List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions

The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC) is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to the most successful Formula One racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1950, to Nino Farina. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Alberto Ascari, in 1952 and 1953. The current Drivers' Champion is Sebastian Vettel, who won his first World Championship in 2010 and successfully defended it in 2011. He is only the second German to win the title, after Michael Schumacher.

The FIA does not officially declare the Champion until the end of the season, but a driver is said to have "clinched" the Championship after it is no longer mathematically possible for another to obtain more points than he has, even if the former driver were to not compete in the remaining races of the season, and the latter to score the maximum number of points possible. The Drivers' Championship has been won in the final race of the season 25 times in the 61 seasons it has been awarded. The earliest in a season that the Drivers' Championship has been clinched was in 2002, when Michael Schumacher secured the title with six races remaining.

Overall, thirty two different drivers have won the Championship, with German Michael Schumacher holding the record for most titles, at seven. Schumacher also holds the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, winning five from 2000 to 2004. The United Kingdom has produced the most World Championship winning drivers with ten; Brazil and Finland are next with three each. Of the 32 drivers to win the World Championship, 21 are still alive. The most recently deceased is Phil Hill (1927–2008).

Contents

By season

Season Driver Team Engine Tyres Poles Wins Podiums Fastest Laps Points Clinched Pt. Margin
1950 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo P 2 3 3 3 30 Race 7 of 7 3
1951 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo P 4 3 5 5 31 Race 8 of 8 6
1952 1 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Ferrari F

P

5 6 6 6 36 Race 6 of 8 12
1953 1 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Ferrari P 6 5 5 4 34.5 Race 8 of 9 6.5
1954 Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati
Mercedes2
Maserati
Mercedes
P

C

5 6 7 3 42 Race 7 of 9 16.86
1955 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes Mercedes C 3 4 5 3 40 Race 6 of 7 16.5
1956 Juan Manuel Fangio Ferrari Ferrari E 6 3 5 4 30 Race 8 of 8 3
1957 Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati Maserati P 4 4 6 2 40 Race 6 of 8 15
1958 Mike Hawthorn Ferrari Ferrari E 4 1 7 5 42 Race 11 of 11 1
1959 Jack Brabham Cooper* Climax D 1 2 5 1 31 Race 9 of 9 4
1960 Jack Brabham Cooper* Climax D 3 5 5 3 43 Race 8 of 10 9
1961 Phil Hill Ferrari* Ferrari D 5 2 6 2 34 Race 7 of 8 1
1962 Graham Hill BRM* BRM D 1 4 6 3 42 Race 9 of 9 12
1963 Jim Clark Lotus* Climax D 7 7 9 6 54 Race 7 of 10 21
1964 John Surtees Ferrari* Ferrari D 2 2 6 2 40 Race 10 of 10 1
1965 Jim Clark Lotus* Climax D 6 6 6 6 54 Race 7 of 10 14
1966 Jack Brabham Brabham* Repco G 3 4 5 1 42 Race 7 of 9 14
1967 Denny Hulme Brabham* Repco G 0 2 8 2 51 Race 11 of 11 5
1968 Graham Hill Lotus* Ford F 2 3 6 0 48 Race 12 of 12 12
1969 Jackie Stewart Matra* Ford D 2 6 7 5 63 Race 8 of 11 26
1970 Jochen Rindt Lotus* Ford F 3 5 5 1 45 Race 123 of 13 5
1971 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell* Ford G 6 6 7 3 62 Race 8 of 11 29
1972 Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus* Ford F 3 5 8 0 61 Race 10 of 12 16
1973 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell Ford G 3 5 8 1 71 Race 13 of 15 16
1974 Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren* Ford G 2 3 7 0 55 Race 15 of 15 3
1975 Niki Lauda Ferrari* Ferrari G 9 5 8 2 64.5 Race 13 of 14 19.5
1976 James Hunt McLaren Ford G 8 6 8 2 69 Race 16 of 16 1
1977 Niki Lauda Ferrari* Ferrari G 2 3 10 3 72 Race 15 of 17 17
1978 Mario Andretti Lotus* Ford G 8 6 7 3 64 Race 14 of 16 13
1979 Jody Scheckter Ferrari* Ferrari M 1 3 6 0 51 Race 13 of 15 4
1980 Alan Jones Williams* Ford G 3 5 10 5 67 Race 13 of 14 13
1981 Nelson Piquet Brabham Ford G

M

4 3 7 1 50 Race 15 of 15 1
1982 Keke Rosberg Williams Ford G 1 1 6 0 44 Race 16 of 16 5
1983 Nelson Piquet Brabham BMW M 1 3 8 4 59 Race 15 of 15 2
1984 Niki Lauda McLaren* TAG M 0 5 9 5 72 Race 16 of 16 0.5
1985 Alain Prost McLaren* TAG G 2 5 11 5 73 Race 14 of 16 20
1986 Alain Prost McLaren TAG G 1 4 11 2 72 Race 16 of 16 2
1987 Nelson Piquet Williams* Honda G 4 3 11 4 73 Race 15 of 16 12
1988 Ayrton Senna McLaren* Honda G 13 8 11 3 90 Race 15 of 16 3
1989 Alain Prost McLaren* Honda G 2 4 11 5 76 Race 15 of 16 16
1990 Ayrton Senna McLaren* Honda G 10 6 11 2 78 Race 15 of 16 7
1991 Ayrton Senna McLaren* Honda G 8 7 12 2 96 Race 15 of 16 24
1992 Nigel Mansell Williams* Renault G 14 9 12 8 108 Race 11 of 16 52
1993 Alain Prost Williams* Renault G 13 7 12 6 99 Race 14 of 16 26
1994 Michael Schumacher Benetton Ford G 6 8 10 8 92 Race 16 of 16 1
1995 Michael Schumacher Benetton* Renault G 4 9 11 8 102 Race 15 of 17 33
1996 Damon Hill Williams* Renault G 9 8 10 5 97 Race 16 of 16 19
1997 Jacques Villeneuve Williams* Renault G 10 7 8 3 81 Race 17 of 17 39 4
1998 Mika Häkkinen McLaren* Mercedes B 9 8 11 6 100 Race 16 of 16 14
1999 Mika Häkkinen McLaren Mercedes B 11 5 10 6 76 Race 16 of 16 2
2000 Michael Schumacher Ferrari* Ferrari B 9 9 12 2 108 Race 16 of 17 19
2001 Michael Schumacher Ferrari* Ferrari B 11 9 14 3 123 Race 13 of 17 58
2002 Michael Schumacher Ferrari* Ferrari B 7 11 17 7 144 Race 11 of 17 67
2003 Michael Schumacher Ferrari* Ferrari B 5 6 8 5 93 Race 16 of 16 2
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari* Ferrari B 8 13 15 10 148 Race 14 of 18 34
2005 Fernando Alonso Renault* Renault M 6 7 15 2 133 Race 17 of 19 21
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault* Renault M 6 7 14 5 134 Race 18 of 18 13
2007 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari* Ferrari B 3 6 12 6 110 Race 17 of 17 1
2008 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes B 7 5 10 1 98 Race 18 of 18 1
2009 Jenson Button Brawn* Mercedes B 4 6 9 2 95 Race 16 of 17 11
2010 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull* Renault B 10 5 10 3 256 Race 19 of 19 4
2011 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull* Renault P 15 11 17 3 392 Race 15 of 19 122

Notes

* Indicates the team also won the Constructors' Championship (awarded since 1958).
  1. ^ The 1952 and 1953 championships were run to Formula Two regulations.
  2. ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati, then completed the season with Mercedes.
  3. ^ Rindt died during practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix (the tenth round of the season) but his Championship was not confirmed until two rounds later.
  4. ^ Michael Schumacher scored 78 points during the 1997 season, only 3 points behind Villeneuve. However, Schumacher was disqualified from the championship for colliding with Villeneuve at the final race of the season, the European Grand Prix. This left Villeneuve with a 39 point margin over Heinz-Harald Frentzen with 42 points.

By driver

Driver Total Season(s) Championship Winner
Michael Schumacher 7 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 24th
Juan Manuel Fangio 5 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 2nd
Alain Prost 4 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 21st
Jack Brabham 3 1959, 1960, 1966 5th
Jackie Stewart 3 1969, 1971, 1973 11th
Niki Lauda 3 1975, 1977, 1984 14th
Nelson Piquet 3 1981, 1983, 1987 19th
Ayrton Senna 3 1988, 1990, 1991 22nd
Alberto Ascari 2 1952, 1953 3rd
Jim Clark 2 1963, 1965 8th
Graham Hill 2 1962, 1968 7th
Emerson Fittipaldi 2 1972, 1974 13th
Mika Häkkinen 2 1998, 1999 27th
Fernando Alonso 2 2005, 2006 28th
Sebastian Vettel 2 2010, 2011 32nd
Giuseppe Farina 1 1950 1st
Mike Hawthorn 1 1958 4th
Phil Hill 1 1961 6th
John Surtees 1 1964 9th
Denny Hulme 1 1967 10th
Jochen Rindt 1 1970 12th
James Hunt 1 1976 15th
Mario Andretti 1 1978 16th
Jody Scheckter 1 1979 17th
Alan Jones 1 1980 18th
Keke Rosberg 1 1982 20th
Nigel Mansell 1 1992 23rd
Damon Hill 1 1996 25th
Jacques Villeneuve 1 1997 26th
Kimi Räikkönen 1 2007 29th
Lewis Hamilton 1 2008 30th
Jenson Button 1 2009 31st

Drivers in bold competed in the 2011 World Championship.

By nationality

Country Total Drivers Seasons Drivers by Name (titles)
 United Kingdom 14 10 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008, 2009 Jackie Stewart (3), Jim Clark (2), Graham Hill (2), Mike Hawthorn (1), John Surtees (1), James Hunt (1), Nigel Mansell (1), Damon Hill (1), Lewis Hamilton (1), Jenson Button (1)
 Germany 9 2 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011 Michael Schumacher (7), Sebastian Vettel (2)
 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, 1955, 1956, 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio (5)
 Finland 4 3 1982, 1998, 1999, 2007 Mika Häkkinen (2), Keke Rosberg (1), Kimi Räikkönen (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)
 Italy 3 2 1950, 1952, 1953 Alberto Ascari (2), Giuseppe Farina (1)
 United States 2 2 1961, 1978 Phil Hill (1), Mario Andretti (1)
 Spain 2 1 2005, 2006 Fernando Alonso (2)
 Canada 1 1 1997 Jacques Villeneuve (1)
 New Zealand 1 1 1967 Denny Hulme (1)
 South Africa 1 1 1979 Jody Scheckter (1)

By constructor team

Constructor Total
Ferrari 15
McLaren 12
Williams 7
Lotus 6
Brabham 4
Cooper 2
Renault
Benetton
Mercedes
Alfa Romeo
Tyrrell
Maserati
Red Bull
BRM 1
Matra
Brawn

Constructors in bold competed in the 2011 World Championship.

By constructor nationality

Nationality Total
 United Kingdom 37
 Italy 19
 France 3
 Germany 2
 Austria

By engine

Engine Total
Ferrari 15
Ford 13
Renault 9
Mercedes 6
Honda 5
Climax 4
TAG 3
Alfa Romeo 2
Maserati
Repco
BMW 1
BRM

Engine manufacturers in bold competed in the 2011 World Championship.

By tyre manufacturer

Pos Manufacturer Country Total Seasons
1 G Goodyear United States 24 (7)1 19661967, 1971, 19731978, 1980, 1982, 19851997
2 B Bridgestone Japan 11 (6)2 19982004, 20072010
3 D Dunlop United Kingdom 8 19591965, 1969
4 P Pirelli Italy 7 (1)3 195019544 5, 1957, 2011
5 M Michelin France 6 1979, 1981, 19831984, 20052006
6 F Firestone United States 4 19525, 1968, 1970, 1972
7 C Continental Germany 2 195441955
E Englebert Belgium 2 1956, 1958

Tyre manufacturers in bold competed in the 2011 World Championship. Numbers in parentheses indicate championships won as the sole tyre supplier.

Notes

  1. ^ Goodyear was the sole tyre supplier for the 1987, 1988 & 1992 – 1996 seasons
  2. ^ Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier for the 1999, 2000 & 2007 – 2010 seasons
  3. ^ Pirelli was the sole tyre supplier for the 2011 season
  4. ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix on Pirelli with Maserati, then completed the season on Continental with Mercedes
  5. ^ Ascari competed in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 on Firestone tyres, then completed the season on Pirelli

Records

Youngest Drivers' Champion

Driver Age Season
1 Sebastian Vettel 23 years, 133 days 2010
2 Lewis Hamilton 23 years, 301 days 2008
3 Fernando Alonso 24 years, 58 days 2005
4 Emerson Fittipaldi 25 years, 273 days 1972
5 Michael Schumacher 25 years, 314 days 1994
6 Niki Lauda 26 years, 197 days 1975
7 Jacques Villeneuve 26 years, 200 days 1997
8 Jim Clark 27 years, 188 days 1963
9 Kimi Räikkönen 28 years, 4 days 2007
10 Jochen Rindt 28 years, 140 days 1970 (posthumously)

Bold text indicates driver competed in the 2011 World Championship.

Oldest Drivers' Champion

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 Niki Lauda 35 years, 242 days 1984
10 Michael Schumacher 35 years, 239 days 2004

Bold text indicates driver competed in the 2011 World Championship.

Consecutive Drivers' Championships

Nine separate drivers have achieved consecutive wins in the Formula One Drivers' Championship. Michael Schumacher is the only to have won two sets of consecutive Formula One Drivers' Championships.

Championships Driver Seasons
5 Michael Schumacher 20002004
4 Juan Manuel Fangio 19541957
2 Alberto Ascari 19521953
Jack Brabham 19591960
Alain Prost 19851986
Ayrton Senna 19901991
Michael Schumacher 19941995
Mika Häkkinen 19981999
Fernando Alonso 20052006
Sebastian Vettel 20102011

See also

References