Most F1 world drivers' title wins: Hamilton, Schumacher, Senna - in pictures

A look at who leads the way in Formula One championship victories

MOST F1 DRIVERS' TITLES 2 - Fernando Alonso (2005, 2006): The Spanish driver lifted the title two years on the spin with Renault. The first wih 133 points with Kimi Raikkonen second (112) and Michael Schumacher (62) third. The following campaign he secured 134 points finishing ahead of Schumacher (121) and Felipe Massa (80). AFP

2 wins - Mika Hakkinen (1998, 1999): The flying Finn won two titles on the spin, both with McLaren-Mercedes. The first, he finished with 100 points, 14 clear of Michael Schumacher, the second with 76 points, just two ahead of Eddie Irvine. AFP

2 wins - Emerson Fittipaldi (1972, 1974): The Brazilian Lotus-Ford driver secured his first title after finishing on 61 points, 16 clear of Jackie Stewart. The second, with McLaren, he led the way with 55 points, three ahead of Clay Regazzoni. AP

2 wins - Jim Clark (1963, 1965): For his first title, the British Lotus-Climax driver won seven races that season - a record not matched until Alain Prost in 1984 - finishing 25 points ahead of Graham Hill. Two years later, he pushed Hill back into second place again. Getty

2 wins - Graham Hill (1962, 1968): For his first title, the British BRM driver came out on top in season-long battle with countryman Jim Clark. Six years later, driving for Lotus-Climax, Hill would take the honours again, with Jackie Stewart second.

2 wins - Alberto Ascari (1952, 1953): The Italian guided his Ferrari to victory two years on the trot becoming the first driver to successfully defend his title. Allsport

3 wins - Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991): The fearless Brazilian secured three titles in four years, holding off the challenge of McLaren rival Alain Prost in '88 and '90, with Nigel Mansell finishing second in '91. He would later admit to deliberately colliding with Prost in the penultimate race in '88 that would clinch him the title. Reuters

3 wins - Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983, 1987): Three wins in seven years for the Brazilian, the first two for Brabham, the last with Williams. He won the first two titles by just one and two points - over Carlos Reutemann and Alain Prost, repectively. Getty

3 wins - Niki Lauda (1975, 1977, 1984): The Austrian driver destoyed the opposition in '75 and '77 as his lightning quick Ferrari won the title over Jody Scheckter both years by by 19.5 and 17 points, respectively. A thrilling battle with Alain Prost in '84 saw Lauda take the title by just half a point. AP

3 wins - Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971, 1973): The British driver sealed his first title with Matra-Ford by 26 points over Jacky Ickx. He won his other two titles with Tyrrell - the first ahead of Ronnie Peterson by 29 points, then Emerson Fittipaldi by 16. Getty.

3 wins - Jack Brabham (1959, 1960, 1966): The Australian racing legend won his first two titles in a driving a Cooper-Climax, the first by four points ahead of Tony Brooks, the second finishing six points in front of Bruce McLaren. His final title came in a car of his own manufacture - Brabham-Repco - as he ended the season 14 points clear of John Surtees. AFP

4 wins - Sebastian Vettel (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013): The German driver became the youngest champion in F1 history - aged 23 years, 134 days - when he won his first title with Red Bull, finishing four points ahead of Fernando Alonso. The last race in Abu Dhabi had been the first time Vettel had led the championship that season. Christopher Pike / The National

4 wins - Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993): The French driver's most controversial title came in '89 when, in the penultimate race of the season in Japan, he collided with McLaren teammate Ayrton Senna in an incident that ended with the Brazilian disqualified for missing a chicane following the crash and the championship handed to Prost. AFP

5 wins - Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957): The Argentine would dominate the first decade of F1 and his record of five titles - with four different teams; Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Maserati - would stand for a remarkable 46 years.

7 wins - Lewis Hamilton (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020): The British driver became the youngest ever world champion - aged 23 years, 300 days - when he held off the challenge of Felipe Massa to take the title by one point. His last title came in 2020 - his fourth in a row - when he beat Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by a whopping 124 points after winning 11 out of 17 races. Getty

7 wins - Michael Schumacher (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004): The German great won his first title with Benetton in controversial fashion. During the final race in Australia, he collided with title rival Damon Hill taking them both out of the race, handing Schumacher the championship. His final title came in '04 when he dominated with Ferrari from start to finish, winning 13 out of 18 races. AFP

The battle to become this season's Formula One drivers' champion has a familiar face leading the charge after nine races.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen lifted the title in dramatic fashion last time out when he overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in what was a thrilling and controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

It was the Dutch driver's first championship and it looks like he will be the one to beat this time round. Verstappen currently leads the standing with 175 points, 46 clear of teammate Sergio Perez.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is third on 126 points, 15 ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.

Russell's superstar teammate Lewis Hamilton has endured a tough campaign so far, with the team struggling to solve his car's porpoising problems that have left the Briton sixth in the standings, 98 points behind Verstappen.

Next up is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, won last year by Hamilton in controversial circumstances when the reigning champion was involved in an early crash with title rival Verstappen that saw the Dutchman taken to hospital.

In the gallery above, you can see who has won the most drivers' championships since the first season in 1950. To move on to the next image, click on the arrows, or if you're using a mobile device, simply swipe.