an important milestone in the history of the British team.

However, Revson couldn’t match the pace of Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell once the race got underway, but he remained competitive throughout the event. Stewart eventually took a dominant victory, finishing almost 50 seconds ahead of Revson, the American nevertheless secured an impressive second place, with Hulme following him home in third to give McLaren a double podium.

Denny Hulme: Pole With the New McLaren M23

Denny Hulme at the 1973 Motorshow Essen, one of the 1970s F1 one-time pole sitters. — Photo Credit: Slartibartfass, CC BY-SA 3.0. via Wikimedia Commons

Just one year later, Denny Hulme finally added a pole position to his F1 achievements.

Denny Hulme won the 1967 Formula 1 World Championship without securing a single pole position that season. Despite becoming World Champion, he would have to wait until the 1973 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami to finally start a Grand Prix from pole position for the first time in his career.

Hulme put the new McLaren M23 on pole during its competitive debut, it was a significant moment for both driver and team, as the M23 would go on to become one of McLaren’s most important F1 cars of the decade.

Starting from the front, he took control of the race and led the field during the opening laps, but his hopes of converting the pole into victory, disappeared on lap five.

Multi-car incident had left debris on the circuit, Hulme ran over some of it and suffered a puncture, forcing him into the pits. Instead of giving up, he began a determined recovery, known by his famous nickname ‘The Bear’, Hulme fought his way through the field and eventually recovered to fifth place.

The victory went to Jackie Stewart, for Hulme, however, the weekend remained historically important, his pole position was his first and only in F1.

Patrick Depailler: A Pole That Became His First Podium

Patrick Depailler at Dijon-Prenois in 1975, one of the 1970s F1 one-time pole sitters. — Photo Credit: Harald Bischoff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

For Patrick Depailler, his only pole position came surprisingly early in his F1 career, the Frenchman arrived at the Swedish GP in 1974 with only eight Grand Prix starts behind him.

At the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Depailler produced a stunning qualifying performance with the Tyrrell 007-Ford. He edged his highly regarded Jody Scheckter by three tenths of a second to secure pole and complete a Tyrrell front-row lockout, the qualifying result was already a major achievement, but the race made the weekend even more memorable.

Scheckter made the better start and moved into the lead, while Depailler remained behind him, for the entire 80-lap race, the two Tyrrell drivers maintained their advantage over the opposition, neither driver was able to pull decisively away from the other.

Scheckter eventually crossed the finish line first at the 1974 Swedish Grand Prix, with Depailler just 0.380 seconds behind him. Interestingly, the same margin appeared in qualifying, but in reverse: Depailler was 0.380 seconds faster than his teammate Scheckter, creating a remarkable numerical coincidence between qualifying and the race.

The result gave Tyrrell a perfect 1-2 finish. For Depailler, it was more than his only F1 pole, it was also the first podium of his F1 career.

Related to Depailler: His F1 journey and final lap.

José Carlos Pace: Brabham’s Front-Row Lockout

Carlos Pace at the 1973 German Grand Prix, one-time winner of the 1970s — Carlos Pace – Brazilian F1 Drivers
Photo Credit: Raimund Kommer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Brazilian driver José Carlos Pace claimed his only F1 pole position at the 1975 South African GP, he was driving the Brabham BT44B-Ford and produced a qualifying lap good enough to beat his teammate Carlos Reutemann by one-tenth of a second.

The result gave Brabham a complete front-row lockout, with the two teammates starting ahead of the rest of the field.

Pace made a strong start and initially converted his pole into the race lead, his advantage didn’t last long, after few laps, Jody Scheckter moved ahead of him.

Kyalami circuit created another problem for Pace, tire wear became increasingly important as the race progressed, making it difficult for him to maintain the pace required to challenge for victory.

Pace finished fourth, while Scheckter celebrated a memorable home victory.

Although Pace never added another pole position to his record, his performance at Kyalami remains an important part of his F1 story.

It is interesting that Carlos Pace is among the drivers who won just once in Formula 1 during their careers. His only victory came at his home Brazilian Grand Prix in 1975, meaning Pace finished his F1 career with one pole position and one Grand Prix victory.

Vittorio Brambilla: The pole at Monza!

Photo: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. — Photo: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Few drivers of the 1970s had a reputation quite like Vittorio Brambilla. He was famous for his aggressive driving style and fearless approach to racing. At the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix, he produced one of the biggest qualifying surprises of the season.

Driving the orange March 751-Ford, Brambilla recorded a sensational lap at the Scandinavian Raceway to take his only F1 pole position, the margin was tiny, he beat Depailler by just 0.4 seconds, putting the March at the front of the grid.

Brambilla launched from pole and immediately took control of the race. He led the field for the first 15 laps, but his dream of victory eventually ended with a mechanical problem. He was forced to retire on lap 36, handing the advantage to Niki Lauda, who went on to win the race for Ferrari.

Brambilla therefore never had the chance to complete what could have been one of the most memorable victories of his career, starting from pole, and win.

However, Brambilla was also one of the drivers of the 1970s who won just once in F1 and never won another Grand Prix.

Tom Pryce: A Home Crowd Pole at Silverstone

Tom Pryce driving the UOP Shadow at Brands Hatch in 1975, one of the 1970s F1 one-time pole sitters. — Tom Pryce – Welsh F1 Driver
Photo: Gillfoto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The final one-time pole sitter of the 1970s is Welsh driver Tom Pryce, who produced one of the most memorable qualifying performances of his career at the 1975 British Grand Prix, securing his first and only Formula 1 pole position.

Driving the Shadow DN5-Ford, Pryce delivered an exceptional qualifying lap to beat Ferrari’s Clay Reggazzoni by just over a tenth of a second. The result made Pryce the first Welshman to start from pole position in F1, giving the home crowd another reason to celebrate.

Pryce did not have the easiest start to the race, losing the lead early on, but he fought his way back through the field and returned to the front on lap 19. Just one lap later, however, he lost control of his car on the wet track while leading the race. His promising afternoon came to an abrupt end, and his dream of winning the British Grand Prix was over.

For Pryce, Silverstone weekend in 1975 remains one of the defining moments of his F1 career, his pole position was the only one he achieved in F1. For the Welsh driver and his home supporters, it remains a remarkable chapter in F1 history, a weekend when Tom Pryce put a Shadow at the front of the grid and briefly led his home Grand Prix.

Related Article: Remembering Tom Pryce – The Welsh F1 talent and his remarkable journey.

Six Drivers, Six Very Different Pole Positions

The careers of these drivers demonstrate that a single pole position can tell a much larger story, Revson’s pole helped McLaren reach an important milestone and was followed by a second-place finish.

Hulme’s came with the competitive debut of the McLaren M23, Depailler turned his pole into his first career podium during a dominant Tyrrell-12.

However, none of the six would ever start another F1 Grand Prix from pole, that makes their qualifying achievements particularly interesting.

A pole position doesn’t always represent the beginning of a driver’s dominance, sometimes it is a single perfect lap, a car working exceptionally well on one circuit, or a driver finding an extra fraction of performance at exactly the right moment!

The 1970s produced plenty of world champions and multiple race winners, but it also created space for drivers who could briefly reach the very top, for six drivers, pole position came only once, but that one moment was enough to become a permanent part of F1 history.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Martin Lee / Karting Nord / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.