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1950 was the year the FIA conducted the First Championship awarding points to Drivers and Giuseppe Farina of Italy driving for Team Alfa Romeo emerged victorious. In 68 years and counting till date, 993 races have been held up to the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix. A driver is deemed to have entered a race if they have competed in at least one official practice session with the intention of entering the race.
On the other hand, a driver is deemed to have started a race if he has lined up on the gird or at the pitlane exit at the time of race start. Drivers from 40 different countries have taken part in a Formula One Race with Great Britain leading the pack with 161 drivers. 853 drivers have started a Formula One race. We take a look at 5 drivers with the most starts:
#4 Kimi Raikkonen
Finn Kimi Raikkonen, known as the 'Ice Man', has been an evergreen driver on the Formula One paddock for close to two decades. Since making his debut in the year 2001 racing for Team Sauber-Petronas, Kimi has raced for 4 different teams. In 2002, he made the switch to McLaren and in 2007 he switched over to Team Scuderia Ferrari and emerged as the World Champion that year beating rival Lewis Hamilton to the title by the slenderest margin of just one point.
He took a sabbatical from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season and moved to NASCAR racing before making a Formula One comeback in 2012 with Team Lotus. From 2014 till the 2018 season, Kimi was contracted as a Driver for Team Scuderia Ferrari. As on the 2018 Japan Grand Prix, Kimi has started in 288 races. He has signed a contract with Team Sauber to race with them in the 2019 season.
#3 Jenson Button
British driver Jenson Button who retired from Formula One in 2017 made his F1 debut in the year 2000 with Team Williams. His debut season yielded him 8th place in the Championship with 12 points.
The following year he made the switch to Team Benetton and didn't taste much success. In 2002, Benetton was rebranded as Renault F1 and Button partnered Italian Jarno Trulli. From 2003 to 2005, he drove for Team British American Racing before racing for Team Honda from 2006 to 2008.
His most productive season came in 2009 with Team Brawn where he won the Drivers' Championship. For the next 8 seasons, he was a Driver for Team McLaren. In an 18-year F1 career, Button won 15 races and started in 306 races.
= #3 Michael Schumacher
The man widely considered among pundits and fans alike to be the 'Greatest Driver of all-time', German Michael Schumacher is a towering figure in Formula One with 7 Drivers' Championships and 91 race wins. The German made his Formula One debut in 1991 with Team Jordan before making the switch to Team Benetton where he enjoyed 2 Championship winning seasons in 1994 and 1995.
For the next 11 years starting from 1996 till the end of the 2006 season, he was a part of Team Scuderia Ferrari where he tasted unprecedented success winning 5 consecutive Championships between 2000 to 2004. Schumacher retired from Formula One after the end of the 2006 season and later made a comeback to the Sport in 2010 as a Driver of Team Mercedes, He retired from Formula One in 2012. Till date, Schumacher has had 306 starts.
#2 Fernando Alonso
Double-World Champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso has taken part in 17 Formula One seasons. The multi-talented Alonso has also taken part in the 24 Hours of Daytona, Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans which he won spectacularly in his debut attempt earlier this year.
The Spaniard who announced his F1 retirement at the end of the 2018 season looks set to fulfil his ambition of winning 'The Triple Crown' by adding the Indianapolis 500 race to his victories in Monaco and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Alonso has made 308 starts till the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix with 4 different teams.
#1 Rubens Barrichello
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello made his Formula One debut in the year 1993 driving for Team Jordan. He won 11 races and finished on the podium an impressive 68 times during his long and illustrious career. Barrichello drove for 6 different teams with his best results coming with Team Scuderia Ferrari.
Barrichello has started from pole position on 14 different races. Barrichello was runner-up to Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher in 2002 and 2004. He has helped Ferrari win the Constructor's Championship on 5 different occasions and was also part of the 2009 Brawn Team which won the Constructors' title. He was a part of Team Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Williams in a career which culminated in 2011. Barrichello is the first man to have hit the 300 race mark in Formula One and finished with 322 race starts.
