From Barcelona crash to surprises: Here are the current F1 drivers' first ever victories!
General
A major milestone in every Formula One driver's career: getting that first victory in the competition. On the current grid, 12 drivers have achieved that in their careers so far. GPblog lists you every current driver's first ever win in Formula One!
Drivers first ever wins in F1
Fernando Alonso, the most experienced driver on the grid, won his first-ever race more than 21 years ago. The Spaniard won back at the 2003 Hungarian GP with Renault, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya. The Hungaroring also proves be the only circuit where multiple drivers on the current grid won their first race. Not only famously Jenson Button could achieve that milestone back in 2006, but also Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri in 2021 and 2024 respectively. Piastri is also the latest current driver to win in the competition.
Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to win in his rookie year. After starting out strong in 2007 with five podium finishes in a row, the Briton first won in Canada. Hamilton then could also win in Indianapolis, and his podium streak extended during a further two weekends. Hamilton's current teammate, George Russell has won at Interlagos for the first time in 2022, earning his team's only victory that year.
Lando Norris managed to complete this milestone after a favourable Safety Car in Miami in 2024. Moreover, on the current grid, no one could win the championship the year they were first victorious in the competition. Now, Norris has the chance to change that, trying to chase down Max Verstappen. A Safety Car could also help Carlos Sainz at the 2022 British Grand Prix. After the Spaniard could make a stop for a fresh set of tyres, he told Ferrari to "stop inventing," and got past his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen himself has a fairytale like first victory. After getting promoted to Red Bull Racing ahead of the 2016 Spanish GP to replace Daniil Kvyat, the Dutchman took advantage of a Lap 1 crash between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Charles Leclerc could have won in his second Grand Prix with Ferrari, however, a technical failure prevented him from winning the 2019 Bahrain GP. The Monegasque driver had to wait until the Belgian Grand Prix to cross the finish line in P1, but similarly to Hamilton, he also managed to win a race later in Monza.
Valtteri Bottas earned his first victory at the 2017 Russian Grand Prix. The Finnish driver who could usually well in Sochi managed to finish ahead of Vettel by less than a second.
Sergio Perez managed to win for the first time at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, driving for Racing Point. After the Mexican was involved in a Lap 1 incident. At the weekend where Russell made his Mercedes debut and was on course to win, the Briton was held back after his team accidentally gave him a set of Bottas' tyres. After the favourite dropped out, Perez completed a brilliant comeback.
Drivers with a single victory
On the current list, there are only two drivers to only won a single time in their career. They are the two French drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who both won eventful Grands Prix. Pierre Gasly came out of the chaos of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix on top, after Charles Leclerc crashed into Parabolica and Lewis Hamilton had to serve a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for entering the pit lane when it was closed.
Ocon also won in 2021 at a chaotic weekend. After Bottas took out several cars following the start into Turn 1, only Lewis Hamilton continued the Grand Prix with intermediate tyres on the grid. That proved to be the wrong call, and after Alonso's impressive defending, Ocon could bring home his Alpine in P1 ahead of Sebastian Vettel (who was later disqualified) and the seven-time world champion.
The Timeline
Fernando Alonso: 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton: 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen: 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas: 2017 Russian Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc: 2019 Belgian Grand Prix
Pierre Gasly: 2020 Italian Grand Prix
Sergio Perez: 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
Esteban Ocon: 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz Jr: 2022 British Grand Prix
George Russell: 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix
Lando Norris: 2024 Miami Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri: 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!