- We look at Formula One drivers with the most wins in history.
A Grand Prix victory has the power to transform lives, but any driver who wins enough to remove a racing legend from the top 10 list of all-time winners will become a legend in Formula 1.
We look at Formula One drivers with the most wins in history.
Sebastian Vettel – 53
Sebastian Vettel retired in 2022. Photo/Sky Sports
Sebastian Vettel would not have been the only happy man in the paddock if he had won one more Formula 1 race before retiring. That was not to be, and instead the symbol of Germany would live on for the four years between 2010 and 2013 of unstoppable domination.
Before turning 26 years old, Vettel cemented his place in Formula 1 history by leading Red Bull to four titles and 38 wins during his tenure with the Austrian squad. It was surprising that after nine more Formula One seasons and a transfer to Ferrari, there would only be fourteen more Grand Prix victories.
Vettel had a lasting impression on Formula One, even though his transfers with Ferrari and Aston Martin didn’t bring him the success he had hoped for.
We will never forget moments like his 2008 Monza race triumph, when he won Toro Rosso’s maiden Grand Prix despite heavy weather, and when he became the youngest race winner in Formula One history (prior to Verstappen).
Max Verstappen – 58
Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Japanese GP. Photo/ F1
Having won 15 Grand Prix, the current World Champion was able to dominate the Formula One championship and rank sixth all-time in the sport. He went through this list of legends with a merciless speed in 2022.
In Barcelona in 2016, Verstappen became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix with three years remaining after taking victory in his debut Formula One race at the age of just 18.
During the final years of the German team’s dominance, Verstappen, a late-breaking pure-bred racer, was forced to thrive on Mercedes’ scraps. Verstappen won the majority of his career victories in the championship-winning seasons of 2021 and 2022, and he won a third title in 2023, breaking the record for the most consecutive victories when he won the Italian Grand Prix.
He caught and passed Sebastian Vettel with seven consecutive victories to close the 2023 season, moving him up to third place on the all-time chart with 54 career victories. He also set an all-time record with 19 victories in a single season.
Verstappen won four of the first five races of the 2024 season by big margins, igniting the winning machine once more.
Michael Schumacher – 91
Michael Schumacher. Photo/Hello Magazine
Formula 1 has never seen such domination from a driver as Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari. With his seven championships and ninety-one racing wins, the German created a barrier that had never been imagined.
The German powerhouse made his debut to the world with Alpine’s predecessor, winning the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix for Benetton with a cunning in-race strategy decision before going on to win his first 19 races and two titles with the Enstone squad.
Eddie Irvine, Schumacher’s teammate, said the vehicle the team developed when he joined Ferrari in 1996 a “piece of junk.” However, the German driver executed one of his best performances while operating the F310, capitalizing on torrential weather to win the Spanish Grand Prix by 45 seconds.
Between 2000 and 2004, Schumacher won five consecutive championships, winning 48 Grands Prix along the way. He made a remarkable comeback with Mercedes in 2010 after retiring in 2006, but he was unable to add a 92nd victory. Nevertheless, pole position at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix provided one more memorable performance (even though he was already set to get a five-place grid demotion).
Lewis Hamilton – 103
Lewis Hamilton. Photo/Daily Sabbah
Lewis Hamilton always appeared to be the guy, even during his amazing rookie year, but Michael Schumacher’s army of F1 records set the bar nearly unbreakably high.
After joining McLaren, the British driver won four races in 2007. He almost lost out on the championship to his two-time teammate Fernando Alonso, ending one point short of the triumph. The 22-year-old won nine straight podiums to start his career.
In 2020, Hamilton has surpassed Schumacher in the number of race victories in the Portuguese Grand Prix, matching his record of seven Formula One championships.
Hamilton has committed to a multi-year contract to join Ferrari in 2025, and he has no plans to stop just yet. The legendary player from Hertfordshire had his first losing season in 2022, but he will be hoping to add to his incredible total before ending his remarkable career.
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