Youngest F1 drivers: race winners, world champions & records

As the old saying goes, “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

That’s certainly the case with the youngest F1 drivers. Over the decades, records have been broken time and time again as motorsport proteges hit the track. But who are the youngest drivers, winners and champions of all time in Formula 1?

Sebastian Vettel holds many of the records, as his career was jumpstarted by a superb performance at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008. In his first full Formula 1 season, he went on to gain pole position and win the race, making him the youngest driver to do both. In later years with Red Bull, he became the youngest driver to win a World Championship.

Oliver Bearman became the youngest British driver at just 18 years and 306 days when he deputised for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 9 March 2024. However, that record has since been broken by Arvid Lindblad, who debuted for Racing Bulls at 18 years and 212 days in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. This means Lindblad is the fourth-youngest F1 driver to ever start a race, behind Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, and Kimi Antonelli.

Check out the records below, including youngest F1 driver, pole-sitter, race winner and world champions.

Younegst Formula 1 driver records

Sebastian Vettel celebrates Red Bull Racing’s first championships with Helmut Marko

Youngest F1 world champion

Sebastian Vettel – 23 years 134 days

After his impressive first season at Torro Rosso, Sebastian Vettel replaced David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing. In 2009, Jenson Button dominated but Vettel stayed within touching distance, finishing second by just 11 points. The following year, Vettel won his first world title in an all-or-nothing Abu Dhabi finale and became the youngest ever World Champion. But there wasn’t much in it: Vettel was just 166 days younger than Lewis Hamilton when he won his world title.

Pos | Driver | Age | Year
1 | Sebastian Vettel | 23 years, 134 days | 2010
2 | Lewis Hamilton | 23 years, 300 days | 2008
3 | Fernando Alonso | 24 years, 59 days | 2005
4 | Max Verstappen | 24 years, 68 days | 2021
5 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 25 years, 303 days | 1972
6 | Michael Schumacher | 25 years, 314 days | 1994

Youngest Formula 1 world champions

Max Verstappen became the youngest Formula 1 driver in 2015.

Youngest F1 race driver

Max Verstappen – 17 years, 166 days

When Max Verstappen stepped into his Torro Rosso on the grid in Australia, he wasn’t legally old enough to drive a car in his native Netherlands. At the age of 17, he became the youngest driver to start a Formula 1 race since Jaime Alguersuari, who was almost two years older. During the race, a mechanical issue forced Verstappen to retire.

Pos | Driver | Age | Race
1 | Max Verstappen | 17 years, 166 days | 2015 Australian Grand Prix
2 | Lance Stroll | 18 years, 148 days | 2017 Australian Grand Prix
3 | Kimi Antonelli | 18 years, 202 days | 2025 Australian Grand Prix
4 | Arvid Lindblad | 18 years, 212 days | 2026 Australian Grand Prix
5 | Oliver Bearman | 18 years 306 days | 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Youngest Formula 1 racing drivers

Sebastian Vettel celebrating his first pole position in Italy

Youngest F1 pole position

Sebastian Vettel – 21 years, 72 days

Sebastian Vettel’s incredible session in the wet during qualifying at Monza stunned the Formula 1 paddock. An unpredictable session saw many of the big players (McLaren, Ferrari and Renault) drop down the order and fail to qualify through the sessions. That opened the door for the young German to become the youngest pole man since Fernando Alonso five years earlier.

| Driver | Age | Race
1 | Sebastian Vettel | 21 years, 72 days | 2008 Italian Grand Prix
2 | Charles Leclerc | 21 years, 165 days | 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
3 | Fernando Alonso | 21 years, 236 days | 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
4 | Max Verstappen | 21 years, 307 days | 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix
5 | Lando Norris | 21 years, 316 days | 2021 Russian Grand Prix

Youngest Formula 1 pole sitters

Sebastian Vettel, previous youngest race winner, congratulates Max Verstappen on breaking the record.

Youngest F1 race winner

Max Verstappen – 18 years, 134 days

A year after his debut for Toro Rosso, Red Bull took the decision to swap the Dutchman into the senior team for Daniil Kvyat at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. It proved an inspired decision. As the Mercedes tangled out front, the door opened for Verstappen. At 18 years old, and three years younger than previous youngest race winner Sebastian Vettel, Max became the all-time youngest winner.

| Driver | Age | Race
1 | Max Verstappen | 18 years, 228 days | 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
2 | Sebastian Vettel | 21 years, 73 days | 2008 Italian Grand Prix
3 | Charles Leclerc | 21 years, 320 days | 2019 Belgian Grand Prix
4 | Fernando Alonso | 22 years, 26 days | 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
5 | Tony Ruttman | 22 years, 80 days | 1952 Indianapolis 500

Youngest Formula 1 race winners

Max’s win was his first podium, making him the youngest driver ever on the steps

Youngest F1 podium-sitter

Max Verstappen – 18 years, 228 days

With his victory aged 18 in 2016, Max Verstappen is the youngest podium sitter in the history of Formula 1. But only just. When Lance Stroll drove to third-place at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he was merely 11 days older than Verstappen was.

| Driver | Age | Race
1 | Max Verstappen | 18 years, 228 days | 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
2 | Lance Stroll | 18 years, 239 days | 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
3 | Kimi Antonelli | 18 years, 291 days | 2025 Canadian Grand Prix
4 | Lando Norris | 20 years, 235 days | 2020 Austrian Grand Prix
5 | Isack Hadjar | 20 years, 333 days | 2025 Dutch Grand Prix

Youngest Formula 1 podium scorers

Max Verstappen scored his first points in his second Formula 1 race

Youngest F1 point scorer

Max Verstappen – 17 years, 180 days

While Max Verstappen’s first Formula 1 race ended in retirement in the pits, his second was something to shout about. Just 14 days after he became the youngest F1 driver, he scored his first points in the sport with a seventh-placed finish in Malaysia. The latest addition to the top five is Arvid Lindblad, whose eighth-placed finish at 18 years old in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix makes him the third-youngest points scorer.

| Driver | Age | Race
1 | Max Verstappen | 17 years, 180 days | 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix
2 | Kimi Antonelli | 18 years, 199 days | 2025 Australian Grand Prix
3 | Arvid Lindblad | 18 years, 212 days | 2026 Australian Grand Prix
4 | Lance Stroll | 18 years, 225 days | 2017 Canadian Grand Prix
5 | Oliver Bearman | 18 years 306 days | 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Youngest Formula 1 podium scorers

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