When Max Verstappen clinched his first Formula 1 world title in that now-infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi showdown, the Red Bull prodigy was just 24 years and 73 days old. Impressive? Absolutely. Record-breaking? Not quite. For all the headlines and champagne spray, Verstappen still sits behind a select group of drivers who hit championship glory even earlier.
What To Know?
- Sebastian Vettel holds the record as the youngest F1 world champion at 23 years, 134 days in 2010.
- Max Verstappen was just 24 when he ended Mercedes’ dominance in 2021.
- Emerson Fittipaldi’s 1972 title made him the youngest champion for 33 years.
- Kimi Räikkönen is Ferrari’s most recent driver’s champion, winning by a single point in 2007.
The crown for F1’s youngest-ever world champion still belongs to Sebastian Vettel, who, at just 23 years and 134 days, sealed the deal at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was a fairy-tale ending to a season-long scrap with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button — and it cemented Vettel’s place in history before he was even old enough to rent a car in some countries.
Youthful champions aren’t a modern F1 story, though. From Emerson Fittipaldi’s meteoric rise in the 1970s to Fernando Alonso’s first in 2005, the sport has always been sprinkled with young guns unafraid to take on the giants of those eras. And while Hamilton came agonisingly close to stealing Vettel’s record in 2007, he’d have to settle for being the third-youngest champion when he finally won the title a year later.
Today’s grid still brims with potential history-makers. Mercedes’ teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli has several seasons to topple Vettel’s record, while the likes of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could still carve out a spot among the youngest champions ever as the realistic title contenders of 2025. But as it stands, the list of the ten youngest Formula 1 world champions below remains a roll call of precocious talent.
The 10 Youngest Formula 1 World Champions
| Pos. | Driver | First Championship Year | Age at First Title | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | 2010 | 23 years, 134 days | Red Bull Racing |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 2008 | 23 years, 300 days | McLaren |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | 2005 | 24 years, 58 days | Renault |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 2021 | 24 years, 73 days | Red Bull Racing |
| 5 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 1972 | 25 years, 273 days | Lotus |
| 6 | Michael Schumacher | 1994 | 25 years, 314 days | Benetton |
| 7 | Niki Lauda | 1975 | 26 years, 197 days | Ferrari |
| 8 | Jacques Villeneuve | 1997 | 26 years, 200 days | Williams |
| 9 | Jim Clark | 1963 | 27 years, 174 days | Lotus |
| 10 | Kimi Räikkönen | 2007 | 28 years, 4 days | Ferrari |
1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
First Championship: 2010
Age: 23 years, 134 days
Sebastian Vettel arrived at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sitting third in the 2010 Drivers’ Championship standings, 15 points behind Fernando Alonso and seven behind team-mate Mark Webber. The odds weren’t exactly in his favour, especially considering an engine failure in Korea just two races earlier had left him 25 points adrift of the championship lead.
But Vettel delivered under pressure. A dominant win in Brazil set up a title decider under the Yas Marina lights, where a mix of raw pace and a slice of fortune changed the course of F1 history. A strategic miscalculation by Ferrari left Alonso bottled up behind Renault’s Vitaly Petrov from lap 18 to the chequered flag. Alonso could do no better than seventh, Webber finished eighth, and Vettel’s victory vaulted him to the top of the standings for the very first time that season.
At just 23 years and 134 days, Vettel became Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion, taking the record from Lewis Hamilton. It was only the beginning: he went on to become the youngest-ever double (2011), triple (2012), and quadruple (2013) world champion, a streak of dominance that would define the early 2010s. His precocity was no surprise — back in 2007, he had already become F1’s youngest points scorer for BMW Sauber at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, and in 2008, the youngest polesitter and race winner with his sensational Monza triumph for Toro Rosso.
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
First Championship: 2008
Age: 23 years, 300 days
Lewis Hamilton and his first two seasons in Formula 1 were nothing short of sensational. As a rookie in 2007, he came within a single point of the title after a season-long battle with team-mate Fernando Alonso and eventual champion Kimi Räikkönen. The heartbreak of losing out in the final round only fuelled his fire — and in 2008, he returned determined to finish the job.
Hamilton entered the season finale at Interlagos with a seven-point lead over home hero Felipe Massa. The equation was simple: if Massa won, Hamilton needed to finish fifth or better to take the crown. But in true F1 fashion, nothing about the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix would be straightforward.
Starting fourth, Hamilton spent much of the race duelling with a young Sebastian Vettel. When rain began to fall on lap 63, both pitted for wet tyres — but Toyota’s Timo Glock stayed out on slicks, jumping ahead. On lap 69, Hamilton ran wide, allowing Vettel past and dropping him to sixth, out of championship-winning range. Then came the twist: as the track grew wetter, Glock struggled for grip, and on the very last lap at the penultimate Junção corner, Vettel and Hamilton both swept past.
Massa crossed the line first, sparking celebrations in the Ferrari garage — celebrations that would last just seconds. Hamilton’s late move secured him fifth place, the points he needed, and the 2008 world championship. At 23 years and 300 days, he became the youngest champion in F1 history at the time, a record he would hold until Sebastian Vettel’s triumph two years later.
3. Fernando Alonso, Renault
First Championship: 2005
Age: 24 years, 58 days
Fernando Alonso rose to Formula 1 glory. Debuting as one of the sport’s youngest drivers with Minardi in 2001, Alonso’s talent was immediately obvious. Renault snapped him up as a test driver for 2002, promoted him to a race seat in 2003, and by that year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, he became the youngest race winner in F1 history (at the time).
After a winless 2004, Alonso and Renault came out swinging in 2005, facing down the near-unstoppable combination of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. The start of the 21st century had been dominated by the German legend’s five consecutive titles, but Alonso’s early-season form was relentless: four wins from the first seven races, with only one non-podium finish in that span.
His main threat came not from Ferrari, but from Kimi Räikkönen and the lightning-fast McLaren. Yet while the Finn often had the pace, mechanical gremlins repeatedly derailed his campaign. Alonso capitalised, adding three more victories in the second half of the season. The 2005 San Marino Grand Prix — a fierce, wheel-to-wheel defensive masterclass against Schumacher — became the defining snapshot of his title year.
Clinching the championship at the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso became, at 24 years and 58 days, the youngest Formula 1 world champion since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972. He backed it up in 2006, matching Schumacher’s seven wins but outscoring him 134 points to 121, becoming the youngest-ever double champion at the time before embarking on his high-profile McLaren move in 2007.
4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
First Championship: 2021
Age: 24 years, 73 days
Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 story began with records tumbling. At just 17 years and 166 days, he became the youngest driver ever to start a Grand Prix when he debuted for Toro Rosso in 2015 — a benchmark unlikely to be matched under modern super licence rules. Just over a year later, he claimed an extraordinary debut victory for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest race winner in F1 history at 18 years and 227 days.
For years, Mercedes’ dominance kept Max Verstappen from a serious title challenge, but in 2021 the stars aligned. With Red Bull delivering a championship-calibre car and Verstappen operating at the peak of his powers, the season became a year-long duel with Lewis Hamilton. The two collided multiple times across the campaign and arrived at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix locked level on points — the first time since 1974 that the title contenders were tied heading into the final round.
For 57 of the 58 laps, Hamilton looked destined for a record-breaking eighth championship. Then, with five laps to go, Nicholas Latifi crashed, triggering a safety car. Verstappen took the opportunity to pit for fresh tyres while Hamilton stayed out. In a highly controversial decision, race director Michael Masi allowed only some lapped cars to unlap themselves and rapidly restarted the race with a single lap remaining. On old tyres, Hamilton was powerless: Verstappen swept past at Turn 5 and claimed his maiden championship in one of the most dramatic — and disputed — finishes the sport has ever seen.
At 24 years and 73 days, Verstappen became the fourth-youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. He went on to land three more consecutive titles (2022–2024), amassing 43 wins and 27 pole positions by the start of the 2025 season.
5. Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Lotus
First Championship: 1972
Age: 25 years, 273 days
In just his third season in Formula 1, Emerson Fittipaldi transformed from a promising talent into a record-breaker. Driving the iconic black-and-gold Lotus 72, the young Brazilian combined a delicate touch with razor-sharp driving, earning a reputation for calm precision and tactical intelligence that kept him clear of trouble and maximised his points haul.
Fittipaldi’s 1972 campaign was a masterclass in consistency and control. He claimed five wins from the 12 races that season, including a standout display at Monza, and finished on the podium in all but four events. His speed, coupled with Lotus’s engineering excellence, meant he wrapped up the title with two races to spare, ending the year on 61 points, well ahead of runner-up Jackie Stewart on 45.
The title also delivered Lotus the 1972 constructors’ championship and etched Fittipaldi’s name into the history books as the youngest world champion the sport had ever seen, a record he would hold for 33 years. For a driver who entered the season with just one Grand Prix win to his name, 1972 was nothing short of transformative, and the beginning of a career that would bring him a second crown just four years later.
6. Michael Schumacher, Benetton
First Championship: 1994
Age: 25 years, 314 days
The 1994 Formula 1 season was one of triumph, shadowed by tragedy. In a year marked by the fatal accidents of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola, Michael Schumacher’s third season in the sport began with relentless dominance. Driving for Benetton, the German star won six of the first seven races, seemingly cruising toward his maiden world championship.
But controversy soon followed. Disqualified from the 1994 British Grand Prix for overtaking Damon Hill on the formation lap, Schumacher also received a two-race ban, handing his Williams rival an opening. Hill capitalised, narrowing the points gap so that only one separated them heading into the final round at the Adelaide street circuit.
In Australia, Schumacher led with a narrow but decisive margin when, on lap 36, he clipped the wall at Turn 5. His Benetton suffered terminal damage, though Hill was unaware. As the Williams driver attempted an overtake at the next corner, Schumacher turned in, making heavy contact. The Benetton stopped immediately, but Hill’s car limped to the pits with broken suspension and retired soon after.
With neither driver scoring points, Schumacher’s slender one-point advantage held, sealing his first world title at 25 years and 314 days. The collision became one of F1’s most debated moments, casting a shadow over an otherwise remarkable breakthrough year for the man who would go on to become a seven-time world champion.
7. Niki Lauda, Ferrari
First Championship: 1975
Age: 26 years, 197 days
Niki Lauda’s route to Formula 1 stardom was anything but conventional. In 1971, the young Austrian famously secured his seat by taking out a bank loan, buying his way into the sport with absolute belief in his own talent. Just four years later, that gamble paid off in the biggest way possible, with a world championship for Ferrari.
The 1975 season didn’t start smoothly for Niki Lauda, but the turning point came at the fifth round, where he claimed his first win of the year. From that moment on, he was the benchmark. Three victories in the next four races gave him a commanding 22-point advantage over nearest rival Carlos Reutemann, and the title became a matter of when, not if.
Lauda sealed the championship at Monza with a measured drive to third place, delivering Ferrari’s first drivers’ crown since 1964. He signed off the year in style with a victory at Watkins Glen, ending the season 19 points clear of runner-up Emerson Fittipaldi. At 26 years and 197 days, Lauda had completed his rapid rise from self-financed hopeful to Formula 1 world champion, and the foundation was laid for one of the sport’s most remarkable careers.
8. Jacques Villeneuve, Williams
First Championship: 1997
Age: 26 years, 200 days
Jacques Villeneuve entered Formula 1 with serious credentials — the reigning IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner wasted no time proving he belonged. On debut at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, he looked set for victory until an oil leak dropped him to second behind team-mate Damon Hill. That rookie season ended with Villeneuve as runner-up in the standings, setting the stage for a title push in 1997.
With Hill out of Williams and Michael Schumacher now his chief rival, the championship went down to the wire at the 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez. Villeneuve arrived just a single point behind Schumacher and took pole position. The Ferrari driver grabbed the lead at the start, but Villeneuve stayed glued to his gearbox. On lap 48, he made his move at the tight Dry Sac corner, braking late and claiming the inside line.
As Villeneuve edged ahead — and into a championship-winning position — Schumacher turned into him. The contact ended the German’s race, but Villeneuve, nursing a damaged Williams, carried on. He let the McLarens of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard through in the closing laps, finishing third — more than enough to clinch the title.
Two weeks later, the FIA took the extraordinary step of disqualifying Schumacher from the entire 1997 championship for his role in the collision, leaving Villeneuve’s crown beyond dispute. At 26 years and 200 days, he became one of the youngest champions in F1 history, in just his second season in the sport.
9. Jim Clark, Team Lotus
First Championship: 1963
Age: 27 years, 174 days
By 1963, Jim Clark had already built a reputation as the most naturally gifted driver of his era. In his fourth Formula 1 season, the quiet Scot delivered a campaign of dominance that would set new standards for the sport. Driving the Lotus 25, Clark shrugged off a retirement in the season opener to win four of the next five races, establishing a commanding 20-point lead over John Surtees with four rounds still to run.
The title-clinching moment came at Monza. Clark knew that victory would be enough to seal the championship, and he delivered emphatically, winning by a staggering 1 minute 35 seconds over Richie Ginther. That result not only secured his maiden crown but also gave Lotus its first-ever drivers’ championship.
Clark’s 1963 statistics were extraordinary: seven wins from ten championship races, a 70% victory rate that underlined both his supreme talent and the technical brilliance of the Lotus. At 27 years and 174 days, he became the youngest-ever Formula 1 world champion at the time — a record that would stand for nearly a decade.
10. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
First Championship: 2007
Age: 28 years, 4 day
After years of near misses with McLaren, Kimi Räikkönen’s move to Ferrari in 2007 proved decisive. In his debut season with the Scuderia, the Finn found himself in a fierce three-way title fight with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton. For most of the year, it seemed the championship was slipping away — Räikkönen trailed Hamilton by 17 points with just two races remaining.
The penultimate round in China turned the battle on its head. Hamilton could have clinched the title, but McLaren kept him out too long on heavily worn tyres. As the canvas began to show through, the Briton slid wide entering the pit lane and beached his car in the gravel, retiring on the spot. Räikkönen grabbed the opportunity, winning the race and closing the gap to seven points heading into the finale at Interlagos.
In Brazil, Hamilton’s hopes unravelled almost immediately. Gearbox problems dropped him to the back on lap one, and though he recovered to seventh, it wasn’t enough. Alonso finished third, while Räikkönen, aided by team-mate Felipe Massa yielding the lead, took victory. The consecutive wins in China and Brazil meant he snatched the 2007 title by a single point, one of the narrowest margins in Formula 1 history.
At 28 years and 4 days, Räikkönen became the tenth-youngest world champion, and remains Ferrari’s most recent driver’s title winner to this day.
Seen in:
