Ranking The 10 Worst F1 Champions in History

If you eagerly want to know who are the F1 Champions you have the most chance to beat while racing in your neighbourhood you are at the right place.

Before we get started let’s explain the methodolgy we used in order to create this ranking.

The Methodology

We gathered 8 statistics about the 33 World Champions in history.

• Number of titles
• Number of wins
• Number of poles
• Win ratio: the number of wins divided by the number of starts
• Pole ratio: the number of poles divided by the number of starts
• Championship ratio: number of seasons where the drivers won divided by the total number of seasons raced
• Total numbers of points scored. This is adjusted for all drivers to the latest system (2019 + fastest lap)
• Our own competition level index.

This last stat reflects the level of competition the driver faced while racing. It is obvious that a driver who raced between 1985 and 1993 with Prost, Senna and Piquet would have had more trouble winning.

For all the metrics, we gave all 33 World Champs a rank between 1 and 33. 33 points for the top drivers in that category and 1 point for the worst. We then added all 8 numbers and obtained a score on 264. We ranked the 33 Champs according to this system and picked the 10 worst drivers.

We gathered the stats from Wikipedia and we adjusted the total points scored by each driver according to the latest point system by using this site.

Before we start, you have also to factor in that among the 33 World Champs only 16 have won multiple titles. Being in the list of the 10 worst F1 champs in history might actually be not to so bad considering the number of Champs in history.

10 – Giuseppe Farina

First winner in 1950 of the Silverstone Grand Prix, Farina was also the first World Champ in history. He is hurt in our rankings by the era in which he raced that we considered to be an era with low competition. He is also boosted by the fact that his career was short: he only raced in F1 for 5 years. This gives him a high pole and win-ratio.

Farina started in F1 with Alfa Romeo in the 50s and went on to win the first title of the sport. He was then quickly outpaced by Ascari and Fangio and was forced to exit the competition in 1955 due to his age. His short career is the reason why he has scored few points, poles and victories.

9 – Jenson Button

Jenson Button’s Stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	5,6 %	1
Number of Wins	15	17
Number of Poles	8	10
Win Ratio	4,9 %	2
Pole Ratio	2,6 %	2
Total Numbers of Points Scored	1845	26
Competition Level	6	22
Total Score		97

On number 9 we have Jenson Button. It is hard to have an objective view on Jenson Button. He won only 1 title in 2009 in 18 years of F1 racing. Some say he won it only because he was racing with Brawn GP. The car he had then was equipped with the infamous double-diffuser which gave it a definitive advantage over the competition. He is hurt in our ranking by the long career he had in F1 and by the low numbers of wins and poles he has to show for it.

Jenson Button was also particularly brilliant at times. For instance, during the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, he went from last to first in 30 laps under the rain. It was truly amazing.

8 – Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	9 %	7
Number of Wins	11	10
Number of Poles	13	14
Win Ratio	6,8 %	7
Pole Ratio	8,0 %	11
Total Numbers of Points Scored	861	13
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		97

Jacques Villeneuve had a very promising career when he first entered F1 in 1996. He had the pole on his first race with the dominant Williams FW18. Only 2 drivers before him had such debuts. During his first season, he was dominated only by his more experienced teammate Damon Hill. The following season in 1997, however, he won his first and only world championship by winning half the races.

After these promising debuts, he quickly showed a lack of motivation and was not able to sustain this level. Today, he is widely considered to be one of the most undeserving F1 champs in history. This is mainly due to the fact that his success was very short in time and was obtained when he had, by far, the best car of the plateau: the Adrian Newey designed Williams FW19. He is hurt in our rankings by the fact that he had only one title, few wins and a low competition rank.

7 – Alan Jones

Alan Jones’ stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	10 %	9
Number of Wins	12	12
Number of Poles	6	8
Win Ratio	10,3 %	14
Pole Ratio	5,1 %	6
Total Numbers of Points Scored	719	10
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		94

Meet the man who gave Williams its first title. After joining Williams in 1978, Alan Jones gave the team its first Drivers’ & Constructors’ Championship in 1980. Of his 10-year long career, he only spent 4 years with Williams. The rest of the time he was with smaller and less competitive teams such as Hesketh, Hill, Surtees, etc.

He is hurt in our rankings by the fact that he had a relatively long career but few wins, poles and points. Fun fact: Alan Jones and his father Stan are the only ones with Nico/Keke Rosberg and Graham/Damon Hill to ever won the Australian Grand Prix as father and son.

6 – Jody Scheckter

Jody Scheckter’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	11,1 %	12
Number of Wins	10	9
Number of Poles	3	2
Win Ratio	8,9 %	10
Pole Ratio	2,7 %	3
Total Numbers of Points Scored	899	14
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		85

There is much to say about Jody Scheckter. After impressive debuts in South Africa, he experienced a meteoric rise and started at only 22 his first F1 race for McLaren. Being young and inexperienced, he rapidly acquired the reputation of being a dangerous driver prone to collisions. In 1973 during the French Grand Prix, he provoked one of the biggest pile-ups in history.

He then went from McLaren to Tyrell and Wolff and from there to Ferrari in 1979. Having more experience, he won his first and only title in 1979 with Ferrari. It remained the last Ferrari title for 21 years until 2000 when Michael Schumacher won the Drivers’ Championship. He is mostly hurt in our ranking by the number of poles he had: only 2.

5 – Mike Hawthorn

Mike Hawthorn’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	20 %	22
Number of Wins	3	2
Number of Poles	4	3
Win Ratio	6,4 %	5
Pole Ratio	8,5 %	12
Total Numbers of Points Scored	450	5
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		84

Meet the legendary Mike Hawthorn. The first British driver to ever win the F1 World Championship. He started in F1 in 1953 with Ascari as his teammate and was regularly confronted to Fangio. He was never able to get the best of him and had to wait for Fangio’s retirement in 1958 in order to be champion. Phil Hill, who was his teammate in 1958, gave him his 2nd spot on the last race that year, giving Hawthorn enough points to be world champ. Fun fact: during Fangio’s last race, Hawthorn refused to lap him out of respect.

After his 1958 title, he announced his retirement due to many of his friends dying while racing. He is “saved” in our ranking by the shortness of his career in F1.

4 – Phil Hill

Phil Hill’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	12,5 %	15
Number of Wins	3	2
Number of Poles	6	8
Win Ratio	5,9 %	4
Pole Ratio	11,8 %	15
Total Numbers of Points Scored	370	2
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		81

Hill had a short career in F1. He started in F1 in 1958 with Hawthorn as his teammate. He only raced for 51 races, 4 more than Hawthorn. Hill won the title in 1961 in tragic conditions with Ferrari following the deaths of his rivals. He then quickly lost Enzo Ferrari’s support and left F1 in 1962.

He is the world champ who won the fewest races, tied with Mike Hawthorn. He is also the second less scoring champ in history behind Jochen Rindt.

3 – Denny Hulme

Denny Hulme’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	10 %	9
Number of Wins	8	7
Number of Poles	1	1
Win Ratio	7,1 %	8
Pole Ratio	0,9 %	1
Total Numbers of Points Scored	947	16
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		77

Denny Hulme won the title in 1967. He started racing in his native New Zealand and only joined Europe after meeting and befriending Jack Brabham. when Brabham created his F1 team in 1965, he hired Hulme. Against all odds, he won the title in 1967 then joined McLaren the following year and finished his F1 career there in 1974. Hulme died while racing during the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. He had a heart attack while driving his car.

He is the World Champ with the fewest pole positions and with a dramatically low pole ratio which didn’t help in our ranking. He is not last thanks to the decent amount of points he scored.

2 – John Surtees

John Surtees’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	7,1 %	5
Number of Wins	6	6
Number of Poles	8	10
Win Ratio	4,9 %	3
Pole Ratio	6,6 %	8
Total Numbers of Points Scored	662	8
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		75

John Surtees is the only F1 Champion who is also a motorcycling World Champion. After winning 7 titles in motorcycling in 10 years, he decided to join F1 in 1960. On his second F1 race, he finished second just behind Jack Brabham. Showing some skill, he is hired by Ferrari in 1963. In 1964, he won his only title with them.

Overall, he had a long career in F1 lasting 14 years but only won 6 races which gives him a low win-ratio. He also raced in an era deemed not to competitive. He is widely seen as one of the worst F1 champions in history. It is time now to discover our winner.

1 – Keke Rosberg

Keke Rosberg’s stats	Value	Rank
Number of Titles	1	17
Percentage of Seasons Won	11,1 %	12
Number of Wins	5	4
Number of Poles	5	5
Win Ratio	4,4 %	1
Pole Ratio	4,4 %	5
Total Numbers of Points Scored	592	6
Competition Level	4	18
Total Score		68

Meet the 1982 World Champion with his incredible moustache. Keke Rosberg is considered by most to be the worst Wold Champion history. Rightfully so, a strong case could be made to prove this point. He is the World Champ with the lowest win-ratio. He only won 5 races in his 9-year long career. This is clearly not great.

Rosberg started his career in F1 late, at only 33. Following a series of random events, he ended up as the first driver of one of the best team at the time: Williams. First, Frank Williams hoped to convince Alan Jones not to retire in 1981. Since he failed to do so, he had no choice but to hire Rosberg for the season. Then, after the second Grand Prix, Carlos Reutemann brutally withdrew from the competition leaving the first driver spot to Rosberg. He then had even more (bad) luck when, the favourite and leader of the drivers’ championship, Gilles Villeneuve died in 1982. Rosberg won it all by default.

Fun fact : he is the father of 2016 World Champ Nico Rosberg.