No matter the Formula 1 race, there’s always a winner. But, who has won the most F1 championships?
Well, that’s what we’re about to find out. Our team of experts has scoured the web to find out which Formula 1 driver has won the most championships… but that’s not all! We’ll also be discussing the racing driver with the most Grand Prix wins and pole positions.
Don’t say we never give you anything!
So, let’s see which F1 driver is the very best…
Who Has Won the Most F1 Championships?
As we mentioned, sure, we’ll be discussing which F1 driver has won the most championships, but we’ll also reveal who has achieved the most Grand Prix winners and the most pole positions.
F1 Drivers Who Have Won the Most Championships
|
Driver |
Number of Wins |
Team(s) |
Years |
|
Michael Schumacher |
7 |
Benetton, Benetton, Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari |
1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
|
Lewis Hamilton |
7 |
McLaren, Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes |
2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
|
Juan Manuel Fangio |
5 |
Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Maserati |
1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 |
|
Alain Prost |
4 |
McLaren, McLaren, McLaren, Williams |
1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 |
|
Sebastian Vettel |
4 |
Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull |
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
|
Max Verstappen |
4 |
Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull |
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
|
Jack Brabham |
3 |
Cooper, Cooper, Brabham |
1959, 1960, 1966 |
|
Niki Lauda |
3 |
Ferrari, Ferrari, McLaren |
1975, 1977, 1984 |
|
Nelson Piquet |
3 |
Brabham, Brabham, Williams |
1981, 1983, 1987 |
|
Ayrton Senna |
3 |
McLaren, McLaren, McLaren |
1988, 1990, 1991 |
|
Jackie Stewart |
3 |
Matra-Ford, Tyrell, Tyrell |
1969, 1971, 1973 |
As you can see, we have tie-winners for who has won the most F1 championships. Both Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have won seven Formula One championships for multiple teams.
These consistent wins from Hamilton actually popped him in the number one spot of our best F1 drivers of all time!
However, we can also see Max Verstappen is slowly climbing up the ranks with his consecutive wins since 2021. Will he continue to remain the current champion or will the new kid on the block, Kimi Antonelli, stop him in his tracks? Having chosen his personal driving number based on his hero, Ayrton Senna (another winner on this list), there's a high chance it will be a sure contest this year!
We’ll have to wait and see…
Image Source: Kimi Antonelli
F1 Drivers With the Most Pole Positions
|
Driver |
Number of Pole Positions |
Entries |
|
Lewis Hamilton |
104 |
358 |
|
Michael Schumacher |
68 |
308 |
|
Ayrton Senna |
65 |
162 |
|
Sebastian Vettel |
57 |
300 |
|
Max Verstappen |
40 |
211 |
|
Jim Clark |
33 |
73 |
|
Alain Prost |
33 |
202 |
|
Nigel Mansell |
32 |
191 |
|
Nico Rosberg |
30 |
206 |
|
Juan Manuel Fangio |
29 |
52 |
When our team of experts was looking at the data for this, something quickly became very apparent to us.
Sure, Lewis Hamilton is (yet again) top of the list - is anyone really surprised? However, it’s some of the other drivers we have questions about…
For example, Jim Clark and Alain Prost have the same number of pole positions: 33 times in their careers. But Clark only entered 73 races whereas Prost entered 202. From this, can we assess that Clark was a better driver than Prost as he secured more pole positions in fewer races?
We’ll leave that for you to decide!
F1 Drivers with the Most Grand Prix Wins
|
Driver |
Number of Grand Prix wins |
Years Active |
First Win |
Last Win |
|
Lewis Hamilton |
105 |
2007- |
2007 Canadian Grand Prix |
- |
|
Michael Schumacher |
91 |
1991-2006, 2010-2012 |
1992 Belgian Grand Prix |
2006 Chinese Grand Prix |
|
Max Verstappen |
63 |
2015- |
2016 Spanish Grand Prix |
- |
|
Sebastian Vettel |
53 |
2007-2022 |
2008 Italian Grand Prix |
2019 Singapore Grand Prix |
|
Alain Prost |
51 |
1980-1991, 1993 |
1981 French Grand Prix |
1993 German Grand Prix |
|
Ayrton Senna |
41 |
1984-1994 |
1985 Portuguese Grand Prix |
1993 Australian Grand Prix |
|
Fernando Alonso |
32 |
2001, 2003-2018, 2021- |
2003 Hungarian Grand Prix |
- |
|
Nigel Mansell |
31 |
1980-1992, 1994-1995 |
1985 European Grand Prix |
1994 Australian Grand Prix |
|
Jackie Stewart |
27 |
1965-1973 |
1965 Italian Grand Prix |
1973 German Grand Prix |
|
Jim Clark |
25 |
1960-1968 |
1962 Belgian Grand Prix |
1968 South African Grand Prix |
|
Niki Lauda |
25 |
1971-1979, 1982-1985 |
1974 Spanish Grand Prix |
1985 Dutch Grand Prix |
Surprise surprise, Hamilton is yet again at the top of this list, too! Is there anything this man can’t do?! (Keep reading to find out..)
Will he continue to add to his number of wins whilst at Ferrari? Or will competitor Max Verstappen keep inching ever closer to Hamilton’s top spot?
Verstappen is known for breaking records - he is the youngest winner in the history of Formula One. However, the new kid on the block Kimi Antonelli could throw a spanner in the works!
One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a close race to the finish this year…
Image Source: Max Verstappen
Which F1 Driver Has the Most Consecutive Wins?
Now, to the real nitty gritty! Which Formula One racer has had the most consecutive wins?
|
Driver |
Team |
Winning Streak |
|
Max Verstappen |
Red Bull |
10 |
|
Sebastian Vettel |
Red Bull |
9 |
|
Alberto Ascari |
Ferrari |
7 |
|
Michael Schumacher |
Ferrari |
7 |
|
Nico Rosenberg |
Mercedes |
7 |
|
Jack Brabham |
Cooper |
5 |
|
Nigel Mansell |
Williams |
5 |
|
Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes |
5 |
Are you as shocked as we are to see that Hamilton isn’t at the top of this list?! Instead, it’s his one and only rival (ish) - Max Verstappen! He pipped previous winner and former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel to the top spot by just one point.
However, will Ferrari’s newest driver beat Schumacher, Ascari, and maybe even Verstappen to be at the top of this list, too?
Image Source: Lewis Hamilton
Our founder, Matt Cole, says:
“I am so excited to see Lewis drive for Ferrari throughout this season.
“It has been a few years now since he has been in a competitive car, and I can’t wait to see how he stacks up against Max Verstappen and Lando Norris now they have an even playing field.”
We recognise that in this blog, we’ve focussed on the drivers who have won the most F1 championships (and beyond). But what about the teams?...
Well, if you are interested in finding out which is the best F1 team, make sure to check out our blog!
