Since the sport’s first season in 1950, Formula 1 has been thrilling motorsport fans worldwide. It’s a sport where legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen have been made. Names debated amongst fans and experts for the title of the ‘greatest of all time’. Alongside the greats are the talented drivers who were lost too soon, each name carved into the history of F1.
What to know
- Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher hold the most titles with 7 each.
- Sebastian Vettal is F1’s youngest World Champion.
- Juan Manuel Fangio is the oldest winner of the F1 World Drivers’ Championship; he was 46 years and 41 days old when he won the 1957 title.
- There have been two American F1 World Champions with Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in 1978.
As F1 fans who revel in the sport’s rich history, we’ve curated a comprehensive list of all the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Champions from 1950 to the present.
Who was the first F1 Champion?
The first season featured seven races, culminating in Alfa Romeo’s Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina claiming the first Drivers’ World Championship, narrowly beating his teammates Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli.
The following season, Farina’s teammate Juan Manuel Fangio went on to win his first Driver’s championship in 1951. Fangio didn’t stop there; he won no less than five titles over his career, with four more on the trot in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957. He remains one of only three drivers to have won five or more titles; only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have won more, with seven each.
Farino’s fellow Italian, Alberto Ascari, won his first championship in 1952, splitting Farino and Fangio. Mike Hawthorn for Ferrari rounded out the 1950s, winning the title in 1958, and Jack Brabham for Cooper in 1959.
British driver Sir Stirling Moss also featured heavily during this period of F1 history, and he is often considered one of the greatest drivers to have never won a World Championship. A hugely successful driver, Moss started 66 races, took 16 wins, and appeared on the podium 24 times. He drove for legendary teams such as Vanwall, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Team Lotus and Cooper.
The Youngest F1 World Title Winner
Sebastian Vettel stands out as the youngest-ever World Champion. At just 23 years and 134 days old, Vettel clinched his first world title in 2010, driving for Red Bull Racing. This marked the beginning of an era dominated by the German driver, who secured four consecutive championships from 2010 to 2013 with the team. After a stint with Ferrari that brought no more championships, he ended his illustrious career in the British racing green of Aston Martin, retiring at the end of the 2022 F1 season aged 36.
The Oldest F1 World Title Winner
Juan Manuel Fangio is the oldest winner of the F1 World Drivers’ Championship. He was 46 years and 41 days old when he won the 1957 title, his final and fifth title in Formula One. Fangio left the sport a year later with a staggering winning percentage of 46.15%, 24 victories out of 52 races, and a pole position percentage of 55.77%. Incredibly, his 1954 title championship saw him drive for and win races for both Maserati and Mercedes-Benz throughout the season, making him the only driver in F1 history to win a Championship driving for more than one team in the same season.
Which driver has the most wins in a single F1 season?
Who holds the record for the most wins in a single Formula 1 season? The answer is Max Verstappen who set an unprecedented standard of dominance in the 2023 season, clinching victory in 19 of the 23 Grand Prix races, boasting a remarkable win rate of 86.36%. This feat places him at the top, ahead of Michael Schumacher, who previously held the highest win percentage for a season at 72.2%. When it comes to the total number of victories in a single season, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher are tied for second place, each with thirteen wins.
Has an American ever won the F1 world championship?
The history of Formula One features 58 drivers from the United States, including two World Drivers’ Championship winners: Mario Andretti and Phil Hill. Mario Andretti stands out as the most successful American in Formula One, having secured 12 race victories, while Eddie Cheever has participated in more Grands Prix than any other American driver. Logan Sargeant is the latest American to compete in the championship, racing in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Although numerous American drivers have taken part in Formula One, the majority (175 drivers) participated exclusively in the Indianapolis 500, which was counted as part of the World Championship from 1950 to 1960. As of 2024, the last American to win a Formula One race is still Mario Andretti, who triumphed at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.
All F1 Drivers’ World Champions by year
Since records began in 1950, 34 drivers have been crowned World Champion. Sporting legends Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Michael Schumacher have 23 titles between them and have all broken unbelievable career records to stand head and shoulders above their peers. In recent seasons, Max Verstappen has joined the elite by winning four consecutive championships from 2021 to 2024.
All F1 Constructors’ World Champions
Formula 1 Constructors’ history
The official Formula 1 World Championship began in 1950, but it wasn’t until 1958 that the Constructors’ Championship was introduced. This step by the FIA was introduced to reward the teams behind the drivers and recognise their commitment to the sport.
The first constructor to claim the 1958 title wasn’t Ferrari, as some might expect, but a team called Vanwall. A triumph for the team, it was also a significant moment in Formula 1 history, underscoring the evolving nature of the sport, where the combined efforts of drivers, engineers, and technical team members were integral to success.
Who is the most successful F1 team ever?
Statistically, the most successful Formula 1 team in F1 history is Scuderia Ferrari, who have won the most Constructors’ Championships with 16. Still, teams such as McLaren and Williams, with 9 each, have also experienced significant success in different eras of F1. As a debate, considerations like the team’s longevity, number of victories, and dominance during each era need to be considered. Ferrari, for example, has been in F1 since the first season, while the likes of McLaren and Williams much later. That has allowed Ferrari to rack up more stats than younger teams. Mercedes, for example, as a team owner or engine supplier, has become one of the most successful car manufacturers to have ever played a part in the sport’s history. An impressive 10 Constructors’ and 13 Drivers’ Championships have been won with Mercedes-Benz engines. And in modern F1 the team won seven consecutive Drivers’ titles from 2014 to 2020 and eight consecutive Constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021.
Most Titles By Constructor
| Constructor | Championships |
|---|---|
| Ferrari | 16 |
| Williams | 9 |
| McLaren | 9 |
| Mercedes | 8 |
| Team Lotus | 7 |
| Red Bull Racing | 6 |
| Brabham | 2 |
| Cooper | 2 |
| Renault | 2 |
| Benetton | 1 |
| BRM | 1 |
| Matra | 1 |
| Tyrrell | 1 |
| Vanwall | 1 |
| Brawn GP | 1 |
For a complete list of F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ records visit our F1 Records section of the site.
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