The 10 Best Formula 1 Drivers Of All Time: The Definitive List

Best Formula 1 Drivers

The first official race was held on May 13, 1950 at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England and was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo 159 Sport. F1 has grown from that first race into a multi-billion dollar industry that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year.

A Formula 1 driver is the man who can make a car go faster than anybody else. He has to be brave to race with 300+bhp cars at 300km/h and sometimes he even risks his life if a wall is closer than the middle of the track. However, in F1 it's not about racing others, but racing the track. A driver has to push a car to its limit under all circumstances, which is not as easy as it seems.

The best Formula 1 drivers are the ones who have won multiple championships and have won the most races. The Formula 1 Drivers' Championship has been run since 1950, with Michael Schumacher holding the record for most wins at seven. He also has the most championships, having won five in a row from 2000 to 2004.

F1 is a high speed battle of technological marvels but it's also a tale of incredible human talent. Here are the best F1 drivers ever...Icons, Masters, and Champions.

The 10 Best Formula 1 Drivers Of All Time The Definitive List
Rank	Driver	Championships & Wins
1	Lewis Hamilton(1985), United Kingdom	7 (2008, 2014-2015, 2017-2020) 103
2	Michael Schumacher(1969), Germany	7 (1994-1995, 2000-2004) 91
3	Juan Manuel Fangio(1911-1995), Argentina	5 (1951, 1954-1957) 24
4	Alain Prost(1955), France	4 (1985-1986, 1989, 1993) 51
5	Sebastian Vettel(1987), Germany	4 (2010-2013) 52
6	Jackie Stewart(1939), United Kingdom	3 (1969, 1971, 1973) 27
7	Niki Lauda(1949-2019), Austria	3 (1975, 1977, 1984) 25
8	Ayrton Senna(1960-1994), Brazil	3 (1988, 1990, 1991) 41
9	Jim Clark(1936-1968), United Kingdom	2 (1963, 1965) 25
10	Fernando Alonso(1981), Spain	2 (2005, 2006) 32

Updated on 05/22/2202

It's the debate that never ends: who was the Best Formula 1 driver of all time? There are so many factors to consider, and everyone has their own opinion about which factors are most important.

Formula 1 drivers are a special work—they've got to be strong, fast and agile, but they also need to be able to think on their feet and make big decisions in the blink of an eye. The best Formula 1 drivers are those who can balance all these elements and use them to their advantage.