Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest team on the F1 grid. The Italian outfit has been a part of the grid since the initial 1950 season and continues to be one of the top-performing teams. Even though they haven’t won a World Championship since the 2008 Constructors’ title, the team has a massive fan following. The Tifosi, as the fanbase likes to call themselves, fill races with waves of red in the grandstands.
Despite the issues the team has faced in recent years, there is no denying that the Scuderia did not have their moments of shine. Throughout the seven decades of the sport, the team has served as the benchmark for the grid many times. They were tough to beat at a point and also dominated the sport with excellently engineered cars and amazing driver pairings. Some of these driver-team pairings became more popular than the team itself.
The team experienced some one-hit wonders; meanwhile, there were others who took over the grid for years to come and made their stint with Ferrari rather iconic. So let us take a look at the top five F1 drivers in the Italian team’s long history in motorsports.
#5 Juan Manuel Fangio – 1 Championship (with Ferrari)
Fangio was the earliest dominating force the Formula 1 grid witnessed. He won a total of five Drivers’ World Championships, beginning in 1951. During his era, he raced with a handful of teams, and Scuderia Ferrari was one of them. He was with the Italian squad in the 1956 season and won the championship. This was his fourth title. He won three of the seven races that season.
#4 John Surtees – 1 Championship
John Surtees debuted on the F1 grid in the 1960 season with Lotus. He also raced with Cooper and Lola before moving to Ferrari in 1963. Although he suffered from unreliability, his performance was quite impressive when he finished. The following season, he won two of the ten races, along with four other podiums, to clinch the World Championship. He continued with the team for another year before switching. However, he never replicated his success with other teams.
#3 Alberto Ascari – 2 Championships
Ascari was one of the most influential drivers of his time. He drove for Ferrari since F1’s beginning in 1950, delivering consistent and strong performances. He finished the 1951 season in second place with two victories. His moment of shine came during the 1952 and 1953 seasons when he won consecutive championships with the Scuderia in a dominating show of performance. His unfortunate passing came in May 1955 after he crashed at Monza (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza). The corner where he crashed was renamed after him, and a chicane was later added. The current turns 8, 9, and 10 chicanes constitute the Variante Ascari.
#2 Niki Lauda – 2 Championships (with Ferrari)
Niki Lauda was a revolutionary driver. Known for his unfiltered expressions and impeccable driving, he debuted on the F1 grid in 1972 with March. Ferrari signed him in 1974, and he delivered two victories that very season. In 1975, he clinched his first title with the team with five victories. He finished the 1976 season in second place despite his life-threatening crash at the Nurburgring. He won the championship once again in 1977 before moving to Brabham. Lauda won his final title with McLaren in 1984.
#1 Michael Schumacher – 5 Championships (with Ferrari)
Michael Schumacher changed Formula 1 forever. His driving kept him apart from the entire grid. He is, arguably, the best driver the Italian team has had in its long history. After winning his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, he moved to the Scuderia. Although the team was in poor shape at the time, Schumacher worked hard behind the scenes and helped Ferrari develop a strong domination. He, along with the team, won five consecutive World Championships between 2000 and 2004, setting a record that remains unbroken. He retired at the end of the 2026 season.
