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The Most Successful Drivers In Formula One History

9 months ago
| BY Sam Cox
Most Drivers Titles In Formula One

More Formula One Drivers’ Championships doesn’t always equate to being an all-time great driver. Race wins and individual titles are the clearest way to judge the quality of a driver, but the importance of the car means there is a lot more to be considered.

The best driver on the grid often doesn’t win the title. Jenson Button won in 2009, for instance, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso.

The quantity of Drivers’ Championships is not the only determining factor when comparing drivers and the most successful Formula One teams. Still, it’s a pretty good measure of a driver’s impact on the history of the sport, even if Stirling Moss and Ayrton Senna miss out on this list.

Lewis Hamilton – 7

After a near-miss in his stellar 2007 rookie campaign, Lewis Hamilton won his first title on the final lap of the final race in 2008. Hamilton realised a dream with McLaren, who he had been with since he was a boy.

A move to Mercedes in 2013 seemed like a massive gamble. It emphatically paid off for Hamilton, winning six titles in a seven-year period. He would have won an eighth in 2021 if it wasn’t for the farce in Abu Dhabi.

Along the way, the Brit has rewritten Formula One’s record books. With the most race wins, most poles, and a joint-record seven titles, Hamilton is the GOAT.

Michael Schumacher – 7

Michael Schumacher won his first two titles with Benetton. The F1 odds didn’t make Schumacher a clear favourite for the Drivers’ Championship in 1994, and it took a controversial Australian Grand Prix for the German to win the title by a single point.

Schumacher’s margin was comfier in 1995, wrapping up the crown with a couple of races to spare. There was a four-year gap until he won his next title.

Now driving for Ferrari, Schumacher and the Scuderia were an unstoppable force for the first five years of the 21st century. The 2003 campaign was the only close call – the 2002 season remains the earliest title win in F1 history, while he won with four races remaining in 2001 and 2004.

Juan Manuel Fangio – 5

At the time of his retirement in 1958, Juan Manuel Fangio had the most drivers’ titles, most race wins, most poles, and most fastest laps. Various metrics aiming to account for the speed of the car rank El Chueco as the greatest Formula One driver ever.

Described by Lewis Hamilton as the “Godfather of our sport” and with Michael Schumacher believing Fangio is on a “much higher level” than he ever was, Fangio’s place in the history of motor racing cannot be overstated.

Alain Prost – 4

Winning his first three titles with McLaren in the 1980s before a 1993 title with Williams, Alain Prost was often embroiled in tight battles in the latter stages of seasons. His rivalry with Ayrton Senna was particularly fierce, but Prost also went toe-to-toe with Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, and numerous others.

Nicknamed ‘The Professor’, Prost was renowned for preparing the car’s setup for race day and had a talent for eking the most out of his brakes and tyres.

Like Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher, Prost was the holder of numerous records at the time of his retirement.

Sebastian Vettel – 4

The first four years of the 2010s belonged to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing. The 2010 and 2012 titles were decided on the final races, while Vettel wrapped up the crown with plenty of time to spare in 2011 and 2013.

Comparisons to Schumacher were inevitable. Vettel possessed similar raw pace to his compatriot and took a similar interest in the minutiae to get the best out of his car.

After the end of the V8 era, Red Bull was left in Mercedes’ wake. Vettel joined Ferrari for the 2015 season and was unable to add a fifth title to his collection despite driving some competitive cars.

Max Verstappen – 4

Max Verstappen’s first title came in controversial circumstances in Abu Dhabi in 2021. There has been no doubt about his next three, however, having been the clear online betting favourite throughout the 2022, 2023, and 2024 campaigns.

Verstappen’s 50.435% points margin in 2023 was the largest in Formula One history. He won the title with five rounds remaining, a feat which has only been achieved on two other occasions. Verstappen and Michael Schumacher are the only drivers to win multiple titles with four or more rounds left in the season.

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