We list out the drivers with the most F1 World Championships in the history of the sport
It is a dream for every driver to make it in Formula 1 and reach the pinnacle of the sport with a World Championship. Few have been able to win it multiple times in their career with the best teams.
We take a look at the Top 10 drivers who have won the Most F1 World Championships in their career:
F1 drivers with the most championships
10. Jackie Stewart – 3 World Titles (1969, 1971, 1973)
In 1965 Jackie Stewart joined the BRM Formula 1 team and stayed till 1968, winning two Grands Prixs. In 1968, he joined Tyrrell, winning 3 World titles before he retiring in 1973 at the age of 34.
In 1971 he worked for ABC TV for live coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix and eventually moved to broadcasting.
9. Nelson Piquet – 3 World Titles (1981, 1983, 1987)
In 1980 Nelson won three races and finished second to Alan Jones in the championship. The following year was a huge one as he won his first World title in a Brabham BT49.
In 1983 Piquet used the turbo-charged BMW-Brabham BT52 to three race wins and beat Renault’s Alain Prost, to win his second driving title. In the 1987 season, Piquet won over rival Nigel Mansell winning him his third driving title.
8. Ayrton Senna – 3 World Titles (1988, 1990, 1991)
His successful run came at McLaren, where he went in 1988 and stayed till 1994, winning 35 races and three World Championships.
In 1988, Senna beat his team mate Alain Prost to take his first world title. In 1990 Senna, won his second championship, after Prost won the year earlier. His third title came in 1991 where he absolutely dominated the season to become one of the greats.
7. Nikki Lauda – 3 World Titles (1975, 1977, 1984)
Lauda started his career with BRM and switched to Ferrari in 1974. He made his debut at the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix and won his first at 1974 Spanish Grand Prix. In his 1975 Ferrari 312/T Niki stormed to victories in Monaco, Belgium, Sweden, France and the USA to become World Champion.
At the German Grand Prix in 1976, his car crashed and burst into flames. Four brave drivers and a marshal were part of the rescue act that saved his life. Despite many writing him off, he returned with the same passion and won his second title in 1977. In 1982 he signed with McLaren for a reported US$5 million. He won his third driving title, narrowly beating Alain Prost.
6. Jack Brabham – 3 World Titles (1959, 1960, 1966)
In 1959, Brabham’s victories gave the Australian his maiden drivers’ title with Cooper Car Company. He defended his title admirably winning it again in 1960.
He then left Cooper to form Motor Racing Developments. In 1966, Brabham became the first driver, to win the championship in a car of his own manufacturing.
5. Sebastian Vettel – 4 World Titles (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
Sebastian Vettel is undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers of this generation. His run with Red Bull made them the most dominant team in Formula 1. He went on to win 4 successive titles with Red Bull and created many records along the way.
Vettel has won 53 Grands Prix at 21 tracks; the majority of his race victories came with Red Bull, winning 38. He won 14 races with Ferrari and 1 one with Toro Rosso. He is the sport’s youngest World Champion, holding the records for the most consecutive race wins (9) and race wins in a single season (13). He currently drives for Aston Martin Racing.
4. Alain Prost – 4 World Titles (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993)
In 1978 and 1979 he won both the French and European F3 championships, eventually entering into F1 with McLaren for 1980. His first Formula One victory came at the 1981 French Grand Prix at Dijon.
With McLaren, Alain Prost won 30 races and three driving titles and was runner-up twice. In 1986 he became the first back-to-back champion. Prost and Senna went back and forth, but the Frenchan took the title again in 1989. He returned in 1993 with Williams-Renault and won his fourth driving title.
3. Juan Manuel Fangio – 5 World Titles (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957)
In seven full Formula One seasons, he was World Champion five times and runner-up twice. He had 29 pole positions and has 35 podium finishes and 24 race wins.
He died in 1995, aged 84, at home in Argentina.
2. Michael Schumacher – 7 World Titles (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
The German led the Italian team to six successive Constructors’ Championships. With Ferrari, he won 72 races. In 2002 he won 11 races and finished on the podium in all races. In 2003, he broke Fangio’s record by winning his sixth driving title. In 2004, he won 13 of the 18 races to win his seventh F1 championship and break the all-time record.
In 2010, after a three-year hiatus as a consultant to Ferrari, 41-year-old Michael Schumacher he joined a new Mercedes team headed by Ross Brawn. He eventually retired at the age of 43 and was replaced by Sir Lewis Hamilton.
1. Lewis Hamilton – 7 World Titles (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
The reign of Lewis Hamilton has seen unreal amounts of success. Mercedes and Hamilton have won the World Championship in six consecutive years. His first title came at McLaren in 2008, after which he switched to Mercedes. With Toto Wolff, he formed a formidable partnership and is on the cusp of greatness.
He has 98 wins and 171 podiums, a record in Formula 1 and is battling to win an unprecedented 8th World Title and establish himself as the G.O.A.T.
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