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Formula One World Drivers' Championship trophy.

The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC) is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to the most successful Formula One racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1950, to Nino Farina. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Alberto Ascari, in 1952 and 1953. The current Drivers' Champion is Jenson Button, who won his first World Championship in 2009. His success has increased the number of World Championships won by British drivers to a record 14, ahead of Brazil with 8 and Germany with 7.

The FIA does not officially declare the Champion until the end of the season, but a driver is said to have "clinched" the Championship after it is no longer possible for another to obtain more points than him, even if the former driver were to not compete in the remaining races of the season, and the latter to score the maximum number of points possible. The Drivers' Championship has been won in the final race of the season 24 times in the 60 seasons it has been awarded. The earliest in a season that the Drivers' Championship has been clinched was in 2002, when Michael Schumacher secured the title with six races remaining.

Overall, thirty one different drivers have won the Championship, with German Michael Schumacher holding the record for most titles, at seven. Schumacher also holds the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, winning five from 2000 to 2004. However Great Britain has produced, by far, the most number of World Championship winning drivers with ten (Brazil and Finland are next closest, with three each).

By season

Season	Driver	Team	Engine	Tyres	Poles	Wins	Podiums	Fastest Laps	Points	Clinched	Pt. Margin
1950	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	P	2	3	3	3	30	Race 7 of 7	3
1951	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	P	4	3	5	5	31	Race 8 of 8	6
1952 1	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Ferrari	F P	5	6	6	6	36	Race 6 of 8	12
1953 1	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Ferrari	P	6	5	5	4	34.5	Race 8 of 9	6.5
1954	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati Mercedes2	Maserati Mercedes	P C	5	6	7	3	42	Race 7 of 9	16.86
1955	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	Mercedes	C	3	4	5	3	40	Race 6 of 7	16.5
1956	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	Ferrari	E	6	3	5	4	30	Race 8 of 8	3
1957	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Maserati	P	4	4	6	2	40	Race 6 of 8	15
1958	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	Ferrari	E	4	1	7	5	42	Race 11 of 11	1
1959	Jack Brabham	Cooper*	Climax	D	1	2	5	1	31	Race 9 of 9	4
1960	Jack Brabham	Cooper*	Climax	D	3	5	5	3	43	Race 8 of 10	9
1961	Phil Hill	Ferrari*	Ferrari	D	5	2	6	2	34	Race 7 of 8	1
1962	Graham Hill	BRM*	BRM	D	1	4	6	3	42	Race 9 of 9	12
1963	Jim Clark	Lotus*	Climax	D	7	7	9	6	54	Race 7 of 10	21
1964	John Surtees	Ferrari*	Ferrari	D	2	2	6	2	40	Race 10 of 10	1
1965	Jim Clark	Lotus*	Climax	D	6	6	6	6	54	Race 7 of 10	14
1966	Jack Brabham	Brabham*	Repco	G	3	4	5	1	42	Race 7 of 9	14
1967	Denny Hulme	Brabham*	Repco	G	0	2	8	2	51	Race 11 of 11	5
1968	Graham Hill	Lotus*	Ford	F	2	3	6	0	48	Race 12 of 12	12
1969	Jackie Stewart	Matra*	Ford	D	2	6	7	5	63	Race 8 of 11	26
1970	Jochen Rindt	Lotus*	Ford	F	3	5	5	1	45	Race 123 of 13	5
1971	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell*	Ford	G	6	6	7	3	62	Race 8 of 11	29
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus*	Ford	F	3	5	8	0	61	Race 10 of 12	16
1973	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	Ford	G	3	5	8	1	71	Race 13 of 15	16
1974	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren*	Ford	G	2	3	7	0	55	Race 15 of 15	3
1975	Niki Lauda	Ferrari*	Ferrari	G	9	5	8	2	64.5	Race 13 of 14	19.5
1976	James Hunt	McLaren	Ford	G	8	6	8	2	69	Race 16 of 16	1
1977	Niki Lauda	Ferrari*	Ferrari	G	2	3	10	3	72	Race 15 of 17	17
1978	Mario Andretti	Lotus*	Ford	G	8	6	7	3	64	Race 14 of 16	13
1979	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari*	Ferrari	M	1	3	6	0	51	Race 13 of 15	4
1980	Alan Jones	Williams*	Ford	G	3	5	10	5	67	Race 13 of 14	13
1981	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	Ford	M	4	3	7	1	50	Race 15 of 15	1
1982	Keke Rosberg	Williams	Ford	G	1	1	6	0	44	Race 16 of 16	5
1983	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	BMW	M	1	3	8	4	59	Race 15 of 15	2
1984	Niki Lauda	McLaren*	TAG	M	0	5	9	5	72	Race 16 of 16	0.5
1985	Alain Prost	McLaren*	TAG	G	2	5	11	5	73	Race 14 of 16	20
1986	Alain Prost	McLaren	TAG	G	1	4	11	2	72	Race 16 of 16	2
1987	Nelson Piquet	Williams*	Honda	G	4	3	11	4	73	Race 15 of 16	12
1988	Ayrton Senna	McLaren*	Honda	G	13	8	11	3	90	Race 15 of 16	3
1989	Alain Prost	McLaren*	Honda	G	2	4	11	5	76	Race 15 of 16	16
1990	Ayrton Senna	McLaren*	Honda	G	10	6	11	2	78	Race 15 of 16	7
1991	Ayrton Senna	McLaren*	Honda	G	8	7	12	2	96	Race 15 of 16	24
1992	Nigel Mansell	Williams*	Renault	G	14	9	12	8	108	Race 11 of 16	52
1993	Alain Prost	Williams*	Renault	G	13	7	12	6	99	Race 14 of 16	26
1994	Michael Schumacher	Benetton	Ford	G	6	8	10	8	92	Race 16 of 16	1
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton*	Renault	G	4	9	11	8	102	Race 15 of 17	33
1996	Damon Hill	Williams*	Renault	G	9	8	10	5	97	Race 16 of 16	19
1997	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams*	Renault	G	10	7	8	3	81	Race 17 of 17	39 4
1998	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren*	Mercedes	B	9	8	11	6	100	Race 16 of 16	14
1999	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren	Mercedes	B	11	5	10	6	76	Race 16 of 16	2
2000	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	9	9	12	2	108	Race 16 of 17	19
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	11	9	14	3	123	Race 13 of 17	58
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	7	11	17	7	144	Race 11 of 17	67
2003	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	5	6	8	5	93	Race 16 of 16	2
2004	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	8	13	15	10	148	Race 14 of 18	34
2005	Fernando Alonso	Renault*	Renault	M	6	7	15	2	133	Race 17 of 19	21
2006	Fernando Alonso	Renault*	Renault	M	6	7	14	5	134	Race 18 of 18	13
2007	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari*	Ferrari	B	3	6	12	6	110	Race 17 of 17	1
2008	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	Mercedes	B	7	5	10	1	98	Race 18 of 18	1
2009	Jenson Button	Brawn*	Mercedes	B	4	6	9	2	95	Race 16 of 17	11

Notes

* Indicates the team also won the Constructors' Championship (awarded since 1958).

1. ^ The 1952 and 1953 championships were run to Formula Two regulations.
2. ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati, then completed the season with Mercedes.
3. ^ Rindt died during practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix (the tenth round of the season) but his Championship was not confirmed until two rounds later.
4. ^ Michael Schumacher scored 78 points during the 1997 season, only 3 points behind Villeneuve. However, Schumacher was disqualified from the championship for colliding with Villeneuve at the final race of the season, the European Grand Prix. This left Villeneuve with a 39 point margin over Heinz-Harald Frentzen with 42 points.

By driver

Michael Schumacher has won the World Drivers' Championship a record seven times -- two at Benetton and five at Ferrari. He now races for Mercedes.

Driver	Total	Season(s)	Championship Winner
Michael Schumacher	7	1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004	24th
Juan Manuel Fangio	5	1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957	2nd
Alain Prost	4	1985, 1986, 1989, 1993	21st
Jack Brabham	3	1959, 1960, 1966	5th
Jackie Stewart	3	1969, 1971, 1973	11th
Niki Lauda	3	1975, 1977, 1984	14th
Nelson Piquet	3	1981, 1983, 1987	19th
Ayrton Senna	3	1988, 1990, 1991	22nd
Alberto Ascari	2	1952, 1953	3rd
Jim Clark	2	1963, 1965	8th
Graham Hill	2	1962, 1968	7th
Emerson Fittipaldi	2	1972, 1974	13th
Mika Häkkinen	2	1998, 1999	27th
Fernando Alonso	2	2005, 2006	28th
Nino Farina	1	1950	1st
Mike Hawthorn	1	1958	4th
Phil Hill	1	1961	6th
John Surtees	1	1964	9th
Denny Hulme	1	1967	10th
Jochen Rindt	1	1970	12th
James Hunt	1	1976	15th
Mario Andretti	1	1978	16th
Jody Scheckter	1	1979	17th
Alan Jones	1	1980	18th
Keke Rosberg	1	1982	20th
Nigel Mansell	1	1992	23rd
Damon Hill	1	1996	25th
Jacques Villeneuve	1	1997	26th
Kimi Räikkönen	1	2007	29th
Lewis Hamilton	1	2008	30th
Jenson Button	1	2009	31st

By nationality

Country	Drivers	Total	Drivers by Name (titles)
United Kingdom	10	14	Jackie Stewart (3), Jim Clark (2), Graham Hill (2), Mike Hawthorn (1), John Surtees (1),James Hunt (1), Nigel Mansell (1), Damon Hill (1), Lewis Hamilton (1), Jenson Button (1)
Brazil	3	8	Nelson Piquet (3), Ayrton Senna (3), Emerson Fittipaldi (2)
Germany	1	7	Michael Schumacher (7)
Argentina	1	5	Juan Manuel Fangio (5)
Finland	3	4	Mika Häkkinen (2), Keke Rosberg (1), Kimi Räikkönen (1)
Australia	2	4	Jack Brabham (3), Alan Jones (1)
Austria	2	4	Niki Lauda (3), Jochen Rindt (1)
France	1	4	Alain Prost (4)
Italy	2	3	Alberto Ascari (2), Nino Farina (1)
United States	2	2	Phil Hill (1), Mario Andretti (1)
Spain	1	2	Fernando Alonso (2)
Canada	1	1	Jacques Villeneuve (1)
New Zealand	1	1	Denny Hulme (1)
South Africa	1	1	Jody Scheckter (1)

By constructor team

Constructor	Total
Ferrari	15
McLaren	12
Williams	7
Lotus	6
Brabham	4
Cooper	2
Renault
Benetton
Mercedes
Alfa Romeo
Tyrrell
Maserati
BRM	1
Matra
Brawn

Constructors in bold are still competing in the World Championship.

By constructor nationality

Nationality	Total
United Kingdom	37
Italy	19
France	3
Germany	2

By engine

Engine	Total
Ferrari	15
Ford	13
Renault	7
Mercedes	6
Honda	5
Climax	4
TAG	3
Alfa Romeo	2
Maserati
Repco
BMW	1
BRM

Engine manufacturers in bold are still competing in the World Championship.

By tyre manufacturer

Pos	Manufacturer		Country	Total	Seasons
1	G	Goodyear1	United States	24	1966–1967, 1971, 1973–1978, 1980, 1982, 1985–1997
2	B	Bridgestone2	Japan	10	1998–2004, 2007–2009
3	D	Dunlop	Great Britain	8	1959–1965, 1969
4	P	Pirelli	Italy	6	1950–19543 4, 1957
	M	Michelin	France	6	1979, 1981, 1983–1984, 2005–2006
6	F	Firestone	United States	4	19524, 1968, 1970, 1972
7	C	Continental	Germany	2	19543–1955
	E	Englebert	Belgium	2	1956, 1958

Tyre manufacturers in bold are still competing in the World Championship.

Notes

1. ^ Goodyear was the sole tyre supplier for the 1987, 1988, & 1992 - 1996 seasons
2. ^ Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier for the 1999 & 2000 seasons, and has also been the sole supplier since 2007
3. ^ Fangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix on Pirelli with Maserati, then completed the season on Continental with Mercedes
4. ^ Ascari competed in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 on Firestone tyres, then completed the season on Pirelli

Records

Youngest Drivers' Champion

	Driver	Age	Season
1	Lewis Hamilton	23 years, 301 days	2008
2	Fernando Alonso	24 years, 58 days	2005
3	Emerson Fittipaldi	25 years, 273 days	1972
4	Michael Schumacher	25 years, 314 days	1994
5	Niki Lauda	26 years, 197 days	1975
6	Jacques Villeneuve	26 years, 200 days	1997
7	Jim Clark	27 years, 188 days	1963
8	Kimi Räikkönen	28 years, 4 days	2007
9	Jochen Rindt	28 years, 140 days	1970 (posthumously)
10	Ayrton Senna	28 years, 223 days	1988

Bold text indicates driver is still competing in Formula 1.

Oldest Drivers' Champion

	Driver	Age	Season
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	46 years, 41 days	1957
2	Nino Farina	43 years, 308 days	1950
3	Jack Brabham	40 years, 155 days	1966
4	Graham Hill	39 years, 262 days	1968
5	Nigel Mansell	39 years, 8 days	1992
6	Alain Prost	38 years, 214 days	1993
7	Mario Andretti	38 years, 193 days	1978
8	Damon Hill	36 years, 26 days	1996
9	Niki Lauda	35 years, 242 days	1984
10	Michael Schumacher	35 years, 239 days	2004

Bold text indicates driver still competes in Formula 1.

Consecutive Drivers' Championships

Eight drivers have achieved consecutive wins in the Formula One Drivers' Championship.

Championships	Driver	Seasons
5	Michael Schumacher	2000–2004
4	Juan Manuel Fangio	1954–1957
2	Alberto Ascari	1952–1953
	Jack Brabham	1959–1960
	Alain Prost	1985–1986
	Ayrton Senna	1990–1991
	Michael Schumacher	1994–1995
	Mika Häkkinen	1998–1999
	Fernando Alonso	2005–2006

See also

• List of Formula One driver records
• List of Formula One World Drivers' Championship runners-up
• List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions
  • List of Formula One World Constructors' Championship runners-up
• List of Formula One World Championship pointscoring systems
• List of Formula One drivers
• History of Formula One

References

• GrandPrix.com - Grand Prix Encyclopedia
• Formula1.com - Hall of Fame
• ChicaneF1 - Drivers' Championships
• Formula 1 Championships
• Amara, Solange; Davillerd, Cyril; et al. (2004). Formula One Yearbook 2004-05. Chronosports S.A.. ISBN 2-84707-072-9.