F1 Driver Records

Since records began in 1950, over 32 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.

F1 Races Entered and Started

Total Entries

F1 Driver’s Championships

Total Championships

Most Consecutive Championships

Formula 1 Wins

Total Wins

Most Wins In A Season

Most Consecutive Wins

F1 Pole Positions

Total Pole Positions

Most Consecutive Pole Positions

Most pole positions at the same Grand Prix

The History of Formula 1 Driver Records

The first ‘official’ Formula 1 world championship race was on May 13, 1950, at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, a track formerly used as a Royal Air Force station during World War II. Since that first season in 1950, fans have witnessed records they thought could never be broken repeatedly smashed. It’s not surprising either, as drivers, who are athletes in their own right, continue to push the sport and what is achievable every year. Cars get progressively faster, requiring another level and approach to fitness and nutrition.

The 1950s and 1960s

The inaugural Formula 1 World Championship season in 1950 was the birth of a new era in motorsport. The early years saw the emergence of iconic drivers, and while records were beginning to take shape, several notable figures made their mark.

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. To date, he remains one of only three drivers to have won five or more titles; only Lewis Hamilton and Micahel 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 1970s and 1980s

Often referred to as the “Golden Era” of Formula 1, this is when F1 really started to make strides in technological advancements from teams understanding aerodynamics and pushing the boundaries of engine development.

In the mid-1970s, the sport saw legends like Niki Lauda, known for his tactical mind, clinch his first World Championship in 1975, while Lauda’s fierce rivalry with British driver James Hunt kept F1’s global appeal growing.

But this era was marred by tragic events. In 1976, at the Nürburgring circuit for the German Grand Prix, Niki Lauda’s car veered off track, crashing into an embankment and erupting into an inferno. The aftermath left Lauda severely scarred, losing part of his ear and eyelids and affecting his lungs. However, his determination to race was nothing short of remarkable. Missing just two races, Lauda made his comeback to F1, giving fans a climatic end to the season at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix, where James Hunt narrowly edged out Lauda to take his one and only Drivers’ Championship.

Other notable records of the 1970s include Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, who held the record for the most pole positions at the time (6) in a single season in 1979. Sadly he would lose his life in a 140 mph (230 km/h) collision with Jochen Mass during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

As F1 progressed into the 1980s, another talent emerged in, “The Professor” Alain Prost. Prost would become a four-time world champion during his career that ended in 1993, and it was clear from early on that he was one of the most technically gifted drivers in F1 history. In 1983, he held the record that season and at that time for the most consecutive podium finishes, with 15.

The 1980s and early 1990s

Prost remained a heavyweight in F1 during the 1980s and early 1990s, a time dominated by his rivalry with another multiple-world champion, Ayrton Senna. With McLaren, Senna won titles in 1988, 1990, and 1991.

With two distinct driving styles; Prost’s fluid and technical drivers vs. Senna’s natural raw talent and pace, their rivalry produced some of the most memorable races in the sports history, as well as some of the most controversial.

Ayrton Senna was renowned for his qualifying pace, and he held the record for the most consecutive pole positions in the 1988 season, with eight on the trot. In contrast, Alain Prost’s consistency saw him hold the record for the most race victories (51) on retiring from F1 in 1993. It wasn’t until 2002 that Micahel Schumacher broke this record at the 2002 Belgian Grand Prix, where Schumacher won his 52nd Grand Prix. Prost ended his career with four titles, solidifying his legacy as one of F1’s all-time greats.

British drivers like Nigel Mansell, who won the championship in 1992, and later Damon Hill in 1996 also peppered this era with titles for Williams Racing, another successful team of the time.

The late 1990s and 2000s

McLaren saw a resurgence in the late 1990s, taking two tiles in 1998 and 1999 with Mika Häkkinen in an intense battle for the championship with Ferrari. Ferrari, at the time, was rebuilding under the new leadership of Jean Todt and driver Michael Schumacher.

At the start of the 2000s, Michael Schumacher stands head and shoulders above them all. After a breathtaking career with Scuderia Ferrari that saw him add five more titles to his career of two and totalling seven world titles, Schumacher took a bow in 2006. His legacy cemented him as possibly the greatest driver Formula 1 had ever witnessed. However, his passion for racing led Schumacher to return to the sport in 2010 with Team Mercedes. This three-year stint, however, couldn’t replicate his earlier monumental successes.

In the space between the era of Schumacher and the upcoming champions, an underdog story unfolded that captured the hearts of many. Brawn GP, a team rising from the ashes of Honda Racing F1 in 2009, took F1 by storm, securing the Constructors’ Championship. With Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello driving the team’s cars, Button clinched the 2009 Drivers’ World Championship. However, this meteoric rise was short-lived, as the team underwent a sale and reemerged as Mercedes GP the following year.

The 2010s to Present

Soon after, from 2010 to 2013, a young talent named Sebastian Vettel burst onto the scene. Driving for Red Bull Racing, he secured four consecutive Drivers’ Championships. His successes and German heritage led many in the F1 community to christen him the ‘next Schumacher’. Yet, the late 2000s and early 2010s were not solely the Vettel show. Several racers carved their niche during this period.

Lewis Hamilton, synonymous with brilliance in Formula 1, began his journey to greatness by becoming the youngest Drivers’ World Champion in 2008 at just 23. And he didn’t stop there. Over six years, from 2014 to 2020, Hamilton went on a title-winning spree, clinching six more championships. His relentless drive and talent have spurred conversations around whether he might surpass his Michael Schumacher record-equalling seven titles to solidify his position as potentially the most decorated driver in Formula 1 history.

Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable career has rewritten several record categories. He holds records for the most race victories, most podium finishes, most pole positions, consecutive points finishes, and wins at different circuits.

The 21st century also saw the rise of Max Verstappen, arguably one of Hamilton’s greatest rivals, who set the record for the youngest race winner; he was 18 years and 228 days old when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.