Who Are The Most Successful Teams In F1?

Ferrari – 16 titles

Ferrari are the heart of Formula One. Driving the scarlet Scuderia is the dream for young racers. They are the only team to have competed in every championship since 1950 and have collected Constructors’ titles along the way.

A couple were won in the 1960s with Phil Hill and John Surtees, then Nicki Lauda won two Drivers’ Championships as Ferrari won four Constructors in five years in the 1970s. Success in 1982 and 1983 preceded a long drought.

Ferrari had to wait until 1999 for their next team success, which was followed by five more glorious seasons for the team and Michael Schumacher.

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa teamed up for a 15th and 16th in 2007 and 2008 with the Finn taking the 2007 crown and Massa missing out on the last lap in 2008.

As Red Bull and Mercedes have enjoyed Ferrari-level spells of invincibility, the Scuderia has been in a relative down period. How long will they have to wait for Constructors’ title number 17?

Williams – 9 titles

Although languishing at the back of the grid in recent years, Williams are the second-most decorated team in the sport with nine Constructors’ Championships.

Four were won in the 1980s before five in the 1990s. Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were named Drivers’ Champions.

Claire and Frank Williams stepped down midway through the 2020 season, but the Williams name is expected to remain in Formula One for the foreseeable future. Will they return to title contention under new ownership?

McLaren – 8 titles

McLaren have the second-most drivers’ titles with 12, but their eight Constructors’ Championships brings them in behind Williams here.

They are the second-oldest active team on the grid and are in the upper-midfield after several years at the back of the grid.

Their first team success was in 1974 as Emerson Fittipaldi pipped Clay Regazzoni to the title. Further celebrations came in 1984 and 1985 with Nicki Lauda and Alain Prost before four consecutive titles from 1988 to 1991.

Their most recent Constructors’ Championship was 1998 as Mika Hakkinen won the Luxembourg and Japanese Grands Prix to win the first of back-to-back titles.

Mercedes – 8 titles

Has any team enjoyed such sports betting dominance as Mercedes at the start of the hybrid era? They were a near-perfect team, and along with Lewis Hamilton, they left the rest of the paddock in their wake.

The Silver Arrows won all eight of their Constructors’ titles in a row, the first team in F1 history to do so. They have got quicker year-on-year.

Stability and accountability instilled by Toto Wolff made Mercedes an unbeatable force. Only the resurgence of Red Bull and rule changes could end their streak.

Lotus – 7 titles

The dominant force through the 1960s and 1970s, Colin Chapman’s Lotus F1 team won seven Constructors’ titles and six Drivers’ titles.

The first of which came in 1963 as the great Jim Clark won seven races, a feat they repeated in 1965 with Clark winning six times.

Drivers’ Championships for Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti and Jochen Rindt followed. Many of the sport’s icons raced for Lotus in their 489 race starts including Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.

The black and gold of the Lotus 77 is one of the best sights in motorsport – Lotus will forever occupy a significant place in F1 history.

Red Bull – 6 titles

Arriving in Formula One in 2005, even the ever-ambitious Red Bull backers could not have dreamt up the period of dominance their team enjoyed from 2010 to 2013.

Sebastian Vettel won four titles on the bounce as Red Bull built a sizeable gap between themselves and the rest of the grid. 2010 and 2012 were relatively competitive, but Red Bull and Vettel were miles clear in 2011 and 2013.

Max Verstappen ascended to lead driver and Red Bull returned to title contention at the start of the 2020s. The Dutchman controversially won the first of his three straight titles in 2021. Red Bull missed out that year, but made up for it with Constructors Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Cooper – 2 titles

Charles and John Cooper started building racing cars just after the Second World War. They were battling with the elite by the early 1950s, first entering a car in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.

They won the second and third Constructors’ titles in F1 history in 1959 and 1960, winning 11 races across the two seasons. Jack Brabham was a back-to-back champion driving for Cooper as they dominated throughout.

After his father’s death, John Cooper sold the team in 1965 and they competed in their final Grand Prix in 1969.

Brabham – 2 titles

First entering Formula One in 1962, Brabham were inventive, provocative and often unpopular. Their famous fan car won one race before being withdrawn in 1977, 10 years after their second Constructors’ title.

Their team successes in 1966 and 1967 were followed by drivers’ glory in the early 1980s for Nelson Piquet. Despite the Brazilian’s individual honours, Brabham fell short in the Constructors’.

Bernie Ecclestone sold the team in 1988 to take up a role with Formula One. Sadly, Brabham’s Formula One efforts only lasted a few more years – they collapsed under the ownership of Middlebridge in 1992.

Renault – 2 titles

Renault have jumped in and out of Formula One. They arrived in 1977 and built competitive cars for the most part until they walked away at the end of 1985.

Throughout the sport’s history, they have been on and off as an engine supplier, too.

The French company returned as a constructor for 2000, purchasing Benetton. They re-branded as Renault F1 team for 2002 and won their first of consecutive titles in 2005 as Fernando Alonso was crowned world champion.

Renault left the sport again in 2012 but returned in 2016. They rebranded as Alpine for the 2021 season. Their engines have been used in every F1 season since 2002, but Alpine are the only team running a Renault engine for the 2024 campaign.