The 2010s didn’t just change Formula 1; they reset the pecking order. New regs, hybrid era, political chaos, and one relentless Brit rewriting history. This top 10 isn’t nostalgia. It’s a cold, hard look at who actually moved the needle when it mattered.
Some names will sting. Some omissions will hurt. That’s the sport. Lights out and away we… oh wait, Lewis already won.
10) Valtteri Bottas — The Relentless Wingman With Bite
Bottas walked into the lion’s den at Mercedes and didn’t blink. He turned a solid Williams résumé into a front-row career, grabbing wins and pushing the pace. His 2019 reinvention wasn’t PR fluff; four wins and P2 in the standings shut that down.
Was he Hamilton-proof? No. But he was the dependable disruptor who banked points, delivered poles, and kept Ferrari honest. The competition? Reduced to expensive spectators when he nailed a start.
9) Jenson Button — The Smooth Assassin
Beat Hamilton in equal machinery across a season. That alone buys lifetime credibility. Button’s 2011 was pure execution: three wins, eight podiums in nine races to close the year, and composure when the chaos hit.
He lacked the raw brutality of the era’s top dog, but his racecraft and tyre wizardry thrived in Pirelli-world. Classic Button: velvet touch, hidden knife. File this under: underrated.
8) Kimi Räikkönen — The Iceman Doesn’t Thaw
Two years out. Back to Lotus. Immediately on the podium and winning by 2012. The 2018 Austin win? Vintage Kimi: ruthless at the start, unbothered in defence. The man didn’t chase drama; it chased him.
Ferrari years were streaky, but he still delivered 12 podiums in 2018 and a headline win. When Räikkönen finally spoke, it was usually to say: leave me alone. He knew what to do.
7) Daniel Ricciardo — The Smiling Hitman
2014: replaces Webber, beats a four-time champ in straight combat. He made Vettel look mortal and signed his permanent residency at the sport’s top table. The ol’ Verstappen divebomb special? Ricciardo wrote the manual first in China 2018.
Monaco 2018 was his masterpiece: pole with a wounded car, then a flawless win. Renault was a gamble, sure. But Ricciardo’s stock? Still blue chip. On Sundays, he sent rivals back to karting school.
6) Nico Rosberg — The Man Who Broke the Mountain
Beat Hamilton over a season in the same car. That’s not a footnote; that’s the headline. Rosberg’s 2016 wasn’t lucky. It was calculated obsession, right down to shaving off leg muscle to eke out 0.013s in Suzuka.
He didn’t dominate the decade, but his peak was Everest-high. One title, 23 wins in the hybrid era trench war, and a retirement mic drop. Somewhere, a PR manager just had a minor stroke.
5) Fernando Alonso — The Force of Nature
Alonso didn’t have the best car for most of the decade. He nearly won the title anyway. Twice. 2012 was black magic: he dragged a stubborn Ferrari into a knife fight with Red Bull and made it look plausible.
McLaren-Honda? A disaster he helped narrate with scathing accuracy. But pound-for-pound, few extracted more from less. If you needed every last tenth wrung out, you called Fernando. Then you braced for fireworks.
4) Max Verstappen — The Teenage Earthquake
He arrived at 17 and promptly set the sport on fire. Promoted mid-2016. Wins on debut for Red Bull. That wasn’t hype; that was hardware. By 2019, he was beating both Ferraris to P3 in an inferior car. Ruthless, adaptable, relentless.
Yes, 2018 had rough edges. He filed them down and came back scarier. Trademark late-brake lunges that made veterans panic. The plot thickens like Ferrari’s excuse list whenever Max is in their mirrors.
3) Sebastian Vettel — The Early-Decade Sledgehammer
From 2010 to 2013, Vettel wasn’t racing. He was dictating terms. Four straight titles, nine wins in a row in 2013, and a partnership with Newey’s Red Bull that looked unbreakable. At his best, he was untouchable.
The hybrid shift hurt him. Ferrari hope turned into unforced errors and fading aura. But the first half of the decade? Pure domination. Lights out and away we… oh wait, Seb already cleared off.
2) Lewis Hamilton — The Metronome With Teeth
Five titles in the decade. Eight genuine title bids. A win in every single season. He didn’t just win; he crushed timelines and erased records. Post-2016, he leveled up again, turning pressure into art.
Yes, he had the best car often. Guess what? He made it look inevitable. Hammer time wasn’t a meme; it was a funeral march for everyone else’s lap times. The competition? Reduced to expensive spectators.
1) The Decade’s Apex Predator: Lewis Hamilton
You want the truth? This era belongs to Hamilton. The stats back it. The eye test backs it. The way he adapted from chaos at McLaren to serene brutality at Mercedes seals it.
Rivals flashed. Hamilton sustained. He didn’t just win, he changed the sport’s definition of consistency at the peak. In the 2010s, he was the standard. And it wasn’t even close.
Honorable Mentions That Twisted the Knife
Charles Leclerc arrived late but loud: seven poles and two wins in 2019, and he outscored Vettel. Sergio Perez was the midfield king, scooping podium scraps no top team bothered to grab. Jenson’s 2011 still slaps. And yes, Rosberg’s title was earned, not gifted.
Romain Grosjean’s early Lotus form? Electric. Valtteri’s Williams rise? Legit. And if you’re still sleeping on Sainz—that’s on you.
Signature Moments That Defined the 2010s
- Vettel’s 2013 streak — nine straight wins. Ruthless efficiency.
- Rosberg 2016 — obsession turned into a championship. Then vanished.
- Hamilton’s hybrid era — the blueprint for modern dominance.
- Verstappen’s 2016 Spain win — debut Red Bull victory at 18. Chaos merchant.
- Alonso 2012 Valencia — the day he walked on water in red.
So Who Actually Ruled?
If you love pure peak dominance, you worship early-decade Vettel. If you crave sustained excellence, it’s Hamilton by a mile. If you want the future, Verstappen kicked in the door. The rest? Crucial, compelling, occasionally combustible.
But the 2010s scoreboard doesn’t lie. Hamilton didn’t just win; he sent everyone else back to karting school. See you in the next era.