In Formula 1, finishing in the top three of a race earns a driver a spot on the podium. Over a full season, the driver with the most points becomes World Champion. But these two things don’t always go together.
Some drivers have stood on the podium dozens of times. season after season without ever finishing a year as champion.
This list looks at the ten drivers who reached the podium the most times in their careers, but never won the World Drivers’ Championship.
Top 10 F1 Drivers With Most Podiums
| Rank | Driver | Country | Podiums | Wins |
| 1 | Rubens Barrichello | Brazil | 68 | 11 |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | 67 | 10 |
| 3 | David Coulthard | United Kingdom | 62 | 13 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Monaco | 52 | 8 |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Austria | 48 | 10 |
| 6 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentina | 45 | 12 |
| 7 | Mark Webber | Australia | 42 | 9 |
| 8 | Felipe Massa | Brazil | 41 | 11 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Mexico | 39 | 6 |
| 10 | Riccardo Patrese | Italy | 37 | 6 |
1. Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello raced in F1 for 19 seasons, which was a record at the time for the most races started by any driver. For most of the 2000s, he was Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari, and he was often asked to support Schumacher’s title bids instead of chasing his own. Even so, he finished as championship runner-up twice, in 2002 and 2004. He also had a real shot at the title in 2009, driving for the newly formed Brawn GP team, before finishing third.
Barrichello retired from F1 in 2011 and has kept racing ever since first in IndyCar, then for over a decade in Brazil’s Stock Car Pro Series, where he has won two national titles.
2. Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas made his F1 debut with Williams in 2013 and joined Mercedes in 2017 to replace the retiring Nico Rosberg, partnering Lewis Hamilton. Across five seasons there, he won races and helped Mercedes claim multiple Constructors’ Championships, finishing runner-up in the drivers’ standings in both 2019 and 2020.
He later moved to Sauber but didn’t add to his win tally. He holds the F1 record for the most career points scored by a driver who never became champion.
After sitting out the 2025 season as a Mercedes reserve driver, Bottas returned to the grid in 2026 as one of the two founding drivers of the brand-new Cadillac F1 team, alongside fellow returnee Sergio Perez.
3. David Coulthard
David Coulthard raced for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull between 1994 and 2008. He stepped into the Williams seat after Ayrton Senna died in 1994 and won his first race the following year. His best title bid came in 2001 with McLaren, when he finished runner-up to Michael Schumacher. He later helped establish Red Bull Racing as a competitive team in the mid-2000s.
David Coulthard retired in 2008 and has built a long broadcasting career since.
4. Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is the only active full-time driver in this top 10, so his numbers are still growing. He joined Ferrari in 2019 and finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in the 2022 championship. He also holds the F1 record for the most pole positions by a driver who has never won a title.
Charles Leclerc is racing for Ferrari in the 2026 season and picked up a podium at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. It has been a difficult year for the team overall, with Ferrari trailing Mercedes and reports of behind-the-scenes tension involving Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
5. Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger raced for ATS, Arrows, Ferrari, McLaren, and Benetton between 1984 and 1997. He partnered with Ayrton Senna at McLaren from 1990 to 1992, contributing to two Constructors’ Championships, and his best individual seasons came with Ferrari, where he finished 3rd in both 1988 and 1994.
Gerhard Berger has stayed close to the sport since retiring; he returned to F1 as co-owner of the Toro Rosso team from 2006 to 2008 before selling his share back to Red Bull.
6. Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Reutemann raced from 1972 to 1982 for Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus, and Williams. His defining season was 1981, when he led the championship late in the year but lost the title to Nelson Piquet by a single point after fading in the final race.
He also finished 3rd in the standings on three separate years, including 1975, 1978, and 1980.
After F1, Reutemann became a major figure in Argentine politics, serving two terms as governor of Santa Fe province and later as a national senator, until he died in 2021 at age 79.
7. Mark Webber
Mark Webber raced for Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, and Red Bull between 2002 and 2013. His best years came at Red Bull alongside four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, where the two had a famously tense rivalry.
Webber finished 3rd in the championship three separate times in 2010, 2011, and 2013, but was never able to get the better of his teammate over a full season.
He retired from F1 in 2013 and moved into sports car racing with Porsche, winning the World Endurance Championship in 2015. He’s now a broadcaster for Channel 4’s F1 coverage in the UK and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017 for his contributions to motorsport.
8. Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa raced for Sauber, Ferrari, and Williams from 2002 to 2017. His closest brush with the title came in 2008, when he won the final race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, and briefly celebrated as champion, only for Lewis Hamilton to overtake for the 5th place he needed on the last corner of the last lap.
Massa is currently pursuing a major legal case against Formula One Management, the FIA, and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, arguing that the 2008 “Crashgate” scandal cost him the title, and that officials knew about it at the time but didn’t act.
9. Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez has raced for Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Red Bull since 2011. His best season came in 2023 with Red Bull, when he finished runner-up to teammate Max Verstappen.
He also holds F1 records for the most starts before a maiden win and the most races before a first pole position.
After leaving Red Bull at the end of 2024 and sitting out 2025, Sergio Perez returned to the grid in 2026 as a founding driver for the new Cadillac F1 team.
10. Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Patrese raced for 17 seasons, for Shadow, Arrows, Alfa Romeo, Brabham, Williams, and Benetton, which was, at the time of his retirement, the longest F1 career in history.
His best season was 1992 with Williams, when he finished 2nd in the championship behind teammate Nigel Mansell.
Riccardo Patrese remains an active and outspoken voice in the F1 world. He regularly gives interviews and opinions on the current grid.
