Winners of the Formula One World Drivers Championship

Events in Sport

1950-05-13 First ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship is run at Silverstone, England and won by Giuseppe Farina of italy in an Alfa Romeo

F1 World Champion

1950-09-03 Giuseppe "Nino" Farina wins inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in an Alfa Romeo; wins by 3 points from Juan Manuel Fangio

1951-10-28 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina wins Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes in an Alpha Romeo; wins by 6 points from Alberto Ascari of Italy

F1 World Champion

1952-08-03 Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring

1952-09-07 Alberto Ascari of Italy in a Ferrari wins Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with victory in season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza; wins title by 12 points from countryman Giuseppe Farina
1953-08-23 Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten
1953-09-13 Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari retains Formula 1 World Drivers Championship although forced to retire (engine trouble) in season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza; wins title by 6.5 points from Juan Manuel Fangio
1954-08-22 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten in a Maserati
1954-10-24 Britain's Mike Hawthorne wins season ending Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes; Argentine Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio takes second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from countryman José Froilán González
1955-07-16 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina clinches his third Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by finishing 2nd to fellow Mercedes driver Sterling Moss in the British Grand Prix at Aintree

F1 World Champion

1955-09-11 Juan Manuel Fango in a Mercedes wins season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza to take his third Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Englishman Stirling Moss

1956-09-02 British Ferrari driver Peter Collins sportingly hands over his car to retired teammate Juan Manuel Fangio during season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza; Fangio finishes 2nd to win F1 World Drivers Championship
1956-09-02 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina finishes 2nd in Italian GP at Monza to win his 3rd straight F1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Englishman Stirling Moss
1957-08-04 Argentine Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio clinches his record 5th F1 World Drivers Championship (4th consecutive) in winning the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring
1957-09-08 Juan Manuel Fangio confirms his F1 World Drivers Championship, finishing 2nd in the season ending Italian GP at Monza; takes record 5th title by 15 points from Stirling Moss

F1 World Champion

1958-02-23 5-time F1 World Drivers champion Juan Manuel Fangio is kidnapped by Cuban rebels from Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement; released soon after Cuban GP

Cuban Revolutionary and President Fidel Castro

1958-10-19 Stirling Moss wins season ending Moroccan Grand Prix at Ain-Diab but fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn takes World Drivers Championship from Moss by just 1 point by finishing second; first British world champion
1959-12-12 Jack Brabham finishes 4th in season-ending US Grand Prix at Sebring to become first Australian F1 World Drivers Championship winner; takes title by 4 points from Briton Tony Brooks
1960-08-14 Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
1960-11-20 Australian driver Jack Brabham finishes 4th in season-ending US Grand Prix at Riverside Raceway to retain his F1 World Drivers Championship by 9 points from Bruce McLaren of New Zealand
1961-09-10 American Ferrari driver Phil Hill wins Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch F1 World Drivers Championship; first American F1 world champion
1961-10-08 American Phil Hill's Ferrari team does not participate in season ending US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen having already clinched World Drivers Championship; English driver Innes Ireland wins Lotus' first ever Grand Prix

Hill F1 Champion

1962-12-29 British driver Graham Hill wins the South African Grand Prix at Prince George Circuit in a BRM; takes out his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 12 points from Scotsman Jim Clark

F1 World Champion

1963-09-08 Scottish Lotus driver Jim Clark wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship; Clark's 5th GP win of the season

1963-12-28 Scottish Lotus driver Jim Clark wins his record 7th Grand Prix of the F1 season, the South African event at Prince George Circuit; first Scotsman to win the World Drivers Championship
1964-10-25 English driver John Surtees finishes 2nd behind American Dan Gurney in season ending Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship; edges Graham Hill by 1 point
1965-08-01 Scottish Lotus driver Jim Clark wins the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring to clinch his second F1 World Drivers Championship
1965-10-24 Jim Clark in a Lotus is forced to retire from season-ending Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with engine trouble; American Richie Ginther is race winner and Clark claims his second F1 World Drivers Championship
1966-09-04 Australian Jack Brabham clinches his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with a 6th place in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
1966-10-23 Australian Jack Brabham is first to win F1 World Drivers Championship and International Cup for Constructors Championship in the same year; 2nd in season ending Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
1967-10-22 Denny Hulme becomes first New Zealander to win the F1 World Drivers Championship with 3rd place in the Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; wins title by 5 points from team leader Jack Brabham
1968-11-03 English Lotus driver Graham Hill wins his 2nd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; wins title by 12 points from Scotsman Jackie Stewart

F1 World Champion

1969-09-07 Scottish Matra-Ford driver Jackie Stewart wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; his 6th F1 win of the season

1969-10-19 Scottish Matra-Ford driver Jackie Stewart finishes 4th in season ending Mexican Grand Prix to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 26 points from Jacky Ickx of Belgium
1970-10-04 Jochen Rindt of Austria posthumously clinches Formula 1 World Drivers Championship at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen when contender Jacky Ickx finishes 4th; Rindt killed in a practice accident at the Italian GP at Monza 5/9/70
1970-10-25 Austrian driver Jochen Rindt wins F1 World Drivers Championship by 5 points from Jacky Ickx after Mexican GP; only season World Championship awarded posthumously, after Rindt's death in Italian GP practice at Monza
1971-08-15 Despite crashing out on lap 36, Scotsman Jackie Stewart clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship at the Austrian Grand Prix at Österreichring; Swiss driver Jo Siffert of the BRM team wins the race
1971-10-03 US Formula 1 Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York: French driver François Cevert wins the race, his Tyrell-Ford teammate Scotsman Jackie Stewart finishes to claim his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 29 points over Swede Ronnie Peterson
1972-10-08 Despite retiring with suspension trouble at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Emerson Fittipaldi becomes first Brazilian to win the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 16 points from Jackie Stewart
1973-09-09 4th place finish in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza is enough to clinch Jackie Stewart his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
1973-10-07 Scotsman Jackie Stewart wins his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship despite withdrawing from the season ending US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen; wins title by 16 points from Emerson Fittipaldi

F1 World Champion

1974-10-06 Brazilian McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to win his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Clay Ragazzoni

F1 World Champion

1975-10-05 Austrian Niki Lauda wins the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to claim his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 19.5 points from Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil

1976-10-24 English McLaren driver James Hunt finishes 4th in the season ending Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway to win his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Niki Lauda
1977-10-02 Austrian Ferrari driver Niki Lauda finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen to clinch his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; Englishman James Hunt wins the race
1977-10-23 Despite not driving in season ending Japanese Grand Prix, Austrian Niki Lauda wins his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Jody Scheckter of South Africa

F1 World Champion

1978-09-10 The single point American Lotus driver Mario Andretti earns for finishing 6th at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza is enough to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship

1978-10-08 American Mario Andretti in a Lotus finishes 10th in the season ending Canadian Grand Prix at Île Notre-Dame Circuit, but wins his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 13 points from Ronnie Peterson
1979-09-09 South African Ferrari driver Jody Scheckter wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; first RSA champion
1979-10-07 Ferrari driver Jody Scheckter retires with tyre trouble in US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen; becomes first South African to claim Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 4 points from race winner Gilles Villeneuve
1980-09-28 Australian Williams driver Alan Jones clinches his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning the Canadian Grand Prix at Île Notre-Dame Circuit

F1 World Champion

1980-10-05 Australian Williams driver Alan Jones wins the United States East Grand Prix to claim his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 13 points from Nelson Piquet of Brazil

1981-10-17 Brazilian Nelson Piquet driving for Brabham finishes 5th in the season ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Carlos Reutemann
1982-09-25 Keke Rosberg becomes the first Fin to win the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship when he finishes 5th in season ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas; wins by 5 points from Didier Pironi

F1 World Champion

1983-10-15 Nelson Piquet of Brazil finishes 3rd in the season ending South African Grand Prix at Kyalami to clinch his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 2 points from Alain Prost

1984-10-21 Austrian Ferrari driver Niki Lauda becomes a 3-time Formula 1 World Drivers champion when he finishes 2nd in the season ending Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril; wins title by just 0.5 from Alain Prost
1985-10-06 French McLaren driver Alain Prost clinches his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with a 4th placing in the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch
1985-11-03 French McLaren driver Alain Prost wins his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship, finishing 4th in the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; wins title by 20 points from Italian Michele Alboreto
1986-10-26 French McLaren driver Alain Prost retains his Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with victory in season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; wins title by 2 points from Nigel Mansell
1987-11-01 Brazilian Williams driver Nelson Piquet finishes 15th in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka but clinches his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship

Nelson Piquet

1987-11-15 Brazilian Williams driver Nelson Piquet retires from Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide with break trouble but wins his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 12 points from Nigel Mansell

F1 World Champion

1988-10-30 Brazilian McLaren driver Ayrton Senna wins Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, his record 8th GP win of the season; clinches first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship

1988-11-13 Brazilian McLaren driver Ayrton Senna finishes 2nd in the season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide to win his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins title by 3 points from Alain Prost
1989-10-22 Over-competitive McLaren teammates Alain Prost & Ayrton Senna famously collide and skid into an escape road during Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka; Prost retires from race and claims 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
1989-11-05 French McLaren driver Alain Prost withdraws early in wet Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide but wins his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 16 points from teammate Ayrton Senna
1990-10-21 Ayrton Senna of Brazil crashes his McLaren during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka but clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
1990-11-04 Ayrton Senna retires with gearbox trouble during the season-ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; wins by 7 points from Alain Prost; McLaren-Honda wins Constructors title for 3rd straight year
1991-10-20 Brazilian McLaren driver Ayrton Senna clinches his 2nd straight, and 3rd overall F1 World Drivers Championship by finishing 2nd in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka
1991-11-03 Ayrton Senna wins Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; shortest F1 race ever run (14 laps) because of wet conditions; Senna retains his 3rd World Drivers Championship by 24 points from Nigel Mansell
1992-08-16 British Williams driver Nigel Mansell finishes second in Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
1992-11-08 Nigel Mansell in a Williams crashes during the season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide but wins his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 52 points; Mansell won record 9 GPs during the season
1993-09-26 French Williams driver Alain Prost finishes 2nd in Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship; after race Prost announces his retirement at the end of the season
1993-11-07 French Williams driver Alain Prost finishes 2nd in season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide to claim his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship by 26 points from Ayrton Senna; Prost announces his retirement from F1 racing

Michael Schmacher

1994-11-13 Title contenders Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill famously collide on lap 35 of the season ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; Schumacher wins his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Hill

1995-10-01 German Benetton driver Michael Schumacher wins the Pacific Grand Prix at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan to clinch his 2nd straight Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
1995-11-12 German Benetton driver Michael Schumacher crashes in the season-ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide but claims second straight F1 World Drivers Championship by 33 points from Damon Hill
1996-10-13 British Williams driver Damon Hill wins season ending Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka; becomes first son of a F1 World Drivers Champion (Graham Hill 1962, 68) to win title himself; wins by 19 points from Jacques Villeneuve
1997-10-26 Jacques Villeneuve finishes 3rd in European Grand Prix at Jerez, Spain; first Canadian to win F1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 39 points from Michael Schumacher
1998-11-01 Finnish McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen wins season ending Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to claim his first F1 World Drivers Championship; wins title by 14 points from Michael Schumacher
1999-10-31 Finnish McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen wins season ending Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to clinch his second straight F1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 2 points from Irishman Eddie Irvine
2000-10-08 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to clinch his 3rd, and 1st of 5 straight F1 World Drivers Championships
2000-10-22 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, his 4th straight race victory to finish season; 3rd, and 1st of 5 straight F1 World Drivers Championships; wins by 19 points from Mika Häkkinen
2001-08-19 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Hungarian Grand prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories
2001-10-14 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship by 58 points from David Coulthard; takes out Japanese GP at Suzuka for 9th win of the season
2002-07-21 With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th F1 World Drivers Championship with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
2002-10-13 Michael Schumacher wins season ending Japanese F1 Grand Prix for his record 11th victory of the year & 3rd straight World Drivers Championship; title margin: 67 points from Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello
2003-10-12 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher finishes 8th at the season-ending Japanese F1 Grand Prix at Suzuka; clinches 4th consecutive World Drivers Championship by 2 points from Kimi Räikkönen
2004-08-29 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th straight F1 World Drivers Championship with a 2nd place in the Belgian F1 Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
2004-10-10 Having already clinched his record 7th F1 World Drivers Championship, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins a record 13th race of the season with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka
2004-10-24 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher finishes 8th at season-ending Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace; his 5th straight World Drivers Championship, record 7th career world title; Ferrari's 6th straight Constructors title

F1 World Champion

2005-09-25 Spanish Renault driver Fernando Alonso takes 3rd place in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship

F1 World Champion

2005-10-16 Renault driver Fernando Alonso wins season-ending Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit; first Spanish Formula 1 World Drivers champion; wins by 21 points from Kimi Räikkönen

2006-10-22 Spanish Renault driver Fernando Alonso finishes 2nd in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to retain Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 13 points from Michael Schumacher

F1 World Champion

2007-10-21 Finnish Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen wins season ending Brazilian F1 Grand Prix to claim his first World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Lewis Hamilton

2008-11-02 British McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 4th in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Felipe Massa
2009-10-18 British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 5th in Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship

F1 World Champion

2009-11-01 British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 3rd in inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 11 points from Sebastian Vettel

2010-11-14 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to claim his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 4 points from Fernando Alonso; Red Bull's first Constructors title
2011-10-09 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finishes 3rd in the Japanese F1 Grand Prix to clinch his second consecutive World Drivers Championship
2011-11-27 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finishes 2nd in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to retain his F1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 122 points from Jenson Button
2012-10-04 7-time Formula 1 world drivers champion Michael Schumacher of Germany announces his retirement from racing at the end of the season
2012-11-25 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finishes 4th in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to claim his 3rd consecutive F1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Fernando Alonso
2013-10-27 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel wins the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit to clinch his 4th straight F1 World Drivers Championship; 6th consecutive GP victory
2013-11-24 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel wins season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix; his record 9th straight GP victory; record equalling 13th consecutive GP win; 4th straight World Drivers Championship
2014-11-23 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit to clinch his second F1 World Drivers Championship, 67 points ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg
2015-10-25 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins US F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas to clinch his second consecutive World Drivers Championship
2015-11-29 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 2nd in season-ending Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix to win his 3rd overall, and 2nd consecutive World Drivers Championship by 59 points from teammate Nico Rosberg
2017-10-29 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes a distant 9th in Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; good enough to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship
2017-11-26 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 2nd in season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to claim his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship; wins title by 46 points from Sebastian Vettel
2018-10-28 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 4th in the Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to clinch his 5th Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
2018-11-25 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to claim his 5th Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 88 points from Sebastian Vettel; Mercedes' 5th straight Constructors title
2019-12-01 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to claim his 6th F1 World Drivers C'ship by 87 points from teammate Valtteri Bottas; Mercedes' 6th straight Constructors title
2020-11-15 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton clinches 4th straight and record equalling 7th F1 World Drivers C'ship by winning Turkish GP at Intercity Istanbul Park, Tuzla
2020-12-13 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finishes 3rd in season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to claim record equalling 7th F1 World Drivers C'ship by 124 points from teammate Valtteri Bottas; Mercedes' 7th straight Constructors title