Fernando Alonso has gained the most positions on lap one in F1 2026: +33. Behind the leader come Carlos Sainz (Williams, +28), Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team, +23), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin, +19) and Sergio Pérez (Cadillac F1 Team, +19). First to fifth is separated by 14. Total positions gained from the grid by the end of the opening lap.
The Dutch Grand Prix rewrote the top of the table: Fernando Alonso climbed 1 place into first. Nobody has pushed harder over the last three rounds than Isack Hadjar (Red Bull): +5, +1 across the Belgian and Hungarian Grands Prix — comfortably clear of the level set over the rest of the season. Going the other way, George Russell (Mercedes) has given up the most ground: -13, -1 across the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix, below the standard set earlier in the year.
So why is this ranking worth your time? Because it is exactly the kind of question every fan argues about and almost nobody actually counts. This one is counted: 22 drivers and 12 races of the F1 2026 season, built race by race from the official classifications. No votes, no opinions, no cherry-picked highlights — if a driver moves here, something real happened on track. And it recomputes itself after every Grand Prix, so the next time the argument comes up, the answer is already up to date.
Updated after the Dutch Grand Prix
The data after the Dutch Grand Prix is unambiguous: Carlos Sainz heads the "Most positions gained on lap one" ranking at +30 from 11 races.
The chase is led by Fernando Alonso at +30; Esteban Ocon sits third with +22.
As with every Measure ranking, the numbers are computed directly from official race data and refreshed after each round.
After the Dutch Grand Prix (round 12), the “Most positions gained on lap one” ranking is locked in a dead heat at the top. Carlos Sainz sits first for Williams on +30 across 11 races counted, with Fernando Alonso also on +30 in second. Esteban Ocon holds third on +22, giving the top two a clear cushion over the rest of the podium. The standout angle this week is how the lead is effectively decided on a tiebreak despite identical totals: with Sainz and Alonso matched, every strong or weak opening lap from here carries outsized weight because it can flip the order without changing the headline number.
For every race where a driver started from a proper grid slot (pit-lane starts, grid 0, are excluded — there is no grid slot to measure from) and lap-1 timing data is available, we take grid position minus classified position at the end of lap 1. Positive means places gained in the opening lap. The ranking sums those per-race gains across the season. Races without lap-1 data on record are excluded entirely for that driver, never estimated. A minimum of 3 counted races is required. Ties are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
For every race where a driver started from a proper grid slot (pit-lane starts, grid 0, are excluded — there is no grid slot to measure from) and lap-1 timing data is available, we take grid position minus classified position at the end of lap 1. Positive means places gained in the opening lap. The ranking sums those per-race gains across the season. Races without lap-1 data on record are excluded entirely for that driver, never estimated. A minimum of 3 counted races is required. Ties are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
After every Grand Prix. The standings above reflect results through the Dutch Grand Prix.
A higher value is better — the driver at the top of the table is the strongest by this measure.
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), with +33.