Which modern Formula 1 driver actually drove for the most teams?

– Max Verstappen is now in his eleventh year with Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton was with Mercedes for twelve years. In modern Formula 1, it is a trend for drivers to be given increasingly longer contracts and sometimes spend entire careers with one team.

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It is therefore not surprising that Charles Leclerc has now competed in the second most Grands Prix for Ferrari – only behind Michael Schumacher.

But there are also drivers at the other end of the spectrum: those who have not only committed to one team, but have essentially knocked on the door of almost all teams. For Sergio Perez, for example, Cadillac is now his sixth team in Formula 1.

In our photo gallery, we want to take a look at the drivers in modern Formula 1 who have competed in a race for the most teams. For us, “modern” in this case means that the driver must have competed in at least one race in this millennium – but his teams before 2000 count towards the ranking.

But as always, statistics in Formula 1 are a tricky business – and nowhere is this as clear as with Jenson Button. The ex-world champion appears high on the list with seven different teams, but the Briton was only present at four different locations.

Photo gallery: Modern Formula 1: These drivers drove for the most teams

Williams and McLaren are undisputed, but Button also experienced the transition from Benetton to Renault, which essentially remained the same core racing team. And even with BAR, Honda, and Brawn, he didn’t need to look for a new home, even though the teams are officially counted as different.

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Also interesting is the case of Jos Verstappen, who drove in Formula 1 for eight seasons and was with seven different teams – only with Arrows did he stay longer than a year. Essentially, the Dutchman was passed around the midfield and back of the grid: With Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, and Stewart, he drove for five different teams in his first five years.

In 1999, he couldn’t find a cockpit, but almost stepped in as a replacement for Damon Hill, who had already announced his immediate retirement from Formula 1, but then changed his mind again at Silverstone and finished the season.

Thus, Arrows became his sixth team in 2000 – although one could argue that it was effectively a return, as Footwork was essentially just an interlude in the existence of the Arrows team. In 2003, he then drove for Minardi and had practically “completed” the Formula 1 backfield.

But that’s not enough for first place on the list – again, of course, only if you strictly follow the official team entry. You can find out who is at the very top in the photo gallery.

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