The carGiuseppe Farina used to claim the first World Drivers' Championship in 1950 (left) and the vehicleMax Verstappen drove to win the 2024 title (right)
A total of 75 World Championship seasons ofFormula One (F1) have been run.[1] F1 is the highest form ofopen wheeledauto racing series regulated by theFédération 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 asGrands Prix, held usually on purpose-builtcircuits, and in a few cases onclosed city streets;[4] the most prestigious of the street circuits is theMonaco 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 theInternational Sporting Code.[8] The World Championship rule can be declared invalid if the FIA grants F1 a waiver for its "long‐established use of the word 'World'."[8] Each season throughout F1 history has consisted of between 7 and 24 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]
TheWorld Drivers' Championship is awarded to the most successfulF1 driver over the course of the season, as determined by apoints 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-warAIACR European Championship held between 1931 and 1939.[14] TheWorld Constructors' Championship is awarded to the most successfulFormula 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 in1958, and its current name was adopted in1981.[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 until1979, most seasons saw only the highest-scoring driver in each race for each constructor contributing points towards the Championship.[17] On only 12 occasions has the World Constructors' Champion team not contained the World Drivers' Champion for that season.[1][18]
As of the2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix,[update] a total of 1,147 Formula One World Championship races have been held in 34 countries.[b][10][20] Over 75 seasons, there have been 34 participants from 15 different nationalities who have won the World Drivers' Championship, withMichael Schumacher andLewis Hamilton tied for the record for the highest number of titles won with seven. Over 68 seasons, 15 teams representing 5 individual nations that have claimed the World Constructors' Championship, withFerrari winning more titles than any other team 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 theBritish Formula One Championship and theSouth African Formula One Championship are not included in this list.[1][18]
^TheIndianapolis 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 the1976 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 the2007 Formula One espionage controversy. Before that, the team did not score 15 points for finishing first and fourth because one of its driversFernando Alonso was deemed to have delayed his teammateLewis Hamilton enough during apit stop to prevent him from setting a lap time in qualifying for theHungarian.[22]
^The 2020 season was scheduled to feature 22 races before theCOVID-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 the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the following suspension of theRussian 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] TheEmilia Romagna Grand Prix was later cancelled due totorrential rain and floods inEmilia-Romagna, further reducing the calendar to 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.
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Media related toFormula One seasons at Wikimedia Commons
