Max Rossi/Reuters

MONTE CARLO — Michael Schumacher scored pole position in Monaco on Saturday in his Mercedes at the age of 43 —18 years after his first pole position here in 1994. It was the 69th pole of his career and his fourth in Monaco.

Formula One A view from the paddock with Brad Spurgeon.

Only the late Ayrton Senna has scored more pole positions in Monaco, with five, while Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio have also scored four pole positions in the principality. But no one scored two poles with so many years separating them as Schumacher.

The pole position is generally considered an indispensable first step toward victory on this track where it is so difficult to overtake, but Schumacher’s extraordinary feat unfortunately loses that advantage as he will start the race in sixth position after a penalty that cost him five positions on the starting grid.

That penalty comes from an accident he caused at the Spanish Grand Prix, two weeks ago, when he ran into the back of the car of Bruno Senna, Ayrton’s nephew.

Aryton holds the record for victories here: six, and only Schumacher and Graham Hill have won this race five times.

But after taking three years off in retirement and then returning to race again at the age of 41 in 2010, Schumacher achieved his best grid position so far — at the most prestigious race of the Formula One calendar.

Schumacher’s total of 69 pole positions is a record. Senna had 65, while Jim Clark and Alain Prost have had 33 each.

“I’m more than thrilled and excited about making a pole here in Monaco,” said Schumacher. “Monaco to all of us is the track of the year with its prestigious position. And to make pole here after what I have had in the last two and a half years… I told you on Thursday I wanted to get pole, start sixth and win the race.”

When asked if it was the favorite pole of his career, the German responded: “You have to see there are two different chapters of life and this is the second one that just stands for itself,” he said. “It is the first pole of the second part of my career, and naturally that is the better one, absolutely. It’s just a sweet and good feeling after you have come back and hoped for better results, and finally you get it together and being able to prove it, so I’m delighted.”

Mario Andretti scored pole position at the Italian Grand Prix in 1982 at 42 years old, Jack Brabham scored pole in Spain at 44 in 1970, while in the 1950s, Giuseppe Farina scored pole in Argentina at 47 in 1954 and Juan Manuel Fangio scored pole at 46 in 1958 in Argentina.

Schumacher has been constantly criticized in the past two and a half years for being out-raced by his teammate at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, who is 26, and who won his first race at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this season. Schumacher has yet to finish a race on the podium, in one of the top three positions.

But Monaco is not only the most prestigious track on the calendar, it is also known as the most difficult to master, and the one where a driver can make the biggest difference over to the machinery.

Of the pole, Schumacher said. “It reminds people I’m still around.”

This season, for the first time ever, there are six world drivers’ champions racing and, not by coincidence, all of them have won the race in Monaco.