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Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeledauto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.[1] The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform.[2] The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets.[3] The World Drivers' Championship is presented by the FIA to the most successful F1 driver over the course of the season through a points system based on individual Grand Prix results.[4] The World Championship is won when it is no longer mathematically possible for another competitor to overtake their points total regardless of the outcome of the remaining races,[5] although it is not officially awarded until the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony held in various cities following the conclusion of the season.[6][7]
Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher hold the record for the most World Drivers' Championships, both having won the title on seven occasions. Juan Manuel Fangio is third with five titles.[8][9] Schumacher also holds the record for the most consecutive drivers' titles with five between the 2000 and the 2004 seasons.[10]Nigel Mansell holds the record of competing in the highest number of seasons before winning the World Championship, entering F1 in 1980 and achieving the title in 1992, a span of 13 seasons.[11]Nico Rosberg has the highest number of Grand Prix starts before winning his first title, a period of 206 Grands Prix between the 2006 Bahrain and the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.[12][13]Sebastian Vettel is the youngest winner of the World Drivers' Championship; he was 23 years and 134 days old when he won the 2010 championship.[14] Fangio is the oldest winner of the World Drivers' Championship; he was 46 years and 41 days old when he won the 1957 title.[15]
As of the 2020 season, out of the 767 drivers who started a Grand Prix,[16] there have been 33 F1 World Drivers' Champions.[8][9] The first F1 World Drivers' Champion was Giuseppe Farina in the 1950 championship and the current title holder is Hamilton in the 2020 season.[8][9] The title has been won by drivers from the United Kingdom 20 times between 10 drivers, more than any other nation, followed by Brazil, Finland and Germany with three drivers each. The Scuderia Ferrari team have the highest number of drivers' titles per squad with 15 between 9 competitors, followed by McLaren with 12 titles between 7 drivers.[8] The Drivers' Championship has been won in the final race of the season 29 times in the 71 seasons it has been awarded. Schumacher holds the record of earning the championship with the most number of Grands Prix left to run in a season with six when he won the 2002 title at that year's French Grand Prix.[17]
^Rindt's championship was confirmed two rounds after he had been killed in an accident during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.[22]
^ abMichael Schumacher scored 78 points during the 1997 season, 3 points behind Villeneuve, but was disqualified from the championship for deliberately colliding with Villeneuve in the final race of the season, the European Grand Prix.[47] This left Villeneuve with a 39-point margin over Heinz-Harald Frentzen with 42 points.[22]
By driver
Michael Schumacher has won the World Drivers' Championship a record seven times - twice with Benetton and five times with Ferrari.
Juan Manuel Fangio won the World Drivers' Championship five times with Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari. He held the record from 1955 until 2003.
Alain Prost has four titles, three for McLaren and one for Williams. He also came close to winning the title for Renault and for Ferrari.
^ abFangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati, then completed the season with Mercedes. This shared championship is counted for each of these constructors.[22]
By engine manufacturer
Engine manufacturers in bold participated in the 2020 World Championship.
Engine manufacturers by World Drivers' Championship wins[8]
Numbers in parentheses indicate championships won as the sole tyre supplier.
^Goodyear was the sole tyre supplier for the 1987, 1988 and 1992-1996 seasons.
^Pirelli was the sole tyre supplier for the 2011-2020 seasons.[58]
^ abFangio competed in the 1954 Argentine and Belgian Grands Prix with Maserati, then completed the season with Mercedes. This shared championship is counted for each of these constructors.[22]
A total of ten drivers have achieved consecutive wins in the World Drivers' Championship. Of those, only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have won two sets of consecutive Formula One Drivers' Championships.[8]
^ abcdefJones, Bruce (2015). The Story of Formula One: 65 Years of Life in the Fast Lane. London, England: Carlton Books. pp. 29, 33, 37, 119, 343. ISBN978-1-78177-270-6.