A championship victory is the most esteemed prize for an F1 driver in their career. As the pinnacle of motorsports, drivers from around the world compete in cut-throat competitions to clinch victories and earn the maximum points in a season. Many drivers make it to and sometimes also grab multiple titles. These include the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, among many others who have had the chance to win multiple championships.
However, there are also some who, despite competing very well, are left without any titles. Throughout its history, F1 has witnessed loads of such drivers who had the ability to win World Championships but had to retire without any. This usually happens because of common reasons, including an uncompetitive car/team, poor decisions, and just bad luck.
Some drivers, meanwhile, no matter how good they perform, remain stuck behind the wheel as a team’s second drivers. Famous examples of these include Rubens Barichello (with Michael Schumacher), Valtteri Bottas (with Lewis Hamilton), and Sergio Perez with Max Verstappen. However, just because they are second drivers, it doesn’t mean that they have championship-winning potential.
So let us look at some of the F1 drivers who seemingly had the potential, but couldn’t win the title.
#5 Mark Webber – 9 F1 wins
Webber had been a part of the F1 grid since the 2002 season with Minardi. However, it wasn’t until 2007 that he got into Red Bull. The Milton Keynes-based outfit was largely uncompetitive, but they started gaining pace towards 2009 and started an all-out domination post that with Sebastian Vettel. Webber was his teammate at the same time. He clinched nine victories and numerous podiums, finishing third in the championship for three seasons. But he was almost always outperformed by his German teammate. Webber retired at the end of the 2013 season.
#4 Juan Pablo Montoya – 7 wins
Montoya did not have a very long career in the sport; however, he did manage to leave a mark. He was said to be the World Champion in the future, but he couldn’t achieve that. In his debut season with Williams Racing in 2001, Montoya witnessed 11 race retirements. However, he won three podiums, one race win, and another P4 and P8 finish that very season. He was extremely consistent in the upcoming two seasons, winning many races, but only finished the championship in third place as Michael Schumacher dominated the grid.
Monotya left F1 midway through the 2006 season with McLaren. He largely struggled with the car that season and decided to leave after a multi-car crash on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix.
#3 Stirling Moss – 16 wins
Stirling Moss is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers to have never won the World Championship. He fetched 16 victories between 1955 and 1961. Moreover, he was in the top three of the championship throughout these years. However, many factors affected his chance of winning the title. The first was his teammate, Juan Manuel Fangio. He was one of the best drivers in the sport’s history, clinching five championships. Performing at his peak at the time, he took any chances that Moss had at winning the title.
Moss also had to face unreliable cars and had to retire prematurely after a life-threatening crash.
#2 Felipe Massa – 11 wins
The Brazilian driver is best known for his time with Ferrari from 2006 onwards. He remained competitive and was a championship contender. He did manage to win the title on paper in the 2008 season, after winning in his homeland. However, seconds later, Lewis Hamilton pulled a last-minute move to finish P5 and took the championship home with just a one-point lead. An injury in the following season kept Massa out of racing for a long time, and he missed any shots he had at winning.
#1 Daniel Ricciardo – 8 F1 wins
Ricciardo was one of the most loved drivers on the grid. His career peaked with Red Bull, and he clinched multiple victories with the team. However, the team was not in strong shape at the time, considering the Mercedes domination. Moreover, he left the team at the end of the 2018 season following a tussle with his teammate, Max Verstappen. He then joined Renault and later moved to McLaren, delivering extremely inconsistent performances with both teams. He had a final chance with VCARB, but he was replaced mid-season in 2024. Since then, there has been no news of his potential return to the sport.
It was widely expected that Ricciardo would’ve clinched at least one title if he had remained at Red Bull Racing.
