Top 5 most successful British F1 drivers

F1 has always been a highly-followed and popular sport in the United Kingdom.

The racing culture in the UK has been quite strong and there have been many drivers who have raced in the single-seater racing series - 164 of them, to be precise. Out of all these drivers, a handful were able to perform consistently at the highest level and have clinched several race wins and championships in their time.

Here is a list of some of the most successful British drivers based on their race wins.

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List of British F1 drivers that were most successful

#5 Damon Hill

Damon Hill comes in fifth on this list with 22 F1 race wins in his career. He drove in the series from 1992 to 1999 and won his only world championship in 1996 with Williams. In 1994, he was in an intense title fight with the legendary Michael Schumacher and lost the title by just one point.

Hill has competed in 122 races in his career, won 22 of them, and secured 42 podiums. He is one of the most popular personalities in the sport since he is now a presenter for Sky Sports F1 as well.

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#4 Jim Clark

Jim Clark was one of the first British drivers to compete in Formula 1, racing in the series from 1960 to 1968. He only drove for one team - Lotus - and was extremely dominant in the mid-60s, clinching two world titles in 1963 and 1965.

In total, Clark has only competed in 73 races, but won 25 of them and bagged two world championships as well. He is one of the most respected and celebrated British drivers and has also competed in other prestigious racing series like Le Mans and the Indy 500.

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#3 Sir Jackie Stewart

When the conversation about the best British drivers comes up, Sir Jackie Stewart has always been mentioned.

From 1965 to 1973, Stewart raced in Formula 1 and was considered one of the best at his time. His main success came in the latter stages of his career, when he was driving for Matra and Tyrell. He was also one of the very few drivers who retired from F1 while he was still a defending champion.

In total, Stewart competed in 100 races and won 27 of them. He clinched three world championships, one in 1969 with Matra and two in 1971 and 1973 with Tyrell.

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#2 Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell is another extremely talented F1 driver who frequently comes up in the conversation of legendary drivers of the sport, though he only won one world championship.

Mansell started his career in a single-seater series in 1980 with Lotus but had loads of issues and had to move to Williams. With the British team, he came extremely close to winning his first championship twice, in 1986 and 1987.

After moving to Ferrari and returning to Williams, he was finally able to break the barrier and clinch his first and only title in 1992.

In his entire career, he has raced in 192 Grands Prix, out of which he won 31.

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#1 Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is by far the most successful British F1 driver, in terms of both race wins and world championships. In purely statistical comparison, he is not only miles ahead of other British racers but also ahead of most Formula 1 drivers.

Hamilton started his legendary journey in 2007, when he started racing for McLaren. Almost instantly, the world knew that he had a special gift, as he finished second in the championship, only one point behind Kimi Raikkonen. He also finished level on points with defending world champion Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton was so good that he clinched his first world title in just his second season in the sport, beating Felipe Massa by one point.

After struggling for several seasons, he finally left Mclaren to join Mercedes, where he started a dominant era that no one has ever seen. He and the Silver Arrows won six constructors' and drivers' championships almost back-to-back (the exception being 2016) from 2014 to 2020.

In his career, Hamilton has raced in 332 Grands Prix and won 103 of them. He has seven world championships to his name, equalling the legendary Michael Schumacher's record.