In 2025, Lando Norris became the 34th different racing driver to win the coveted Formula 1 World Championship. His is just the latest of many titles to have been claimed by British drivers in the 76 year history of the World Championship.
For a small island nation, we have quite a lot to be proud of when it comes to our success in the category. In this article we will celebrate these accomplishments by answering some of the questions that get asked most frequently about the drivers and create a British F1 champions list which ranks them all in order of their outright abilities, finally answering the question of who are the top British F1 drivers of all time.
How Many British F1 World Champions Have There Been?
Since 1950, an unprecedented 11 different British F1 drivers have won the world championship, collecting 21 titles between them.
This is a remarkable statistic, putting our nation well clear of our nearest competitors Germany who have claimed 12 titles with 3 different drivers. Next up is Brazil with 8 titles, also from 3 different drivers.
The only other country to have produced more than two champions is Finland. Despite having a population of just 5.6 million, the country can name Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen amongst its champions, with the 3 drivers having claimed 4 titles between them. A further 2 Finnish drivers have won F1 races, those being Valtteri Bottas and Heikki Kovalainen.
Who was the First British F1 Champion?
The First British F1 champion was Mike Hawthorn, who claimed the title in 1958 for Ferrari finishing just one point clear of his compatriot Stirling Moss.
In the eyes of many, Moss was the far superior driver and is perhaps the greatest racer never to have claimed a championship for himself. This owed much to his preference to compete for British teams, a choice which put him at a serious disadvantage in 1958 as he took on the might of Ferrari in his Cooper Climax.
Having achieved the greatest feat in the sport, Hawkthorn immediately retired from racing having battled ill health for many years prior. He sadly lost his life less than a year later in a road car accident.
How Many British F1 Drivers Have There Been?
Since the start of the championship in 1950, there have been an unbelievable 163 British F1 drivers to have started a grand prix.
This doesn't count the British drivers who failed to qualify for Grand Prix's, a list which includes one Bernie Ecclestone, who would later go on to become the sports leading figure, transforming the series into a worldwide phenomenon.
British F1 Champions Ranked
Ranking drivers from different eras is notoriously difficult. However, our racing experts have clubbed together to create a definitive British F1 champions list in order of their outright ability compared to their competitors at the time they competed. Let's start off with our undisputed number one:
1. Lewis Hamilton
Statistically the greatest F1 driver of all time, with 7 drivers titles, 105 grand prix victories, 104 pole positions and 202 podiums in a 19 year career from 380 starts at the time of writing prior to the start of the 2026 season.
Hamilton's skill was immediately noticeable from his first season with McLaren in 2007, when he outshone his reigning world champion team-mate Fernando Alonso to come within a point of beating Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. He took his first crown just one year later, but his greatest success would come with the Mercedes team, winning six championships in seven seasons between 2014 and 2020. Only a bungled stewards call prevented him from claiming a record breaking 8th championship in 2021.
Now in the twilight of his career, the chances of Hamilton adding to his tally for the Ferrari team are becoming increasingly remote. However, this should not take away from the incredible run of success Hamilton achieved whilst at his peak.
2. Jim Clark
In the eyes of many, Jim Clark is not only the best British F1 driver, but also the greatest racing driver of all time. From just 72 starts, Clark took pole position 33 times and won 25 races at a time when car reliability was far less dependable than is the case today. This was no more the case than with Clark's Lotus team with whom he won both of his F1 championships in 1963 and 1965.
It was the second of these years which is hailed as possibly the greatest season by a racing driver in history, with Clark adding to his F1 title by also winning the prestigious Indy 500 race, the British F2 series and the Tasman touring car series, highlighting his incredible adaptability, being able to outshine his competitors in almost every kind of motorsport discipline.
Clark lost his life in 1968 at the age of just 32. There is no question that many more championships and race wins awaited him if it hadn't been for this freak accident in a minor F2 race.
3. Jackie Stewart
In an era where driver fatalities were an all too common occurrence, Jackie Stewart was one of the few greats to have ended his career unscathed. This no doubt owed to his incredible smooth driving style and commitment to improving safety at race circuits across the world.
In the aftermath of Clark's death, Stewart firmly established himself as the sports leading star, winning three drivers championships between 1969 and 1973 for the Tyrrell team. The Tyrrell was often not the best car, with the team relying on Stewart's skills and leadership to achieve results that they would never equal again after his sudden retirement on the back of winning his 3rd championship in 1973 at the age of 34.
While he will forever be associated with his campaign to improve driver safety, he is also remembered for having won what was perhaps the most dangerous grand prix of all time, finishing over four minutes ahead of his nearest competitor at the notorious Nurburgring circuit in 1968 on a day which was struck by heavy rain and thick fog. This silenced critics who doubted his ability to take risks behind the wheel.
4. Nigel Mansell
With his trademark moustache and well built physique, Nigel Mansell is the polar opposite of how you would expect a British F1 champion to look. However, once the visor was down he was perhaps the most exciting driver ever to grace the circuit with nerves of steel and an ability to find overtaking opportunities in even the most unlikely of places.
In reality, Mansell should have been at least a 3 times world champion. An unfortunate tyre blow out when on track for the title at the final race of 1986, injuries caused by a qualifying crash in the penultimate race of 1987, poor early season reliability in 1991 and an unexpected departure from Williams on the back of winning his one and only title in 1992 all prevented the accumulation of further crowns.
However, the sudden dismal from Williams on the back of his 1992 title did result in Mansell heading to the American Indycar series which he incredibly won at his first attempt. For a short while, Mansell became the only person to have ever held the F1 and Indycar titles simultaneously. This speaks volumes for his natural speed and adaptability.
5. Graham Hill
Another moustachioed racing hero to have made a significant impact on the sport was Graham Hill who won two drivers championships in 1962 and 1968. However, it was the second of these championships which was perhaps the most impressive as he single handedly marched his Lotus team on following the death of their lead driver Jim Clark prior to the 2nd round of the season. Hill won the next two races, boosting his colleagues morale and playing a vital leadership role which ensured that Lotus remained the team to beat over the course of the season.
Hill was also famously known as "Mr. Monaco", having won the prestigious race 5 times across his career. He remains second on the list of all time Monaco winners to this day, having only been beaten in subsequent years by Ayrton Senna who broke the record with his 6th victory in the principality in 1993.
Another accomplishment which really marks Graham Hill out is that he is still to this day, the only driver to have achieved the coveted motorsport triple crown, having won the F1 world championship, Le Mans 24 hours and Indy 500 race.
6. John Surtees
John Surtees is the only person in history to have been a champion on both four and two wheels, winning the 1964 F1 championship for Ferrari on the back of having won 5 consecutive Grand Prix Motorcycle racing championships. This is an incredible feat which is unlikely to ever be equalled.
His bravery on two wheels unquestionably earned him respect, which no doubt helped him gain sufficient support from the Ferrari hierarchy to obtain a leadership role. Not many drivers have managed to walk into the Italian team and obtain such a position, highlighting that his accomplishments were as much about his work off track as they were on it. It says a lot about his impact that Ferrari failed to win another drivers championship until 1975 following his departure.
7. Damon Hill
A relation of another British F1 champion who was mentioned earlier on this list (Graham Hill), Damon became the only son of a world champion to have claimed the title for himself when he won with the Williams team in 1996.
Damon is perhaps the most unlikely world champion in the sport's history. He didn't make his debut in F1 until he was 32 having spent much of his youth racing motorbikes. After just one year at the uncompetitive Brabham team he found himself in the most dominant car of the era when he was hired to replace surprise departee Nigel Mansell at Williams for 1993. Having been the team's test driver over the previous season, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Nevertheless, Hill took full advantage of it by showing well against team-mate and 4 times champion Alain Prost, winning 3 races on his way to 3rd in the championship.
1994 was expected to be another year of playing second fiddle to his team-mate, this time Ayrton Senna. However, history repeated itself when Senna lost his life at the third race of the year in Imola. Like his dad Graham, Damon was forced to take on a leadership role and pull the team through the adversity, narrowly missing out on taking the title at the final race of the year to Michael Schumacher after the German controversially turned in on the Brit having damaged his car in an off at the previous corner.
1995 was a disappointment due to car unreliability and Hill's own mental health issues owing to the pressures of the previous campaign. However, in 1996 Hill proved his doubters wrong by winning half of that year's 16 races on his way to the championship.
Despite being dropped by Williams on the eve of his championship success, Hill stayed on in the sport for a further three years, helping the Jordan team to achieve their first ever win by triumphing in spectacular fashion at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. This went someway towards enhancing Hill's reputation, showing that he was capable of winning in cars which had no business being near the front of the pack.
8. Jenson Button
Williams once again made an unlikely driver promotion in 2000 when it hired 20 year old Jenson Button. Making his F1 debut before he had even passed his driving test, Button showed well in his first year despite his lack of experience with some incredible performances, particularly in wet conditions. This was be a skill which would go on to define him, with his incredible feel for a car often giving him an edge whenever track conditions were variable.
Unlike Damon Hill, it took Button quite a long time to become one of the few British F1 champions. He didn't win a race until 2006 and his one and only title came in unlikely circumstances for the Brawn team in 2009, a squad who had risen from the ashes of the Honda team with a technical innovation which provided them with a vital pace advantage over their competitors. No one begrudged Button this opportunity given the poor cars he had faced in previous years and he made the most of the opportunity when it presented itself.
However, arguably Button's best seasons came when he took the number 1 to McLaren for 2010 against Lewis Hamilton. Over the next three seasons he showed well against the driver we have named the top British F1 driver of all time, even beating him comfortably on points in 2011 after Hamilton had something of an Annus horribilis.
9. Lando Norris
Lando Norris is one of only two British F1 champions who are still competing in the sport and, unlike Hamilton, he should still have many more years ahead of him. It is therefore tricky to make a full conclusion without having visibility of his entire career. Many drivers, such as Jenson Button, tend to find an extra gear having gained confidence from winning the championship. Indeed, it's entirely possible that Norris will finish a fair few places higher on this British F1 champions list by the time he retires.
There is no question that he has the speed to do this, with many feeling his pace is often comparable with Max Verstappen (who we have previously named the GOAT of F1), particularly on a qualifying lap. However, it is his consistency and race craft which has historically been his Achilles Heel, with pundits often claiming that he is prone to being "bullied" by Verstappen when fighting for position.
Whether or not his recent championship success will change this is yet to be seen. However, there were signs of massive improvement in both of these areas during the 2025 season. Without these gains, he would no doubt have lost out on the title to Verstappen or his team-mate Oscar Piastri.
10. James Hunt
If this was a list of the most charismatic British F1 drivers, then James Hunt would unquestionably be number one. He embodied the carefree attitude of the 1970s, often partying long into the night before races and being known for his jokey, un-pc manner when being interviewed.
However, this disguised the fact that Hunt was a truly gifted racing driver who could very well have achieved far more than just his single world championship in 1976 if he had shown more commitment to his craft.
In typical Hunt style, this 1976 title came on the back of one of the most dramatic seasons in the sports history. Ferrari's Niki Lauda had long looked set to claim his second consecutive title until he almost died in a fiery crash at the Nurburgring. Lauda's two race absence gave Hunt the opportunity to close up on points and ultimately claim the crown when Lauda opted to withdraw from the final race of the year in Japan owing to safety concerns. Hunt was the champion, but Lauda was the emotional winner owing to his remarkable comeback.
The story of this remarkable season was later turned into a movie called 'Rush' starring Chris Hemsworth in the role of Hunt.
11. Mike Hawthorn
Already noted as having been the first British F1 champion, Mike Hawthorn was famed for his flamboyant style, racing in one of the sport's most dangerous eras with a trademark bow tie. He was every bit the refined, English gentleman.
Despite being a world champion, he only ever won 3 Grand Prix, all of which came whilst driving for the Ferrari team between 1953 and 1958. It was his consistency in this final year which proved to be his strength, taking advantage of the superior reliability of his Ferrari to outscore his compatriot Stirling Moss by just a single point.
No one at the time knew of the many health issues Hawthorn faced, having battled through the majority of his career with chronic kidney disease. Had it not been for this it is likely that his career would have been both longer and perhaps even more successful.
See the 2026 British F1 Drivers In Action
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