Famous 21st Century F1 Drivers

The name Lewis Hamilton has become synonymous with Formula One, and such is the greatness of Hamilton. Honoured with MBE by the Queen, Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful Formula One Grand Prix Racing Driver. Hamilton was the first Black driver to win the Championship and has 6 World Championship titles and 90 race victories to his name.

With seven Formula One championship under his belt, Michael Schumacher is the most successful racer of Formula 1 and one of the greatest motor sports driver in the world. The retired German racer was the face of Ferrari for a decade and with his tremendous on track success also became one of best paid athletes in the sport’s history.

Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur Niki Lauda was a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion. Considered to be one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, he was once involved in a near-fatal accident. He founded and ran three airlines as an aviation entrepreneur and also served as the team manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team.

Widely considered one of the greatest drivers in Formula One history, Sebastian Vettel holds a number of records, including most podium finishes and most consecutive race wins. Sebastian has a unique habit of naming his cars as he feels it is important to share a close relationship with the cars that he drives.

Two-time FIA Hall of Fame inductee Fernando Alonso began go-carting at age 3 and won several trophies by 10. The youngest to win the F-1 World Championship, for Renault, he later led a Ferrari team. When he isn’t racing, he is busy managing his e-sports team and working for UNICEF.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One. He made his first entry at 2015 Australian Grand Prix. Son of former Formula One racing-driver Jos Verstappen, Max has emerged as the most successful Dutch driver who has scored most career points, won a Formula One World Championship in 2021 and achieved a pole position.  

Starting racing at age 6, Mexican racing driver Sergio Pérez, nicknamed Checo, scripted history by scoring more points than any Mexican in Formula One history. The winner of titles such as the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he is now associated with Red Bull Racing.

Daniel Ricciardo is an Italian-Australian racing driver. He currently competes in Formula One for McLaren. Over the years, Ricciardo has had eight Grand Prix victories, including a win at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, in Formula One. He has also received several awards like BRDC The Bruce McLaren Trophy. In 2014, he was named GQ Australia Sportsman of the Year.

With 21 Grands Prix wins Kimi-Matias Räikkönen, nicknamed ‘The Iceman’, thrived as the most successful Finnish racing driver with regard to Formula One race wins. He was the winner of the 2007 Formula One World Championship competing for Scuderia Ferrari. He took 103 podium finishes and with this became one of the five drivers who have taken more-than 100 podiums.

Romain Grosjean is a racing driver who spent nine Formula One seasons with several teams. In 2011, he won the GP2 Series as well as the GP2 Asia Series, becoming the first two-time GP2 Asia champion. He currently competes in the US-based IndyCar Series.

Nico Hülkenberg initially worked as a forwarding agent at his father’s shipping company. He had started his racing career with go-karting at age 10 and grew up to race for Formula BMW, Formula Three, and GP2, among others. He scripted history by winning the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in his first attempt.

Jenson Button is a British racing driver best known for winning the Formula One World Championship title in 2009. A popular driver, Button is the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy and the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy. In 2017, Jenson Button was made an inductee of the FIA Hall of Fame.

The son of former Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg, Nico Rosberg followed in his father's footsteps to win the 2016 Formula One world championship. After announcing his retirement as a racing driver, Nico Rosberg became an eco-entrepreneur, helping with the construction of self-autonomous and electric vehicles. Rosberg has also worked with charities like Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli.

Juan Pablo Montoya is a Colombian racing driver who currently competes for DragonSpeed Racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In 1998, Montoya won the Formula 3000 International Championship title. The following year, he went on to win the CART FedEx Championship Series. In October 2009, Juan Pablo Montoya was named in Times Online's Top 50 Formula One Drivers list.

Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who competes in popular promotions like Formula One, where he is currently competing for Alfa Romeo. Over the course of his career, Valtteri Bottas has won several prestigious awards like the Sky Sports Award and Lorenzo Bandini Trophy. In 2019, he was named AKK-Motorsport Driver of the Year.

Canadian race-car driver Jacques Villeneuve is known for his association with the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Son of F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, he has won 11 Grands Prix and is the only Canadian to win the Indianapolis 500 and the F1 Drivers' title. He has also released a music album.

Ralf Schumacher is a German former racing driver who first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. He is the younger brother of former Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. He began karting at three and took to automobile racing as a young adult. He has since retired from motorsport and now mentors young drivers. 

Felipe Massa is a Brazilian racing driver who participated in Formula One from 2002 to 2017, during which he gained 11 Grand Prix victories. In 2006, he became the first Brazilian after Ayrton Senna da Silva to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Susie Wolff is a British retired racing driver who competed in Formula One. Wolff made history in 2014 when she became the first woman in 22 years to participate in a Formula One race weekend. Susie Wolff is the current CEO of Venturi Racing, which competes in Formula E.

Rubens Barrichello is a Brazilian racing driver best known for competing in Formula One and scoring 11 Grand Prix wins between 1993 and 2011. From 2000 to 2005, he drove for Ferrari as Michael Schumacher's teammate and contributed to five constructors' titles for Ferrari.

The son of Canadian business tycoon Lawrence Stroll and Belgian designer Claire-Anne Callens, Lance Stroll began his motorsport career with karting at age 10. He became F1’s youngest rookie podium finisher at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His achievements include wins at the 2014 Italian F4 and the 2016 FIA European Formula 3.

While he initially excelled in tennis, Nelson Piquet later made a name for himself as one of Brazil’s top racers. A 3-time world champion, the Formula One star later also ventured into business. He owned a GPS-tracking company and also launched the racing team Piquet Sports.

Martin Brundle is a British retired racing driver who competed in Formula One. After his retirement, Brundle started working as a commentator. Over the years, he has worked for television networks like BBC, ITV Sport, and Sky Sports.

Mark Webber is an Australian former racing driver. From 2002 to 2013, Webber competed in Formula One, winning the 2010 British Grand Prix. From 2014 to 2016, he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning the 2015 season for Porsche alongside Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. In 2019, Mark Webber was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame.

British Formula One race-car driver Stirling Moss won several contests such as the British Grand Prix and the New Zealand Grand Prix. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, too. He later had a broadcasting career with Wide World of Sports and narrated Roary the Racing Car.

Giancarlo Fisichella, also known as Giano, has three Formula One World Championship wins in his kitty. The popular racing driver also captains the Nazionale Piloti football team. Throughout his career, he has raced for teams such as Renault, Force India, and Ferrari. He is related to a Sicilian noble family.

An amateur drag racer in his youth, American racing driver Dan Gurney began his professional career in 1959, quickly becoming one of the most popular international racing stars of his era. Also a prominent race car constructor and the founder of All American Racers, he is known as much for his engineering acumen as for his quest for innovative solutions.

Johnny Herbert is a British retired racing driver who competed in Formula One between 1989 and 2000, during which he represented seven different teams. After retiring from competitive racing, Johnny Herbert became a TV personality and is currently working for Sky Sports F1.

Alan Stanley Jones is an Australian retired professional motor racing driver best known for winning the first Formula One World Championship in 1980 and only the second Australian to achieve the feat after three-time world champion Jack Brabham. In 1989, Alan Stanley Jones was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Former German racing driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is best known for ending up as the 1997 Formula One World Drivers' Championship runner-up. He is part of the elite club of 7 German drivers who have ever won the country a Grand Prix. He also had a 3-year racing stint at DTM.

Nick Heidfeld is a German professional racing driver known for scoring the most podium finishes without a Grand Prix win (13). He began racing karts as an 11-year-old and moved into the German Formula Ford series as a young man. He had a successful junior career and began his Formula One career in 2000. 

Eddie Irvine is a retired racing driver who participated in F1 races between 1993 and 2002, finishing second in the World Drivers' Championship in 1999. Apart from F1, Eddie Irvine has also competed in Jaguar Racing, Formula 3000 Championships, and Formula Three. Since his retirement, Irvine has established himself as a media personality.

Justin Wilson was a British open-wheel racing driver who took part in the IndyCar Series as well as the Formula One. He won many races, including the International Formula 3000 Championship title and the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2006 and 2007, Justin Wilson was honored with the prestigious Greg Moore Legacy Award.  

Paul di Resta is a British racing driver who competed for Force India in Formula One from 2011 to 2013. Currently, he is one of the reserve F1 drivers for McLaren. Paul di Resta also works as a commentator for Sky Sports.

Finnish racing driver Mika Salo was once a prominent member of Formula One. Post-retirement, he has worked for Finnish MTV3 Formula One as a commentator and has also been a host on Test Drive by Mika Salo. He has been featured on Driven to Extremes, too.