5 F1 world champions who become team owners

There have been many legendary drivers who have graced F1 ever since its first Grand Prix in 1950.

It is safe to say that the mindset of a racer can be vastly different from that of a team owner running the entire operation. However, there have been a few world champions who have gone ahead to lead their very own team in the single-seater world championship.

Here are some of the legendary F1 world championship winners who have owned teams in the past.

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#1 Alain Prost - Prost Grand Prix F1 team (1997 to 2001)

Even when he was in the sport as a driver, the seed of owning a team was already growing in Alain Prost's mind. During his time as a driver, Prost tried to build a team but failed due to a lack of sponsor support.

A few years after retiring from the sport, the four-time world champion bought the Ligier team from Flavio Briatore and renamed it to 'Prost Grand Prix', essentially becoming a team owner.

In its first season in 1997, Olivier Panis brought the team's first and only podium by finishing third in Brazil. Since then, the Prost Grand Prix has suffered a plethora of retirements and poor performances from 1998 to 2001.

Eventually, the team went bankrupt at the start of 2002, leaving Prost in chains of debt worth $30,000,000.

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#2 Sir Jackie Stewart - Stewart Grand Prix F1 team (1997 to 1999)

Sir Jackie Stewart also had a team back in the late 1990s that has a fascinating timeline in the sport, mainly because it still exists in the current F1 grid and is heavily dominant.

After almost 25 years since his last F1 race, three-time world champion Stewart co-founded the Stewart Grand Prix team with his son Paul Stewart in 1997.

Although the team was backed by Ford, its first two seasons were heavy, apart from a surprising podium finish in the Monaco GP, where Rubens Barrichello finished second. The team only enjoyed one race win at the hands of Johnny Herbert in 1999, which was also the team's last year in the sport.

The short-lived F1 team quickly converted into Jaguar Racing after Ford increased its interest in the sport and bought the team in 2000. However, due to poor results, the team was sold to Red Bull in 2005, which marked the start of the Red Bull Racing team.

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#3 Emerson Fittipaldi - Fittipaldi Automotive F1 team (1975 to 1982)

The story of Emerson Fittipaldi's team is quite shocking since he was the only multiple world champion to leave McLaren to create his very own team as a defending champion.

After winning his second title with McLaren in 1974, he shockingly left the team and co-founded the Fittipaldi Automotive team with his brother Wilson Fittipaldi. The team was heavily backed by a Brazilian company, Copersucar.

After the first five seasons of poor performances and a handful of points, Fittipaldi Automotive's best season was in 1980, where both Emerson and Keke Rosberg bagged one podium each by finishing third in Argentina and Spain.

Unfortunately, the Fittipaldi brothers ran out of money and had to shut down the team in 1983.

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#4 Graham Hill - Embassy Hill F1 team (1973 to 1975)

Graham Hill is considered a legend in motorsports since he is the only driver to have achieved the triple crown in racing, which is winning all three of the most iconic races - the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the latter stages of his career, the two-time world champion decided to build his very own team Embassy Racing, and compete in the single-seater racing series. Unfortunately, it is the least successful team on this list since it hardly scored any points and was unable to compete in most races.

It was a very short-lived team since Hill, along with several other important figures of the team, had a fatal aircraft crash in late 1975. Everyone on the aircraft lost their lives.

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#5 Jack Brabham - Brabham (1962-1992)

Jack Brabham's story is also a fascinating one since he is the only F1 driver who won a world championship with his own team.

The three-time world champion co-founded his team in 1960 with British car designer Ron Tauranac, right after clinching his second title. He left Cooper to race for his own team from 1962 to 1970, winning his third and final world title in 1966 in a car with his name on it.

The team went on to enjoy four drivers' and two constructors' world championships between 1961 and 1992.