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Top 10 best F1 teams of all time: A look at the champions
The rapid innovations of the 1960s and 1970s paved the way for the newest teams making names for themselves today.
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When Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez finished first and fourth, respectively at the 2022 United States Grand Prix, Oracle Red Bull Racing broke Mercedes’ eight-year streak of Constructors’ Championships.
"After eight long years, this means everything to us," team principal Christian Horner said. "It's been such a journey. We've had the tough years, we've had to keep picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off. The hard work, the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this – this one means the world to us."
Red Bull Racing Team celebrates F1 World Constructors Championship 2022 win
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Formula One’s history is littered with successful teams, drivers, and tactics that built the open-wheel racing championship into the international dynamo it is today.
This article will highlight the top 10 best F1 teams ever, from perennial champions to historical powerhouses. We also included the dates the racing teams were chassis constructors, which means the team developed and constructed their own engine or chassis.
01
Scuderia Ferrari (1950 - present)
Charles Leclerc at the FIA Formula One World Championship 2022 in Austria
© Lucas Pripfl / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 16
- Standout Detail: Ferrari has a real mastery of constructing engines and updating their cars to improve on previous models. For example, the F2008, the last car that won Ferrari a Constructors’ Championship, implemented a standard Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to make car management easier for drivers during a race. The wheelbase and weight distribution of the car were also modified to ensure that the car got the most of its tires.
Red Bull and Ferrari may be the hottest teams in F1 right now. Ferrari’s best decade was the 2000s when the team won seven titles with standout drivers like Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raïkkönen. Even though Ferrari hasn’t won a Constructors’ Championship since 2008, the team still maintains its dominance. The only season they haven’t finished in the top-four is 2020, when they finished sixth.
02
McLaren (1966 - present)
Lando Norris during the FIA Formula One World Championship 2022 in Austria
© Philip Platzer / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 8
- Standout Detail: McLaren won its races based on the prowess of its drivers. However, McLaren has never manufactured its engine, a rarity among F1 racing teams.
McLaren is another dominant team whose past is richer than its present. The team’s most dominant stretch was from 1984-1991, when the team won six Constructors’ Championships. In that span, McLaren drivers won seven Drivers’ Championships: three by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and one by Niki Lauda. Before leaving to join Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton won the Driver’s Championship while racing for McLaren in 2008. This still stands as the last title (Constructor’s or Driver’s) that McLaren has won in Formula One.
03
Williams (1978 - present)
Alex Albon driving the Williams Racing FW44 Mercedes
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 9
- Standout Detail: The former William’s chief engineer Adrian Newey is credited with much of this team’s success. During his time designing cars for the team from 1991-1996, the team won four Constructors’ Championships.
The most dominant stretch for Williams was the 1980s and 1990s, when the team won all nine of their Constructors’ Championships and all seven of their Drivers’ Championships. Just like McLaren, Williams also does not have a history of designing their own engines.
04
Mercedes (1954-1955, 2010 - present)
Lewis Hamilton during the FIA Formula One World Championship 2022 Austria
© Philip Platzer / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 8
- Standout Detail: Mercedes has the record for the most consecutive Constructors’ Championship wins, winning all eight of their titles from 2014 to 2021, all with its 1.600 L 90° V6 turbo hybrid engine. A major part of this success is Lewis Hamilton, who finished no lower than second in the Driver’s Championship standings each of those eight title-winning campaigns.
While not participating in Formula One as a racing team, Mercedes technology was still helping teams win championships. The team’s engines powered two Constructors’ Championships and four Drivers’ Championships before returning to F1 action in 2010. After they returned to Formula One as a racing team for the 2010 World Championship campaign, Mercedes is one of the dominant forces in the current F1 scene, and its history as a top engine manufacturer has heightened its success.
05
Red Bull Racing (2004 - present)
Max Verstappen on the track during the F1 Grand Prix of USA 2022 in Austin
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 5
- Standout Detail: Red Bull does a really good job developing junior drivers into future F1 talents with its Junior Team. Former members of the Junior Team include Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon, and Sebastian Vettel.
Since 2009, Red Bull has finished third or higher in the Constructor standings every year except one. Two Red Bull drivers have won Drivers’ Championships in the team’s history: Sebastian Vettel won four straight from 2010 to 2013 and Max Verstappen has won the past two.
06
Lotus (1958-1994)
- Constructor’s Titles won: 7
- Standout Detail: Led by lead designer Colin Chapman, Team Lotus rose to dominance thanks to the inventiveness of Chapman’s designs. The monocoque design of the Lotus 25 allowed the car to be more structurally sound than its predecessor despite being three times lighter. The Lotus 72 resembled a lot of the F1 cars we see today, adding an aerodynamic kit to the previous model that Lotus’ competitors could not compete with.
Another historical giant, Lotus won all seven of their Constructors Championships between 1963 and 1978. Thanks to their innovative car designs, Lotus often caught the other teams off guard by designing a car that was simply better than its competitors.
07
Brabham (1962-1987, 1989-1992)
- Constructor’s Titles won: 2
- Standout Detail: When the FIA increased the F1 engine capacity to three liters in 1966, Brabham adapted to that change better than anyone else, winning the next two Constructors’ Championships.
Brabham truly caught lightning in a bottle when the FIA increased the engine capacity of F1 cars. Working with Australian engineering firm Repco, the team used an engine based on a defunct Oldsmobile racing model. The cars ended up being very light and reliable, powering the team to two Constructors’ Championships in 1966 and 1967. After that run, Brabham also saw success in the early 1980s, when Nelson Piquet won two Drivers’ Championships in 1981 and 1983.
08
Cooper (1950, 1952-1969)
- Constructor’s Titles won: 2
- Standout Detail: Cooper innovated the way F1 cars were built by putting the engine behind the driver. These “rear-engined” cars were less prone to spin-outs and could generate more downforce than their front-engined counterparts.
Before Jack Brabham went on to start the Brabham team, he won two Drivers’ Championships in 1959 and 1960 with Cooper. With a team of Brabham, Bruce McLaren and Stirling Moss, Cooper took their rear-engined car design to the peak of F1 racing by winning the Constructors’ Championship in 1959 and 1960.
09
Renault (1977-1985, 2002-2011, 2016-2020)
Renault Sport at F1 winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain 2016
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
- Constructor’s Titles won: 2
- Standout Detail: While Renault may not have had the most success as a racing team, as an engine manufacturer there are few who are better than them. Since 1990, Renault has won 12 Constructors’ Championships as an engine manufacturer, the most in F1 over that timespan.
Renault won the 2005 and 2006 Constructors’ Championships based on the innovation of its vehicles and the rapid success of the then up-and-coming talent Fernando Alonso, who also won the Drivers’ Championships in both of those years as well. Renault’s cars at the time benefitted from an advanced mass damper system that allowed its cars to turn better. The FIA banned the system in 2006, however, and Renault haven’t finished in the top 3 since.
10
Tyrrell (1970-1988)
- Constructor’s Titles won: 1
- Standout Detail: Tyrrell’s lone Constructors’ Championship win came in 1971. Following disappointing showings with other models, team owner Ken Tyrrell and chief designer Derek Gardner decided to design their own car. The Tyrrell 003 produced the best results, winning six out of the 12 races during the 1971 season. One of the biggest reasons for this was its longer wheelbase, which made the car more stable around corners and relatively safer to drive.
Tyrrell saw most of its success early on, with the team winning its Constructors’ Championship and two Drivers’ Championships within its first five seasons. Jackie Stewart, who had won a Drivers’ Championship with Matra in 1969, won those two Drivers’ Championships with Tyrrell in 1971 and 1973. When he retired after the 1973 campaign, Stewart held the record for the most F1 wins in a career with 27.
Conclusion
F1 has one of the richest histories, if not the richest history, in all of sports. The rapid innovations of the 1960s and 1970s paved the way for the newest teams making names for themselves today. Whether you’re more interested in what goes on behind the scenes or learning more about the top athletes in the sport, like Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, F1 has a lot to offer for anyone looking to get in on the action!
