Ranking the 5 youngest F1 world champions

3) Fernando Alonso

World Champion Fernando Alonso of Spain and Renault celebrates his victory during the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit . (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The Spanish double world champion won his first title in 2005 with French manufacturer Renault, aged 24 years, 1 month and 27 days. Alonso’s first title will always be remembered as the one that ended Schumacher and Ferrari's dominant streak in the sport. With several team changes later and a long stint with Ferrari, his only opportunities to contend for a title were from 2010- 2013, where he was Vettel’s only challenger.

While the Spaniard still has an active career in the sport, and a thirst for fighting for another title, the Spaniard took a sabbatical from F1 in 2019. He managed to win the Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota during that period only to return to F1 in 2021 with the same French outfit now rebadged as the Alpine F1 team.

2) Lewis Hamilton

World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain poses with the Drivers' Championship trophy during the 2015 FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony at the Lido Theatre in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Michel Le Meur - Pool/Getty Images)

Reigning and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won his first title aged 23 years, 9 months and 26 days, in the year 2008 with the McLaren racing team. The Briton won the title in the second year of his F1 career and was a title contender in 2007, in his debut season in the sport.

Meanwhile, it took Hamilton another six years before he could bag another title. He won his second title in 2014, with Mercedes, before going on to dominate the V6 hybrid engine era of the sport till date, winning six of the seven titles for the Silver Arrows. He has only been challenged once during that time, by his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who managed to successfully wrest the championship from his childhood rival in 2016. His most recent title, in 2020, helped him equal Michael Schumacher’s tally of seven titles.

1) Sebastian Vettel

Race winner and 2010 World Champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing celebrates with team mates in their team garage following the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

The four-time world champion still holds the record for becoming the youngest Formula 1 world champion. The German driver won his first title with Red Bull Racing at the age of 23 years, 4 months and 11 days. Vettel’s title marked the beginning of a dominant period for his team in the V8 era of the sport.

Post 2010, he won three more consecutive titles, with has last one being in 2013. Currently driving for Aston Martin, the last time Vettel contested a title was in 2018 when he gave Ferrari their best shot at dethroning Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. However, a slew of driving errors as well as mistakes by the team put paid to any hope of a first world championship since 2007.