Most F1 championships: which driver has won the most world titles

Which driver has the most titles

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton: as of the end of 2025 each has seven world titles, and no one has an eighth. The champion is the driver with the most points in the Drivers’ Championship at the end of the season; how the points are awarded is explained in the points article.

Both record holders won titles with two teams: Schumacher with Benetton and Ferrari, Hamilton with McLaren and Mercedes. Third is Juan Manuel Fangio, with five titles. As of the end of 2025, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have four each. Each champion’s years and teams are in the table below, and every champion in order is in the article “F1 champions by year”.

All the multiple champions

From 1950 to 2025, 35 drivers became world champion, and 17 of them won the title more than once. The team in brackets is the one the champion drove for in the most races that season. In 1954, for example, Fangio drove two races for Maserati and then, from the French Grand Prix, six for Mercedes, so that title is credited to Mercedes.

Another 18 drivers have been champion once, the most recent being Lando Norris in 2025.

Title records

The most titles in a row is five, by Schumacher in 2000–2004. Fangio (1954–1957), Vettel (2010–2013), Hamilton (2017–2020) and Verstappen (2021–2024) each won four in a row. The records in the table are as of the end of 2025.

Fangio is the only driver to have won titles with four teams: Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati. Nine more drivers became champion with two teams: Brabham, Stewart, Graham Hill, Fittipaldi, Lauda, Piquet, Prost, Schumacher and Hamilton.

The longest gap between titles is Lauda’s: seven years, from 1977 to 1984. Hamilton (2008 and 2014), Brabham (1960 and 1966) and Graham Hill (1962 and 1968) each waited six years for their next title. The youngest and oldest champions are in the article on age records.

Which 2026 drivers are already champions

Four world champions are racing in the 2026 season: Hamilton, with Ferrari since 2025, Verstappen with Red Bull, Fernando Alonso with Aston Martin and Lando Norris with McLaren. As of the end of 2025 Hamilton has 7 titles, Verstappen 4, Alonso 2 and Norris 1.

As of 29 September 2026 this season’s champion has not yet been decided; the title fight is in the season standings. How Verstappen’s first title was settled is covered in the article on Abu Dhabi 2021.

The most successful teams

Ferrari lead on all three counts: Constructors’ titles, titles for their drivers and race wins. The table is as of the end of 2025.

The Constructors’ Championship has been contested since 1958, so the drivers’ titles won with Ferrari in 1952, 1953 and 1956 did not come with a Constructors’ title. In the table, a drivers’ title is credited to the team the champion drove for in the most races that season, which is why 1954 goes to Mercedes. Lotus in the table is the team that raced in 1958–1994.

The longest run of Constructors’ titles belongs to Mercedes: eight in a row, from 2014 to 2021. Ferrari had a run of six, in 1999–2004. McLaren won the Constructors’ titles of 2024 and 2025. Ferrari are also the only team that raced in the championship in 1950 and are racing in 2026.

The Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles don’t always go to the same team; the years when they went to different teams are covered in the article on champions by year.

Drivers’ records for wins, poles and starts are on the Records page.