If we take a tour of the racing world, we will find many racers who have been giving amazing performances to winning the title. But there is a very small part of people who actually achieve that feat, and even fewer reach the World Champion club.
Among those are a few legends who got that spot, maybe because of their off-track character, mad driving skills, or epic rivalries. These are the Best F1 drivers of all time
Let’s see the greatest F1 drivers, according to statistics.
Top 10 Best F1 Drivers Of All Times
F1, or Formula One, is the classiest of all open-wheel auto racing, as disclosed by the motorsport’s governing body, Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA). The “formula” refers to a given set of rules that all the cars and the participants have to abide by.
Every year, the championship is held and consists of various forms of races. Let’s have a look at the top 10 best F1 drivers according to statistics.
1. Lewis Hamilton
First race: Grand Prix Australia 2007
World Championships: 7 (2008, 2014-15, 2017-20)
Number of races: 321
Number of wins: 103
Career points: 4538.5
If we go by the statistics, Lewis Hamil has to be the best Formula 1 driver to have ever raced. He had won races in 30 different countries and had won races every season when he competed.
Moreover, he has a tie with Michael Schumacher for World Champion and lost to Max Verstappen and missed out on the eighth worth title in 2021.
In his first season, he missed out on the title by just one point, but in the following years became the younger world champion.
2. Michael Schumacher
First race: Belgian Grand Prix 1991
World Championships: 7 (1994-95, 2000-04)
Number of races: 308
Number of wins: 91
Career points: 1566
When we are discussing the best Formula 1 drivers, the name Michael Schumacher is obvious to cross our minds. Until Hamilton rose to the occasion, it was he who gave some memorable performances and innumerable wins.
He dominated the world of f1 racing with seven titles, five of which were consecutive. Also, he won two titles when he was Benetton, but he became popular during his time with Ferrari.
He joined them in 1996, but the combination turned out to be successful in 2000. Additionally, in the coming five years, he won five world titles and had 48 wins, and he has made his place on the list of best F1 drivers of all time.
3. Sebastian Vettel
First race: US Grand Prix 2007
World Championships: 4 (2010-2013)
Number of races: 300
Number of wins: 53
Career points: 3098
There was a time when Sebastian Vettel was practically unbeatable, but somehow, he slowed down towards the end of his career. He started his career in 2007, and within a span of three years, he took five wins and nine podiums, and that was not just the end of it.
In the coming four years, he was the face of F1, won four consecutive championships, and was on the way to becoming the youngest world champion.
Moreover, he had the record for the most podium finishes in one season, the most number of wins in one season, most pole positions in one season, most consecutive wins, most laps led, the most number of consecutive grand slams, and for winning the most number of pole positions in one season.
He was widely accepted as one of the famous race car drivers until he retired in 2022.
4. Alain Prost
First race: Argentinian Grand Prix 1980
World Championships: 4 (1985-86, 1989, 1993)
Number of races: 199
Number of wins: 51
Career points: 768.5
It was his meticulous style that allowed him to go against Ayrton Senna, the bitter clash for which he is remembered.
He used brainpower as well as speed; that is what worked best for him. Moreover, his natural precision in driving made him the first world champion of France in 1985.
5. Max Verstappen
First race: Australian Grand Prix 2015
World Championships: 2 (2021, 2022)
Number of races: 174
Number of wins: 44
Career points: 2292.5
Before making his debut in F1, he spent one year in racing. Also, he took his first win after replacing Daniil Kvyat after getting into the senior Red Bull team in 2016.
He had taken nine more wins by the end of 2020, before the technical regulation that came up in 2021 and made Red Bull produce a car that is truly capable of giving other cars a fight for the title.
The championship in 2022 was comparatively easy for him, though he could not finish two of the opening rounds. With the title of being in second place, it is still yet to be counted how many he can still win.
6. Ayrton Senna
First race: Brazilian Grand Prix 1984
World Championships: 3 (1988, 1990-91)
Number of races: 161
Number of wins: 41
Career points: 610
He is the benchmark that is set for all the F1 racers there are. Also, he is a legendary figure in this field. Moreover, his commitment and desire to push his own boundaries to do more made a special place for him in the hearts of many fans.
Additionally, the three titles he won show what more he could have done if he had not died in 1994 at the San Marino GP. His natural speed, combined with his restless ambition, gave him an edge that is rarely seen.
7. Fernando Alonso
First race: Australian Grand Prix 2001
World Championships: 2 (2005-06)
Number of races: 369
Number of wins: 32
Career points: 2200
He has been the world champion for two seasons and has a reputation for being an aggressive, fearless racer.
He was in F1 for three years before he won those two titles. Moreover, he won the title over Kimi Raikkonen with a lead of 21 points. Moreover, he won the second title with a lean of 13 points against Michael Schumacher.
8. Nigel Mansell
First race: Australian Grand Prix 1980
World Championships: 1(1992)
Number of races: 187
Number of wins: 32
Career points: 482
He is one of those unlucky drivers that Formula 1 saw. Throughout his career, he was dogged with reliability issues, and the entire season of 1988 gave him two second places, missed two races due to chicken pox, and had 12 retirements.
Moreover, he finished the races in second place three times and missed out on the title by just 2 points in 1986.
It seemed like he might miss out on the title, but that did not happen. He took five consecutive wins in the 1992 season and also claimed four more wins.
9. Jackie Stewart
First race: South African Grand Prix 1965
World Championships: 3 (1969, 1971, 1973)
Number of races: 99
Number of wins: 27
Career points: 360
Jackie Stewart is among the first drivers who took up the fact that racers should look for better safety standards. Additionally, he had the credibility that was required to bring in the change in culture about motorsport safety.
Apart from his quest for safety, he was prodigiously talented on track and was a great competition on the grid. Moreover, he won three titles with Ken Tyrrell’s team, and they gave an amazing double-act in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
10. Niki Lauda
First race: Australian Grand Prix 1971
World Championships: 3 (1975,1977, 1984)
Number of races: 171
Number of wins: 25
Career points: 420.5
He had three seasons under his belt and joined Ferrari in the 1974 season. He had two wins and fourth place in the 1974 championship.
In 1975 he took five wins and also won the first three world titles this year. Moreover, in 1976, the Nurburgring crash got him the popularity he deserved.
He did prove himself on track and later proved himself to the businessman he was. Also, he has been the manager for Jaguar and Ferrari but is best known for his part in Mercedes. He worked with Mercedes till 2019, before his death.
Wrapping Up!
So, if you have any doubts about the best drivers in Formula 1 or the best f1 drivers of all time, I hope this article is going to help you. There are many other talents who have not won the title yet but have given memorable performances on the track.
The people mentioned above have made their name in history. There are many other talented F1 racers, but these are the best ones, according to statistics.
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