– Since Lando Norris was crowned Formula 1 World Champion for the first time with a third-place finish at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, the McLaren driver has not stood on the podium in the premier class. Norris started the 2026 season with two fifth-place finishes and a retirement even before the race start.
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Although the Briton is carrying the number 1 on his car this year, he is only in fifth place in the World Championship after the first three races of the season. One can certainly speak of a false start here. However, a look into the past shows that it can be much worse!
In our photo gallery, we look at other reigning World Champions in the history of the premier class who started a new season without a podium finish in the first three races – and among others, we see the names of the two most successful Formula 1 drivers ever.
Lewis Hamilton also “made it” onto our list with his false start in the 2009 season. At that time, today’s record world champion also started the new season without a podium finish and, due to the “Liegate” affair, also had a full-blown scandal on his hands.
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Photo gallery: The biggest false starts by Formula 1 World Champions
Like Hamilton, Michael Schumacher won seven World Championship titles in Formula 1, but even had a false start as reigning champion twice. In 2003, he did not achieve a podium finish in the first three races of the year, but still became World Champion again in the end.
In 2005, this happened to him again, although in this case without a “happy ending,” as 2004 would ultimately remain “Schumi’s” last World Championship title. Other drivers in our list fared even worse; they never won another Grand Prix after their World Championship title.
World Champions like Alain Prost or Nico Rosberg, who retired from Formula 1 immediately after winning their title and never participated in another Grand Prix, do not appear in our photo gallery, by the way.
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