Driver and constructor championships: a record that doesn’t always add up

The driver who won the world title did not always race for the champion team. Here is a look back at the seasons when the drivers' and constructors' championships were won by different teams.

As the championship draws to a close, the gaps in the drivers' and constructors' standings are minimal, meaning that the 2021 world champion could very well come from a team that does not win the constructors' title. Since the start of the season, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been tied for the lead, and the final result will not be known until December 12, the date of the last Grand Prix.

The battle for the constructors' title is just as close, with Mercedes and Red Bull separated by only a few points. This sets the stage for a rare event in Formula 1 history: a driver winning the title while his team finishes second in the constructors' standings. Since the constructors' championship was created in 1958, this scenario has only occurred ten times. 1958 – Mike Hawthorn wins the drivers' title for Ferrari, beating Stirling Moss by a single point. Vanwall, with teammates Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis-Evans, wins the first constructors' championship. 1973 – Jackie Stewart wins his third drivers' title with Tyrrell, but Lotus, driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson, wins the constructors' title. The season was marked by tragedy after the fatal accident of Stewart's teammate François Cevert. 1976 – The legendary duel between James Hunt and Niki Lauda ended with Hunt's victory with McLaren, while Ferrari, despite Lauda's absence following his accident at the Nürburgring, won the constructors' title.

1981 – Nelson Piquet won his first drivers' championship for Brabham, but the constructors' title went to Williams, represented by Carlos Reutemann and Alan Jones.

1982 – A dark year marked by the deaths of Gilles Villeneuve and Riccardo Paletti, and by the accident that ended Didier Pironi's career. Internal rivalry at Ferrari helped the Italian marque win the Constructors' Championship, while Keke Rosberg clinched the Drivers' title for Williams despite only one victory.

1983 – Piquet repeated his success with Brabham, while Ferrari's trio of French drivers – Alain Prost, René Arnoux, and Patrick Tambay – helped the Scuderia win the Constructors' Trophy.

1986 – Once again, the drivers' and constructors' titles were won by different teams. Internal tensions between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet at Williams allowed Alain Prost, at McLaren, to win his second drivers' championship after a dramatic finale in Adelaide.

1994 – This season will forever be linked to the tragic weekend at Imola, which claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. Michael Schumacher wins his first drivers' title with Benetton, while Williams, despite the controversy surrounding the collision between Schumacher and Damon Hill in the final race, wins the constructors' championship.

1999 – Ferrari returned to the top of the constructors' standings for the first time since 1983. Michael Schumacher's injury at Silverstone kept him off the track for several races, and his teammate Eddie Irvine missed out on the drivers' championship title, which went to Mika Häkkinen at McLaren.

2008 – The last edition to date in which the titles were shared. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) went into the final race in Brazil tied on points; Hamilton won the drivers' championship in the last corner, while Ferrari secured the constructors' title thanks to Massa and Kimi Räikkönen. To date, this remains the last season in which both McLaren and Ferrari won a championship. The 2021 season could add a new chapter to this exclusive list. Whatever the final outcome, this campaign has already made Formula 1 history.