Max Verstappen wins his second championship in Japan in 2022. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

Which Drivers Were Crowned F1 Champions in Japan?

Which drivers have won their titles in Japan? Read ahead to know more.

Max Verstappen wins his second championship in Japan in 2022. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

The Japanese Grand Prix is going to be the next race of the Formula 1 2025 season. Japan holds a special place in the hearts of F1 fans. The circuit has seen its fair share of tragedies and celebrations. The corners of 130R and Degners have never failed to amaze drivers and fans alike. The last winner of the Japanese GP was Max Verstappen who led Red Bull to a 1-2 finish with Sergio Perez. This year he will have Yuki Tsunoda beside him to partner his Japanese GP campaign with Red Bull. F1 abandoned the race from 2020-2021. After F1 returned to Japan in 2022, the race will be a part of F1 calendar until 2029.

Japanese Grand Prix was one of the last races of the season until 2024. It is known for many title deciders. As such, Japan has had the luck of seeing many driver’s champions. F1 Japanese GP was the only event from F1 in Asia until 1999. The 2025 Japanese GP will witness extreme competition among the top-4 teams in the grid. McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes will try to triumph in Japan to better their standings in the drivers and constructor’s championship.

List of F1 Champions Crowned in Japan

To date, Japan has seen 13 F1 champions. 9 different drivers have won their F1 championships in this race. Ayrton Senna has won three of his championships in Japan. Here’s a table of every driver with the championships they won at Suzuka and Fuji-

Driver	Championships
James Hunt	1976
Nelson Piquet	1987
Ayrton Senna	1988, 1990 and 1991
Alain Prost	1989
Damon Hill	1996
Mika Hakkinen	1998, 1999
Michael Schumacher	2000, 2003
Sebastian Vettel	2011
Max Verstappen	2022

Historically towards the end of the calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix has seen 13 drivers' champions crowned! 🤯🏆

Here's every driver to secure a victorious season in Japan 🧵#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/0YBO5gxMAr
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 1, 2025

Max Verstappen won his second driver’s championship in 2022 at Suzuka during the Japanese Grand Prix. He is the last driver to achieve this feat as of 2025. Verstappen victory in Japan in 2022 marked the reign of his dominant victories in F1 for three years consecutively.

To know more fact and interesting takeaways about Japanese Grand Prix, follow The Playoffs!

Also Read:
F1 Constructor Standings- 2025 Formula 1 Season
F1 Driver Standings- 2025 Formula 1 Season

Formula 1

Japanese Grand Prix

Rohan Singh

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.