F1 2025: Where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen rank on champion's GOAT list

Verstappen, Hamilton, thumb, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Where Hamilton and Verstappen rank on F1 champion's GOAT list

Nico Rosberg has had his say on his former team-mate's legacy in the sport

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Friday 12 September 2025 20:00

In its 75-year existence, a total of 34 different drivers have won the F1 world championship, from Juan Manuel Fangio in 1950 to Max Verstappen in 2024.

But there can only be one GOAT (greatest of all time), and now, former F1 champion himself Nico Rosberg has revealed where two of the biggest names of the sport rank on his list.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the two most successful active drivers in F1, with a total of eleven drivers' world championships and 171 race victories between them at the time of writing.

Who is Nico Rosberg's F1 GOAT?

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The last of those victories came last time out for Verstappen at Monza, where the Red Bull star qualified on pole and produced a dominant performance to take his third victory of the season.

Speaking after the race, Rosberg made it clear he feels Verstappen is one of the greatest to ever get in the cockpit, also revealing where he ranked his former teammate and arch-rival Hamilton.

"So Max Verstappen, top five driver of all time in the history of our sport, and he keeps on showing that," Rosberg told the Sky Sports F1 show.

What the stats say

Agree with Rosberg, or disagree? Here are the stats to help you make up your own mind.

Most F1 wins by driver

1. Lewis Hamilton [105 wins]
2. Michael Schumacher [91 wins]
3. Max Verstappen [66 wins]
4. Sebastian Vettel [53 wins]
5. Alain Prost [51 wins]
6. Ayrton Senna [41 wins]
7. Fernando Alonso [32 wins]
8. Nigel Mansell [31 wins]
9. Jackie Stewart [27 wins]
10. Jim Clark [25 wins]
10. Niki Lauda [25 wins]

Most F1 championships by driver

Michael Schumacher [7 WDC]
Lewis Hamilton [7 WDC]
Juan Manuel Fangio [5 WDC]
Alain Prost [4 WDC]
Sebastian Vettel [4 WDC]
Max Verstappen [4 WDC]
Jack Brabham [3 WDC]
Jackie Stewart [3 WDC]
Niki Lauda [3 WDC]
Nelson Piquet [3 WDC]
Ayrton Senna [3 WDC]
Alberto Ascari [2 WDC]
Graham Hill [2 WDC]
Jim Clark [2 WDC]
Emerson Fittipaldi [2 WDC]
Mika Häkkinen [2 WDC]
Fernando Alonso [2 WDC]
Giuseppe Farina [1 WDC]
Mike Hawthorn [1 WDC]
Phil Hill [1 WDC]
John Surtees [1 WDC]
Denny Hulme [1 WDC]
Jochen Rindt [1 WDC]
James Hunt [1 WDC]
Mario Andretti [1 WDC]
Jody Scheckter [1 WDC]
Alan Jones [1 WDC]
Keke Rosberg [1 WDC]
Nigel Mansell [1 WDC]
Damon Hill [1 WDC]
Jacques Villeneuve [1 WDC]
Kimi Räikkönen [1 WDC]
Jenson Button [1 WDC]
Nico Rosberg [1 WDC]