Everyone has their preference, but who is statistically the best driver in Formula 1 history The finest F1 driver in history is a discussion that has, and will continue to, rage as long as Formula 1 exists, but we look at who the top drivers are analytically. 

1. Lewis Hamilton - 105 wins

• Race number one: 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
• World Championships: 7 (2008, 2014-15, 2017-20)
• Number of races: 350
• Number of wins: 105
• Number of pole positions: 104
• Career points: 4813.5

Lewis Hamilton is by far the best Formula 1 driver to have ever entered a track, in terms of the number of career wins and total career points. The Brit has already won 30 different countries, he has won a race in nearly every season he has ever raced in, and is now tied with Michael Schumacher on world championships, losing only to Max Verstappen in 2021. Hamilton has some of the records of Formula 1, and with a contract that lasts till the end of 2023, he appears to be able to move even further forward with most of them.

While he missed becoming champion in his first season by a single point, he became the (then) youngest world champion the following year. Fourteen years later he’s captured six more titles, and is aiming for an eighth.  

Read also: Andrea Stella: Ferrari's Recuperation Benefits and Hurts McLaren

2. Michael Schumacher - 91 wins

• First race: 1991 Belgian Grand Prix
• World Championships: 7 (1994-95, 2000-04)
• Number of races: 308
• Number of wins: 91
• Number of pole positions: 68
• Career points: 1566

When evaluating the best F1 driver, Michael Schumacher quickly jumps to mind. He was, until the arrival of Hamilton, the face of supremacy in Formula 1: seven titles (five of them consecutive), a seemingly impossible amount of victories, persistent competition - Schumacher transformed the game in F1 with his mix of commitment, passion, and, of course, sheer skill.

While he took two titles with Benetton, he’s probably more well-known for his time with Ferrari. He joined the squad in 1996 and, despite several highs and lows in the following years, the combination struck gold in 2000. What followed in the next five years were five world titles, 48 victories, and a record book that included Michael Schumacher’s name in practically every area.

His second spell in F1 wasn’t as successful as his first, delivering a solitary podium to add to his collection. However, his 91 victories, 155 podiums and 68 pole positions still put him high up in any statistical study. 

3. Max Verstappen - 61 wins

• First race: Australian Grand Prix 2015.
• World championships: 3 (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Number of races: 203
• Number of wins: 61
• Number of pole positions: 40
• Career points: 2917.5

Son of an old Formula 1 driver, Jos, Max Verstappen had spent only one year in the car racing industry before joining the F1 scene. Although he was familiarizing with the single-seaters in the Florida Winter Series, his junior career is most known in his 2014 European Formula 3 season when he came in third in the championship behind Tom Blomqvist and champion Esteban Ocon.

This one season alone where he won 10 out of 32 races, six in a row, was good enough to see him the step up to F1 and earn him a place at Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso in 2015 and make him the youngest-ever driver in a grand prix.

His first F1 year produced meager results in the middle-of-the-pack machinery 10 points-paying finishes out of 19 races but it was his second year when he actually announced his entry into the world of F1.

Getting the call up to the senior Red Bull squad five races into the 2016 season, replacing the ailing Daniil Kvyat, Verstappen scored his maiden win instantly at the Spanish GP, boosted by Mercedes team-mates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton crashing out together on the first lap. 

He would also win another nine times before the end of the 2020 season, and the altered technical limits of the 2021 season would see Red Bull construct a car that was actually capable of challenging to the world championship.

Having gotten the Red Bull much closer to the once powerful Mercedes car, Verstappen and Hamilton were in a battle of the season long title. The race was decided by the last lap of the last race, and Verstappen won the honors by a slim margin over the seven-time world champion to claim his first championship since 2013 in the kart.

Read also: F1 2024: Comparative Team- Mate Statistics and Their Patterns

4. Sebastian Vettel - 53 wins

• Debut race: 2007 United States Grand Prix.
• World Championships: 4 (2010-13)
• Number of races: 300
• Number of wins: 53
• Number of pole positions: 57
• Career points: 3098

His shape in Formula 1 is diminishing towards the end of his career but at one time, Sebastian Vettel was near to invincibility.

The career of Vettel in F1 began in 2007 but in his first three years in the sport, Vettel had achieved 9 podiums and five wins but nothing compared to what was to come. The next four years he turned into the face of F1, and during this time he won four consecutive championships and became the youngest world champion in the process (taking the title off of Lewis Hamilton).

He also was the record holder in the number of podiums in a season, number of wins in a season, number of pole positions in a season, number of laps led in a season, consecutive wins, consecutive grand slams, and consecutive wins when pole positioned in a season.

Regrettably, the regulatory amendments in 2014 did not auger well with Red Bull (or Vettel) and the team was soon back in the pack. He had won 9 races in nine consecutive races in the 2013 season but the next season he did not win a single race until 2015 and he has only won 14 races since the 2013 season. Although that he remains widely regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid until he retires at the end of the 2022 season, and his record of achievements is likely to go on many more seasons.

5. Alain Prost - 51 wins

• First race: 1980 Argentinian Grand Prix
• World Championships: 4 (1985-86, 1989, 1993)
• Number of races: 199
• Number of wins: 51
• Number of pole positions: 33
• Career points: 768.5

It was Alain Prost's methodical manner that allowed him to go up against Ayrton Senna - the acrimonious conflict that he is most renowned for. His secret weapon was brainpower, as well as speed, and he possessed a natural accuracy in his driving that allowed Prost to become France's first world champion in 1985. 

In 1987 he beat Jackie Stewart's record of 27 victories and a year later McLaren won 15 out of 16 races during the season, which is evidence to both Prost and Senna's brilliance. Prost stayed at the peak of his game until his retirement, capturing his fourth and last victory for Williams at 38 years old. 

Read also: McLaren established a clear F1 2024 aim as Red Bull

6. Ayrton Senna - 41 wins

• First race: 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
• World Championships: 3 (1988, 1990-91)
• Number of races: 161
• Number of wins: 41
• Number of pole positions: 65
• Career points: 610

One of motorsport's most iconic individuals, Ayrton Senna maintains the bar for sheer skill and charm.

His depth of dedication to a lap and his persistent desire to push the boundaries for more has meant that Senna holds a particular place in the hearts of many racing fans. His three championships offer a feeling of what may have been had he not perished during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. A mix of natural speed and insatiable ambition gave Senna an advantage rarely seen. 

Such is his legacy that even over thirty years after his death, Senna's cars and how he won his greatest F1 title are still spoken about. 

7. Fernando Alonso - 32 wins

• First race: 2001 Australian Grand Prix
• World Championships: 2 (2005-06)
• Number of races: 398
• Number of wins: 32
• Number of pole positions: 22
• Career points: 2329

Fernando Alonso is a two-time world champion with a reputation as a brave, aggressive racer, while his career can be defined as much by what didn’t come as the two wins he won.

The Spaniard spent three years in Formula 1 before collecting the first of his two successive triumphs, claiming the title with a commanding 21 point advantage over Kimi Raikkonen. His second win the year later was a 13-point advantage over the legendary Michael Schumacher, yet here is when Alonso’s good fortune seemed to run out.

A transfer to McLaren in 2007 to join then-rookie Lewis Hamilton saw him finish the season in third, just one point behind champion Kimi Raikkonen and behind Hamilton, who had the same points but more victories. His 2010 switch to Ferrari appeared like it might pay off as he entered the last race of the season in the lead, but a combination of his getting stranded behind Vitaly Petrov and a win for Sebastian Vettel meant Alonso had to settle for second. He missed the 2012 title by just three points (again to Vettel), and was second again in 2013 (though was 155 behind the German).

He returned back to McLaren in 2015 – just in time for the terrible McLaren-Honda partnership – and after four arduous years he left at the end of 2018 – just before McLaren made their way back towards the top of the grid.

Even the 2021 season was harsh to Alonso — competing for the midfield Alpine team he achieved a fourth place at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix (the best he’d finished for seven years) while his team mate Esteban Ocon went on to win, however a long-awaited 98th podium eventually arrived in Qatar.

A stunning switch to Aston Martin for the 2023 season proved to be a masterstroke, as the squad soared up from middle to the top of the pack. Alonso begun the season with two third places - giving him his famous 100th career podium in the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.