The 22 Best Karting Champions of the 2010s Who Reached Formula 1

From wunderkinds who dominated go-kart tracks as kids to grid veterans who took years to find their groove, this lineup mixes world champions with under-the-radar talents. Who do you back to win?

1. 1
   Charles Leclerc

   Won the Karting World Cup in 2011 before climbing through GP3 and Formula 2 to become a Ferrari Formula 1 driver.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Alex Albon

   Won the CIK-FIA European Championship and World Cup in KF3 in 2010 before reaching Formula 1 with Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Williams.
   790pts
3. 3
   Lance Stroll

   A dominant North American karting champion before fast-tracking through European single-seaters into a Formula 1 race seat.
   789pts
4. 4
   Yuki Tsunoda

   A Japanese karting champion before moving through Formula 4 and Super Formula into a Formula 1 seat with Red Bull's program.
   663pts
5. 5
   Max Verstappen

   Won the KZ Karting World Championship in 2013 before becoming a multiple-time Formula 1 World Champion with Red Bull.
   609pts
6. 6
   Pierre Gasly

   Won the Grand Prix Open Karting KF3 series in France in 2010 before progressing through Formula Renault and GP2 and winning the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
   474pts
7. 7
   Lando Norris

   Claimed the CIK-FIA World KF Karting Championship in 2014 and went on to win the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship with McLaren.
   284pts
8. 8
   Oscar Piastri

   Won a run of Australian junior karting titles between 2014 and 2016 before sweeping the Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles en route to McLaren.
   284pts
9. 9
   George Russell

   A dominant junior karting champion in Europe before sweeping GP3 and Formula 2 titles on his way to Mercedes.
   1pts
10. 10
    Esteban Ocon

    Won the French KF3 championship and the Grand Prix Open Karting in 2011 before working his way up through Formula Renault and GP3 into Formula 1.
    1pts
11. 11
    Mick Schumacher

    Won a German Bambini karting title in 2010 and finished runner-up in the 2015 junior world and European championships before Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles took him to Haas.
    0pts
12. 12
    Nyck de Vries

    Won back-to-back CIK-FIA world karting titles in 2010 and 2011, later took the Formula 2 crown and scored points on his 2022 Formula 1 debut for Williams.
13. 13
    Andrea Kimi Antonelli

    Swept the Italian and WSK junior karting titles in 2019 and the European OK crown in 2020 before joining Mercedes in Formula 1 in 2025.
14. 14
    Oliver Bearman

    Won the 2019 IAME Euro Series and International Final in X30 Junior before debuting for Ferrari in 2024 and racing full time for Haas.
15. 15
    Zhou Guanyu

    Won the 2013 Rotax Max Euro Challenge and British Super 1 junior titles before becoming China's first full-time Formula 1 driver with Alfa Romeo in 2022.
16. 16
    Logan Sargeant

    Became CIK-FIA junior world karting champion in 2015 and went on to race in Formula 1 for Williams in 2023 and 2024.
17. 17
    Franco Colapinto

    Won Argentine karting championships between 2016 and 2018 before scoring points on his Formula 1 debut season with Williams in 2024 and joining Alpine.
18. 18
    Antonio Giovinazzi

    Won the WSK Master Series KF2 title in 2010 and 2011, then reached Formula 1 with Sauber and raced three seasons for Alfa Romeo.
19. 19
    Liam Lawson

    Collected a string of New Zealand junior karting titles between 2012 and 2014 before reaching Formula 1 with AlphaTauri and Red Bull's teams.
20. 20
    Gabriel Bortoleto

    A Brazilian karting champion in 2012 and 2014 who won the F3 and F2 titles in successive years before joining Sauber in Formula 1 in 2025.
21. 21
    Jack Doohan

    Won Australian karting championships in 2015 and 2016, then climbed through Formula 3 and Formula 2 to race for Alpine in Formula 1.
22. 22
    Arvid Lindblad

    A British Super 1 cadet karting champion in 2018 who went on to win major WSK titles and graduated to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls in 2026.

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