There has been some incredible racing drivers to enter Formula 1 over the years, but who are the most successful in the sport’s history?
We take a look now…
Who has the most title wins in F1?
Jack Brabham – 3 titles
Australian Jack Brabham won titles in 1959, 1960, and 1966 and also owned his own team which carried his name.
Brabham started racing in F1 in 1955 and finished his career in 1970, having left an indelible mark as he raced against some of the most iconic names in the sport’s history such as Jim Clark and Graham Hill.
In the 1966 season, Brabham became the first – and still, the only – man to win the world championship driving one of his own cars.
Jackie Stewart – 3 titles
Stewart won titles in 1969, 1971, and 1973 and is considered to be one of the greatest British racing drivers of all time with him starring in what was a particularly dangerous period in F1.
Regularly there would be a serious, or even fatal, accident during his era of the sport and that left a mark on Stewart, who pushed hard for improved safety – something that has remained ingrained in the fabric of modern-day F1.
He drove for BRM, Matra, March, and Tyrrell during his time in F1 and finished second twice as well as his three world crowns during his spell on the grid.
Niki Lauda – 3 titles
Lauda might be best known for his iconic duel with James Hunt in 1976 which inspired the movie ‘Rush,’ but he was so much more than just a racing driver.
Lauda was a true inspiration. He won the championship in 1975 before suffering an infamous crash in ’76 where his car burst into flames and he was lucky to escape with his life.
Even so, he returned to the sport and pushed Hunt hard for the title in the same season, eventually just falling short, before winning the crown again in 1977.
He then returned from a brief retirement period in 1982 and would win the championship in 1984 as he beat Alain Prost by half a point.
Later on his career, he would be a respected advisor for the Mercedes team in the midst of their dominance, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Toto Wolff all seeking his counsel.
He sadly died in 2019, and his presence in the paddock is missed to this day.
Nelson Piquet – 3 titles
Piquet won titles in 1981, 1983, and 1987 as he competed with some of the great names in F1 history.
He drove for the likes of Brabham, Williams, Lotus, and Benetton during his career with him starting in 1978 and retiring in 1991.
He won 23 races during his time in F1, with him making just over 200 starts.
Ayrton Senna – 3 titles
Had he not tragically passed away at Imola in 1994, there’s every chance Senna would have more titles to his name than three.
He is widely seen as one of the greatest racing drivers to have ever lived and he inspired both his home nation of Brazil and fans internationally more than pretty much any other driver has before or since.
He won the title in 1988, 1990, and 1991 and his day-glo yellow helmet sitting above the red-white McLaren-Honda cockpit in the late 80s is about as iconic an image as you can hope for in terms of F1.
Senna was phenomenally quick when it came to qualifying and was a special racer when it came to the Grands Prix. A driver whose impact on the sport is still felt to this day.
Sebastian Vettel – 4 titles
Vettel enjoyed an incredible period of dominance between 2010 and 2013 as he and Red Bull swept all before them.
At the end of the 2010 campaign he wasn’t actually seen as the favourite for the championship but did everything he needed to do in Abu Dhabi to seal a maiden crown, and kickstart a brilliant run of form.
2011 and 2013 will go down as two of the most-dominant seasons ever seen from an F1 driver whilst he also saw off a hard-charging Fernando Alonso in 2012 to keep his streak of championships going.
A move to Ferrari after Red Bull promised plenty but ultimately did not deliver further championships and after a couple of seasons with Aston Martin, Vettel called it quits at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Alain Prost – 4 titles
Frenchman Prost was nicknamed ‘Le Professeur’ for his calm, methodical driving style that regularly gave him a chance of victory.
He drove for Williams, Ferrari and McLaren during his time in F1, and won the title in 1985, 1986, 1989, and 1993.
He competed in a golden era of the sport alongside the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and, in his early days, Niki Lauda, and came out of the period with more titles than any of them.
He held the record for most F1 victories by any driver until Michael Schumacher surpassed him, and is best-known for his titanic battle with Ayrton Senna in the late 80s.
Juan Manuel Fangio – 5 titles
For years, the Argentine stood alone at the very top of the list in terms of world titles won by a driver, having been the first truly dominant star of the sport back in the 50s.
Fangio drove for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari during his spell in F1, and won the title in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957.
He was the greatest star of his era and was nicknamed ‘El Maestro,’ with him still holding the record for the highest winning percentage in F1 at 46.15%, as he won 24 of the 52 Grand Prix races he entered.
Michael Schumacher – 7 titles
Schumacher dominated the sport between 2000 and 2004 as he won five straight titles with his all-conquering Ferrari team.
His first world championship came in 1994 for Benetton as he edged out Damon Hill, in controversial circumstances, before he doubled up in 1995, again with Benetton, in a more straightforward manner.
In 1996, he moved to Ferrari but the Scuderia were not quite ready to challenge for the championship, before in 1997 he dueled with Jacques Villeneuve right to the very end of the season, with the Canadian getting the better of the battle in the end.
1998 and 1999 saw Mika Hakkinen take the crown but 2000 finally saw Schumacher end Ferrari’s 21-year wait for a Drivers’ world championship, and a new era of dominance truly began.
Lewis Hamilton – 7 titles
Hamilton’s first world title came in 2008 as a dramatic finish to the final Grand Prix of the season in Brazil saw the Briton deny Felipe Massa in the very last corners of the race. This came after Hamilton had lost out on the title in 2007 by a single point.
He’d have to wait until 2014 for his next championship, however, with that coinciding with a move to Mercedes as an unprecedented spell of dominance by the Silver Arrows began.
Hamilton also won the championship in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, and was a lap away from a record-breaking eighth crown in 2021 before an infamous and controversial Safety Car call by then race-director Michael Masi denied him.
Hamilton remains on the hunt for an historical eighth title, then.
