These long runs of dominance are a more recent phenomenon.įrom 1961 until 1993, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were the only drivers to repeat as champions, and no one captured three titles in a row. “If you can get the right car with the right team, you can totally dominate.” “It’s not necessarily healthy for the sport, but that’s the beauty of Formula One,” Cheever said. The Dutch star won a record 15 races in 2022 before speeding right on by that mark this season. Verstappen’s current run began with a riveting, down-to-the-wire duel to beat out Hamilton in 2021, but the last two years have been a total rout. Lewis Hamilton has seven titles, four of them in succession. Sebastian Vettel ripped off four straight. Michael Schumacher claimed seven championships, including five in a row. With a handful of exceptions, Formula One championships have been hoarded for the better part of three decades by a handful of drivers who were fortunate enough to land in the fastest cars. “I enjoy NASCAR,” Cheever said, who serves as a consultant to that series and its sports car division, IMSA.
