Last Updated: 18/12/2024 at 16:09pm
Over 74 thrilling seasons of the Formula 1 World Championships, 34 drivers have claimed the coveted title of World Drivers’ Champion. Among them, 17 have achieved this feat multiple times, securing their place in motorsport history.
Leading the pack are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, each with an extraordinary seven F1 championships to their names.
As we celebrate 75 years of F1, join us in exploring a comprehensive ranking of driver victories throughout the sport’s rich history, while looking ahead to the excitement of the 2025 F1 season.
Buy VIP F1 tickets nowBest F1 drivers by wins
| Pos | Driver | Championships | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | 7 | 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 7 | 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| 3 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 5 | 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 |
| 4 | Alain Prost | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | 4 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 4 | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
1. Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher racing profile
- Years active: 1991 - 2006, 2010 - 2012
- Country: Germany
- Teams: Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes
- Podiums: 155
- Career points: 1566
- Grand Prixs entered: 306
- World championships: 7
- Races won: 91
- Date of birth: 03/01/1969
- Place of birth: Hürth-Hermülhein, West Germany
Source: wikipedia.com
The 2000s saw a number of first-time champions - Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button.
But it also was the decade that we witnessed true greatness in the form of Ferrari with Michael Schumacher at the helm. The German was already a top driver on the grid, having won two championships previously in 1994 & 1995.
But he hadn’t won again until 2000 when he finally captured his third title. It then snowballed after that. He had impressive years in 2002, finishing on the podium in every race and setting a record of 11 wins, as well as in 2004 when he became champion with eight races remaining after winning all but one race up to the French Grand Prix.
Schumacher’s reign of dominance ended in the 2005 season when a young plucky Spaniard named Fernando Alonso took on the great one and beat him two seasons in a row.
1. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton racing profile:
- Team: Mercedes
- Country: United Kingdom
- Podiums: 197
- Points: 4637.5
- Grand Prixs entered: 331
- World Championships: 7
- Races won: 103
- Highest race finish: 1(x103)
- Highest grid position: 1
- Date of birth: 07/01/1985
- Place of birth: Stevenage, England
Source: formula1.com
Lewis Hamilton is still very much driving at championship level, despite Mercedes’ struggles in the 2022 season. His 2020 championship victory was superb - Hamilton and the Mercedes W11 were in complete synchronisation throughout the year, leading to the Brit equaling the great Michael Schumacher with seven world titles.
The British seven-time world champion is determined to end his winless streak in the 2023 Formula 1 season and has no plans to finish without a victory. Despite not winning since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton has been the closest challenger to Max Verstappen in recent races.
Mercedes, led by team principal Toto Wolff, have praised Hamilton's performances and commitment. Hamilton aims to secure second place in both the constructors' and drivers' championships. The Guardian stated in an article that the inaugural 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix received positive feedback from Hamilton and other drivers, with Verstappen's initial criticism proved wrong by the exciting race that unfolded
The Brit was already a world champion when he joined in 2013, having won with McLaren in 2008. His decision to move to Mercedes was ridiculed by many as they weren’t seen as a contender. That ideology quickly changed.
Hamilton won back-to-back championships in 2014 & 2015. However, he was pushed both times by his teammate, Nico Rosberg. 2016 saw a change in the Merc garage, and suddenly Rosberg was on the front foot. He ended up beating Hamilton to that year's championship at the final race in Abu Dhabi. He then retired just days later.
Rosberg’s retirement opened up Hamilton to continue on his winning ways. While he was tested at times by Vettel, who was now with Ferrari, Hamilton showed his ability to win, picking up four straight titles from 2017 to the end of the decade.
3. Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio racing profile:
- Years active: 1950 - 1951, 1953 - 1958
- Country: Argentina
- Teams: Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferarri
- Podiums: 35
- Career points: 245
- Grand Prix entered: 51
- Races won: 24
- Date of birth: 24/06/1911
- Place of birth: Balcarce, Argentina
Source: wikipedia.com
The first decade of Formula 1 saw the dominance of one man - Juan Manuel Fangio.
Fangio was the original Greatest Of All Time in F1, winning five championships in the early years of the new top discipline in motorsport (1951, 1954-1957). He also did it with four different teams, something which no other champion has done before.
The Argentinian was simply incredible in the founding years, but while he could boast being the most successful champion for many years until Michael Schumacher’s dominance, he just missed out on being the first-ever world champion, as that went to Italy’s Giuseppe Farina.
=4. Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen racing profile:
- Team: Red Bull Racing
- Country: Netherlands
- Podiums: 97
- Points: 2560.5
- Grand Prixs entered: 184
- World Championships: 3
- Races won: 53
- Highest race finish: 1 (x23)
- Highest grid position: 1
- Date of birth: 30/09/1997
- Place of birth: Hasselt, Belgium
Source: formula1.com
Since the beginning of the 2020s, only two drivers have been crowned champions in the three seasons so far. Max Verstappen, who had been seen as a promising driver for years, fulfilled his destiny and claimed the championship in 2021 amid some controversy. However, there was no doubt about his victory in 2022, solidifying his position as the best driver on the grid.
Since then pole position has been dominated by the Dutch legend, who also picked up the F1 title in 2023 and 2024. Will it be Verstappen to clinch 2025 again? Or are we are about to see things shaken up for the first time in 4 years.
These records include:
- The highest percentage of wins in a season*
- Most wins in a season*
- Most consecutive wins
- Most wins from pole in a season*
- Most consecutive wins from pole position*
- Most hat-tricks in a season*
- Most points in a season*
- Most podiums in a season*
- Most consecutive top-two finishes
- Most laps led in a season*
- Most pitstops by the winning driver in one race
- Most races left in a season before clinching the championship.
*Records still ongoing. Source: autosport.com.
=4. Alain Prost
Alain Prost racing profile:
Team: Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams
- Country: France
- Podiums: 106
- Points: 798.5
- Grand Prixs entered: 202
- World Championships: 4
- Races won: 51
- Highest race finish: 1 (x51)
- Highest grid position: 1
- Date of birth: 24/02/1955
- Place of birth: Lorette, France
source: wikipedia
'The Professor’ Alain Prost was a fantastic driver with a brilliant mind for the way the car drove, essentially being able to tap into the car to find every little thing that makes it tick. This helped him find a great amount of success, winning three of his four championships during the 80s (1985, 1986 & 1989).
Prost had other seasons where he came agonisingly close to winning the championship, such as the 1983 season when he lost by only two points. But he finally got to the top and cemented himself as an all-time great.
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