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List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions

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Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. The Formula One World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. The World Drivers' Championship is presented by the FIA to the most successful Formula One driver over the course of the season through a points system based on individual Grand Prix results. The World Championship is won by a driver when it is no longer mathematically possible for another competitor to overtake their points total regardless of the outcome of the remaining races, although it is not officially awarded until the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony (held in various cities in different years) following the conclusion of the season.

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton hold the record for the most World Drivers' championships, both having won the title on seven occasions. Juan Manuel Fangio is third with five titles. Schumacher also holds the record for the most consecutive World Drivers' titles with five between the and the seasons. Nigel Mansell holds the record of competing in the highest number of seasons before winning the World Drivers' Championship, entering Formula One in and achieving the title in , a span of 13 seasons. Nico Rosberg has the highest number of Grand Prix starts before winning his first title, a period of 206 Grands Prix between the 2006 Bahrain and the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel is the youngest winner of the World Drivers' Championship; he was 23 years and 134 days old when he won the championship. Juan Manuel Fangio is the oldest winner of the World Drivers' Championship; he was 46 years and 41 days old when he won the title.

As of the season, out of the 781 drivers who have started a Formula One Grand Prix, the 76 titles awarded have been won by a total of 35 different drivers. Due to the points system, on two occasions (John Surtees in the season and Ayrton Senna in the season) a world champion scored fewer points overall than a driver who finished second in the championship. Max Verstappen holds the record for winning the title with the biggest points gap to second in the championship, Sergio Pérez, with 290 points in 2023, while Niki Lauda won the 1984 title with the closest points gap to second in the championship, Alain Prost, with 0.5 points.

TOC

By season

Bold
indicates the constructor also won the Constructors' Championship (awarded since )
SeasonDriverAgeConstructorTyresPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapsPoints% PointsClinched# of rounds
remainingMargin% MarginChassisEngineSeasonDriverAgeChassisEngineTyresPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapsPoints% PointsClinched# of rounds
remainingMargin% MarginConstructor
ITA Giuseppe Farina44Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo23333083.333 (47.619)Round 7 of 70310.000
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio40Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo43553186.111 (51.389)Round 8 of 80619.355
ITA Alberto Ascari34FerrariFerrari566636100.000 (74.306)Round 6 of 821233.333
ITA Alberto Ascari35FerrariFerrari655434.595.833 (57.407)Round 8 of 916.518.841
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio43MaseratiMaserati56734293.333 (70.547)Round 7 of 9216.85740.136
MercedesMercedes
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio44MercedesMercedes34534088.889 (65.079)Round 6 of 7116.541.250
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio45FerrariFerrari63543066.667 (45.833)Round 8 of 80310.000
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio46MaseratiMaserati44624088.889 (63.889)Round 6 of 821537.500
GBR Mike Hawthorn29FerrariFerrari41754277.778 (49.495)Round 11 of 11012.381
AUS Jack Brabham33CooperClimax12513168.889 (41.975)Round 9 of 90412.903
AUS Jack Brabham34CooperClimax35534389.583 (53.750)Round 8 of 102920.930
USA Phil Hill34FerrariFerrari52623475.556 (52.778)Round 7 of 8112.941
GBR Graham Hill33BRMBRM14634293.333 (64.198)Round 9 of 901228.571
GBR Jim Clark27LotusClimax779654100.000 (81.111)Round 7 of 1032138.889
GBR John Surtees30FerrariFerrari22624074.074 (44.444)Round 10 of 10012.500
GBR Jim Clark29LotusClimax666654100.000 (60.000)Round 7 of 1031425.926
AUS Jack Brabham40BrabhamRepco34514293.333 (55.556)Round 7 of 921433.333
NZL Denny Hulme31BrabhamRepco02825162.963 (51.515)Round 11 of 11059.804
GBR Graham Hill39LotusFord23604853.333 (44.444)Round 12 of 1201225.000
GBR Jackie Stewart30MatraFord26756377.778 (63.636)Round 8 of 1132641.270
AUT Jochen Rindt28LotusFord35514545.455 (38.462)Round 12 of 131511.111
GBR Jackie Stewart32TyrrellFord66736276.543 (62.626)Round 8 of 1132946.774
BRA Emerson Fittipaldi25LotusFord35806167.778 (56.481)Round 10 of 1221626.230
GBR Jackie Stewart34TyrrellFord35817160.684 (52.593)Round 13 of 1521622.535
Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi27McLarenFord23705547.009 (40.741)Round 15 of 15035.455
AUT Niki Lauda26FerrariFerrari958264.559.722 (55.128)Round 13 of 14119.530.233
GBR James Hunt29McLarenFord86826954.762 (47.917)Round 16 of 16011.449
AUT Niki Lauda28FerrariFerrari231037253.333 (47.059)Round 15 of 1721723.611
USA Mario Andretti38LotusFord86736450.794 (44.444)Round 14 of 1621320.313
ZAF Jody Scheckter29FerrariFerrari13605170.833 (44.444)Round 13 of 15247.843
AUS Alan Jones34WilliamsFord351056774.444 (56.349)Round 13 of 1411319.403
Brazil Nelson Piquet29BrabhamFord43715050.505 (37.037)Round 15 of 15012.000
FIN Keke Rosberg34WilliamsFord11604444.444 (30.556)Round 16 of 160511.364
Brazil Nelson Piquet31BrabhamBMW13845959.596 (43.704)Round 15 of 15023.390
AUT Niki Lauda35McLarenTAG05957272.727 (51.613)Round 16 of 1600.50.694
FRA Alain Prost30McLarenTAG251157373.737 (52.778)Round 14 of 1622027.397
FRA Alain Prost31McLarenTAG141127272.727 (51.389)Round 16 of 16022.778
BRA Nelson Piquet35WilliamsHonda431147373.737 (52.778)Round 15 of 1611216.438
Brazil Ayrton Senna28McLarenHonda1381139090.909 (65.278)Round 15 of 16133.333
FRA Alain Prost34McLarenHonda241157676.768 (56.250)Round 15 of 1611621.053
Brazil Ayrton Senna30McLarenHonda1061127878.788 (54.167)Round 15 of 16178.974
BRA Ayrton Senna31McLarenHonda871229661.935Round 15 of 1612425.000
GBR Nigel Mansell39WilliamsRenault14912810867.500Round 11 of 1655248.148
FRA Alain Prost38WilliamsRenault1371269961.875Round 14 of 1622626.263
DEU Michael Schumacher25BenettonFord681089257.500Round 16 of 16011.087
DEU Michael Schumacher26BenettonRenault4911810260.000Round 15 of 1723332.353
GBR Damon Hill36WilliamsRenault981059760.625Round 16 of 1601919.588
CAN Jacques Villeneuve26WilliamsRenault107838147.647Round 17 of 1703948.148
FIN Mika Häkkinen30McLarenMercedes9811610062.500Round 16 of 1601414.000
FIN Mika Häkkinen31McLarenMercedes1151067647.500Round 16 of 16022.632
DEU Michael Schumacher31FerrariFerrari9912210863.529Round 16 of 1711917.593
DEU Michael Schumacher32FerrariFerrari11914312372.353Round 13 of 1745847.154
DEU Michael Schumacher33FerrariFerrari71117714484.706Round 11 of 1766746.528
DEU Michael Schumacher34FerrariFerrari56859358.125Round 16 of 16022.151
DEU Michael Schumacher35FerrariFerrari813151014882.222Round 14 of 1843422.973
ESP Fernando Alonso24RenaultRenault6715213370.000Round 17 of 1922115.789
ESP Fernando Alonso25RenaultRenault6714513474.444Round 18 of 180139.701
FIN Kimi Räikkönen28FerrariFerrari3612611064.706Round 17 of 17010.909
GBR Lewis Hamilton23McLarenMercedes751019854.444Round 18 of 18011.020
GBR Jenson Button29BrawnMercedes46929557.576Round 16 of 1711111.579
DEU Sebastian Vettel23Red BullRenault10510325653.895Round 19 of 19041.563
DEU Sebastian Vettel24Red BullRenault151117339282.526Round 15 of 19412231.122
DEU Sebastian Vettel25Red BullRenault6510628156.200Round 20 of 20031.068
DEU Sebastian Vettel26Red BullRenault91316739783.579Round 16 of 19315539.043
GBR Lewis Hamilton29MercedesMercedes71116738476.800Round 19 of 1906717.448
GBR Lewis Hamilton30MercedesMercedes111017838180.211Round 16 of 1935915.486
DEU Nico Rosberg31MercedesMercedes8916638573.333Round 21 of 21051.299
GBR Lewis Hamilton32MercedesMercedes11913736372.600Round 18 of 2024612.672
GBR Lewis Hamilton33MercedesMercedes111117340877.714Round 19 of 2128821.569
GBR Lewis Hamilton34MercedesMercedes51117641375.641Round 19 of 2128721.065
GBR Lewis Hamilton35MercedesMercedes101114634778.507Round 14 of 17312435.735
NED Max Verstappen24Red BullHonda1010186395.569.692Round 22 of 22082.023
NED Max Verstappen25Red BullRBPT71517545476.174Round 18 of 22414632.159
NED Max Verstappen26Red BullHonda RBPT121921957592.742Round 17 of 22529050.435
NED Max Verstappen27Red BullHonda RBPT8914343765.030Round 22 of 2426314.416
GBR Lando Norris26McLarenMercedes7718642365.278Round 24 of 24020.473

By driver

[file:FIA_F1_Austria_2021_Nr.33_Verstappen%28side%29.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[Max Verstappen won four consecutive World Drivers' Championships in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with Red Bull Racing.]] Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

DriverTitlesSeason(s)35 drivers76 titles
DEU Michael Schumacher7, , , , , ,
GBR Lewis Hamilton, , , , , ,
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio5, , , ,
FRA Alain Prost4, , ,
DEU Sebastian Vettel, , ,
NED Max Verstappen, , ,
AUS Jack Brabham3, ,
GBR Jackie Stewart, ,
AUT Niki Lauda, ,
BRA Nelson Piquet, ,
BRA Ayrton Senna, ,
ITA Alberto Ascari2,
GBR Graham Hill,
GBR Jim Clark,
BRA Emerson Fittipaldi,
FIN Mika Häkkinen,
SPA Fernando Alonso,
ITA Giuseppe Farina1
GBR Mike Hawthorn
USA Phil Hill
GBR John Surtees
NZL Denny Hulme
AUT Jochen Rindt
GBR James Hunt
USA Mario Andretti
RSA Jody Scheckter
AUS Alan Jones
FIN Keke Rosberg
GBR Nigel Mansell
GBR Damon Hill
CAN Jacques Villeneuve
FIN Kimi Räikkönen
GBR Jenson Button
GER Nico Rosberg
GBR Lando Norris

By driver nationality

CountryTitlesDriversSeasonsBy driver (titles)15 countries76 titles35 drivers
United Kingdom2111, –, –, , , , , , –, –, –,Lewis Hamilton (7)
Jackie Stewart (3)
Jim Clark (2)
Graham Hill (2)
Jenson Button (1)
Mike Hawthorn (1)
Damon Hill (1)
James Hunt (1)
Nigel Mansell (1)
Lando Norris (1)
John Surtees (1)
Germany123–, –, –,Michael Schumacher (7)
Sebastian Vettel (4)
Nico Rosberg (1)
Brazil83, , , , –, –Nelson Piquet (3)
Ayrton Senna (3)
Emerson Fittipaldi (2)
Argentina51, –Juan Manuel Fangio (5)
Finland43, –,Mika Häkkinen (2)
Kimi Räikkönen (1)
Keke Rosberg (1)
Australia42–, ,Jack Brabham (3)
Alan Jones (1)
Austria42, , ,Niki Lauda (3)
Jochen Rindt (1)
France41–, ,Alain Prost (4)
Netherlands41Max Verstappen (4)
Italy32, –Alberto Ascari (2)
Giuseppe Farina (1)
United States22,Mario Andretti (1)
Phil Hill (1)
Spain21Fernando Alonso (2)
New Zealand11Denny Hulme (1)
South Africa11Jody Scheckter (1)
Canada11Jacques Villeneuve (1)

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

Records

Youngest Drivers' champions

DriverAgeSeason12345678910
DEU Sebastian Vettel23 years, 134 days
GBR Lewis Hamilton23 years, 300 days
ESP Fernando Alonso24 years, 58 days
NED Max Verstappen24 years, 73 days
BRA Emerson Fittipaldi25 years, 273 days
DEU Michael Schumacher25 years, 314 days
GBR Lando Norris26 years, 24 days
AUT Niki Lauda26 years, 197 days
CAN Jacques Villeneuve26 years, 200 days
GBR Jim Clark27 years, 188 days

Where drivers have won more than one World Drivers' Championship, only their first win is noted here. Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

Oldest Drivers' champions

DriverAgeSeason12345678910
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio46 years, 41 days
ITA Giuseppe Farina43 years, 308 days
AUS Jack Brabham40 years, 155 days
GBR Graham Hill39 years, 262 days
GBR Nigel Mansell39 years, 8 days
FRA Alain Prost38 years, 214 days
USA Mario Andretti38 years, 193 days
GBR Damon Hill36 years, 26 days
GBR Lewis Hamilton35 years, 313 days
AUT Niki Lauda35 years, 242 days

Where drivers have won more than one World Drivers' Championship, only their last win is noted here. Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

Consecutive Drivers' championships

A total of 11 drivers have achieved consecutive wins in the World Drivers' Championship. Of those, only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have won two sets of consecutive Formula One Drivers' championships.

ChampionshipsDriverSeasons542
DEU Michael Schumacher
ARG Juan Manuel Fangio
DEU Sebastian Vettel
GBR Lewis Hamilton
NED Max Verstappen
ITA Alberto Ascari
AUS Jack Brabham
FRA Alain Prost
BRA Ayrton Senna
DEU Michael Schumacher
FIN Mika Häkkinen
ESP Fernando Alonso
GBR Lewis Hamilton

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

Drivers' Champions for constructors that did not win the Constructors' Championship in that year

ChampionshipsDriversYears21
BRA Nelson Piquet,
NED Max Verstappen,
GBR Mike Hawthorn
GBR Jackie Stewart
GBR James Hunt
FIN Keke Rosberg
FRA Alain Prost
DEU Michael Schumacher
FIN Mika Häkkinen
GBR Lewis Hamilton

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

By chassis constructor

Constructors in bold will compete in the 2026 World Championship.

ConstructorTitlesSeason(s)16 constructors76 titles
Ferrari15, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
McLaren13, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mercedes9, , , , , , , ,
Red Bull Racing8, , , , , , ,
Williams7, , , , , ,
Lotus6, , , , ,
Brabham4, , ,
Alfa Romeo2,
Maserati,
Cooper,
Tyrrell,
Benetton,
Renault,
BRM1
Matra
Brawn

By engine manufacturer

Engine manufacturers in bold will compete in the 2026 World Championship.

ManufacturerTitlesSeason(s)14 manufacturers76 titles
Ferrari15, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mercedes14, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Ford13, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Renault11, , , , , , , , , ,
Honda6, , , , ,
Climax4, , ,
TAG3, ,
Alfa Romeo2,
Maserati,
Repco,
Honda RBPT,
BRM1
BMW
RBPT

By tyres used

Tyre manufacturers in bold have competed in the 2025 World Championship.

RankManufacturerTitlesSeasons1234567
Goodyear24 (7)–, , –, , , –
Pirelli20 (14)–, , –
Bridgestone11 (6)–, –
Dunlop8 (4)–,
Michelin6, , –, –
Firestone4, , ,
Continental2
Englebert,

Numbers in parentheses indicate championships won as the sole tyre supplier.

References

References

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