STATS: Fourteen times when the drivers' champion did not drive for the title-winning constructor
The 2024 F1 season marked the 12th time that the drivers' champion did not drive for the title-winning constructor. F1Technical's lead journalist Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.
Although McLaren started the 2024 F1 season slightly off the pace, struggling to match the performance of the field-leading Red Bull, a significant upgrade package introduced at the Miami Grand Prix saw the team close in on reigning champion team pace-wise. Lando Norris scored his maiden F1 victory in Florida, while his team-mate Oscar Piastri took his first F1 triumph at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
A mid-season upgrade introduced for the Dutch Grand Prix further improved performance, with Lando Norris winning by over 27 seconds ahead of second-placed Verstappen.
Oscar Piastri's triumph at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved McLaren up to first in the World Constructors' Championship. This was the first time since 2014 that McLaren had led the WCC. McLaren then went on to secure the World Constructors' Championship in Abu Dhabi, with Lando Norris finishing in first to earn McLaren their first Constructors' Championship since 1998.
That marked the 12th time that the drivers' champion did not drive for the title-winning constructor. Formula One introduced the Constructors' Championship in 1958, eight years after the sport was called into life.
The first year in which the teams competed for the title saw Vanwall clinch the trophy, but it was Ferrari's Mike Hawthorn to win his first and only drivers' title. In 1973, Lotus became the team champion, but Jackie Stewart won the drivers' title with Tyrell.
The 1976 F1 season led to the titanic battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. With the Austrian having forced to miss two races due to his horrific crash sustained at the German Grand Prix, Hunt came out on top with a single point lead, but the Scuderia clinched the teams' title.
The 1980s brought the highest number of years in which the drivers' champion did not drive for the title-winning constructor. In 1981 and 1986, Williams won the teams' title, but Nelson Piquet and Alain Prost claimed the drivers' title in those seasons respectively.
In 1982 and 1983, Ferrari came out on top of the constructors' battle, but Keke Rosberg scored his only title in '82 before Piquet clinched his second title in the following season.
Williams beat their rivals in 1994, but that season saw Michael Schumacher secure his first of seven titles with Benetton. In 1999, Mika Hakkinen clinched his second title with McLaren, but Ferrari won the teams' trophy.
The 2008 F1 season saw McLaren's Lewis Hamilton score his first of seven titles, but it was Ferrari to score the teams' title courtesy of Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa.
The hard-fought 2021 F1 season saw Mercedes come out on top courtesy of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, but Max Verstappen fractionally beat the British driver in a titanic battle between the two great drivers.
