Formula One is international racing for single-seater racing cars’ highest class. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, or FIA, sanctions Formula One racing and Formula One’s World Championship has been a premier form of racing since the first F1 season in 1950. Formula One Races have taken place for more than 70 years. Many interesting statistics have been recorded in Formula One. Keep reading to find out about 10 intriguing F1 statistics.
F1 Statistics: Fastest Ever Speed in an F1 Race
High speeds are commonplace in F1 races, as one would expect. The fastest ever recorded speed in an F1 race is 231.46 miles per hour. Valtteri Bottas achieved this speed in the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix. Despite this extreme speed, Bottas finished eighth in that race.
Most Race Wins in F1 History
Many outstanding drivers have competed in Formula One races throughout Formula One’s history. However, British racer Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most race wins in F1 history. Hamilton has won 103 Formula One races throughout his career. Lewis Hamilton has raced for McLaren and Mercedes in his career and recently agreed to join Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
However, the 39-year-old Hamilton hasn’t won a F1 race since the 2021 season. Time will tell if Hamilton will win another F1 race prior to his retirement from the sport.
Most F1 World Drivers’ Championship Titles
Many Formula One drivers have never won a single World Drivers’ Championship titles. However, some all-time great drivers have won multiple World Drivers’ Championship titles. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are tied for the most World Drivers’ Championship titles with seven titles each. Hamilton was a key part of Mercedes winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship titles from 2014-2021. Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, won five consecutive World Drivers’ Championship titles with Ferrari from 2000-2004.
F1 Statistics: Most F1 Points in a Season by One Driver
Max Verstappen holds the record for most F1 points in a season by a single driver. Verstappen utterly dominated the 2023 F1 season, finishing with 575 points. In the 2023 F1 season, Verstappen won 19 out of 22 races and had 21 podium places (first, second, or third-place finishes in an F1 race). Additionally, given Red Bull’s dominance in recent years, it is possible that Verstappen could break his own record in a future season.
Most Race Wins in an F1 Season By One Driver
Max Verstappen also has the record for most race wins in an F1 season by a single driver. As previously mentioned, he won 19 races during the 2023 F1 season. Verstappen also has the second-most race wins in an F1 season, having won 15 races in the 2022 season. The closest driver to Verstappen’s record is Sebastian Vettel, who won 13 races in the 2013 F1 season. Vettel is currently retired, but even if he returns to F1, it’s difficult to imagine him or anyone else other than Verstappen winning more than 19 races in an F1 season.
Most Podium Finishes in F1 History
A podium finish means that a driver finishes first, second, or third in an F1 race. Lewis Hamilton has the most podium finishes in F1 history with 197. F1 legend Michael Schumacher is second with 155 podium finishes in his F1 career. Hamilton’s long-time rival Max Verstappen is tied for the fifth-most F1 podium finishes with Kimi Raikkonen with 103 podium finishes. Verstappen will surely move up these rankings, having already won four F1 races in the 2024 season so far.
F1 Statistics: Longest Driving Career in F1 History
Fernando Alonso currently has the longest driving career in F1 history. Alonso has driven in F1 for 20 seasons, winning 32 races and achieving 97 podium finishes. Alonso is a two-time World Drivers’ Championship winner, having won it in 2005 and 2006. The 42-year-old Alonso is from Spain and currently drives for Aston Martin.
Most Consecutive World Drivers’ Championship Titles
Winning one World Drivers’ Championship in F1 is challenging, but winning it in consecutive years is even more difficult to achieve. F1 legend Michael Schumacher holds the record for most consecutive World Drivers’ Championship titles in F1 history. Schumacher won five consecutive World Drivers’ Championship titles, all with Ferrari, from 2000 to 2004.
Lewis Hamilton is second on this list, having won four consecutive World Drivers’ Championship titles from 2017 to 2020. Current F1 World Drivers’ Championship titleholder, Max Verstappen, has won three World Drivers’ Championship titles in a row. Verstappen could equal Hamilton’s four consecutive World Drivers’ Championship titles if he wins the 2024 F1 World Drivers’ Championship title.
Most Podium Finishes without a Race Win
Securing multiple podium finishes suggests that an F1 driver is elite and will win a race at some point in the near future. However, this isn’t always the case. Nick Heidfeld holds the record for most podium finishes without a race win with 13 podium finishes and zero wins. Lando Norris briefly broke this record at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix with 14 podium finishes without a race win, but Norris removed himself from this list by winning the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
F1 Statistics: Most Race Wins Without Winning the World Drivers’ Championship
Some drivers have won more than 10 F1 races, but have never won the World Drivers’ Championship. Stirling Moss drove in F1 for 11 seasons and won 16 races during that time. However, Moss never won the World Drivers’ Championship, with four second-place finishes and three third-place finishes in the World Drivers’ Championship in his career. Many consider Stirling Moss the best F1 driver to have never won the World Drivers’ Championship.
More Sports Statistics Articles Will Be Up Soon
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