British World Champions

By Greg MacLeman

| 1 Sep 2014

No country in the world can boast as many winners of the Formula One World Drivers' Championship as the United Kingdom. In total, British drivers have won 14 titles, with 10 of them contributing to the cause. No other nation has produced more than three champions.

The most recent British titles were won in 2008 and 2009, by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button respectively, and even now most of the Formula One teams are based in the UK. But by far the richest vein of success was during the the 1960s, when no fewer than six seasons were dominated by the likes of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees and Jackie Stewart.

The World Drivers' Championship began in 1950, and in 1958 Mike Hawthorn became the first Briton to claim the title. The 'Farnham Flyer' won only one Grand Prix that year, but was a model of consistency aboard his Ferrari, pipping countryman Stirling Moss despite the Vanwall ace winning four times.

Another great season for British drivers led to a final-race showdown in South Africa on 29 December. Graham Hill and Jim Clark were aboard British cars, too – BRM and Lotus respectively – and in the end it was Hill that came out on top, adding a win at East London to those at Zandvoort, the Nürburgring and Monza.

Jim Clark would not be denied in ’63, taking full advantage of Colin Chapman's sublime Lotus 25 to post a record seven wins – including four in a row at Spa (a circuit he hated), Zandvoort, Reims and Silverstone.

A season-long, three-way battle between Surtees, Clark and Hill came down to the wire in Mexico. After early mechanical problems, Surtees stormed back into contention as the race developed. Hill clashed with Surtees' Ferrari teammate, Lorenzo Bandini, and Clark's engine failed right at the death. 'Big John' came through to finish second and take the title. And Hill's response to the accident with Bandini? That Christmas, he sent Lorenzo an LP of driving lessons.

Jim Clark dominated the 1965 season. He even had the chance to equal his seven victories from '63, but he missed Monaco because he was busy winning the Indianapolis 500 that weekend. Few would have predicted that the Scottish legend's second title would be his last.

The Lotus 49 was the fastest car of the 1967 season, but its lack of reliability handed the advantage to Brabham's Denny Hulme. The following year, the car – by then in Gold Leaf livery and beginning to sprout wings – held together often enough for Graham Hill to take his second title. Hill needed all of his experience and talent to galvanise the team following the death of Jim Clark in April, circumstances that would tragically repeat themselves for his son Damon when Williams teammate Ayrton Senna died in 1994.

Following Clark's death, Jackie Stewart became the Formula One benchmark, with the Lotus of his good friend Jochen Rindt providing the sternest opposition. The two enjoyed an epic battle at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix (above with Rindt leading), with Stewart coming out on top – as he would in the title race. To this day, the Scot remembers his ’69 Matra as one of his favourite cars.

Following a disappointing 1970 season using a customer March, Ken Tyrrell decided to create his own car towards the end of that year. In ’71, Stewart swept all before him in the Tyrrell 001, winning six Grands Prix.

Stewart's third and final championship came in 1973. He kept quiet his decision – made early in the year – to retire at the end of the season, telling only Ken Tyrrell and Ford's Walter Hayes. He wrapped up the title with a stunning comeback drive to fourth position at Monza, but pulled out of what should have been his 100th and final Grand Prix at Watkins Glen when teammate – and anointed successor – Francois Cevert died during practice.

The '76 season was marked by James Hunt's battle with Niki Lauda. There were controversial disqualifications and reinstatements, plus Lauda's horrific crash at the Nurburgring and his determined return at Monza a few weeks later. In the wet finale in Japan, Lauda pulled out early – unwilling to race in the horrendous conditions – and 'Master James' survived a late tyre change to come through to third and take the title by a single point.

It took 16 years for a British driver to win another World Championship, but it was taken in fine style in 1992. Williams produced the utterly dominant FW14B, and Nigel Mansell took full advantage. He started on pole position for 14 out of the 16 races – at Silverstone, he was almost two seconds clear of teammate Riccardo Patrese – and won nine of them.

Nico Rosberg is currently in a good position to repeat the feat, but in 1996 Damon Hill became the only son of a World Champion to win the title. With erstwhile rival Michael Schumacher settling in at Ferrari, Hill's main competition came from Williams teammate Jacques Villeneuve. Damon won it in style, crossing the line in Japan as BBC commentator Murray Walker uttered the memorable words: "I'm going to have to stop now, because I've got a lump in my throat."

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton looked like making history by becoming the first rookie to win the World Championship. In the end, he was pipped by Kimi Raikkonen, and the following year it again looked as if Hamilton would lose out to a Ferrari driver. Felipe Massa needed to win the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix to be in with a chance to overhauling him, and that he did. Behind him, however, Hamilton overtook the Toyota of Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap to secure fifth position and be crowned champion.

At the end of 2008, Honda withdrew from Formula One, and it looked as if Jenson Button was out of a drive. At the eleventh hour, however, a rescue package was put in place by team principal Ross Brawn, and his eponymous team confounded expectations by producing 2009's best car. Button made hay in the early part of the season, and clinched the title following a determined and classy drive through the field at the Brazilian Grand Prix.