The car
Giuseppe Farina used to claim the first World Drivers' Championship in 1950 (left) and the vehicle
Max Verstappen drove to win the 2023 title (right)
A total of 74 World Championship seasons of
Formula One (F1) have been run.[1] F1 is the highest form of
open wheeledauto racing series regulated by the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.[2] The "formula" in the name alludes to a series of rules established by the FIA to which all participants and vehicles are required to conform.[2][3] The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as
Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built
circuits, and in a few cases on
closed city streets;[4] the most prestigious of the street circuits is the
Monaco Grand Prix.[5] As of 2021[update], the sporting regulations established by the FIA's Statutes state that the minimum number of events needed to form a F1 season is 8.[6][7] The season can be declared a World Championship if F1 visits at least 3 continents in that season according to the
International Sporting Code.[8] The World Championship rule can be declared invalid if the FIA grants F1 an waiver for its "long‐established use of the word 'World'."[8] Each season throughout F1 history has consisted of between 7 and 22 Grands Prix,[a][10] and the regulations are regularly amended to enable an increase of the maximum number of permitted races each year.[2][11]
The
World Drivers' Championship is awarded to the most successful
F1 driver over the course of the season, as determined by a
points system based on Grand Prix results,[12] and has been awarded since the first F1 season in 1950.[13] The championship is the successor of the pre-war
AIACR European Championship held between 1931 and 1939.[14] The
World Constructors' Championship is awarded to the most successful
Formula One constructor over the course of the season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results.[12] The Constructors' Championship was first awarded as the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers in
1958, and its current name was adopted in
1981.[15][16] Different combinations of chassis and engine makes are considered to be different constructors for the purposes of the Championship. Constructors' Championship points are calculated by adding points scored in each race by any driver for that constructor.[12] Up until
1979, most seasons saw only the highest-scoring driver in each race for each constructor contributing points towards the Championship.[17] On only 11 occasions has the World Constructors' Champion team not contained the World Drivers' Champion for that season.[1][18]
As of the
2024 Chinese Grand Prix,[update] a total of 1,106 Formula One World Championship races have been held in 34 countries.[b][10][20] Over 73 seasons, there have been 34 participants from 15 different nationalities who have won the World Drivers' Championship, with
Michael Schumacher and
Lewis Hamilton tied for the record for the highest number of titles won with seven. Over 64 seasons, 15 teams representing 5 individual nations that have claimed the World Constructors' Championship, with
Ferrari winning more titles than any other squad with 16. Seasons which were run to F1 rules prior to the inaugural World Championship season in 1950 and those that were part of each of the
British Formula One Championship and the
South African Formula One Championship are not included in this list.[1][18]
Seasons
List of Formula One World Championship seasons[1][10][18]
^The
Indianapolis 500 was not a "Grand Prix" but was included as a round of the World Championship from 1950 to 1960.[9]
^The Formula One standard was agreed upon in 1946 with the world championship formalised the following year before the first season in 1950.[19]
^The 1976 Argentine Grand Prix was due to begin the
1976 Formula One season but it was cancelled as a result of economical and political unrest in Argentina.[21]
^McLaren scored 218 points but were excluded from the championship because of the team's involvement in the
2007 Formula One espionage controversy. Before that, the team did not score 15 points for finishing first and fourth because one of its drivers
Fernando Alonso was deemed to have delayed his teammate
Lewis Hamilton enough during a
pit stop to prevent him from setting a lap time in qualifying for the
Hungarian Grand Prix.[22]
^The 2020 season was scheduled to feature 22 races before the
COVID-19 pandemic forced 13 race cancellations and the addition of new events to the calendar.[24]
^COVID-19 restrictions meant the 2021 season featured 22 races instead of a planned 23 with the addition of new Grands Prix and the cancellation of five planned events.[25]
^Due to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the following suspension of the
Russian Grand Prix, the 2022 season featured 22 races instead of the originally planned 23 races, the FIA deciding not to replace the suspended Grand Prix.[26]
^Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions in China that forced the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, the season was expected to feature 23 races instead of the originally planned 24 events, the FIA deciding not to replace the event.[27] The
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was later cancelled due to
torrential rain and floods in
Emilia-Romagna, further reducing the calendar to an expected 22 races.[28]
Arron, Simon; Dodgins, Tony (2022). Formula One: The Pinnacle: The Pivotal Events That Made Formula 1 Motorsport's Greatest Series. Brighton, England: Ivy Press.
ISBN978-0-7112-7420-4.