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.

James Hunt was a British racing driver who earned the nickname 'Hunt the Shunt' for his action-packed and often reckless exploits on the track. In 1976, he won the Formula One World Championship in his first year with McLaren, which inspired several teenagers to take up motor racing. James Hunt has inspired racers, such as Kimi Räikkönen.

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.  

Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian racing driver. Widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Ayrton had won the prestigious F1 World Drivers' Championship thrice. Following his fatal accident in 1994, several safety improvements were introduced to the sports' set-up; higher crash safety standards, redesigned tracks, and improved crash barriers became part of the sport.

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.

Bruce McLaren was a New Zealand engineer, inventor, racing car designer, and driver. He is credited with founding McLaren Automotive in 1963. Formula One's successful team, McLaren, is named after him. McLaren has been inducted into various halls of fame, including the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Jackie Stewart is a British retired racecar driver who competed in Formula One. He won three World Drivers' Championships between 1965 and 1973. He is best known for playing a key role as a campaigner for better safety measures at motor racing circuits. After retiring from racing, Jackie Stewart appeared as a sports commentator for ABC network.

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.

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.

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.

Mika Häkkinen was 5 when his parents got him a go-kart for racing near their home. He later grew up to be one of the 3 Finnish F-1 drivers to earn a World Championship. Noted for his speed, he earned the nickname The Flying Finn.

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.

British Formula One racing-driver James Clark Jr. is counted among the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He won his first World Driver’s Championships in 1963 making a record of winning seven out of ten races in a season. He again won the championship in 1965. His 1965 Indianapolis 500 win marked the first win for a rear-engined car.

 Italian-born American former racing driver, Mario Andrett,i is the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and the Formula One World Championship. He is considered one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport.  Over the course of his long career, he has is the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). 

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.

Damon Hill is a British retired racing driver best known for winning the Formula One World Championship title in 1996. He is currently a part of the broadcasting team of Sky Sports F1, providing expert analysis. Damon Hill is also known as the son of former Formula One World Champion, Graham Hill.

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.

British former racing-driver Nigel Mansell, CBE, presently ranks as #2 in the list of most-successful British Formula One drivers of all-time with regards to number of race wins. Winner of Formula One World Championship and CART Indy Car World Series, Mansell became the only racing-driver to concurrently hold the titles of World Drivers' Championship and the American open-wheel National Championship.   

Keke Rosberg is a Finnish retired racing driver best known for winning the Formula One World Championship in 1982. Rosberg was the first Finnish champion in the history of the Formula One World Championship. Keke Rosberg has also achieved popularity as the father of the 2016 F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.

Emerson Fittipaldi is a Brazilian retired racing driver best known for winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One World Championship twice each. In 1972, he won the World Drivers' Championship at the age of 25, becoming the youngest F1 world champion. In 2001, Emerson Fittipaldi was made an inductee of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Graham Hill was a British racing driver remembered for winning the Formula One World Championship title in 1962 and 1968. Counted among the greatest drivers of his era, Hill is the only driver to win the prestigious Triple Crown of Motorsport. Hill is also credited with inspiring his son Damon, who won the Formula One World Championship title in 1996. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Juan Manuel Fangio was an Argentine race car driver who dominated the first 10 years of Formula One racing. He won the World Drivers' Championship on five occasions, a record which was broken by Michael Schumacher after 46 years. Juan Manuel Fangio is also the only Argentine racer to have won the prestigious Argentine Grand Prix.

Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver best remembered for his performance in the F1 World Drivers' Championship, where he was a two-time runner-up. Nicknamed SuperSwede, Peterson is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers to have not won a championship. Ronnie Peterson is also regarded as the greatest racing driver from Sweden. 

The only Formula One World Champion from Africa, Jody David Scheckter made his debut at the US Grand Prix in 1972, shortly after moving from South Africa to Britain. Two years later he registered his first win with the Swedish Grand Prix. His last win was at the 1979 Italian Grand Prix. In 1980, he retired from motor racing.