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It is the dream of every F1 driver to win at least one race in their career but sadly not every driver that races at the pinnacle of motorsport can realize their dreams. Currently, 13 drivers of the 20 on the grid have tasted the champagne at the top spot of the podium.
Among the current F1 drivers, some got their first win instantly while others had to wait years, and in some cases almost a decade, to register their first race win. Below is the list of the drivers ranked as per the number of podiums it took for them to win their first race:
#1 Max Verstappen - First F1 podium
Max Verstappen's first podium happened to be his first race win which would go down in F1 folklore, given the circumstances. The Dutch driver became the youngest race winner in the sport, following his mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso to replace Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull.
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Aged 18, Verstappen took no time to acclimatize himself to the Austrian team and was on it from the get-go, taking full advantage of the team's strategy and the clash between the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg on Lap 1.
#2 Esteban Ocon - second F1 podium
Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon achieved his lifelong goal in just his second podium appearance at the Hungarian GP in 2021. He had previously been on the podium at the 2020 Sakhir GP, where he finished P2.
The Frenchman had a lucky start to the race where he avoided all the carnage at Turn 1 and emerged in second position, which later became P1 after Lewis Hamilton had to pit at a restart. Ocon then held off a charging Sebastian Vettel to take a dramatic race win.
#3 Pierre Gasly - Second F1 podium
Ocon's current teammate at Alpine, Pierre Gasly, too inherited his first race win in similar circumstances while driving for AlphaTauri at the Italian GP in 2020. The Frenchman got his first podium at the 2019 Brazilian GP, where he finished P2.
At the 2020 Italian GP, he capitalized on a mid-race safety car that took Hamilton to the back of the field. Gasly then held off the challenge from Carlos Sainz to get an emotional first victory.
#4 Daniel Ricciardo - Third F1 podium
Daniel Ricciardo displayed his now legendary overtaking skills at the 2014 Canadian GP and got his first race win on the third time of asking. After he was disqualified from P2 in Australia, the then-Red Bull driver got his first podium in Spain and followed it up with one at Monaco.
He took every opportunity starting from P5 in Montreal and overtook the likes of his teammate Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez, Felipe Massa, and finally Nico Rosberg to take his first victory.
#5 Fernando Alonso - 4 F1 podiums
Fernando Alonso had already showcased glimpses of his talent during the 2003 season and had taken podiums in Malaysia, Brazil, and Spain before he converted his pole position at the Hungaroring to a first race win.
The then-Renault driver had proved his mettle in only his second full season in the sport and justified the French team taking a punt at him to replace Jenson Button.
#6 Oscar Piastri - 4 F1 podiums
Oscar Piastri became the latest new race winner in the sport after he won the 2024 Hungarian GP from his teammate Lando Norris in controversial fashion. The Aussie had previously taken podiums in Japan and Qatar in 2023, Austria, and Monaco this year.
He made a brilliant start from P2 to take the lead from Norris and held off any further challenge for most of the race, though he came out second behind the latter after a pit-stop. The team then ordered Norris to give Piastri the lead on the final laps.
#7 Charles Leclerc - 5 podiums
Charles Leclerc took his first race win in difficult circumstances, as he lost his friend Anthoine Hubert a day prior to the victory at the 2019 Belgian GP.
The Ferrari driver had come close to winning his maiden race in Bahrain and Austria and took more podiums in France, Silverstone, and Canada before the victory in Spa to emerge as a rising star in the sport.
#8 Lewis Hamilton - 6 podiums
The 2007 season will surely go down as the greatest rookie season in F1 history as the then-McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton announced his talent to the world of motorsport.
He started his career with nine podiums from 10 races and converted his sixth podium at Montreal into a race win. He followed up that achievement by then promptly winning in Indianapolis in the next race.
#9 George Russell - 9 podiums
The Mercedes F1 driver capped off a remarkable debut season with the German team after he claimed his first and the team's only race win of the 2022 season at the iconic Interlagos track.
George Russell had an answer to every question posed by his rivals to convert his eighth podium of the season, his ninth overall, to take home the top prize.
#10 Sergio Perez - 10th F1 podium
It took almost a decade for Sergio Perez to win his first race in F1, with the 2020 Sakhir GP, having made his debut in 2011. The Mexican, called by some as the "king of midfield" for most of his career, converted his 10th podium in the sport to take the victory in dramatic fashion.
He found himself last at the end of Turn 1 but showcased tremendous grit to make his way through the field and give meaning to tireless years of work in the midfield, eventually earning a slot at Red Bull in 2021.
#11 Valtteri Bottas - 12th podium
The then-Mercedes F1 driver took his first race win in the sport on his 80th race start and 12th podium in the sport at the 2017 Russian GP, holding off a charging Sebastian Vettel.
The Finnish driver earned a promotion to the world champions after an excellent stint at the Williams F1 team from 2013 to 2017.
#12 Carlos Sainz - 12th podium
Carlos Sainz was able to convert his 12th podium of his F1 career after he won a dramatic British GP in 2022. The Ferrari driver started the race from pole position but lost the lead to Max Verstappen and later to his teammate Charles Leclerc.
But he managed to regain the race lead on the final laps after a favorable strategy, to finally taste the champagne on his 150th start.
#13 Lando Norris - 16th F1 podium
The McLaren F1 driver finally won the first race at the Miami this year to justify his talent and shut down the "Lando NoWins" taunts.
Lando Norris got a bit lucky with the timing of the safety car to inherit the race lead but once in front, he pulled away from Max Verstappen and took the chequered flag.
