Three rounds into 2026, Fernando Alonso remains the season’s biggest lap-one mover, holding a +16 total despite starting 21st and being 18th after lap one in Japan. Behind him, the fight for the rest of the top three is tightening, with Carlos Sainz on +14 and Arvid Lindblad on +12.
By Camille Fontaine
Fernando Alonso’s place at the top of the 2026 “Most positions gained on lap one” ranking didn’t change after the Japanese Grand Prix, but Suzuka underlined the shape of his season: damage limitation on Sundays, and sharp opening laps when the lights go out. He started 21st in Japan and was classified 18th at the end of lap one — a three-place gain that helps explain why he still leads the season-long tally on +16, even after a race where he finished 18th and scored 0 points.
The bigger shift is behind him, where the top three has reshuffled even though the leader hasn’t. Carlos Sainz is now second on +14 for Williams, with Arvid Lindblad third on +12 for the RB F1 Team, and that proximity matters: a single strong launch is enough to turn this into a straight shootout for P2 in the ranking, even if Alonso’s cushion remains intact for now.
There’s also a dense midfield story developing inside the top 10. Esteban Ocon sits fourth on +10 for Haas, while Valtteri Bottas has Cadillac in fifth on +8 — both within touching distance of the Sainz/Lindblad pair if their early-lap gains continue. And Ferrari’s presence is split between Lewis Hamilton in sixth on +7 and Charles Leclerc in eighth on +6, with Alpine matching that double representation via Pierre Gasly in seventh on +7 and Franco Colapinto ninth on +6, while Lance Stroll completes the top 10 on +6 for Aston Martin.
With Alonso still leading on +16 after three rounds, the immediate tension is behind him: Sainz (+14) and Lindblad (+12) are close enough that the next clean lap-one gain could flip second and third again. The rest of the top 10 is packed from +10 down to +6, making incremental openings increasingly valuable as the season sample grows.