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List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions

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The World Drivers' Championship is presented by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body, to the most successful driver over the course of the season of Formula One races, through a points system based on individual race results. The World Championship is awarded at the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony after the season.

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton hold the record for the most World Drivers' championships, seven, trailed by Juan Manuel Fangio with five. Schumacher holds the record for the most consecutive titles: five, from the 2000 to 2004 seasons. Nigel Mansell competed in the most seasons before winning the title: 13; he entered Formula One in 1980 and won the title in 1992. Nico Rosberg has the highest number of Grand Prix starts before winning his first title: 206, from the 2006 Bahrain and the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel is the youngest champion; he was 23 years and 134 days old when he won in 2010. Juan Manuel Fangio is the oldest; he was 46 years and 41 days old when he won the 1957 title.

As of the 2026 season, the 76 titles have been won by 35 of the 782 drivers who have started a Grand Prix. The first champion was Giuseppe Farina, in 1950; the current title holder is Lando Norris in the 2025 season. The title has been won by 11 drivers from the United Kingdom a total of 21 times, more than any other nation, followed by Brazil, Finland, and Germany with three drivers each. The title has been won by drivers from Scuderia Ferrari 15 times between 9 drivers, more than any other team, followed by McLaren with 13 titles between 8 drivers. The championship has been won in the final race of the season 31 times in the 76 seasons it has been awarded. Schumacher won the championship with six races left in a season, a record: the 2002 title at that year's French Grand Prix. The points system has twice crowned a champion, John Surtees in 1964 and Ayrton Senna in 1988, who scored fewer points overall than the driver who finished second. Max Verstappen won the 2023 title with 290 points more than the second-place Sergio Pérez, a record, while Niki Lauda won the 1984 title with the closest gap: 0.5 points over Alain Prost.

01By season

Key
Bold indicates the constructor also won the Constructors' Championship (awarded since 1958)
World Drivers' Champions by season
Season Driver Age Constructor Tyres Poles Wins Podiums Fastest laps Points % Points Clinched # of rounds
remaining
Margin % Margin
Chassis Engine
1950 Giuseppe Farina 44 Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo P 2 3 3 3 30 83.333 (47.619) Round 7 of 7 0 3 10.000
1951 Juan Manuel Fangio 40 Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo P 4 3 5 5 31 86.111 (51.389) Round 8 of 8 0 6 19.355
1952 Alberto Ascari 34 Ferrari Ferrari F P 5 6 6 6 36 100.000 (74.306) Round 6 of 8 2 12 33.333
1953 Alberto Ascari 35 Ferrari Ferrari P 6 5 5 4 34.5 95.833 (57.407) Round 8 of 9 1 6.5 18.841
1954 Juan Manuel Fangio 43 Maserati Maserati P 5 6 7 3 42 93.333 (70.547) Round 7 of 9 2 16.857 40.136
Mercedes Mercedes C
1955 Juan Manuel Fangio 44 Mercedes Mercedes C 3 4 5 3 40 88.889 (65.079) Round 6 of 7 1 16.5 41.250
1956 Juan Manuel Fangio 45 Ferrari Ferrari E 6 3 5 4 30 66.667 (45.833) Round 8 of 8 0 3 10.000
1957 Juan Manuel Fangio 46 Maserati Maserati P 4 4 6 2 40 88.889 (63.889) Round 6 of 8 2 15 37.500
1958 Mike Hawthorn 29 Ferrari Ferrari E 4 1 7 5 42 77.778 (49.495) Round 11 of 11 0 1 2.381
1959 Jack Brabham 33 Cooper Climax D 1 2 5 1 31 68.889 (41.975) Round 9 of 9 0 4 12.903
1960 Jack Brabham 34 Cooper Climax D 3 5 5 3 43 89.583 (53.750) Round 8 of 10 2 9 20.930
1961 Phil Hill 34 Ferrari Ferrari D 5 2 6 2 34 75.556 (52.778) Round 7 of 8 1 1 2.941
1962 Graham Hill 33 BRM BRM D 1 4 6 3 42 93.333 (64.198) Round 9 of 9 0 12 28.571
1963 Jim Clark 27 Lotus Climax D 7 7 9 6 54 100.000 (81.111) Round 7 of 10 3 21 38.889
1964 John Surtees 30 Ferrari Ferrari D 2 2 6 2 40 74.074 (44.444) Round 10 of 10 0 1 2.500
1965 Jim Clark 29 Lotus Climax D 6 6 6 6 54 100.000 (60.000) Round 7 of 10 3 14 25.926
1966 Jack Brabham 40 Brabham Repco G 3 4 5 1 42 93.333 (55.556) Round 7 of 9 2 14 33.333
1967 Denny Hulme 31 Brabham Repco G 0 2 8 2 51 62.963 (51.515) Round 11 of 11 0 5 9.804
1968 Graham Hill 39 Lotus Ford F 2 3 6 0 48 53.333 (44.444) Round 12 of 12 0 12 25.000
1969 Jackie Stewart 30 Matra Ford D 2 6 7 5 63 77.778 (63.636) Round 8 of 11 3 26 41.270
1970 Jochen Rindt 28 Lotus Ford F 3 5 5 1 45 45.455 (38.462) Round 12 of 13 1 5 11.111
1971 Jackie Stewart 32 Tyrrell Ford G 6 6 7 3 62 76.543 (62.626) Round 8 of 11 3 29 46.774
1972 Emerson Fittipaldi 25 Lotus Ford F 3 5 8 0 61 67.778 (56.481) Round 10 of 12 2 16 26.230
1973 Jackie Stewart 34 Tyrrell Ford G 3 5 8 1 71 60.684 (52.593) Round 13 of 15 2 16 22.535
1974 Emerson Fittipaldi 27 McLaren Ford G 2 3 7 0 55 47.009 (40.741) Round 15 of 15 0 3 5.455
1975 Niki Lauda 26 Ferrari Ferrari G 9 5 8 2 64.5 59.722 (55.128) Round 13 of 14 1 19.5 30.233
1976 James Hunt 29 McLaren Ford G 8 6 8 2 69 54.762 (47.917) Round 16 of 16 0 1 1.449
1977 Niki Lauda 28 Ferrari Ferrari G 2 3 10 3 72 53.333 (47.059) Round 15 of 17 2 17 23.611
1978 Mario Andretti 38 Lotus Ford G 8 6 7 3 64 50.794 (44.444) Round 14 of 16 2 13 20.313
1979 Jody Scheckter 29 Ferrari Ferrari M 1 3 6 0 51 70.833 (44.444) Round 13 of 15 2 4 7.843
1980 Alan Jones 34 Williams Ford G 3 5 10 5 67 74.444 (56.349) Round 13 of 14 1 13 19.403
1981 Nelson Piquet 29 Brabham Ford M G 4 3 7 1 50 50.505 (37.037) Round 15 of 15 0 1 2.000
1982 Keke Rosberg 34 Williams Ford G 1 1 6 0 44 44.444 (30.556) Round 16 of 16 0 5 11.364
1983 Nelson Piquet 31 Brabham BMW M 1 3 8 4 59 59.596 (43.704) Round 15 of 15 0 2 3.390
1984 Niki Lauda 35 McLaren TAG M 0 5 9 5 72 72.727 (51.613) Round 16 of 16 0 0.5 0.694
1985 Alain Prost 30 McLaren TAG G 2 5 11 5 73 73.737 (52.778) Round 14 of 16 2 20 27.397
1986 Alain Prost 31 McLaren TAG G 1 4 11 2 72 72.727 (51.389) Round 16 of 16 0 2 2.778
1987 Nelson Piquet 35 Williams Honda G 4 3 11 4 73 73.737 (52.778) Round 15 of 16 1 12 16.438
1988 Ayrton Senna 28 McLaren Honda G 13 8 11 3 90 90.909 (65.278) Round 15 of 16 1 3 3.333
1989 Alain Prost 34 McLaren Honda G 2 4 11 5 76 76.768 (56.250) Round 15 of 16 1 16 21.053
1990 Ayrton Senna 30 McLaren Honda G 10 6 11 2 78 78.788 (54.167) Round 15 of 16 1 7 8.974
1991 Ayrton Senna 31 McLaren Honda G 8 7 12 2 96 61.935 Round 15 of 16 1 24 25.000
1992 Nigel Mansell 39 Williams Renault G 14 9 12 8 108 67.500 Round 11 of 16 5 52 48.148
1993 Alain Prost 38 Williams Renault G 13 7 12 6 99 61.875 Round 14 of 16 2 26 26.263
1994 Michael Schumacher 25 Benetton Ford G 6 8 10 8 92 57.500 Round 16 of 16 0 1 1.087
1995 Michael Schumacher 26 Benetton Renault G 4 9 11 8 102 60.000 Round 15 of 17 2 33 32.353
1996 Damon Hill 36 Williams Renault G 9 8 10 5 97 60.625 Round 16 of 16 0 19 19.588
1997 Jacques Villeneuve 26 Williams Renault G 10 7 8 3 81 47.647 Round 17 of 17 0 39 48.148
1998 Mika Häkkinen 30 McLaren Mercedes B 9 8 11 6 100 62.500 Round 16 of 16 0 14 14.000
1999 Mika Häkkinen 31 McLaren Mercedes B 11 5 10 6 76 47.500 Round 16 of 16 0 2 2.632
2000 Michael Schumacher 31 Ferrari Ferrari B 9 9 12 2 108 63.529 Round 16 of 17 1 19 17.593
2001 Michael Schumacher 32 Ferrari Ferrari B 11 9 14 3 123 72.353 Round 13 of 17 4 58 47.154
2002 Michael Schumacher 33 Ferrari Ferrari B 7 11 17 7 144 84.706 Round 11 of 17 6 67 46.528
2003 Michael Schumacher 34 Ferrari Ferrari B 5 6 8 5 93 58.125 Round 16 of 16 0 2 2.151
2004 Michael Schumacher 35 Ferrari Ferrari B 8 13 15 10 148 82.222 Round 14 of 18 4 34 22.973
2005 Fernando Alonso 24 Renault Renault M 6 7 15 2 133 70.000 Round 17 of 19 2 21 15.789
2006 Fernando Alonso 25 Renault Renault M 6 7 14 5 134 74.444 Round 18 of 18 0 13 9.701
2007 Kimi Räikkönen 28 Ferrari Ferrari B 3 6 12 6 110 64.706 Round 17 of 17 0 1 0.909
2008 Lewis Hamilton 23 McLaren Mercedes B 7 5 10 1 98 54.444 Round 18 of 18 0 1 1.020
2009 Jenson Button 29 Brawn Mercedes B 4 6 9 2 95 57.576 Round 16 of 17 1 11 11.579
2010 Sebastian Vettel 23 Red Bull Renault B 10 5 10 3 256 53.895 Round 19 of 19 0 4 1.563
2011 Sebastian Vettel 24 Red Bull Renault P 15 11 17 3 392 82.526 Round 15 of 19 4 122 31.122
2012 Sebastian Vettel 25 Red Bull Renault P 6 5 10 6 281 56.200 Round 20 of 20 0 3 1.068
2013 Sebastian Vettel 26 Red Bull Renault P 9 13 16 7 397 83.579 Round 16 of 19 3 155 39.043
2014 Lewis Hamilton 29 Mercedes Mercedes P 7 11 16 7 384 76.800 Round 19 of 19 0 67 17.448
2015 Lewis Hamilton 30 Mercedes Mercedes P 11 10 17 8 381 80.211 Round 16 of 19 3 59 15.486
2016 Nico Rosberg 31 Mercedes Mercedes P 8 9 16 6 385 73.333 Round 21 of 21 0 5 1.299
2017 Lewis Hamilton 32 Mercedes Mercedes P 11 9 13 7 363 72.600 Round 18 of 20 2 46 12.672
2018 Lewis Hamilton 33 Mercedes Mercedes P 11 11 17 3 408 77.714 Round 19 of 21 2 88 21.569
2019 Lewis Hamilton 34 Mercedes Mercedes P 5 11 17 6 413 75.641 Round 19 of 21 2 87 21.065
2020 Lewis Hamilton 35 Mercedes Mercedes P 10 11 14 6 347 78.507 Round 14 of 17 3 124 35.735
2021 Max Verstappen 24 Red Bull Honda P 10 10 18 6 395.5 69.692 Round 22 of 22 0 8 2.023
2022 Max Verstappen 25 Red Bull RBPT P 7 15 17 5 454 76.174 Round 18 of 22 4 146 32.159
2023 Max Verstappen 26 Red Bull Honda RBPT P 12 19 21 9 575 92.742 Round 17 of 22 5 290 50.435
2024 Max Verstappen 27 Red Bull Honda RBPT P 8 9 14 3 437 65.030 Round 22 of 24 2 63 14.416
2025 Lando Norris 26 McLaren Mercedes P 7 7 18 6 423 65.278 Round 24 of 24 0 2 0.473
Season Driver Age Chassis Engine Tyres Poles Wins Podiums Fastest laps Points % Points Clinched # of rounds
remaining
Margin % Margin
Constructor
Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna, three World Drivers' Champions, commemorating the podium of the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix
Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna, three World Drivers' Champions, commemorating the podium of the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix

02By driver

Michael Schumacher has won the World Drivers' Championship a record seven times, twice with Benetton and five times with Ferrari.
Michael Schumacher has won the World Drivers' Championship a record seven times, twice with Benetton and five times with Ferrari.

03By driver nationality

World Drivers' Champions by nationality
Country Titles Drivers Seasons By driver (titles)
 United Kingdom 21 11 1958, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2025 Lewis Hamilton (7)
Jackie Stewart (3)
Jim Clark (2)
Graham Hill (2)
Jenson Button (1)
Mike Hawthorn (1)
Damon Hill (1)
James Hunt (1)
Nigel Mansell (1)
Lando Norris (1)
John Surtees (1)
 Germany 12 3 1994, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016 Michael Schumacher (7)
Sebastian Vettel (4)
Nico Rosberg (1)
 Brazil 8 3 1972, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991 Nelson Piquet (3)
Ayrton Senna (3)
Emerson Fittipaldi (2)
 Argentina 5 1 1951, 1954, 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio (5)
 Finland 4 3 1982, 1998, 1999, 2007 Mika Häkkinen (2)
Kimi Räikkönen (1)
Keke Rosberg (1)
 Australia 4 2 1959, 1960, 1966, 1980 Jack Brabham (3)
Alan Jones (1)
 Austria 4 2 1970, 1975, 1977, 1984 Niki Lauda (3)
Jochen Rindt (1)
 France 4 1 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 Alain Prost (4)
 Netherlands 4 1 2021, 2024 Max Verstappen (4)
 Italy 3 2 1950, 1952, 1953 Alberto Ascari (2)
Giuseppe Farina (1)
 United States 2 2 1961, 1978 Mario Andretti (1)
Phil Hill (1)
 Spain 2 1 2005, 2006 Fernando Alonso (2)
 New Zealand 1 1 1967 Denny Hulme (1)
 South Africa 1 1 1979 Jody Scheckter (1)
 Canada 1 1 1997 Jacques Villeneuve (1)
15 countries76 titles35 drivers

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Lewis Hamilton equaled Schumacher's record in 2020, winning one with McLaren and six with Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton equaled Schumacher's record in 2020, winning one with McLaren and six with Mercedes.

04Records

Youngest Drivers' champions

Youngest World Drivers' Championship winners
Driver Age Season
1 Sebastian Vettel 23 years, 134 days 2010
2 Lewis Hamilton 23 years, 300 days 2008
3 Fernando Alonso 24 years, 58 days 2005
4 Max Verstappen 24 years, 73 days 2021
5 Emerson Fittipaldi 25 years, 273 days 1972
6 Michael Schumacher 25 years, 314 days 1994
7 Lando Norris 26 years, 24 days 2025
8 Niki Lauda 26 years, 197 days 1975
9 Jacques Villeneuve 26 years, 200 days 1997
10 Jim Clark 27 years, 188 days 1963

Where drivers have won more than one World Drivers' Championship, only their first win is noted here. Drivers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Oldest Drivers' champions

Oldest World Drivers' Championship winners
Driver Age Season
1 Juan Manuel Fangio 46 years, 41 days 1957
2 Giuseppe Farina 43 years, 308 days 1950
3 Jack Brabham 40 years, 155 days 1966
4 Graham Hill 39 years, 262 days 1968
5 Nigel Mansell 39 years, 8 days 1992
6 Alain Prost 38 years, 214 days 1993
7 Mario Andretti 38 years, 193 days 1978
8 Damon Hill 36 years, 26 days 1996
9 Lewis Hamilton 35 years, 313 days 2020
10 Niki Lauda 35 years, 242 days 1984

Where drivers have won more than one World Drivers' Championship, only their last win is noted here. Drivers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Consecutive Drivers' championships

A total of 11 drivers have achieved consecutive wins in the World Drivers' Championship. Of those, only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have won two sets of consecutive Formula One Drivers' championships.

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Drivers' Champions for constructors that did not win the Constructors' Championship in that year

Drivers' Champions for constructors who did not claim the Constructors' Championship that year
Championships Drivers Years
2 Nelson Piquet 1981, 1983
Max Verstappen 2021, 2024
1 Mike Hawthorn 1958
Jackie Stewart 1973
James Hunt 1976
Keke Rosberg 1982
Alain Prost 1986
Michael Schumacher 1994
Mika Häkkinen 1999
Lewis Hamilton 2008

Drivers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Juan Manuel Fangio won the World Drivers' Championship five times with Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari. He held the record from 1955 until 2003.
Juan Manuel Fangio won the World Drivers' Championship five times with Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari. He held the record from 1955 until 2003.

05By chassis constructor

Constructors in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Alain Prost has four titles, three for McLaren and one for Williams. He also just missed winning the title for Renault (finished second, by two points) and for Ferrari (finished second, by seven points).
Alain Prost has four titles, three for McLaren and one for Williams. He also just missed winning the title for Renault (finished second, by two points) and for Ferrari (finished second, by seven points).

06By engine manufacturer

Engine manufacturers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

Engine manufacturers by World Drivers' Championship wins
Manufacturer Titles Season(s)
Ferrari15 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007
Mercedes 14 1954, 1955, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025
Ford13 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1994
Renault11 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Honda6 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2021
Climax4 1959, 1960, 1963, 1965
TAG3 1984, 1985, 1986
Alfa Romeo2 1950, 1951
Maserati 1954, 1957
Repco 1966, 1967
Honda RBPT 2023, 2024
BRM1 1962
BMW 1983
RBPT 2022
14 manufacturers76 titles
Sebastian Vettel has four titles to his name, all of which he won consecutively with Red Bull Racing.
Sebastian Vettel has four titles to his name, all of which he won consecutively with Red Bull Racing.

07By tyres used

Tyre manufacturers in bold have competed in the 2026 World Championship.

World Drivers' Championship victories by tyre manufacturer
Rank Manufacturer Titles Seasons
1 G Goodyear 24 (7) 1966-1967, 1971, 1973-1978, 1980, 1982, 1985-1997
2 P Pirelli 20 (14) 1950-1954, 1957, 2011-2025
3 B Bridgestone 11 (6) 1998-2004, 2007-2010
4 D Dunlop 8 (4) 1959-1965, 1969
5 M Michelin 6 1979, 1981, 1983-1984, 2005-2006
6 F Firestone 4 1952, 1968, 1970, 1972
7 C Continental 2 1954-1955
E Englebert 1956, 1958

Numbers in parentheses indicate championships won as the sole tyre supplier.

Max Verstappen won four consecutive World Drivers' Championships in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen won four consecutive World Drivers' Championships in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 with Red Bull Racing.
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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