Formula 1 News: Most One-Sided Championships in F1 History

F1 racing has been the pinnacle of motorsport for decades, where the best drivers in the world compete against each other for the ultimate bragging rights. Many campaigns have been fiercely contested, with nail-biting battles for the championship going down to the wire. However, some championships have been so one-sided that they were almost boring to watch. The recently concluded 2023 season certainly falls into that category.

Max Verstappen – 2022 & 2023

Over the course of the last year, Max Verstappen has ruled over the sport with an iron fist. Last term, he won 19 of the 22 races contested, with two of the other three victories going to teammate Sergio Perez and the other going to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. But it was the Flying Dutchman’s dominance – for the second straight year may we add – that took the world by storm. He finished with over twice as many points as second-place man Perez and broke a plethora of records along the way.

That has set the betting world on fire, with people eager to place their wagers, whether they’re betting for or against Verstappen. Everybody is eager to see when the tide will turn against this phenomenal driver. It will come as no surprise to hear that F1 odds providers have made Super Max the -400 favorite for a fourth straight championship next term. Mercedes’ recent woes plus Ferrari’s plight over the last year means that Verstappen has hardly any contenders, with McLaren’s talented young Brit Lando Norris perhaps being the only man able to challenge his more illustrious rival next term. But with Red Bull’s main man dominating over the course of the last couple of years, that got us thinking, how many other F1 world championships have been won in such a dominant fashion? Let’s take a look.

Tracking Verstappen’s Record Run

Destined to beat them all

At Age 26 Michael Schumacher 19 F1 wins
At Age 26 Ayrton Senna 2 F1 wins
At Age 26 Lewis Hamilton, 17 F1 wins
At Age 26 Max Verstappen 54 F1 wins + 7 Sprint Race Wins

All-time F1 Race Winners

1.  Lewis Hamilton – 103 wins
2.  Michael Schumacher – 91 wins
3.  Max Verstappen – 54 wins (plus 7 Sprint Race wins)
4.  Sebastian Vettel – 53 wins
5.  Alain Prost – 51 wins
6.  Ayrton Senna – 41 wins
7.  Fernando Alonso – 32 wins
8.  Nigel Mansell – 31 wins
9.  Jackie Stewart – 27 wins
10.  Jim Clark – 25 wins
11.  Niki Lauda – 25 wins
12.  Juan Manuel Fangio – 24 wins
13.  Nelson Piquet – 23 wins
14.  Nico Rosberg – 23 wins
15.  Damon Hill – 22 wins
16.  Kimi Raikkonen – 21 wins
17.  Mikka Hakkinen – 20 wins
18.  Stirling Moss – 16 wins
19.  Jenson Button – 15 wins
20.  Graham Hill – 14 wins
21.  Jack Brabham – 14 wins
22.  Emerson Fittipaldi – 14 wins
23.  Alberto Ascari – 13 wins
24.  David Coulthard – 13 wins
25.  Mario Andretti – 12 wins
26.  Carlos Reutemann – 12 wins
27.  Alan Jones – 12 wins
28.  Valtteri Bottas – 10 wins
29.  Mark Webber – 9 wins
30.  Daniel Riccardo – 8 wins
31.  Sergio Pérez – 6 wins (plus 1 Sprint Race Win)
32.  Charles Leclerc – 5 wins
33.  Carlos Sainz Jr. – 2 wins
34.  Pierre Gasly – 1 win
35.  Esteban Ocon – 1 win
36.  George Russell – 1 win (plus 1 Sprint Race Win)

Max Verstappen has 19 wins in 22 races this season and broke his record of 15 wins in a season set in 2022.

Hamilton is worried Verstappen will destroy all his records

TBD: To Be Determined

In his last 49 races, Verstappen has won 38 of them….amazing consistent domination and a Red Bull team that is performing at an elite level. He has 44 wins since the start of 2021 and has scored points in the last 41 races.

2022 F1 Season
P1 – Imola (Sprint)
P1 – Imola
P1 – Miami
P1 – Barcelona
P3 – Monaco
P1 – Azerbaijan
P1 – Canada
P7 – Silverstone
P1 – Austria (Sprint)
P2 – Austria
P1 – Paul Ricard
P1 – Hungary
P1 – Spa
P1 – Zandvoort
P1 – Monza
P7 – Singapore
P1 – Suzuka
P1 – Austin TX
P1 – Mexico
P4 – Brazil (Sprint)
P6 – Brazil
P1 – Abu Dhabi
2023 F1 Season
P1 – Bahrain
P2 – Saudi Arabia
P1 – Australia
P3 – Azerbaijan (Sprint)
P2 – Azerbaijan
P1 – Miami
P1 – Monaco
P1 – Barcelona
P1 – Canada
P1 – Austria (Sprint)
P1 – Austria
P1 – England
P1 – Hungary
P1 – Belgium (Sprint)
P1 – Belgium
P1 – Zandvoort
P1 – Monza
P5 – Singapore
P1 – Suzuka
P2 – Qatar (Sprint)
P1 – Qatar
P1 – Austin (Sprint)
P1 – Austin
P1 – Mexico
P1 – Sao Paulo
P1 – Las Vegas
P1 – Abu Dhabi

Lewis Hamilton  – 2019 & 2020

Before Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton was the dominant force in Formula One and that was the case for many years, right up until he was robbed of a record-breaking eighth world title at the now-infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

His first three F1 world championships came following epic title battles, firstly against Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, and the next two after the Silver War against teammate Nico Rosberg. All three of those crowns were won in the final race of the season but it was in 2019 and 2020 that his stranglehold on the sport was most evident. In the former of those two years, he won 11 races out of 21 – including six of the first eight races – and finished a mighty 87 points clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas.

The Stevange-born star then followed that up with an even more lopsided campaign the following year. The calendar was cut short to 17 F1 races that term due to global events, but Hamilton still secured another 11 victories en route to matching Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles, 124 points clear of his teammate once more.

In both seasons, Hamilton was untouchable, outclassing his rivals on almost every circuit. With the best car on the grid, he was able to break records left, right, and center, and it seemed like nobody could touch him. That was until Max Verstappen knocked him off his perch in 2021, and the Dutch sensation has gone on to dominate in the years since, unlike anyone the sport has ever seen.

Sebastian Vettel – 2011 & 2013

Another driver who had his fair share of dominant seasons was Sebastian Vettel. The German won four consecutive championships between 2010 and 2013, with the 2011 and 2013 F1 seasons being particularly one-sided. But first, let’s discuss his other two. His maiden title came following an epic four-way title fight that went right down to the wire, but it was the young German upstart who benefited from poor strategic calls from the pit walls of teammate Mark Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Two years later, he would go toe-to-toe with Alonso once more and again he would get the better of his more experienced Spanish rival, triumphing after charging from the back of the grid at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

But his other two championships were won in fashion so dominant that many thought it would never be replicated again. In 2011, he won 11 races out of 19 and finished 122 points ahead of his nearest rival, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button. In 2013, he won 13 races out of 19 – including nine in a row in the second half of the campaign – finishing 155 points ahead of Alonso in second place. He had the title wrapped up with three races to spare and he remains the youngest driver to win four consecutive titles exactly a decade on.

Sebastian Vettel 2011 & 2013: In 2011, Vettel won 11 races and finished on the podium in all but one race. In 2013, he won 13 races and secured the championship with three races to spare. Vettel’s dominance was the result of a near-perfect combination of a brilliant driver, a dominant team, and a well-designed car.