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Red Bull star Max Verstappen went into the final race of the 2025 season trailing Lando Norris by 12 points, but equal on the number of race wins. In fact, all three title challengers had 7 wins each going into the season finale. The Dutchman dominated and won the final race of the season, but it wasn't enough to win the title as Norris clinched it by two points.
Over the last 75 years of F1 history, multiple drivers have won more races than the eventual champion of that season, with Max Verstappen being the latest example. While winning races is crucial to clinching the title, consistency is something which has paid off in the season with close title battles.
There have been 14 F1 seasons where a driver had more wins than the champion. Let's have a look at the list in chronological order.
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#1 1958: Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks had more wins than Mike Hawthorn
Mike Hawthorn won his first and only F1 title in 1958, driving for Ferrari. The Briton managed just one win during the championship season, which came in France. However, both Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks had more wins than the champion, with 4 & 3 wins each, respectively.
While both Moss and Brooks had five retirements to their name, Hawthorn only had two, and finished five races in P2, and this consistency gave him the title.
#2 1964: Jim Clark had more wins than John Surtees
John Surtees was the only driver to win both the F1 and the MotoGP titles. Surtees won his only F1 title in 1964 with two wins to his name. However, Jim Clark beat him to it with 3 wins in 1964.
#3 1967: Jim Clark had more wins than Denny Hulme
Denny Hulme won the 1967 title with 2 wins to his name. However, Jim Clark had 4 wins, yet finished the season in P3 behind Hulme and Brabham. This was again down to reliability as Clark had five retirements, whereas Hulme only had two. The champion also stood on the podium eight times during the season in comparison to Clark’s five.
#4 1977: Mario Andretti had more wins than Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda won his second F1 title in 1977 with Ferrari. The Austrian won three races during the season with 10 podiums to his name. Lauda did not complete the season with the US GP being his last race, as he won the title with two races remaining. This was possibly the reason why Mario Andretti went on to have more wins than Lauda, with a tally of 4.
#5 1979: Alan Jones had more wins than Jody Scheckter
Jody Scheckter won his first and only F1 title in 1979, racing for Ferrari with teammate Gilles Villeneuve finishing P2. Scheckter had 3 wins during the championship-winning season, whereas Alan Jones, who finished P3, had 4 wins, all of which came in the second half of the season.
#6 1982: Five drivers had more wins than Keke Rosberg
Keke Rosberg won his only title in 1982 with just one win to his name that season, which came at the Swiss GP. However, Niki Lauda, Didier Pironi, John Watson, René Arnoux and Alain Prost had more wins than Rosberg, with all five winning two races each.
#7 1983: Alain Prost had more wins than Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet won the 1983 title with 3 wins, whereas Alain Prost, who was the runner-up, had 4 wins during the season. Piquet was trailing Prost going into the final three rounds. The Brazilian won two of the last three races and finished on the podium at one, and won the title by 2 points.
#8 1984: Alain Prost had more wins than Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda won the title with 5 wins, whereas Alain Prost again finished the runner-up, this time with 7 wins. Lauda won the championship by just half a point. Although Lauda had more retirements than Prost, the Austrian ended up on the podium in all but one race that he completed.
#9 1986: Nigel Mansell had more wins than Alain Prost
Alain Prost won his second title in 1986 with 4 wins, whereas Nigel Mansell in the Williams had 5 wins. Prost won the title by 2 points, and Mansell finished as the runner-up.
#10 1987: Nigel Mansell had more wins than Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet won the title with 3 wins, whereas Mansell again finished as the runner-up, this time with 4 wins. Mansell challenged for the title, but injured his back in a crash at the Japanese GP, and didn't participate in the last two races.
#11 1989: Ayrton Senna had more wins than Alain Prost
McLaren teammates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost went head-to-head for the 1989 title in one of the most iconic teammate rivalries in the history of F1. Prost won the title with 4 wins, but Senna had more wins (6). The Brazilian had six retirements and a disqualification, yet still managed to finish as the runner-up.
#12 2008: Felipe Massa has more wins than Lewis Hamilton
Going into the final race of the 2008 season, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa had 5 wins each, with the Briton in the lead of the championship. The Ferrari driver won the final race in his home country, but a slow-going Timo Glock on the final lap gave Hamilton the P5 required to grab the title. The Briton won the title by 1 point, but Massa had more wins (6).
#13 2016: Lewis Hamilton had more wins than Nico Rosberg
The 2010s introduced the Turbo Hybrid era power unit, which was dominated by Mercedes. In 2016, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went toe to toe for the title, with the German coming out on top. Going into the final race, both drivers had nine wins each. Hamilton required Rosberg to finish P4 or lower to win the title.
Lewis Hamilton tried backing his teammate into the rivals. However, Rosberg finished P2 and grabbed the title. Hamilton won the final race and finished the season with 10 wins.
#14 2025: Max Verstappen had more wins than Lando Norris
Max Verstappen had a slow start to the season with the troublesome RB21. He was 104 adrift of the championship leader after the Dutch GP. However, upgrades to the Red Bull were brought at the Italian GP, which put Verstappen in contention for the race wins again.
Going into the final race, Max Verstappen was only 12 points behind Lando Norris. The Red Bull driver needed to win the race and for Norris to finish P4 or lower. Norris, Piastri and Verstappen entered the final race with 7 wins each. The Dutchman won the race, but the Briton finished P3, which was enough to grab his first title.
