Michael Schumacher has often been listed as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One and the "most dominant driver in the history of the sport". He is statistically the best driver, holding many records including the most world championships, most fastest laps, most points, and formerly held the record for most pole positions and most wins . He won an unprecedented seven world championship titles, firstly in 1994 and then his second in 1995. Those titles came while Schumacher was a driver for Benetton but in 1996 he left to join Ferrari, a team who were, at the time, in disarray and without a champion driver since 1979. Over the next few seasons Schumacher and Ferrari saw some success and some controversy, including his disqualification from the 1997 season. However, the combination eventually proved highly successful and Schumacher won five consecutive championships between 2000 and 2004.
Many of Schumacher's records are believed unlikely to ever be surpassed. In a season packed with close racing, controversy, and tight championship battles, it is easy to pay attention to just the winners and losers. But the season has so much more than just the championship battle between an all-time great and a future great driver. There were break-out performances, stunning qualifying laps, talented rookies looking to make their mark, and the return of a two-time world champion who still has unfinished business in the sport. Without a doubt, Fernando Alonso is the most successful F1 driver in history to get his start in the series as a teenager. He kicked off his career for Minardi at the 2001 season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
He finished 12th in his first start and scored his first top 10 at Hockenheim in his 12th career start. Alonso won 32 races in his career and championships in 2005 and 2006. In 116 races, he started on pole position 13 times, scored 25 podiums, and won eight races.
The closest he came to winning it was in 1970 when he finished five points behind Jochen Rindt, who had a fatal crash at the Italian Grand Prix with three races to go. Rindt's victory makes him the only posthumous Formula One world champion in the history of the sport. Given the close working relationship that Alfa Romeo and Haas enjoy with Ferrari, it's not surprising that all three drivers are being linked to at least one of the vacant seats at both teams. Who goes where may ultimately be decided by which driver takes the Formula 2 title in 2020, especially considering regulations that state the winning driver is not permitted to continue racing the following year. The smart money seems to be on the son of 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher being the most likely young driver to secure a seat next year, probably with Alfa Romeo. Unlike Ilott and Schumacher, Shwartzman is only competing in his first season of Formula 2 this year and may benefit from another year of honing his racecraft.
But the Russian is also highly rated and not far off emulating Charles Leclerc and George Russell, both of whom won Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in succession before graduating to Formula 1 the following year. Just looking at Aitkens career, you can see why he is tipped for a Formula One seat. Aitkens breakthrough season came in 2015 when he managed to win three different junior championship titles.
Who Are The Best F1 Drivers 2021 Aitken struggled at the start of his GP3 season but was the best driver over the second half of the season. Max Verstappen, who turns 23 on Sept. 30, already has five full F1 seasons and 102 starts to his credit. He's won eight Grands Prix and has finished on the podium 31 times since the start of his F1 career in 2015. He won in Spain in 2016 in his 24th career start and first for Red Bull Racing to become the series' youngest winner at 18 years, 227 days.
Max is the son of former F1 racer Jos Verstappen, who was winless with two podiums in 107 starts between 1994 and 2003. Lance Stroll's father Lawrence Stroll is a part-owner of Lance's current ride at Racing Point. In his rookie season of 2017, he finished on the podium in third place at Baku in just his eighth career start. Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of Michael, won six Grands Prix in a career that spanned eleven F1 seasons starting in 1997.
All six wins came in the middle of his F1 career as a driver for Williams. Heinz-Harald Frentzen won three Grands Prix over ten seasons, twice finishing in third place in the drivers' championship. Nick Heidfeld holds the record for the most podium finishes without a win . After a couple of third-place finishes in Formula Renault and his first season in F3, Shwartzmans second was dominant throughout. Shwartzman was able to claim ten podiums, including three wins, as Shwartzman dominated the rest of the grid on the way to his first F3 championship.
Shwartzman won the title by a whopping 54 points, ahead of talented drivers on this list like Juri Vips, Liam Lawson, and Christian Lundgaard. So Lawson spent a second year in F3 and moved to Hitech GP. He won the second race of the season, but a title challenge wasn't forthcoming with early season set-up woes, a Red Bull Ring clash and then suspected engine issues at Barcelona. He added two more wins to his tally and a first pole at Monza with a cool performance, as faster drivers were penalised, and while his 21-point margin to champion Oscar Piastri wasn't huge, at no point was Lawson really a title contender. Making his F2 debut with the struggling HWA Racelab team at Bahrain just over three months ago should be an advantage as not only does the season start at the same circuit but he has experience of being mired in the pack. With three races per weekend now, and two of them using reversed grids, most of the action is going to be in the midfield and knowing how to race a F2 car may count for more than race pace in the early rounds.
During his career, Moss accumulated 16 wins in just 66 races, which to this day is more than anyone else to have never won a championship. He finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship four times, and third on three other occasions. Since the first season in 1950 Germany has produced three F1 World Drivers' Champions. The first title did not come until 1994 when Michael Schumacher claimed his first of seven championship victories.
Sebastian Vettel is the second German drivers' champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Nico Rosberg is the third German drivers' champion, winning the title in 2016. Wolfgang von Trips was leading the championship in 1961 at the time of his fatal accident, and finished 2nd in the standings, just 1 point behind eventual champion Phill Hill.
There have been 53 Formula One drivers from Germany including three world champions, one of whom is currently racing in the sport. Michael Schumacher holds many records in F1 including the most world championship titles and the most consecutive titles. In 2008 Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever driver to win a race and, in 2010, became the youngest world championship winner. In 2016, Nico Rosberg became the third driver from Germany to win the F1 World Drivers' Championship. Tsunoda graduates to F2 after just a single year at Formula 3-level, where he finished ninth in the FIA series and fourth in Euroformula Open. The dual-programme was an intense way to start life in Europe after winning the Japanese F4 title in 2018, but the Honda-backed youngster has shown promising signs.
The most obvious came in charge from sixth on the grid to win at a damp Monza last year in the FIA F3 round. This was followed by a promotion to Formula 2, where he partnered with Mick Schumacher. Shwartzman had a lightning start to his F2 career, including two wins in the first three rounds. Shwartzman finished fourth in his rookie season, a very impressive performance.
Renault's young driver programme has several promising members, but none of them are likely to get an F1 seat until at least 2022. Renault doesn't currently supply any other teams with its power plant and next year's lineup of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso is already confirmed. Zhou is bidding to become the first full-time F1 driver from China; an enticing prospect for the sport in such a huge automotive market. Another young Renault driver to watch for the future is Oscar Piastri from Australia, who took out this year's Formula 3 championship at his first attempt. At least one seat at AlphaTauri is potentially available in 2021 and the young Red Bull-backed Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda is a leading candidate. The 21-year-old has won twice this season in Formula 2 and currently lies third in the championship, though his chances may have been hurt by Honda's recent decision to leave the sport at the end of 2021.
Young Estonian driver Jüri Vips is another highly rated member of the Red Bull Junior team, but only joined the Formula 2 grid halfway through the 2020 season and is unlikely to be called up to Formula 1 before gaining some more experience. Rodriguez teamed up with his old friends at DR Formula by RP to race at Imola, with one test under his belt in the Tatuus T-318 Regional F3 car. He started his motorsport return by going just 0.021s slower than Ferrari junior Arthur Leclerc in the in-season test at Imola the week before Imola, then topped the two days of free practice at the circuit. The Brazilian rookie, who endured a dire 2019 in FIA F3, won on just his second start and had a pole position on just his fourth attempt. It was the team's first ever at this level, and Drugovich ended the season with the fifth highest start position on average and was fourth fastest on qualifying pace.
Jaime Alguersuari became the youngest driver in F1 history when he replaced Sebastien Bourdais at Toro Rosso for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, the 10th race of the season. Alguersuari held down the Toro Rosso seat through the 2011 season with a best finish of seventh place in 46 career F1 starts. He raced in Formula E in 2014 and retired from racing in 2015 to pursue a music career in Spain. Daniil Kvyat finished ninth in the season-opening 2014 Australian Grand Prix to kick off his F1 career. He went on to replace four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull the following season.
Though winless through 93 career races heading into 2020, Kvyat became the highest-finishing Russian driver in F1 when he scored a second-place finish at Hungary in 2015. Remember, Verstappen has not won a drivers' championship, he's won 11 races and secured four pole positions. Yet, his racecraft has made him one of the most revered drivers on the grid. Add to it that he's continuously putting in the best performance - just like Hamilton - and you have a driver Red Bull Racing would keep at any cost. Timo Glock was the third driver for Jordan in 2004 and was called up for racing duty when Giorgio Pantano was unable to drive due to a sponsorship dispute. Glock finished 7th, becoming one of only a handful of drivers who have scored championship points on their debut.
It would prove to be Glock's only race in that season and he would not return to F1 until 2008. In terms of career wins and total career points, Lewis Hamilton is the best Formula 1 driver to have ever graced a circuit. The Britain racer has taken wins in 30 different countries, won a race in every season he's competed in, and is currently tied on world championships with Michael Schumacher. With only three years under his belt yet two titles, he is heading in the right direction to become one of the best F1 drivers in 2030. He will likely have a long way to go and a lot more experience to grab before being called to F1. But, if Pourchaire can continue his recent progression, he'll surely start to stand out as one of the bright young talents who could grace F1 in the future.
Williams' young driver programme currently includes four drivers, though none have realistic chances of joining the Formula 1 grid in the near future. 2019 W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick is competing in the 2020 Formula Regional European Championship, while Jack Aitken, Roy Nissany and Dan Ticktum are all in Formula 2. Several teams, including Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri, have yet to decide on their 2021 driver lineups and don't seem to be in any hurry to do so.
Whilst experienced racers such as Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg are rumoured to be in the frame for these remaining seats, there's also room for at least one young driver to join the grid in 2021. As quick as anyone on his day, Liam Lawson only showed his potential on a handful of occasions in F2 last season amid plenty of bad luck, but shone in his rookie year of DTM. Often outperforming several more experienced competitors, including 2022 Williams F1 driver Alex Albon, the Red Bull junior finished as vice-champion, only missing out on the title in a controversial finale. Will be a hot pick for the F2 title in 2021, switching from Hitech to Carlin. Sergio Pérez No 11 Debut Australia 2011 Wins 1 Poles 0 Best qualifying 3rd Titles 0 Best finish 4th Last season 4th. Finally given a drive in a top car, this is the opportunity of his career for Pérez.
Has undoubtedly outperformed previous rides and after a decade racing has experience and touch to match his pace. Qualifying can be improved but his race pace and tyre management are second to none and he will be a key player every Sunday. We've had a great run with its predecessor, F1 2020, which hosted the most competitive F1 Esports Pro Series to date last year, as well as our qualifying rounds for 2021, including the Challengers.
Our Challengers winners will be up for selection at the Pro Exhibition, which is now just days away! There, they'll be pitted against our top two China Championship racers, Time Trial winners, Women's Wildcard victor and all released 2020 Pro Series drivers, for the ultimate showcase of the best racing talent in 2021. Established in 2011 and previously found at PaddockScout.com, Formula Scout is home to regular news and features from the world of junior single-seater racing, tracking the progress of future grand prix stars. Chris Amon, the second teenager to make a Formula start, began his F1 career at Monte Carlo for Reg Parnell Racing in 1963. He finished 16th that first time out and went on to start 96 F1 races for Ferrari and Matra between 1963 and 1976 without a victory.
The three youngest starters in Formula 1 history have each made their F1 debuts since 2015. All three appear to be on-track for long F1 careers, which is something that most of the drivers on this list can't claim. Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is ready to renew his challenge to aim for a record eighth title this season with Mercedes-AMG Petronas. After the German Formula One team unveiled its new W13 E Performance racing car for the upcoming season, the British racing driver broke silence over the controversial last race of 2021 season.
That same article from The Drive creates a really interesting hypothetical driver, one who wins half the races in an IndyCar season. And because IndyCar drivers have to pay for their own high-risk life and health insurance (whereas that's provided by other racing series), that income is a hell of a lot less. If you're opting to be a professional racing driver, you'd be better served by an F1 salary than an IndyCar one. In the single-seater arena, junior teams typically work with seasoned drivers with impressive track records.
After conquering the karting circuit, you can graduate to more competitive formulas. For example, you could establish your formula career in Formula Ford. Nico Hülkenberg joined F1 in 2010, replacing Rosberg in the Williams team. Despite some good performances he was dropped by the team for the following season and he became a test driver for Force India. For the 2012 season he was given a race seat, and he went on to achieve his career best result at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing fourth. Stefan Bellof has been described as the "ultimate 'what-might-have-been' driver".
He joined Formula One in 1984, the same year that saw Ayrton Senna join the sport. Senna's performance at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix marked him out as an immensely talented driver, but Bellof's race had shown what potential the German had as well. Starting last on a very wet grid, Bellof quickly rose through the order, passing seven cars by the end of the first lap. He was in fourth place when the race was stopped due to safety concerns brought on by the weather.
It would prove to be his best result in Formula One and, in 1985, Bellof died at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps while competing in the World Sportscar Championship. Former teammate Martin Brundle later said of Bellof "as it is with Ayrton, the good ones are taken from us far too young". Unfortunately for Vettel, the regulation changes in 2014 didn't suit Red Bull , and the team quickly fell back through the pack. He went from nine consecutive wins in the final nine races of the 2013 season to not winning a single race until 2015, and since that 2013 season, he's 'only' taken 14 wins. Vettel's F1 career started in 2007 and, in his first three years, he took nine podiums and five wins, though this was nothing on what was to come.
Over the next four years, he became the face of F1, winning four consecutive championships and becoming the youngest world champion in the process . The two-time Macau Grand Prix winner has secured a development role with Williams for the 2020 season, making him the leading junior driver on its books. He will complement commitments there with an F2 seat at DAMS, which won last year's teams' championship and helped Nicholas Latifi secure P2 in the standings. The mistakes in Imola and the clumsy re-start in Baku seemed uncharacteristic of the champion that fans grew to know as a competitor who executed his races flawlessly. His reputation of never having a bad day seemed to be challenged, and Red Bull took full advantage of that.
Hamilton might have easily won the championship if those mistakes had not happened, instead, he entered the final race tied in points with his main rival. Seven world championships, 103 wins, a knighthood, and he was within a single lap of claiming his eighth world title. He's done all this while being an activist and vocal supporter of equal rights and the LGBTQ community.
The 2021 Formula 1 season was one of the most closely fought, dramatic, and chaotic in recent years. 20 drivers lined up to start 23 races across four continents for flat-out wheel-to-wheel racing that pushed their skill and the teams' technical ability to the absolute limit. De Vries impressed from the start in Formula 2, finishing 7th and 4th in his first two years in F2. De Vries claimed four wins as he beat F1 drivers Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher, and Nikita Mazepin to the F2 title in 2019.
