Lando Norris is the world champion. Just saying that feels a bit weird, right? For years, we watched Max Verstappen turn the podium into his personal living room, but the 2025 season flipped the script. It wasn’t just a win; it was a total overhaul of the list of f1 winners that we’ve been staring at for the last decade.
Honestly, the numbers are starting to look like a mess. Lewis Hamilton is sitting at 105 wins, a number that seems untouchable until you see Max at 71 and realize he's still basically a kid in racing years. We’ve now seen 115 different drivers stand on the top step since 1950.
That’s 115 humans out of the thousands who have tried. It's a tiny club.
The Top Tier: Where the Legends Sit
Lewis Hamilton still owns the penthouse. With 105 victories, he’s the king of the list of f1 winners, even if his final season at Mercedes wasn't the fairytale ending some expected. Moving to Ferrari for 2026 is the ultimate "hold my drink" move. Can he hit 110 in red? Maybe. But the gap between him and Michael Schumacher (91 wins) feels safer than it did two years ago.
Then there's Max. 71 wins.
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He took eight victories in 2025 alone, but even that wasn't enough to keep the title away from McLaren. It’s wild to think that a guy can win eight races in a year—more than most drivers win in a lifetime—and still "lose."
Sebastian Vettel remains steady at 53 wins, and Alain Prost is just behind at 51. These numbers don't move anymore. They are the bedrock of F1 history. But look further down, and you see the "new" era breathing down their necks. Lando Norris now has 11 wins. Oscar Piastri has 9. In just two seasons, they’ve surged past guys like Daniel Ricciardo and Juan Pablo Montoya.
What Most People Get Wrong About Win Counts
People love to argue about "car vs. driver." It’s the oldest debate in the paddock. But if you look at the list of f1 winners, you see a pattern that isn't just about having the fastest car. It's about eras of dominance.
Juan Manuel Fangio won 24 races. That sounds small compared to Hamilton, right? Wrong. He did that in just 52 starts. That is a win rate of nearly 47%. Hamilton’s win rate is around 27%. If we’re talking about pure efficiency, the old guys usually win.
Jim Clark? 25 wins in 72 starts.
Alberto Ascari? 13 wins in 32 starts.
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Modern drivers have 24 races a year. In the 1950s, you were lucky to have seven or eight. When you look at a raw list, you’re seeing a reflection of the calendar as much as the talent.
The 2025 Shake-Up and the McLaren Surge
The 2025 season was basically a McLaren highlight reel. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri didn't just win; they controlled the tempo of the entire year. Norris taking the title by just two points over Verstappen in Abu Dhabi was probably the tensest moment in the sport since 2021.
Here is how the active winners stack up as we enter 2026:
- Lewis Hamilton: 105 wins (The undisputed statistical GOAT)
- Max Verstappen: 71 wins (Chasing the 100-club)
- Fernando Alonso: 32 wins (The man who refuses to retire)
- Lando Norris: 11 wins (The reigning champ)
- Oscar Piastri: 9 wins (The most dangerous "number two" in history)
- Charles Leclerc: 8 wins (Ferrari's golden boy)
- George Russell: 5 wins (The new leader at Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz: 4 wins (Heading to Williams for a fresh start)
It’s kinda crazy that Alonso hasn't added to his 32 wins in over a decade. He’s still seventh on the all-time list, but the "young guns" are catching up fast.
Why the One-Hit Wonders Matter
We talk a lot about the giants, but the list of f1 winners is full of people who grabbed glory once and never found it again. Esteban Ocon. Pierre Gasly. Pastor Maldonado.
These aren't "bad" drivers. They are the ones who were there when the door cracked open for half a second. To win an F1 race, everything has to go right. The strategy, the pit stops, the engine mapping, and—usually—a bit of bad luck for the guys at the front.
In 2025, we didn't see many "surprise" winners. The top four teams (McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes) locked things down. But with the massive 2026 regulation change coming, that list is about to get some fresh names. Keep an eye on Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes. He hasn't won yet, but everyone's acting like it's a matter of "when," not "if."
The Actionable Insight for Fans
If you're trying to track these records, don't just look at the total number. Look at the "Win Percentage."
If a driver has 10 wins but took 200 races to get them, they are a solid professional. If a driver has 10 wins in 40 races, you’re looking at a future world champion.
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What you should do next:
- Watch the 2026 season opener: New engines and cars mean the hierarchy is reset.
- Track the "First Win" club: 2026 is the best chance for guys like Alex Albon or Kimi Antonelli to finally get their names on this list.
- Compare eras: Don't let someone tell you Verstappen is "better" than Senna just because he has more wins. The context of the car and the length of the season is everything.
The history of F1 isn't written in stone; it’s written in carbon fiber and expensive fuel. The list of f1 winners will look completely different by the time we hit the 2027 season, and that's exactly why we keep watching.