Small Doesn't Mean Never Winning a Title

Size doesn't matter, not even in Formula 1. There are countries with vast territories and populations exceeding 200 million people that have never won a Formula 1 world title, while smaller nations have succeeded, even multiple times.  

In case it wasn’t clear, we’re talking about the Netherlands, which has just over 18 million inhabitants but, thanks to Max Verstappen, has found the long-awaited "messiah." His success is also tied to Brembo's contribution, as all 24 GPs in the current season have been won by cars equipped with Brembo components.  
Looking back at Verstappen’s achievement, here are the nationalities of drivers who have won the Formula 1 World Championship, listed in ascending order of titles won.

8th Place – Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa: 1 title

Denny Hulme brought the title to New Zealand in 1967, narrowly beating teammate Jack Brabham by just four points. Twelve years later, Ferrari, equipped with Brembo brakes, helped Jody Scheckter put South Africa on the map. His teammate was Gilles Villeneuve, whose son Jacques would avenge him in 1997 by adding Canada to the circle of champions, in a season still remembered for its incredible finale in Jerez.

7th Place – USA and Spain: 2 titles

Except for Harry Schell and Masten Gregory, most American drivers in Formula 1's first decade only raced in the Indianapolis 500, which at the time was part of the World Championship. Joining them in 1958 was Phil Hill, who won the title in 1961, the same year Brembo was founded. In 1978, Mario Andretti also brought the title back to the U.S. Spain’s achievements are more recent, all thanks to Fernando Alonso, who broke Ferrari's streak by winning the title in 2005 and 2006.

6th Place – Italy and the Netherlands: 3 titles

In the early years of the championship, Italian cars (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati) and drivers were dominant: Giuseppe Farina became the inaugural world champion in 1950. In 1952, Alberto Ascari took the title (winning six of eight races), with Farina finishing second and Piero Taruffi third. Ascari repeated his triumph the following year, with Farina finishing third and Luigi Villoresi fifth, all driving Ferraris. However, Italian drivers have failed to stay at the top since then, with the country stuck at three titles for the past 68 years.

 

In the last 3 years, the Netherlands have climbed the rankings, going from zero to 3 world championships won. All thanks to Verstappen, who became world champion 3 times in a row (2021, 2022, 2023). Max is also a second-generation racer: his father Jos stood on the podium twice in 1994, with the Benetton equipped with a Cosworth engine and Brembo brakes.

5th Place – Australia, Austria, France and Finland: 4 titles

Among these four countries, only France has won all their titles with a single driver: Alain Prost, who won his 1989 title in a McLaren MP4/5 equipped with Brembo brakes. Prost missed out on another title in 1984 by just half a point, to Austrian Niki Lauda, who took three championships. Along with Jochen Rindt, Austrians have won four titles. Australia boasts three titles from Jack Brabham, and Alan Jones added the fourth in 1980. Finland also has four titles, thanks to three different drivers: a double from Mika Häkkinen, and one each from Keke Rosberg and Kimi Räikkönen.

4th Place – Argentina: 5 titles

The dominant driver of Formula 1's heroic era was Juan Manuel Fangio, whose impressive statistics speak for themselves: in 51 GPs, he achieved 29 pole positions, 24 wins, 23 fastest laps, and 35 podium finishes. This enabled him to win the World Championship in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, in 1954 driving both Maserati and Mercedes, again in 1955 with Mercedes, in 1956 with Ferrari, and in 1957 with Maserati. Thanks to him, Argentina has five titles, and it could have been more as Fangio was runner-up in 1950 and 1953.

3rd Place – Brazil: 8 titles  

It's been 30 years since a Brazilian driver last won a title, a surprising drought for a country that started winning in 1972 with Emerson Fittipaldi, who took his second title two years later. Nelson Piquet dominated the 1980s, winning three World Championships, all in odd-numbered years. Ayrton Senna also claimed three titles, with the last two coming with Brembo brakes, which he specifically requested after joining McLaren. The "rain master" first experienced Brembo brakes with Lotus, where he won six GPs. Sadly, he never had the chance to test them on his Williams car due to the tragic accident at Imola.

2nd Place – Germany: 12 titles

If Wolfgang von Trips hadn’t lost his life at the 1961 Italian GP, Germany might have claimed its first title that year. Instead, the country had to wait until the 1990s, when Michael Schumacher rose to prominence, winning two titles with Benetton and five with Ferrari, all equipped with Brembo brakes. Schumacher’s success included 91 wins, 68 poles, and 155 podiums. He preferred a short, highly responsive brake setup. Sebastian Vettel also secured four titles, and the 12th German championship came in 2016 with Nico Rosberg, son of Finnish champion Keke Rosberg.

1st Place – United Kingdom: 20 titles

The United Kingdom alone boasts the same number of titles as the second and third-placed nations combined. Ten different drivers contributed to this achievement, six of whom only won one title: Mike Hawthorn, John Surtees, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, and Jenson Button (who won with the Brawn GP team in its only season, using Brembo brakes). Graham Hill and Jim Clark each won two championships, while Jackie Stewart took three. After losing the title battle to Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton remains at seven titles.

Bonus Track: What If Brembo Were a Country?

Although Brembo only entered F1 in 1975, its success over the past 49 years would place it at the top of this special ranking. But of course, this is just for fun. Brembo’s early days in F1 are fondly remembered, especially the World Championship won by Niki Lauda with Ferrari in 1975, which ended an 11-year title drought for the team. Thanks to Piero Ferrari's intervention, Enzo Ferrari entrusted Alberto Bombassei with a small order of cast iron brake discs, making the 312T driven by Lauda the first championship-winning car equipped with Brembo components. Since then, Brembo’s presence in Formula 1 has grown, contributing to 30 Drivers' and 34 Constructors' World Championships.