How Many F1 Drivers Are There? (Covering Historic & Current)
During the 2023 F1 Season, there are 20 drivers on the grid, two for each team. There are 10 teams in total, and two extra drivers for the AlphaTauri team who replaced two of their drivers mid season.
In short, Daniel Ricciardo from AlphaTauri replaced Nyck de Vries and was then replaced himself by Liam Lawson after breaking his hand during free practice.
Most likely Ricciardo will return after the Singapore Grand Prix and race the rest of the season. Depending on how that goes, who knows where he will end up next year?
His aim surely has to be the main Red Bull team! Let's dive in and answer the question: how many F1 drivers are there...
What Is the Total Number of Drivers in F1 History?
The total number of drivers in Formula 1 who participated in FIA-sanctioned World Championships is 775, as of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix (September 3rd 2023). The newest addition to the roster is Liam Lawson who made his debut during the Dutch Grand Prix after replacing Daniel Ricciardo for AlphaTauri.
However, there’s also the period of the Indianapolis 500, which was not sanctioned by the FIA. Adding all the drivers from that period, we end up with a total of 866 drivers.
The 866 drivers have come from 41 countries, as follows:
| Country | Number of Drivers | Number of Champions |
| United Kingdom | 162 | 10 |
| United States | 159 (only 36 if discounting Indy500 races) | 2 |
| Italy | 99 | 2 |
| France | 71 | 1 |
| West Germany | 53 | 3 |
| Brazil | 32 | 3 |
| Argentina | 25 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 24 | 0 |
| Belgium | 24 | 0 |
| South Africa | 23 | 1 |
| Japan | 21 | 0 |
| Australia | 18 | 2 |
| Netherlands | 17 | 1 |
| Austria | 16 | 2 |
| Canada | 15 | 1 |
| Spain | 15 | 1 |
| Sweden | 11 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 10 | 1 |
| Finland | 9 | 3 |
| Mexico | 6 | 0 |
| Denmark | 5 | 0 |
| Ireland | 5 | 0 |
| Monaco | 5 | 0 |
| Portugal | 5 | 0 |
| Rhodesia | 5 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 4 | 0 |
| East Germany | 4 | 0 |
| Russia | 4 | 0 |
| Venezuela | 3 | 0 |
| Colombia | 3 | 0 |
| India | 2 | 0 |
| Thailand | 2 | 0 |
| Chile | 1 | 0 |
| China | 1 | 0 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 0 |
| Hungary | 1 | 0 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 0 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 1 | 0 |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 |
| Poland | 1 | 0 |
The history of the sport is rather rich and stretches back to 1911 when the first inaugural race of the Indianapolis 500 was held.
Even though Formula One has had 41 countries participate over the years, the champions came from 15 countries, with the UK bringing the most champions to the table – 10.
How Many Current Drivers Are Past World Champions?
Out of the 20 F1 drivers participating in the 2023 Season, only three are past world champions:
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis is aged 38, who won 7 titles during the 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Seasons.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando is aged 42, who won 2 titles during the 2005 and 2006 Seasons.
Max Verstappen
Max is aged 25, who won 2 titles during the 2021 and 2022 Seasons.
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most World Drivers’ Championships won, on par with Michael Schumacher, both of them having won seven times.
Hamilton is also the second-youngest F1 driver to win a championship after Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years old during his winning 2008 Season.
He’s also the only current F1 driver to have won four consecutive F1 titles, during the 2017-2020 Seasons.
As of the 2023 Season, Lewis Hamilton also holds the record for most wins (103), most pole positions (104), and most podium finishes (195).
How Many Current Drivers Have Won a Race?
Of the current F1 drivers, only 11 have ever won a race. They are:
- Lewis Hamilton with 103 races won
- Max Verstappen with 47 wins
- Fernando Alonso with 32 wins
- Valtteri Bottas with 10 wins
- Daniel Ricciardo with 8 wins
- Sergio Perez with 6 wins
- Charles Leclerc with 5 wins
- Carlos Sainz with 1 win
- George Russell with 1 win
- Pierre Gasly with 1 win
- Esteban Ocon with 1 win
Max Verstappen is also the current World Driver’s Champion after winning the 2021 and 2022 F1 seasons in a row.
9 of the current F1 drivers have never won a Formula One race and only 3 of them have won championships before.
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most wins with 103 races won, far outstepping everyone else on the roster. He’s also one of the most experienced drivers currently driving for F1.
To summarize, the 2023 F1 Season has 20 drivers, 2 for each team, with 10 teams competing for the championship title. It's also common for teams to have replacement drivers for any lineup change if required.