Why is the driver in pole position at the start on the left side of the track even when the first turn is to the right? – John
In Mexico City, pole is on the left because that is the racing line, and quite often that is considered to be an advantageous position, despite it being on the outside on the approach to the first corner.
That’s because the racing line normally has more grip than the inside line, because it is driven on all weekend, so it is cleaner and has more rubber laid down. In theory, the driver on pole should be able to make a better start than the one in second, with all other things being equal.
This approach really goes back to the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix and the controversial crash between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the first corner.
Senna and Prost were disputing the title at that race. Senna qualified his McLaren on pole, with Prost’s Ferrari second.
The FISA (as the sporting arm of the FIA was known back then) had put pole on the right – the inside line. Senna asked for it to be moved to the grippier outside line, but then-FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre refused.
This angered Senna, who already believed Balestre had interfered to ensure Prost won the 1989 title after the two drivers had crashed together at the chicane in Japan the previous year, when they were McLaren team-mates.
Senna decided that if Prost beat him to the first corner, the Frenchman would not make it any further. Prost did get a better start, and Senna deliberately crashed into him, taking them both out.
To come back to the modern day, while it is more common for pole to be on the outside line, it is not always the case. In Belgium and Canada, for example, pole is on the inside.
Basically, pole is put on the side that is considered to be most advantageous for the driver who has qualified there.
