List of Formula One drivers
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. Each year, the F1 World Championship season is held. It consists of a series of races, known as , held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. Drivers are awarded points based on their finishing position in each race, and the driver who  accumulates the most points over each championship is crowned that year's World Drivers' Champion. As of the , there have been 771 Formula One drivers from 41 different nationalities who have raced at least one of the 1,061 FIA World Championship races since the first such event, the . Seven-time champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton hold the record for the most championships. Hamilton also holds the record for the most wins with , the most pole positions with , the most points with , and the most podiums with . Kimi Räikkönen has entered more than anyone else (353) and also holds the  record for the most Grand Prix starts (349). The United Kingdom is the most represented country, having produced 163 drivers. Ten countries have been represented by just one. China became the latest country to be represented by a driver when Zhou Guanyu made his Formula One debut at the driving for Alfa Romeo. The most recent driver to make their Formula One debut is Zhou, who debuted at the . This list includes all drivers who have entered a World Championship race, including participants of the Indianapolis 500 between and when it was part of the World Championship (although not being  run according to Formula One rules). Drivers. This list is accurate as of the . Drivers who only participated in Friday practice and who were not actually entered for the race are not included. By country. Drivers from 41 countries have entered a World Championship race. The United Kingdom is the most heavily represented with 164 drivers. Second is the United States with 158; between 1950 and 1960 the American Indianapolis 500 race, then rarely contested by drivers from outside the United States, was part of the World Championship. A total of 36 American drivers have started World Championship races sanctioned  by the FIA. Third is Italy with 99. Nine of these countries were represented in the very first race, the , and the most recent newly represented country is China, with Zhou Guanyu making his debut at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Statistics are accurate as of the .