List of Formula One World Drivers' Championship runners-up By season By season

| Season | Driver | Team | Engine | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Margin_of_defeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1 | 3 | 7 | 47 | 4 |
| 1980 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | Ford | 2 | 3 | 6 | 54 | 13 |
| 1981 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | Ford | 2 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 1 |
| 1982 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | Ferrari | 2 | 2 | 6 | 39 | 5 |
| 1983 | Alain Prost | Renault | Renault | 3 | 4 | 7 | 57 | 2 |
| 1984 | Alain Prost | McLaren | TAG | 3 | 7 | 9 | 71.5 | 0.5 |
| 1985 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1 | 2 | 8 | 53 | 20 |
| 1986 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | Honda | 2 | 5 | 9 | 70 | 2 |
| 1987 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | Honda | 8 | 6 | 7 | 61 | 15 |
| 1988 | Alain Prost | McLaren | Honda | 2 | 7 | 14 | 87 | 3 |
| 1989 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | Honda | 13 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 16 |