Which F1 Drivers Won the Championship in Their Second Year?
In only his second season in Formula 1, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli is the favourite to win the World Drivers' Championship after his greatness in the first half of the season.
Antonelli won six of the first 11 races of the 2026 F1 campaign and is leading the drivers' standings with a 50-point gap over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Having in mind that Antonelli is only a second-year driver, let us take a look at those who had the fewest F1 seasons to win the World Drivers' Championship.
Note: The list excludes Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, F1's first two champions in 1950 and 1951. Both were active Grand Prix drivers even before the World Championship was born, which means that they were not 'rookies' in 1950.
F1 Champions in Only Their Second Season
Excluding the first two World Champions in F1 history, Farina and Fangio, the list narrows to only two drivers. Both did it with two of the biggest teams in the sport, which is exactly what Antonelli, the youngest championship leader in F1 history, is aiming for in 2026.
Jacques Villeneuve - 1997 (Williams)
The Canadian came to Formula 1 fresh off winning the 1995 IndyCar title and the 1995 Indy 500. In his first year at Williams, Villeneuve fought for the title with teammate Damon Hill.
While Hill won the title, Villeneuve won four races, establishing a record for most wins by a rookie.
In 1997, with Hill leaving the team, Villeneuve led Williams' charge in the drivers' championship, having to fend off the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher. Eventually, Villeneuve beat Schumacher dramatically and chaotically at the 1997 European GP in Jerez.
In the final race of the year and with Schumacher leading by one point, they both collided while fighting for the win. Schumacher retired from the race, and Villeneuve continued, finishing third and winning the championship.
Eventually, the German was excluded from the championship for running into Villeneuve on purpose.
Lewis Hamilton - 2008 (McLaren)
Hamilton came into Formula 1 in 2007 and was thrown into a McLaren-Mercedes team which also welcomed reigning two-time F1 champion, Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton and Alonso bitterly fought for the championship that year, but it was Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen who beat them both in the finale in Brazil.
Although he missed the championship by only one point, Hamilton's rookie year was stellar, winning four races (equalling Villeneuve's record) and standing on the podium in each of his first nine Grands Prix (a record as well).
In 2008, with Alonso returning to Renault, Hamilton and McLaren again pushed for the championship. Felipe Massa and Ferrari emerged as the main contenders against Hamilton, and the title was decided on the final lap of the final race, in Brazil.
Hamilton famously overtook Toyota's Timo Glock in the rain (the Toyota was on dry tires) to secure a P5 finish, which gave him the title by one point over Massa, who had won his home race and thought that the title would finally be his.
Kimi Antonelli snapshot
| F1 debut | 2025 (Mercedes) |
|---|---|
| Current team | Mercedes (since 2025) |
| Born | 25 August 2006, Bologna, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
See also: Kimi Antonelli stats on F1-Fansite.
