The current troubles in the Middle East created an unexpected five-week lull in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, F1 fans were faced with a break between the Japanese GP and the Miami GP. An unwanted gap, but one which granted punters plenty of time to assess the best betting offers in the UK.
When picking out bets for the 2026 season, one of the most popular wagers remains a punt on who will come out on top in the Drivers’ Championship.
Lando Norris looks to face a tough task if he is to defend his crown, but the betting markets suggest the prize may still fall to an Englishman, with Mercedes number one, George Russell, favourite to top the table in December.
Another British success would provide Great Britain with an eighth Championship since 2014, representing one of the most dominant eras in the sport for a single nation.
Most successful nations in F1 history
Honourable mentions go to four-time winners Finland, Australia, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. Argentina occupies the next rung up the ladder with five wins. However, the podium positions are filled by three nations that have birthed some of the greatest drivers to ever get behind the wheel.
3: Brazil – 8 wins
Brazil is perhaps best known for its footballing prowess. However, the Seleção’s tally of five World Cup wins is three less than their total of Formula 1 Drivers’ Championships.
Emerson Fittipaldi was the first Brazilian to claim the title when driving for Team Lotus in 1972. At just 25, the São Paulo native became the youngest ever Formula 1 World Champion at the time. Two years later, Fittipaldi repeated the feat in the McLaren M23 to become the first driver to win the Drivers’ Championship for McLaren.
Seven years after Fittipaldi’s second championship, Rio de Janeiro’s finest Formula 1 export, Nelson Piquet, claimed the title by one point following a final-day thriller in Las Vegas. Two years later, Piquet became the first driver to win the Championship in a turbocharged car, when coming out on top in the BMW-powered Brabham BT52. Piquet’s third title came in 1987 at the end of a season lit up by his intra-team rivalry with Nigel Mansell.
Rounding out Brazil’s list is the driver whom many consider to be the most naturally gifted of all. Winning his first title in his first season with McLaren-Honda in 1988, Ayrton Senna added a second when mastering Alain Prost in a thrilling 1990 battle, and a third in 1991.
2: Germany – 12 wins
It is no shock to see Germany occupying such a prominent position in the all-time standings. However, it is a little surprising to learn that Germany didn’t win its first Formula Drivers’ Championship until 1994.
The catalyst for Germany’s rapid rise is, of course, one of the greatest to ever do it, Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher followed his controversial maiden title – secured courtesy of a final day collision with Damon Hill – with a dominant second for Benetton in 1995. The championship eluded Schumacher for the next four years, but he bounced back with an unprecedented five in a row for Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 to become the first driver to claim seven championships.
Six years after Schumacher’s final title, Sebastian Vettel dominated the sport in his Red Bull. Becoming the youngest ever Formula 1 World Champion – at 23 years and 135 days – in 2010, he set a record of 15 pole positions in 2011, became the youngest ever three-time champion in 2012 and added a fourth in 2013.
Nico Rosberg made it a round dozen for Germany, when following in the footsteps of his World Champion father Keke Rosberg to lift the title in 2016.
1: Great Britain – 21 wins
Great Britain has been both the most consistent and the most successful nation in Formula 1 history. With the exception of the 1980s, the Drivers’ title has fallen to a British driver at least once in every decade since the inaugural 1950 season. The full list of British Formula 1 World Champions reads as follows:
- Lewis Hamilton – 7: 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.
- Jackie Stewart – 3: 1969, 1971, 1973.
- Graham Hill – 2: 1962, 1968.
- Jim Clark – 2: 1963, 1965.
- Mike Hawthorn – 1: 1958.
- John Surtees – 1: 1964.
- James Hunt – 1: 1976.
- Nigel Mansell – 1: 1992.
- Damon Hill – 1: 1996.
- Jenson Button – 1: 2009.
- Lando Norris – 1: 2025.
Standout names include Graham and Damon Hill, who became the first father and son winners of the Drivers’ Championship, and Lewis Hamilton, who, when winning a seventh championship in 2020, joined Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in the history of the sport.
