Which Formula 1 driver took Ferrari’s first World Championship pole position at the 1951 British Grand Prix?

José Froilán González took Ferrari’s first World Championship pole position at the 1951 British Grand Prix.

The 1951 British Grand Prix was held at Silverstone on 14 July. González qualified his Ferrari 375 F1 on pole, giving the young Scuderia its first pole position in a Formula 1 World Championship event.

González converted that qualifying achievement into Ferrari’s first World Championship Grand Prix victory. He defeated the dominant Alfa Romeo opposition, with Juan Manuel Fangio finishing second and Luigi Villoresi taking third for Ferrari.

The Argentine driver’s victory is sometimes confused with Ferrari’s first Formula 1 win in a broader, non-championship sense. The important historical milestone here is the first Ferrari pole and victory in a race counting toward the official World Championship, which began in 1950.