Top 5 most successful team principals in F1

A team principal is an extremely important post in F1. These figures cover every single department to ensure the collective progression of their respective teams. They essentially become the face of each team, which puts extreme pressure on them.

On that note, here are some of the most successful F1 team principals based on the number of world championships they have won:

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5 F1 team principals that have been most successful

#5 Jean Todt

For many in the F1 community, Jean Todt is considered to be the greatest team principal and owner of all time. He, Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn were part of a dream team in Ferrari from 2000 to 2004, during which they dominated the sport and won five Drivers' and Constructors' world championships back to back.

After 2004, Todt even became the CEO of Ferrari, along with the title of General Manager of the Racing Division. In total, the Frenchman helped the Italian giants bag six Constructors' and five Drivers' championships from 1999 to 2004.

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#4 Christian Horner

Christian Horner is currently the longest-serving team principal of a team in F1. He started working at Red Bull back in 2005 when the team was created. Being in one team for almost two decades, he spearheaded Red Bull to win six Constructors' and seven Drivers' championships. He achieved this in two different dominant eras: one from 2010 to 2013 and the other started in 2021 and is still ongoing.

Sebastian Vettel was the star driver who bagged four titles for the team, followed by Max Verstappen, who is the current world champion. Horner has no plans to move away from the team and will most likely continue to work with them for a long time.

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#3 Colin Chapman

Colin Chapman might not be a well-known name among F1 fans, but his innovation and success as a team owner and engineer have shaped single-seater car racing as a whole. Chapman led Team Lotus back in the 60s and 70s, during which the team won seven Constructors' and six Drivers' championships.

However, his contribution to engineering innovations was much more important. He pioneered the use of lightweight monocoque chassis and found performance through ground-effect aerodynamics. This allowed Team Lotus to develop one of the best cars in the 60s and 70s.

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#2 Toto Wolff

In the current F1 grid, Toto Wolff is the most successful team principal. Right after Wolff became the executive director of Mercedes, the Brackley-based team ventured into an unprecedented dominant era that even one-upped Ferrari's run from 2000 to 2004. Mercedes won back-to-back Constructors' and Drivers' championships from 2014 to 2020, with one more Constructors' in 2021.

All this success was under the excellent leadership of Toto Wolff and the legendary Lewis Hamilton at the back of the wheel. Back in 2022, Toto Wolff's net worth was reported to be a billion by Forbes.

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#1 Frank Williams

Williams might be a struggling team in recent history, but they were one of the best on the grid for many years. The team was founded by Frank Williams, who acted as a team principal from 1977 to 2020 before the Williams family sold the team.

He is considered one of the most respected and successful team principals as he created a team from scratch that was able to win nine Constructors' and seven Drivers' championships. Even though the British team suffered a decline in the 21st century, veteran F1 fans still hold Williams as one of the most prestigious outfits on the grid.