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As is generally the norm, in Formula 1 too the winner stands in the middle on top of the podium, the second placed driver to his right and the third-placed driver to his left.
Dignitaries chosen by the respective race organizers hand out the trophies to the respective drivers. Since Liberty Media's takeover of F1 commercial rights, driver interviews have been moved from the podium to the grid - a decision which has evoked a mixed response from the drivers.
From 1950 till date, 208 different drivers belonging to 19 different countries have stood on the podium. Drivers from powerhouses like Germany, United Kingdom and France to drivers from countries not known to produce F1 racers like Rhodesia and Venezuela have all stood on the podium.
India's Narain Karthikeyan, one of 2 Indians to have taken part in an F1 race narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the controversial 2005 US Grand Prix. Since 2010, the race winner gets 25 points, 2nd placed driver gets 18 points and the 3rd placed dr gets 15 points.
There have been 2 teenagers who have stood on the podium - Lance Stroll at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP and Max Verstappen at the 2016 Spanish GP. Both were only 18 at the time.
Two drivers aged over 50 have stood on the podium - Monaco born Louis Chiron and Luigi Fagioli of Italy. We take a look at 5 drivers with the most number of podium finishes in F1:
#5 Kimi Raikkonen (100)
One of the most popular drivers on the F1 grid, Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen known as the 'Ice Man' for his demeanour on and off the track has charmed audiences all over the world with his no-nonsense style.
Having made his debut in 2001 as part of Team Sauber-Petronas, Raikkonen has been a member of 4 different teams in his F1 career. In 2002, he switched over to McLaren and in 2007 moved to Team Scuderia Ferrari and emerged as the World Champion that year beating then debutant Lewis Hamilton to the title by the slenderest margin of just one point.
Raikkonen took a 2-year sabbatical from F1 to take part in NASCAR before returning to the grid in 2012 with Team Lotus where he tasted limited success.
Following his switch to Ferrari yet again in 2014, he has been consistently accumulating points and will start the 2019 season as a member of Team Sauber. Raikkonen has a 100 podium finishes till date. His 100th podium finish came at the 2018 Italian Grand Prix.
#4 Alain Prost (106)
Frenchman Alain Prost dominated F1 in the 1980's and early 1990's along with equally famed rival Brazilian Ayrton Senna. In a 13 year F1 career, the French great raced for McLaren, Renault, Ferrari and Williams.
Three of his Championships came with McLaren and one came with Team Williams. He was nicknamed 'The Professor' for his intellectual outlook towards racing. In 199 starts, Prost won 51 races and finished on top of the podium 106 times.
#3 Sebastian Vettel (109)
German Sebastian Vettel made his F1 debut at the 2007 United States Grand Prix driving for BMW Sauber at the age of 19.
In September 2008, driving for Team Torro Rosso, he became the youngest pole-sitter and race winner when he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Till date, he is the youngest ever driver to start from pole position.
Vettel forged a successful partnership with Team Red Bull winning 4 Drivers' Championships between 2010-2013 inclusive. His title-winning season in 2013 is one of the most prolific displays of Driver dominance over the course of a single season.
With 13 race wins and 15 pole-positions in a single season, Vettel set a new benchmark. In 216 race starts, Vettel has stood on the podium 109 times and will look to add a lot more to his tally.
#2 Lewis Hamilton (131)
The man who is on the cusp of equaling Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio's tally of 5 Drivers' Championships, Lewis Hamilton has made giant strides in his ascendancy to Formula 1 greatness.
Having missed the 2007 Championship by just a point, Hamilton ironically took the 2008 Drivers' Championship by just 1 point.
The 4-time World Champion is one of the most aggressive drivers that the sport has ever seen and over the years his aggressive brand of racing have yielded him more dividends than mishaps illustrating his improvement with age and experience.
The driver with the most pole-position starts in F1 history, Hamilton has 131 podium finishes till date and will look to get to the Number 1 slot in races to follow.
#1 Michael Schumacher (155)
The most successful driver in F1 history and the most popular F1 driver of all-time, German Michael Schumacher is at the top of the pedestal of F1 drivers.
The name Schumacher became synonymous with racing and F1 in the 2000's and it helped the German rise to unparalleled heights propelling him to 7 Championships including 5 on consecutive occasions.
The driver with the most wins ever at 91, Schumacher has stood on the podium more times than any other driver - active or retired. Schumacher retired with 155 podium finishes.
