Top 10 Drivers With Most Laps Led in F1 History: Max Verstappen is in 4th Place (April 2025) 5t4x6h

Since its inception in 1950, 34 different drivers have been crowned Formula One (F1) world champions. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have won the title seven times each, emerging as the t-most successful drivers in the sport’s history.

Hamilton also holds the record for the most F1 victories in history, with 105 wins to date. His nemesis on track and reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, is third with 64. Titles and most wins are common knowledge, of course. So, we wanted to go a little deeper and spotlight the drivers who have led the most laps in F1 history.

Let’s begin!

Note: Evaluation window is British GP 1950–Saudi GP 2025.

Top 10 Drivers With Most Laps Led in F1 History 193b1s

#10 Fernando Alonso: 1773 Laps Led 74r2q

The oldest “rookie” on the 2025 grid, Fernando Alonso, is the 10th driver on the list, having led 1773 laps in his F1 career. The 43-year-old has participated in 408 Grands Prix since making his Formula One debut in 2001.

Alonso, who beat the legendary Michael Schumacher to the title with his Renault in 2005 and 2006, has amassed a total of 2337 points so far. He has won 32 races and been on the podium a total of 106 times.

#9 Jackie Stewart: 1919 Laps Led 1p5i1n

F1 Hall of Famer, Jackie Stewart, led 1919 laps during his nine-year run in the sport between 1965 and 1973. The legendary Brit took part in 99 Grands Prix.

Stewart was a phenomenon in F1, winning the Drivers’ Championship three times — two times with Tyrrell (1971, 1973) and once with Matra International (1969). He won 27 races and secured 43 podium finishes in his legendary career.

#8 Jim Clark: 1943 Laps Led 4v4l8

In eighth place, we have Sir Jim Clark, who led 1943 F1 laps during his remarkable career. Clark participated in 1943 F1 races between 1960 and 1968.

Clark enjoyed a dominant stint with Team Lotus, winning the title in 1963 and 1965. He also finished as a runner-up in 1962. Before tragically losing his life at the age of 32, Clark won 25 races and reached the podium a total of 32 times.

#7 Nigel Mansell: 2091 Laps Led 24361g

One of the most colourful personalities Formula One has ever seen, Nigel Mansell, was a force to be reckoned with on the track. The British driver led 2091 laps in a whopping 188 Grands Prix in 15 years between 1980 and 1995.

Mansell won just one Drivers’ Championship in his career, with his success coming with Williams in 1992. He also finished second on as many as three occasions (1986, 1987, 1991 with Williams).

Mansell won 31 races in his career and reached the podium a total of 59 times.

#6 Alain Prost: 2683 Laps Led 6uo1i

Very few Formula One drivers dominated the sport the way Alain Prost did. The Frenchman was a perfectionist on the track and could get the better of anyone on this day. In 201 Grands Prix between 1980 and 1993, Prost led a whopping 2683 laps.

Prost won the Drivers’ Championship a whopping four times in his career. His first three championships came with McLaren in 1985, 1986, and 1989, while the last one came with Williams in his final F1 season in 1993.

Prost won 51 F1 races and got on the podium 106 times. He amassed 768.5 points before calling time on his legendary career.

#5 Ayrton Senna: 2931 Laps Led 553g6d

Arguably the most influential driver in F1 history, Ayrton Senna drove the lead car in 2931 laps in his career. Before his tragic demise in 1994, Senna took part in 161 F1 races across 11 years.

Senna, a cultural icon in all of Latin America, was known for his razor-sharp reflexes, bravado, and racecraft. By regularly taking lines others would not even dream of, Senna managed to get on the podium 80 times, standing on the top step on 41 occasions. He won the title three times with McLaren, with his successes coming in 1988, 1990, and 1991.

#4 Max Verstappen: 3484 Laps Led 5s6t3b

Only 27 years of age, reigning world champion Max Verstappen has already led 3484 laps in Formula One. He most recently led for 21 laps at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before eventual winner Oscar Piastri took control of proceedings.

Verstappen has been in Formula One since making his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015. He has entered 214 Grands Prix, claiming 64 victories and getting on the podium 115 times. The Dutchman, who is aiming to win his fifth World Drivers’ Championship this year, has amassed 3110.5 points thus far.

#3 Sebastian Vettel: 3501 Laps Led 2h5c4n

Narrowly ahead of Max Verstappen, we have one of the most charismatic drivers in F1 history, Mr. Sebastian Vettel. The former Red Bull driver annihilated the competition in his peak, leading 3501 laps in 299 race starts across 16 years.

Vettel made history with Red Bull, winning four consecutive World Drivers’ Championships between 2010 and 2013. He remains the youngest driver in history to claim for World Championship.

The 37-year-old, who now serves as one of the ambassadors of the sport, won 53 races out of 299, got on the podium 122 times, and claimed 122 pole positions. He secured 219 points finishes, amassing a total of 3098 points.

#2 Michael Schumacher: 5111 Laps Led 1r4e23

Synonymous with success and grandeur, Michael Schumacher painted the world red in his scarlet Ferrari, thrashing every team that dared to compete against him. The German magician led 5111 laps in 306 Formula One races across 19 seasons between 1991 and 2012 (was on a break from 2007 to 2009).

Schumacher won the first of his seven titles with Benetton in 1994. He defended his crown with another series of fantastic showings in 1995. In 1996, Schumacher ed Ferrari, but he could only manage a third-place finish in his debut season. He won his first title with the Italians in 2000, and the rest, as they say, is history. He showcased his superiority in the following years, adding four more titles on the bounce.

Schumacher had a three-year run with Mercedes between 2010 and 2012, but the German was long past his prime and could not push for the championship.

The seven-time World Drivers’ Championship winner won 91 races and reached the podium a total of 155 times. He finished within the points in 221 races, putting 1566 points on the board.

#1 Lewis Hamilton: 5487 Laps Led 171j2c

At the summit sits Lewis Hamilton, with the Englishman leading 5487 Formula One laps in his career. Hamilton, who now drives for Scuderia Ferrari, has entered 361 Grands Prix since making his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007.

Unlike every other name on the list, Hamilton was never not competitive in F1. In his debut season with McLaren, the Englishman pushed then-reigning champion Fernando Alonso to the limit, matching his pace in every race. The two eventually fell out, which allowed Kimi Raikkonen to clinch the championship, narrowly edging out Hamilton in second place.

The following season, Hamilton claimed his first F1 title, beating Ferrari’s Felipe Massa by a solitary point. His next title came at Mercedes

In 2014, a year after ing unproven Mercedes, Hamilton claimed his second Drivers’ World Championship. He successfully defended it in 2015 before losing out to his teammate and friend-turned-foe, Nico Rosberg, in 2016. Hamilton won four consecutive titles between 2017 and 2020 before Max Verstappen ended his reign with a controversial win in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

The 40-year-old racer has won 105 Grands Prix in his career, reaching the podium an additional 97 times. He has thus far amassed a total of 4893.5 points in Formula One.