Grand Chelem is a unique feat in F1 and motorsport in general – here’s everything you need to know about it
A Grand Chelem also known as ‘Grand Slam’ in F1 is a unique feat that a driver achieves when he qualifies for pole position, leads every lap, registers the fastest lap, and eventually wins the race.
It is a rare achievement and only a handful of drivers have been able to do it in the history of the sport. The latest Grand Chelem in F1 was registered at the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Since 2011, there have been eleven instances of a Grand Chelem in F1. Sebastian Vettel (2011,2012,2013); Lewis Hamilton (2014, 2015, 2017, 2019); Nico Rosberg (2016); Max Verstappen (2021,2022) and Charles Leclerc (2022) have been able to achieve a Grand Chelem in the past decade.
Interestingly, all the drivers’ who achieved the Grand Chelem have gone on to win the F1 World Drivers’ Champion in that particular year barring Charles Leclerc in 2022.
British F1 driver and two-time World Champion Jim Clark has achieved the most number of Grand Slams in the history of F1 – 8. Clark passed away aged 32 after a Formula Two racing accident but his record is intact to date. He is closely followed by seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton (6), Alberto Ascari (5), Michael Schumacher (5), Jackie Stewart (4), Ayrton Senna (4), Nigel Mansell (4) and Sebastian Vettel (4).
When it comes to the current grid, Lewis Hamilton leads the chart with six Grand Chelems to his name and even stands a chance to break the all-time. Besides Hamilton, Max Verstappen (2), Fernando Alonso (1) and Charles Leclerc (1) are the only active F1 drivers who have been able to achieve this unique feat.
While Hamilton and Vettel eventually went on to win the F1 World Drivers’ Championship in the years they achieved the Grand Chelems; Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc failed to do so – in 2010 and 2022 respectively.
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