F1 drivers with the longest gap between first and last wins

Lewis Hamilton’s run without a race win came to an end at Silverstone in July after waiting 945 days since his last at the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021. The Brit took his final home grand prix for Mercedes after announcing earlier in the year that he would join Ferrari for the 2025 season.

The emotional win was his 104th Formula 1 victory, breaking a number of records with the win, including the most wins on a single track. 

Mercedes had struggled with the regulation changes since 2022, but the team have made a comeback in recent weeks with both George Russell and Hamilton taking consecutive wins at the Austrian and British grands prix respectively.  

The British GP win also saw Hamilton claim the record for the longest interval between his first grand prix win and his latest, taking the accolade from Kimi Raikkonen.

F1 drivers with the longest interval between their first and last race wins

1. Lewis Hamilton — 17 years 27 days

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG

Photo by: Erik Junius

First win: 2007 Canadian GP 

Last win: 2024 British GP 

Interval duration: 17 years, 0 months and 27 days 

Grand Prix interval: 338 races

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first grand prix victory during his debut season with McLaren at the 2007 Canadian GP. The Brit qualified on pole and kept the lead at the start over his team-mate Fernando Alonso. Despite an easy race for Hamilton at the front things were more tumultuous behind as ten drivers failed to finish, including six out from collisions, two gearbox failures and the disqualifications of Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella for exiting the pit lane when the red light was one. 

Aged just 22 at the time, many impressed by his ability to take his maiden win so early in his career. The win also gave Hamilton the lead in the driver’s championship by eight points. Although he didn’t win the championship at the end of the season, he finished joint second with his team-mate Alonso, who both finished just one point behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton’s latest win came 17 years and 27 days later at the 2024 British Grand Prix. After qualifying in second, the race took a dramatic turn when two periods of rain forced all the cars to pit for intermediate tyres. Once the rain began to show signs of easing, Mercedes made the call to switch Hamilton to slicks, giving him the race lead from the slower-to-respond Lando Norris.  

The seven-time world champion managed his new soft tyres better than the McLaren driver, resulting in Hamilton’s first win in 945 days. In an emotional post-race interview, he shared there were «days where I didn’t feel like I was good enough», before standing on top of the podium in front of his home crowd for the first time since 2021. 

2. Kimi Raikkonen — 15 years 6 months 28 days

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1st position, lifts his trophy on the podium

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

First win: 2003 Malaysian GP 

Last win: 2018 United States GP 

Interval duration: 15 years, 6 months and 28 days 

Grand Prix interval: 294 races 

Kimi Raikkonen took his maiden victory at the 2003 Malaysian GP with McLaren, during his third season in Formula 1. The Finn made an error during his flying lap in qualifying and qualified in seventh-place, despite being the fastest in the prior practice session. A first-lap incident between Jarno Trulli and Michael Schumacher saw Raikkonen move up to fourth place and with Coulthard retiring on lap three, he was then quickly into the podium positions. 

Raikkonen began to close in on the race leader, Fernando Alonso in the Renault, after his softer tyres began to wear away. The Spaniard pitted on lap 16, giving the McLaren the lead. Raikkonen was able to keep pushing, building up a lead of 30 seconds ahead of Barrichello in the second and 45 from Alonso with 10 laps to go. He brought home the chequered flag for his maiden win saying: “It is difficult to say how I feel. Tomorrow morning I will really realise I won my first race.” 

His last win came 15 and a half years later at the 2018 United States GP, during his final year with Ferrari. The victory was his first in over five years, previously winning the 2013 Australian Grand Prix with Lotus, which set the record of a 113 winless race steak. Raikkonen had started from second, before taking the lead off the line and bringing home the win with a one-stop strategy.  

3. Michael Schumacher — 14 years 1 month 1 day

Podium: Race winner Michael Schumacher, Benetton

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

First win: 1992 Belgian GP 

Last win: 2006 Chinese GP 

Interval duration: 14 years, 1 month and 1 day 

Grand Prix interval: 237 races 

Michael Schumacher claimed the first of his then-record-breaking 91 wins at the 1992 Belgian GP. 

The German qualified in third for the extremely wet race, but gambled on slicks towards the end with a drying track. This gamble paid off, as he jumped the Williams of Nigel Mansell to take his first victory. 

The seven-time world champion’s last win came in 2006, in his final year with Ferrari ahead of his first retirement at the end of the season. The race began on intermediate tyres following earlier rainfall and Schumacher was able to gain on the Renaults of second-placed Fisichella and race leader Fernando Alonso. The Renault drivers switched positions on lap 29 and it took Schumacher just four corners to catch Alonso. 

The Ferrari pitted just a lap sooner than the leading Renault for dry tyres later in the race and Fisichella lost the lead when he could not warm up cold Michelin tyres. Rain returned on the penultimate lap resulting in the leaders tip-toeing to the finish line and allowing Schumacher his final victory.  

4. Alain Prost — 12 years 20 days

Podium: race winner Alain Prost, Williams, second place Michael Schumacher, Benetton, third place Mark Blundell, Ligier

Photo by: Sutton Images

First win: 1981 French GP 

Last win: 1993 German GP 

Interval duration: 12 years, 0 months and 20 days   

Grand Prix interval: 191 races 

Alain Prost took his first Formula 1 victory on home soil at the 1981 French Grand Prix in his Renault. It was the first of 51 race wins throughout his career, which formed his four world championship titles.  

Prost was able to work his way up the grid from his starting position of third and was rapidly approaching race leader Nelson Piquet before the race was red-flagged on lap 58 due to a thunderstorm. Prost took the lead at the restart, and despite gearbox problems only briefly lost the lead to John Watson’s McLaren before bringing home the win. 

His final race victory came at the 1993 German GP with Williams, ahead of his F1 retirement later in the year. Prost started on pole but lost the lead to his team-mate Damon Hill. The Frenchman closed back in on the other Williams towards the end of the race before a tyre failure on Hill’s car on the penultimate lap gave Prost the win.  

5. Niki Lauda — 11 years 3 months 28 days

Niki Lauda, McLaren, Alain Prost, McLarne, Ayrton Senna, Lotus

Photo by: Motorsport Images

First win: 1974 Spanish GP 

Last win: 1985 Dutch GP 

Interval duration: 11 years, 3 months and 28 days 

Grand Prix interval: 175 races 

Niki Lauda claimed his first win just four races after joining Ferrari in 1974. The Austrian driver started the race on pole but lost the lead at the start to Ronnie Peterson in the Lotus. A quick for the time pitstop of 35 seconds gave Lauda back first place. The race ended just six laps short of the full 90, after being timed for two hours due to the wet weather and saw the Ferrari finish 35.61 seconds ahead of his team-mate Clay Regazzoni.  

Lauda’s final win was his only victory during his last season in Formula 1. Despite claiming the championship the previous year, he faced 11 retirements from the 14 races he competed in 1985 but was able to take the win at the Dutch GP despite qualifying 10th.  

Lauda moved himself into fourth place in the opening laps of the race. Keke Rosberg’s engine exploded on lap 19, with Lauda coming into the pits for fresh tyres, which prompted the other race leaders to also have a change of tyres, resulting in him taking the lead of the race. 

Second place went to Lauda’s McLaren team-mate Prost, with the pair battling to a chequered flag finish of just 0.232 seconds.  

6. Nelson Piquet — 11 years 2 months 3 days

Podium: race winner Nelson Piquet, Brabham, second place Riccardo Patrese, Arrows, third place Emerson Fittipaldi

Photo by: David Phipps

First win: 1980 United States GP West   

Last win: 1991 Canadian GP 

Interval duration: 11 years, 2 months and 3 days 

Grand Prix interval: 172 races 

Nelson Piquet took his final win just two months sooner than Lauda., securing his first win during his third year in Formula 1 at the 1980 United States GP West in California.  

It was a clean sweep of a weekend for Piquet who started on pole and claimed the fastest lap, as well as leading all 80 laps. He finished 49 seconds ahead of Riccardo Patrese in the other Arrow and brought Piquet into the driver’s championship, giving him joint first place with Rene Arnoux in the Renault. 

The three-time world champion’s final win came at the 1991 Canadian GP, despite qualifying in eighth place. All but one car ahead of Piquet retired, with the race leader Nigel Mansell suffering an electrical failure halfway around the final lap. Piquet was able to claim his unexpected final victory with Benetton ahead of his retirement at the end of the season.

Race winner Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

First win: 2008 Italian GP 

Last win: 2019 Singapore GP 

Interval duration: 11 years, 0 months and 8 days 

Grand Prix interval: 212 races 

Sebastian Vettel claimed his maiden win during his second season in the series, racing with Torro Rosso at the very wet 2008 Italian GP. The German driver took pole and started the race under safety car conditions due to the heavy rainfall, before building a large gap out in front. He briefly lost the lead to second-placed Heikki Kovalainen after his first pit stop but was able to claim the place back just three laps later and crossed the line 12 seconds ahead of the Finn in his McLaren. 

Vettel’s first win gave him the record for the youngest driver to win an F1 race at 21 years and 73 days old — a record which was later broken by Max Verstappen in 2016 when he was 18 years and 228 days old.  

The four-time world champion claimed his final of 53 wins at the 2019 Singapore GP. His last race win had been over a year previous at the 2018 Belgian GP and he appeared out of contention for the win in the early stages of the race, despite starting in third.  

Vettel’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc started from pole and managed the pace as the leaders focused on managing their tyres in the hopes of working on a one-stop strategy. Vettel was brought in to pit first to protect him from those behind, resulting in an undercut on his team-mate due to his pace on fresher tyres. Despite Leclerc’s anger Ferrari told the young Monegasque to hold position behind Vettel, who went on to win the race by 2.641 seconds. 

8. Jack Brabham — 10 years 9 months 25 days

Jack Brabham, Brabham BT33 Ford

Photo by: Motorsport Images

First win: 1959 Monaco GP 

Last win: 1970 South African GP  

Interval duration: 10 years, 9 months and 25 days  

Grand Prix interval: 108 races 

Three-time world champion Jack Brabham took his maiden victory with Cooper during the 1959 Monaco GP — the first race of the season. The win was the first by an Australian driver at a Formula 1 race and was his first of five podiums in 1959, which helped him secure the drivers’ championship at the end of the year.  

Brabham’s last F1 win came at the 1970 South African GP where he started in third in his own team’s car. He was quickly overtaken by Jochen Rindt at the start but Rindt got caught in a tangle with second place Chris Amon who span across the track and into Brabham.  

The Australian lost a number of places and was passed by Jacky Ickx, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Jackie Oliver and Bruce McLaren, but he made back the four positions by the end of lap six. Brabham caught up to the leading Jackie Stewart to take the lead by lap 20 and managed to hold on out front until the chequered flag.  

9. Gerhard Berger — 10 years 9 months 15 days

Podium: Race winner Gerhard Berger, Benetton Renault

Photo by: Motorsport Images

First win: 1986 Mexican GP 

Last win: 1997 German GP 

Interval duration: 10 years, 9 months and 15 days  

Grand Prix interval: 171 races 

Gerhard Berger secured his maiden win at the penultimate race of the 1986 season in an event which was dictated by tyre wear. This was at a time when there were multiple tyre manufacturers – Berger being on the Pirellis – and while the Austrian started in fourth, he took the lead after the drivers on the Goodyear tyres needed to pit. Berger held onto his Pirellis as people behind him on Goodyears blistered under the Mexican heat, giving him the win.

Berger took ten wins in his career, with his final coming at the 1997 German GP. The Austrian took Benetton’s first pole position since Michael Schumacher two years previous at the Japanese GP, and while he briefly lost his race lead to Giancarlo Fisichella on lap 17 after pitting for new tyres as part of his two-stop strategy, Berger reclaimed the lead on lap 25. 

His second pitstop on Lap 34 saw Fisichella’s Jordan briefly reclaim the lead by roughly half a second, with Berger saying he knew it would be “very difficult” to pass him again, however the Italian driver then went wide, giving Berger back a lead that he was able to keep for the race win.  

10. Riccardo Patrese — 10 years 5 months 2 days

Podium: Race winner Riccardo Patrese, Brabham BT49D-Ford Cosworth, third place (later fifth place) Elio de Angelis, Lotus 91-Ford Cosworth, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

Photo by: Motorsport Images

First win: 1982 Monaco GP 

Last win: 1992 Japanese GP  

Interval duration: 10 years, 5 months and 2 days  

Grand Prix interval: 167 races 

Riccardo Patrese took his maiden win during his sixth season in Formula 1, after a difficult five seasons with over half of his races ending in retirement.  The 1982 Monaco GP was described as “a real strange one” by Autosport’s Nigel Roebuck during his report and has been described as the race nobody wanted to win, with the lead changing four times in the final three laps. Rene Arnoux started in pole position, but spun off at the Swimming Pool on lap 15, handing Prost the lead until he crashed into the barriers at the Chicane du Port on lap 74 in wet conditions, putting Patrese in the lead.  

The Italian’s car then slid on a patch of oil heading into the Lowes hairpin, leaving his Brabham sideways on the corner, with his tyres turned uphill. Patrese was pushed by marshals because he was blocking the track, but with the car now facing downhill, he was able to start rolling and restart his stalled engine. He was overtaken by Didier Pironi and Andrea de Cesaris, but both cars ran out of fuel on the final lap and the Tunnel and Casino Square respectively.  

Former world champion James Hunt was sat in the commentary box and exclaimed: «We’ve got this ridiculous situation where we’re all sitting by the start-finish line waiting for a winner to come past, and we don’t seem to be getting one!» 

Patrese’s final win of his six grand prix victories came at the 1992 Japanese Grand Prix. After starting from second place, he stayed firmly behind his Williams team-mate Nigel Mansell until the Brit began to slow on lap 36, handing the lead to his team-mate before retiring the car nine laps later with engine failure. Patrese retained the lead for the remainder of the race, finishing 13 seconds ahead of second place Berger.   

Current Formula 1 driver race win intervals

Here are the intervals between the current F1 grid’s first win and their latest win. 

*Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Lando Norris added as the interval between potential next win is increasing.