The World Championship of Drivers has been held since 1950. Driver records listed here include all rounds which formed part of the World Championship since 1950: this includes the Indianapolis 500 from 1950–1960 (although it was not run to Formula One rules), and the 1952 and 1953 World Championship Grands Prix (which were run to Formula Two rules). Formula One races that were not qualification rounds for the World Championship are not included, and sprints are only included when specified.
Drivers are considered to be entered into a race if they attempt to compete in at least one official practice session with the intent of participating in the race. These drivers are noted on the entry list for that race. A driver is considered to have started a race if they line up on the grid or at the pit lane exit for the start of the race. If a race is stopped and restarted, participation in any portion of the race is counted only if that portion was in any way counted towards the final classification (e.g. races stopped before the end of the leader's second lap were declared null and void prior to 2005).
Michael Schumacher was aged 43 years, 144 days when he set the fastest time in qualifying for the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix; this would have placed him 4th on the list, but he did not start the race from pole position due to a 5-place grid penalty incurred from the previous race—the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.
Throughout the history of the World Championship, the points-scoring positions and the number of points awarded to each position have varied, along with the number of events per season in which points could be scored.
The most hat-tricks in consecutive races is 4, achieved by Alberto Ascari (1952 German–1953 Argentine). All other drivers have achieved not more than 2 consecutive hat-tricks.
The most consecutive seasons a driver has achieved at least one grand slam is 4, achieved by Jim Clark (1962–1965) and Max Verstappen (2021–2024) (ongoing).
Youngest pole and win
(Only the first occurrence for each driver is listed)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The Indianapolis 500 was a round of the World Drivers' Championship 11 times (from 1950 to 1960). Drivers competing in the Indianapolis 500 during these years were credited with participation in a World Championship race and the top five finishers were credited with World Championship points.
↑ Fangio entered 52 separate races and started 51 of them, but in 7 Grands Prix (1950 Italian, 1951 French, 1953 Belgian, 1953 Swiss, 1956 Argentine, 1956 Monaco and 1956 Italian) shared 5 cars (all mentioned but 1950 Italian and 1953 Belgian) with other drivers which would reduce his percentages to 41.38%.
↑ Ascari entered 33 separate races and started 32 of them, but in 3 Grands Prix (1950 Italian, 1951 French and 1953 German) shared 3 drives with 1 additional car (in latter with Luigi Villoresi) which would reduce his percentages to 37.14%.
↑ Some sources extend Ascari's sequence to 9 wins, including the subsequent 1953 Dutch and Belgian Grands Prix and discounting the intervening 1953 Indianapolis 500, on the basis that very few of the European drivers competed in the Indianapolis 500 when it was part of the Drivers' Championship.
↑ Fangio began racing in Grands Prix in 1948 – before the first World Championship.
↑ Farina began racing in Grands Prix in the 1930s – before the first World Championship.
↑ A year after the victory, Renault were charged with race fixing, which led to the team's suspended disqualification; however, the original results were left in place.
↑ Brundle's first podium would have been his 7th start in 8th entries at the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix had not Tyrell been disqualified and the team's results for the season cancelled.
↑ Some sources give him 50 starts, others give him 51 starts.
↑ Some sources attribute the record at 148 due to some conjecture over whether it is 147 or 148 retirements for De Cesaris because he ran out of fuel and pushed his car over the line at the 1987 Belgian Grand Prix to finish third.
↑ Alonso did not compete in the 2002 World Championship as he spent the season as Renault's test driver, so he won the World Championship in the fourth season he contested.
↑ Andretti did not compete in the 1973 World Championship, so he won the World Championship in the tenth season he contested.
↑ Verstappen won the 2023 World Championship at the Qatar sprint race, before racing at the Grand Prix. Sprint races do not count to the tally of this record.
↑ In 2003–2009 scoring format: 104 (210 vs. 106); in 1991–2002 scoring format: 129 (204 vs. 75)
↑ All of Hulme's eight career wins were not from pole position. The only other driver to have at least five race wins not from pole position is John Watson.
↑ Hulme won the 1967 World Championship without ever having scored a pole, although six years later, in 1973, Hulme racked up the solitary pole of his 112-race career.
↑ The gap to third place in this qualifying was also 0.000s and was set by Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
↑ Button received a total of 70 places (three ten- and eight five-place) of grid penalties for exceeding the allowed allocation of five of his power unit components, unscheduled engine and gearbox changes.
↑ Vettel recorded speeding in pit lane six seconds into his career as a Formula One driver.
↑ Loof started one World Championship race at the 1953 German Grand Prix but only made it two metres off the starting grid. The 1952 and 1953 World Championships were run to Formula Two regulations; however, World Championship and Formula One are commonly referred to synonymously and are treated as such for these records. Marco Apicella, who raced a mere 800 metres (2,600ft) at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix, is frequently referred to as having the shortest Formula One career but that is a technicality.
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