# Who is the best one-time Formula 1 world champion?

> Sixteen drivers reached the top exactly once. Some were the best of their era; some caught a season that broke their way.

*By YPB Team · Published August 19, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-one-time-formula-1-world-champion*

---

## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Kimi Raikkonen** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Took the 2007 crown for Ferrari by one point in the Brazilian finale.
2. **Nico Rosberg** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 862/1000)
   Beat Lewis Hamilton in 2016 and retired five days later.
3. **Nigel Mansell** — 0% (0 votes · score 776/1000)
   Dominated 1992 in the Williams FW14B after years of near-misses.
4. **James Hunt** — 0% (0 votes · score 596/1000)
   Beat Niki Lauda by a point in the 1976 finale at a rain-soaked Fuji.
5. **Alan Jones** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Williams' first world champion, in 1980.
6. **Jenson Button** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Champion in 2009 with Brawn GP, a team built from Honda's ashes.
7. **Mario Andretti** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Won the 1978 title for Lotus with six victories, five of them in the Lotus 79.
8. **Jody Scheckter** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Ferrari's 1979 champion, and the last until 2000.
9. **Phil Hill** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Took the 1961 crown for Ferrari, the first American to do it.
10. **John Surtees** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   The only man to win world titles on two wheels and four, champion in 1964.
11. **Keke Rosberg** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Won the 1982 title with a single race victory in the most chaotic season on record.
12. **Damon Hill** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   The 1996 champion and the first son of a champion to win the title.
13. **Mike Hawthorn** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   Britain's first world champion, in 1958, with a single win all season.
14. **Denny Hulme** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   The Bear from New Zealand, champion for Brabham in 1967.
15. **Jochen Rindt** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   Formula 1's only posthumous champion, crowned after his death at Monza in 1970.
16. **Jacques Villeneuve** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   Won the 1997 title in his second season, having already taken the Indy 500.

Tags: formula 1, drivers, motorsport, champions