# The 24 Best McLaren Formula 1 Drivers in F1 History

> This lineup spans title-winning legends of Formula 1's golden era to the sharp young talents steering the team today, with a few underrated cult favorites mixed in between. Who gets your vote for the top step?

*By YPB Team · Published July 12, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-24-best-mclaren-formula-1-drivers-in-f1-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **John Watson** — score 1000/1000
   Race winner across five seasons with McLaren from 1979 to 1983, known for remarkable from-the-back victories.
2. **Ayrton Senna** — score 952/1000
   Won three world championships with McLaren between 1988 and 1993 and is regarded by many as the team's greatest driver.
3. **Alain Prost** — score 898/1000
   The Professor won three of his four world titles with McLaren between 1984 and 1989.
4. **Jenson Button** — score 857/1000
   2009 world champion who scored multiple victories for McLaren between 2010 and 2016.
5. **Gerhard Berger** — score 659/1000
   Austrian race winner who partnered Senna at McLaren across two spells between 1990 and 1993.
6. **Lewis Hamilton** — score 659/1000
   Won the 2008 World Championship as a McLaren rookie sensation and stayed with the team through 2012.
7. **Niki Lauda** — score 659/1000
   Won his third world title and McLaren's first drivers' championship in 1984 by half a point, the closest finish in F1 history.
8. **Nigel Mansell** — score 571/1000
   1992 world champion who made a brief, high-profile return to McLaren for two races in 1995.
9. **David Coulthard** — score 571/1000
   Scottish driver who scored twelve wins across eight seasons with McLaren from 1996 to 2004.
10. **Sergio Perez** — score 571/1000
   Mexican driver who spent the 2013 season racing for McLaren before moving on.
11. **Daniel Ricciardo** — score 571/1000
   Australian race winner who took McLaren's 2021 Italian Grand Prix victory.
12. **James Hunt** — score 571/1000
   Won the dramatic 1976 World Championship for McLaren in one of Formula 1's most famous title battles.
13. **Bruce McLaren** — score 571/1000
   Team founder and driver from 1966 to 1970 who won the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix in a car bearing his own name.
14. **Oscar Piastri** — score 467/1000
   Rising Australian talent who has delivered race wins for McLaren since joining the team in 2023.
15. **Peter Revson** — score 467/1000
   American driver who won two grands prix for McLaren during the 1971 and 1972 seasons.
16. **Carlos Sainz Jr** — score 467/1000
   Spanish driver who scored multiple podiums for McLaren between 2019 and 2020.
17. **Kimi Raikkonen** — score 343/1000
   The Iceman narrowly missed the title with McLaren in 2003 and 2005 before winning it elsewhere.
18. **Heikki Kovalainen** — score 343/1000
   Finnish driver who won the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix during his three seasons at McLaren.
19. **Denny Hulme** — score 343/1000
   The 1967 world champion who spent seven seasons at McLaren from 1968 to 1974, racking up multiple grand prix wins.
20. **Jochen Mass** — score 343/1000
   German driver who won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix during his four years with McLaren from 1974 to 1977.
21. **Lando Norris** — score 343/1000
   British driver who has taken multiple wins for McLaren and became a world champion with the team in the 2020s.
22. **Keke Rosberg** — score 190/1000
   1982 world champion who closed out his F1 career driving for McLaren in 1986 and 1987.
23. **Fernando Alonso** — score 190/1000
   Two-time world champion who returned to McLaren for a difficult but memorable stint from 2015 to 2018.
24. **Mika Hakkinen** — score 190/1000
   The Flying Finn won back-to-back world titles with McLaren in 1998 and 1999.

Tags: formula 1, racing, drivers, motorsport, mclaren