F1 Drivers with the most wins ever (Part 1)

Quite frankly, it's impossible to definitively decide who is the best of all-time when it comes to motorsport disciplines. Different cars, different tracks, different circumstances and different rivals mean that gauging who stands above all the rest when that driver didn't compete and beat everybody else isn't fair when you think about it.

Whoever has won the most races isn't the be-all and end-all, far from it, but it's one of the better ways to rank Formula 1's legends, with a lot of this list still being made up of drivers from the 80s or before.

With that in mind, who has stood on the top step of the podium the most in F1's history? The leader may not be a surprise, but there are some real surprises along the way and there are a few with a real shot of toppling him from his perch in the near future.

#9 - Niki Lauda (25)

Niki Lauda is joint ninth on the all-time list

There's a tie for 9th place between two multiple world champions, the first being Niki Lauda. The Austrian legend is perhaps best known these days for his direct and no-nonsense comments about the sport we all love but he was absolutely ruthless as a driver too.

After 3 years spent with March and BRM, Lauda was tasked with bringing Ferrari back to the forefront of the sport in 1974, after the Scuderia hadn't won a championship for a decade. Niki's first win came at Spain that year and the seeds of recovery were firmly planted in Maranello. 1975 brought Lauda's first driver's world championship, winning 5 Grands Prix along the way.

1976 could've easily been the end of the road for Lauda, after the Austrian was nearly burned alive in a horrifying accident at the old Nurburgring, the green hell living up to its infamous name.

Niki had led the championship comfortably to that point and was lucky to escape with his life, before he sensationally returned to racing at the Italian Grand Prix, 5 weeks after his near-death experience.

Lauda would miss out on the title that year, but 1977 was his redemption year, with another 3 wins getting him his second driver's title. On a side-note, Lauda is the man with the second-most wins for Ferrari in F1 with 15 in total, no prizes for guessing who beats him to top spot there.

#9 - Jim Clark (25)

Jim Clark and Colin Chapman turned Lotus into an unstoppable force

After winning 5 titles, it's easy to think that Lewis Hamilton is the greatest British driver of all-time, but I believe that title belongs to this man. Jim Clark was an incredible driver and still holds the record for the most Grand Slams (pole, win, fastest lap and led every lap), few could dominate a GP like the original Flying Scotsman.

Clark raced in Formula 1 between 1960 and 1967, spending his entire career at Lotus, dragging them up from newcomers to the best team in the sport. Because seasons were much shorter back then, Clark raced in only 73 Grands Prix, but he won 25 races, breaking the great Juan Manuel Fangio's record in the process. 25 victories in 73 races is a win percentage of over 33 percent, the Brit also scored an extremely impressive 33 poles and 28 fastest laps.

In terms of the driver records, that puts Clark 3rd of all-time in terms of win percentage, 2nd in terms of percentage poles and 4th for percentage fastest laps.

2 Drivers' World Championships, one in 1963 and another in 1965, are the biggest of his achievements, the one in 1965 being a particular highlight as Clark won all of the first six races he competed in that season. Had it not been for one fateful day at the Hockenheimring, Clark would've added to what at the time was the highest ever tally of wins in Formula 1.

Niki Lauda may have survived his horror-crash in Germany, but Clark wasn't so lucky as he suffered what was likely a deflating tyre in the forested sections before crashing into a tree at very high speed. He was only 32-years-old and left this world having already cemented his place as one of, if not the greatest F1 driver of all-time.

#8 - Sir Jackie Stewart (27)

Sir Jackie left Formula 1 as one of its most successful drivers

Sir Jackie Stewart is one of the most loved personalities in the paddock now, but in his racing days, he was a fearsome competitor. Stewart wasted no time in getting his first victory, a sensational performance at Monza in 1965 helping him to third overall in his first Formula 1 season.

The BRM was too unreliable to challenge for the title in 1966 and 1967 but a move to Tyrrell for 1968 gave the Scot the chance he needed. 3 wins for Stewart in 1968 gave way to six victories in 11 races in 1969, enough for the first of his three titles.

Stewart was remarkably consistent. If he didn't win, he was often on the podium. Like Clark, he was incredibly smooth and confident in his style, something that suited the cars of the day perfectly.

Another six wins in 1971 and 5 more in 1973 saw Stewart become a triple world champion, and he could've won more if it hadn't been for a tragedy in the USA. At 34, Stewart was likely considering retirement, but Francois Cevert's death at Watkins Glen meant that Stewart didn't want to push his luck anymore, motorsport being a much more dangerous endeavour in the 70s.

Sir Jackie finished on 27 victories from 99 races, but perhaps Stewart's greatest legacy is the safety that he helped implement, as, without the triple world champion, dozens of more drivers would've died in the following decades.

#7 - Nigel Mansell (31)

Mansell won his final race in 1994, at the age of 41

It took almost 6 seasons for Nigel Mansell to win his first F1 race, but this proved to be the catalyst he needed to become one of the sport's best drivers. The late 80s and early 90s were Formula 1's golden years to many people, with world-class drivers making up a large portion of the grid.

Mansell had his first title challenge driving for Williams in 1986, standing on the top step of the podium 5 times but this wasn't enough to beat Alain Prost, Nigel missed out on the title because of heart-breaking tyre failure in Australia.

1987 was a similar story, winning on six occasions but again missing out on the driver's title. Williams were forced to use the uncompetitive Judd engine for 1988, a season when McLaren-Honda were at their peak and Mansell changed blue overalls for red ones.

1989 was Mansell's first season for Ferrari and he won his first race for the Scuderia in Brazil, his Ferrari debut. The 640 was fast but it was hopelessly unreliable, Mansell claiming podiums every time he finished, but retiring 9 times during that period.

The arrival of Prost at Ferrari for 1990 spelt the end for Mansell's title challenge, being demoted to number 2 driver before announcing his retirement before the end of the season, but his old boss Frank Williams managed to reverse this decision with a lucrative drive.

Going back his first retirement was the best decision Red 5 made, as an incredible FW14B powered him to his only drivers' title in 1992, winning 9 races along the way. He'd be forced to sit 1993 out, but Mansell was brought back to Williams for a brief cameo at the end of 1994, providing an experienced backup to Damon Hill's unsuccessful title challenge.

He drove two races for McLaren in 1995 and retired from the sport.

#6 - Fernando Alonso (32)

Fernando Alonso leaves Formula 1 with the sixth highest win total ever

To say that a double world champion should've achieved more may sound like exaggerating, but it really isn't. Fernando Alonso is not only one of the fastest drivers in the history of Formula 1, but motor racing in general and has a real chance of becoming just the second man to achieve the triple crown.

Alonso became the youngest ever winner of an F1 GP when he schooled the field at Hungary in 2003, lapping Michael Schumacher in the process. Renault produced the best car in the field for 2005 and Alonso took his championship chance with both hands.

Kimi Raikkonen was Alonso's closest rival that season but the Spaniard's incredible consistency saw him triumph over the course of the season. 7 wins in 2005 and 7 more in 2006 won Fernando his two driver's championships in the sport.

Alonso may never have won the title again but he had plenty of challenges. 4 victories in 2007 saw him miss out on the third crown in a row by a point and 5 in 2010 and 3 more in 2012 meant that Alonso finished runner-up and nearly claim a championship for Ferrari but it wasn't to be.

'Nando's final F1 win was at his home race in Spain in 2013, he wouldn't stand on the top step again in any of his final 5 seasons in the sport.

2018 looked as though the papaya cars could find their way onto the podium once more, but the first race in Australia flattered to deceive and McLaren slowly slid down the pecking order and Fernando left the sport, probably for good.