The 2000s didn’t just redefine Formula 1. They detonated it. New dynasties, brutal title fights, and enough controversy to keep the stewards employed full-time. If you survived that decade, congratulations—you watched the sport at its most merciless. Here are the 10 drivers who owned the era, broke hearts, and sent rivals back to setup school.
No participation trophies here. This list weighs titles, wins, peak dominance, quality of opposition, and the cold, hard context of their seasons. Sentiment is for fan forums. This is the big leagues.
10. David Coulthard
DC was the perennial nearly-man, and yes, that’s harsh. But in the Schumacher-Häkkinen crossfire, he took punches and kept swinging. Eleven podiums in 2000 showed his metronomic consistency, even if the crown was always a step too far. Call it elite reliability, not revolution.
He bagged wins at Monaco 2002 and Australia 2003, then became Red Bull’s grown-up in the room. His feedback helped shape a team that would later crush the grid. He didn’t just race—he built foundations. The competition? Reduced to expensive spectators, eventually.
9. Felipe Massa
The man who won a title for 30 seconds. Interlagos 2008 is still raw steak for Ferrari fans. Massa was rapid and refined at Ferrari, scoring wins in 2006 and nearly completing the fairytale in 2008—until that Glock moment. Tears of joy turned to “file this under: yikes.”
His trajectory changed at Hungary 2009 after that terrifying accident. Before that? Punch-for-punch speed with the best. After? Still sharp, just lacking the knife-edge. He deserved more than fate allowed. Somewhere, a strategist double-checked their weather radar.
8. Rubens Barrichello
He had the best seat in the house—and the worst job description. At Ferrari in the early 2000s, Rubens was an elite lieutenant shadowing the most ruthless general of the era. Nine wins, runner-up in 2002 and 2004, and enough team orders trauma to last a lifetime.
Then came redemption: two wins with Brawn GP in 2009 during the double diffuser saga. Longevity? Unmatched. 322 starts. The man started races like Starbucks serves lattes. Classic resilience—no excuses, just laps.
7. Mark Webber
From Minardi heroics to Red Bull wars, Webber did it the hard way. Scored fifth on debut for Minardi—in that tractor. Then clawed his way to nine career wins, becoming the blunt instrument in the era’s spiciest intra-team rivalry. Grab your popcorn, Webber versus Vettel was box office.
He was a title outsider in 2010, and for good reason. Brutal pace on Sundays, honest to a fault on Thursdays. Integrity? Undisputed. Starts? Rocket-ship optional. The plot thickens like Red Bull’s excuse list every time Multi-21 gets mentioned.
6. Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton didn’t just arrive—he detonated the establishment. Rookie season, 2007: took the fight to Alonso and Raikkonen, nearly won the title, and made “rookie mistakes” a fairy tale. Then, 2008: last-corner pass on Timo Glock, title snatched by a single point. Somewhere, a PR manager just had a minor stroke.
He closed the decade as a world champion and serial race winner. The raw speed? Unquestionable. The clutch moments? Savage. Lights out and away we… oh wait, Hamilton already won.
5. Jenson Button
Silky smooth, savage when it counted. Button’s story is a rollercoaster—early podiums at BAR, first win in the rain at Hungary 2006, then purgatory with Honda. And just when the doors looked closed, enter Brawn GP 2009: six wins in seven races, title banked with patience and precision.
He turned tire whispering into an art and chaos into points. Classic Button late-race management—the move that makes hot-lappers question their life choices. Underestimate him? Your problem.
4. Kimi Raikkonen
The Iceman doesn’t do drama. He makes it obsolete. From Sauber rookie to McLaren missile, Raikkonen chased the 2003 and 2005 titles with relentless speed and zero fuss. Seven wins in 2005 against Alonso’s consistency said it all—pure pace, unreliable machinery. File McLaren’s DNFs under: yikes.
Then 2007: moved to Ferrari, trailed by 18 points with four to go, and stole the title by one. Cold-blooded. That comeback? Somewhere, Prost nodded in approval.
3. Sebastian Vettel
He burst in like a thunderclap. Youngest to score points at 19. Then that Monza 2008 masterclass in the wet for Toro Rosso—car control that made veterans look like they’d never seen rain. The rain showed up like that friend who always causes drama—and Vettel danced.
Red Bull grabbed him for 2009, and the late-season charge was ominous. By decade’s end, he was already tearing up records and queuing a four-title spree. The ol’ Verstappen divebomb special? Sorry, kid—Vettel did ruthless long before it was trending.
2. Fernando Alonso
Alonso’s 2000s weren’t cushy. He didn’t enjoy a clear superiority like others. He fought Schumacher head-on and took back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with relentless racecraft and tactical IQ. That wasn’t a car advantage. That was a driver advantage.
He nearly bagged a third in 2007 before Raikkonen ninja’d the title by a point. His adaptability turned average cars into podium threats. Classic Alonso late-braking—the move that’s sent more drivers wide than a bad GPS. Real ones know.
1. Michael Schumacher
Come on. This isn’t controversial. Schumacher didn’t just dominate the 2000s—he defined them. Five straight titles from 2000 to 2004, a 2002 season of top-three finishes in every race, and a 2004 campaign where he won 12 of the first 13. The rest? Expensive spectators.
He made winning an industrial process. Perfect starts. Ruthless stints. Tire management from a different dimension. Did Ferrari bend the sport around him? Absolutely. That’s what greatness does. Lights out and away we… oh wait, Schumacher already won.
Honorable Mentions
Jacques Villeneuve kept grinding into the 2000s, but the machinery never matched his 1997 peak. Solid points at BAR, little glory. A tough epilogue to a star turn. Sometimes the sport moves on before the car does.
Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya took heavy swings at Ferrari during the Williams-BMW surge. Ten wins between them, plenty of fireworks. Peak JPM? Terrifying. Peak Ralf? Underrated. Title shots? Vaporized by Ferrari’s red machine.
Key Stats Snapshot
Numbers don’t lie. They just confirm the beatdown you watched live. Here’s the decade’s rough landscape, focused on 2000–2009 impacts and arcs.
- Schumacher: 5 titles (2000–2004), record-breaking podium streaks, unmatched early-2000s dominance
- Alonso: 2 titles (2005, 2006), beat Schumacher head-to-head in peak form
- Raikkonen: 2007 champion, relentless speed, title near-misses in 2003 and 2005
- Vettel: Breakout wins by 2008, title-caliber form by 2009
- Hamilton: 2008 champion, historic rookie campaign in 2007
- Button: 2009 champion, wet-weather clinic in 2006
- Massa: 2008 vice-champion, multiple Ferrari wins
- Barrichello: 9 wins, multiple runner-up seasons at Ferrari
- Webber: 9 career wins, title contender in 2010 shaped by 2000s rise
- Coulthard: Consistent podium machine, crucial to Red Bull’s ascent
Final Verdict
If you want pure dominance, it’s Schumacher. If you want peak quality of opposition and surgical racecraft, it’s Alonso. If you want ice-veined title theft, it’s Raikkonen 2007. And if you want the future announcing itself early? That’s Hamilton 2007 and Vettel 2008, waving from the horizon.
The 2000s made legends and broke pretenders. The rain caused chaos. The heat cooked tires. And the wind? It played favorites. Apparently, it was a Ferrari fan. The rest were just trying to keep up—or praying for a safety car.