Not All Records Are Made To Be Broken
The history of Formula One racing is replete with records of all kinds. Some will undoubtedly be broken one day, while others (both good and bad) look like they are here to stay.
Biggest Margin Of Victory
The weather conditions at the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix were so brutal that only 8 of the 20 drivers who started the race finished it. F1 legend Jim Clark found himself an astounding 4 minutes and 54 seconds ahead of the second-place car when he hit that checkered flag.
But if you thought eight cars finishing a race was low, check out the next record.
Fewest Number Of Cars To Finish A Race
Olivier Panis battled some tough conditions to win the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, coming in ahead of David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert to round out the podium. And that's it. Only 3 cars finished the race.
David Merrett, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Race Entries
Okay, so technically this one is definitely going to be broken—but only by the driver who currently holds the record. At 395 total entries (or more by the time you read this), Fernando Alonso is almost 50 race entries in front of the closest active driver, Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso is still racing and adding to his number, and wherever he ends up at the end of his career, that number should stand for a long, long time.
Ann64, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Race Starts
The current number is 392. Again it's Fernando Alonso—and again, whatever number he eventually ends at will likely never be matched.
Zach Catanzareti, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Oldest Driver To Start A Race
Louis Chiron was 55 years, 292 days old when he started the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix—finishing in 6th place.
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Picryl
Oldest World Champion
Juan Manuel Fangio became world champion in 1957 at the age of 47. To put that in perspective: Fernando Alonso is 43. Do you see him winning a world championship 5 years from now? Lewis Hamilton is 39. Will he be atop the F1 world in nine years?
Museo Juan Manuel Fangio, Wikimedia Commons
Youngest Driver To Start A Race
Max Verstappen was 17 years, 166 days old when he made his F1 debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. Shortly after that, the FIA made some changes to the rules regarding Super Licenses—which sets the minimum age at 18. There is the possibility of exceptions being made, but Verstappen's record seems pretty safe.
As does this next one.
Stefan Brending, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Youngest Race Winner
Verstappen was 18 years, 228 days old when he won his first race, the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Given the new rules regarding Super Licenses this record also seems safe.
Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Closest Race Finish
At the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, Peter Gethin beat Ronnie Peterson in a photo finish by 0.01 seconds. It's hard to get closer than that!
Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Closest Pole Position Times
In 1997, during the qualifying session for a race Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all set the exact same qualifying time of 1:21.072 (having set the time first, Villeneuve earned pole position). Then it happened again in 2024 at the Canadian Grand Prix, when George Russell and Max Verstappen both qualified with the exact same time again: 1:12.000.
Since you can't get closer than 0.000 seconds difference, this record literally can't ever be broken.
picture alliance, Getty Images
Most Races With A Single Engine Manufacturer
Lewis Hamilton started 347 races with Mercedes as the manufacturer of his engine. In second place is Kimi Räikkönen and Ferrari at 209.
Race Win From Furthest Back Grid Position
John Watson won the 1983 United States Grand Prix after starting the race in the 22nd position on the grid. This feels like a safe record regardless, but it's made even more so by the fact that these days, there aren't even 22 cars on the grid. First F1 would have to accept a new team into the fold and then there would have to be an amazing comeback. We don't like those odds.
Total Wins
The unbreakability of this record comes down to the math. Currently Lewis Hamilton stands at 105 F1 wins with Max Verstappen being the closest active driver behind him, with 61 victories to his name. Now, Hamilton does have about 150 more races under his belt, but both drivers have a career winning percentage of just over 30%.
If that holds up, then Verstappen is looking at around 30 more wins in his next 150 races, which would still leave him behind Hamilton (who, for his part, still has more victories in him).
Alistair Rickman, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Wins From Pole Position
Hamilton has 61 wins from the pole position, compared to 32 for Verstappen. The number Hamilton ends his career at is even less likely to ever be surpassed than whatever his overall wins total is.
Total Pole Positions
Lewis Hamilton has earned 104 pole positions in his career. That's 36 more than second place Michael Schumacher and 64 more than the best driver today, Max Verstappen. Verstappen and Schumacher combined barely surpass what Hamilton has done on his own thus far in his career.
Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Poles Without Ever Leading A Lap
You'd think that a car fast enough to earn the pole position in a race would also be able to lead at least one lap in said race. But Teo Fabi knows that isn't always the case. In fact, Fabi took the pole position three times back in the 80s, and in each case he was unable to lead even a single lap in all three races.
Juanjoyutu, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Laps Led Without A Win
Chris Amon has some impressive stats to his name—including taking five pole positions and leading a total of 183 laps during his F1 career. However, none of those accomplishments ever ended in a race victory.
Consecutive Retirements
Andrea de Cesaris went 22 straight races without making it to the end of the race. This is a record no one wants to break—and with the improvements and advancements in technology and construction, we're pretty confident no one ever will.
Longest Race
Including the 2-hour long rain delay, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix went for just over 4 Hours and 4 Minutes. Since then, the rules have been changed to mandate races go no longer than three hours, thus solidifying the aforementioned race's place in the record books.
Mark McArdle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Wins In A Season
Max Verstappen certainly impressed in 2022 when he won 15 races. But it was the following year when he stood atop the podium 19 times that he set a record that will stand for quite some time (if not forever).
Which leads us into our next record...
Governo do Estado de São Paulo, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Consecutive Wins
Of those 19 victories in 2023, Verstappen won a record 10 in a row: Miami, Monaco, Spanish, Canadian, Austrian, British, Hungarian, Belgian, Dutch, Italian.
Highest Winning Percentage In A Season
There were 22 races in that 2023 season, giving Verstappen an 86.36% winning percentage that year. As the number of races grow, maybe, just maybe, someone will come along and eventually get more than 19 wins. But surpassing 86.36%....we doubt it!
While we're on the subject of percentages...
Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Highest Percentage Of Podium Finishes In A Season
Going back to Max Verstappen's dream 2023 season, he finished on the podium in 21 of 22 races. That's pretty amazing, but as far as percentages go, it's only the second-best performance ever. The top spot goes to Michael Schumacher's 2002 season when he reached the podium in 17 of 17 races. You can't beat 100%.
Nicolas Bachmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Cars To Start A Race
Back in the early days of F1 there were fewer technical regulations and there weren't any limits on how many cars a team could enter into a race. That explains why the 1953 German Grand Prix saw 34 cars hit the starting line.
Fewest Races Before Getting First Win
Giuseppe Farina, Johnnie Parsons, and Giancarlo Baghetti all got their first F1 wins in their very first races.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Winning Percentage (With At Least 15 Starts)
Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio was the most dominant driver of the 1950s—winning 24 of the 51 races he started for a rather unbelievable 47.06% career winning percentage.
That isn't the only percentage record we think Fangio will always have either.
National Archives of Norway, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Percentage Fastest Laps (At Least 15 Starts)
Of those 51 races he started, Juan Manuel Fangio had the fastest lap in 23 of them. That's 45.10%. No one else has ever even reached the 40% mark.
rockandball, Wikipedia Commons
Number Of Races Led Every Lap
Lewis Hamilton has won 23 races in which he led every single lap of the race. That's four more than second place icon Ayrton Senna who did it 19 times (albeit in about 180 fewer races). Michael Schumacher only did it 11 times, and the closest active driver is Max Verstappen at 13.
Instituto Ayrton, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Races Before First Win
Sergio Pérez started 190 F1 races before getting his first win at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. No one else in the history of the sport has started more than 150 races before getting their first victory.
Marc Alvarado, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Consecutive Race Finishes
From the 2018 British Grand Prix to the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton finished 48 straight races, smashing the previous record of 34 set by Daniel Ricciardo from the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix to the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix. Verstappen has come the closest to the record since, with 43 straight finishes, but his failure to reach it makes Hamilton's record seem that much more unbeatable.
Jen Ross, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Most Starts Without A Point
Luca Badoer started 50 races without earning one single point.
Antiuser, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Shortest Distance Raced In Career
Ernest Loof only had one F1 race—the 1953 German Grand Prix. He started back in 31st position and an issue with the fuel pump at the start saw his car jump forward a couple meters and come to a stop. That was it for Loof.
Alf van Beem, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
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