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Many widely consider the United Kingdom as the birthplace of the pinnacle of motorsports. The first Formula 1 race took place in Great Britain in 1950. Throughout the years, the UK has seen a lot of race and championship-winning drivers. Many of them have gone on to become legends in the sport. Today, we look at the top 10 British race-winners in Formula 1 history.
Here are the top 10 British race winners in Formula 1:
#1: Lewis Hamilton (96 wins)
Lewis Hamilton is not only the British driver with the most wins, but his 96 Grand Prix victories make him the most successful driver in Formula 1. The seven-time world champion surpassed Michael Schumacher's tally of 91 wins during the Portuguese Grand Prix last season.
Lewis Hamilton made his debut in 2007 and has won at least one race in every season he has competed in Formula 1. Looking at Hamilton's recent form, this win count is bound to exceed the 100 win mark sooner rather than later. Out of the 96 wins, 75 have come with Mercedes while the rest were won during his early years at McLaren.
#2 Nigel Mansell (31 wins)
The second-most wins for a British driver is 65 wins less than Hamilton's record. With 31 Grand Prix victories in Formula 1, Nigel Mansell is the second most successful driver from the island nation. Mansell drove for big teams such as McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus. He also drove for Williams twice, with whom he won a world championship in 1992. Mansell has three wins with Ferrari, with the rest belonging to his career at the British team.
#3: Jackie Stewart (27 wins)
Scottish driver Jackie Stewart comes third with 27 wins in Formula 1. He held the record until Mansell broke it in the 1992 season. Stewart's 27 wins came with teams like March Engineering, BRM, Tyrrell and Matra in a career spanning from 1965 to 1973. Stewart won three championships (1969, 1971, 1973) during his illustrious 9-year career. Having started 99 races in his career, the Scotsman retired following the death of his friend and teammate Francois Cevert, during the 1973 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.
#4 Jim Clark (25 wins)
Jim Clark is widely regarded as the greatest driver Britain has produced in Formula 1. Clark was killed during the 1968 Formula 2 race in Spa-Francorchamps. With a career spanning nine years between 1960 and 1968, Jim Clark won 25 races, all of which came with Colin Chapman's Lotus team. Clark also won the Formula 1 title twice, in 1963 and 1965. Many considered his talent to be beyond two championships, however, due to his untimely death, Clark's career will always be a story of "what if?"
#5: Damon Hill (22 wins)
Damon Hill is the fifth most successful British driver of all time with 22 wins. The son of another legend, Graham Hill, Damon arrived in Formula 1 late in his life. He made his debut during the 1992 season with Brabham at 31. Despite having a considerably shorter career, Damon Hill managed to win 22 races, 21 with Williams and one with Jordan in 1998. The latter happened to be his last win in Formula 1. Damon Hill won the 1996 world championship with Williams and was considered the first of many Michael Schumacher rivals.
#6: Stirling Moss (16 wins)
Unlike some others on this list, Sir Stirling Moss never won a world championship title in his Formula 1 career. Moss won 16 races in his with five different teams. These teams included Mercedes, Maserati, Cooper, Lotus, and Vanwall, the latter being the winner of the first-ever constructors' championship in 1958. Sir Stirling Moss is widely regarded as the greatest Formula 1 driver who has never won a world title.
#7: Jenson Button (15 wins)
With 15 wins to his name, Jenson Button is the seventh most successful British driver in Formula 1. The 2009 world champion won his first race at the rain-soaked 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
During his 2009 title-winning season, the man from Somerset won six races with the newly-formed Brawn GP. However, with eight wins, Button won most of his races with McLaren. His last win for the Woking-based side came during the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, which to this day remains the last time McLaren have won a Formula 1 race.
#8: Graham Hill (14 wins)
With just one win short of Button, Graham Hill is eighth on the list. Damon's father, Graham Hill, won 14 races during his Formula 1 career, which spanned 18 years. Hill also won the world championship twice, in 1962 and 1968, with BRM and Lotus, respectively.
Although 14 races in 18 seasons might not look good, Graham Hill is a legend in his own right by being the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsports (Le Mans, Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix). Graham Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, which gave him his moniker as Mr. Monaco. Hill, Jim Clark and Colin Chapman at Lotus were widely considered the "dream-team" during the 1960s.
#9: David Coulthard (13 wins)
Another driver to have not won a world championship is David Coulthard, who has 13 wins to his name. Coulthard's first win came with Williams during the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. The other 12 wins were achieved during his time at McLaren while playing second fiddle to Mika Hakkinen. The closest Coulthard came to winning the Formula 1 title was during the 2001 season when he came second to Michael Schumacher.
#10: James Hunt (10 wins)
And lastly, we have James Hunt who has won 10 times in Formula 1. Hunt will forever be remembered for his epic title win against Niki Lauda during the 1976 season where Hunt won the championship in the final race at Fuji.
James Hunt won his first race at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort with the Hesketh Formula 1 Team. His nine other wins came with McLaren, with whom he won the 1976 title. Fittingly, Hunt's last Formula 1 win came at Fuji in 1977.
