List Of Formula One World Drivers' Champions
The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC) is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to the most successful Formula One racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1950, to Giuseppe Farina. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Alberto Ascari, in 1952 and 1953. The current Drivers' Champion is Sebastian Vettel, who won his first World Championship in 2010 and successfully defended it in 2011 and 2012. He is the second German to win the title, after Michael Schumacher.
A driver becomes the World Champion as soon as it is no longer mathematically possible for another to obtain more points than he has, even if the former driver were to not compete in the remaining races of the season, and the latter to score the maximum number of points possible. The Drivers' Championship has been won in the final race of the season 25 times in the 61 seasons it has been awarded. The earliest in a season that the Drivers' Championship has been clinched was in 2002, when Michael Schumacher secured the title with six races remaining.
Overall, thirty two different drivers have won the Championship, with German Michael Schumacher holding the record for most titles, at seven. Schumacher also holds the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, winning five from 2000 to 2004. The United Kingdom has produced the most World Championship winning drivers with ten; Brazil and Finland are next with three each. Of the 32 drivers to win the World Championship, 21 are still alive. The most recently deceased is Phil Hill (1927–2008).
Read more about List Of Formula One World Drivers' Champions: By Season, By Driver, By Nationality, By Constructor, By Constructor Nationality, By Engine, By Tyre Manufacturer
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