F1's Ultimate Journeymen: Drivers Who Raced for Most Teams
Max Verstappen is now in his 11th season with Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton spent 12 years at Mercedes. In modern Formula 1, long-term driver-team relationships have become increasingly common, with some drivers spending nearly their entire careers with a single outfit. Against that backdrop, it is no surprise that Charles Leclerc has already recorded the second-most Grands Prix for Ferrari, behind only Michael Schumacher.
Key Points:
- F1 features a stark contrast between long-tenured drivers and prolific 'journeymen'.
- The "modern era" is defined as drivers competing in at least one race since 2000.
- Team rebrands and mergers can significantly influence official team counts.
- Nico Hulkenberg currently leads the list, having raced for eight different F1 teams.
The Team-Hopping Drivers
At the other end of the spectrum, however, are drivers who have moved frequently between teams rather than committing long-term to one. Sergio Perez, for example, has now joined Cadillac as his sixth Formula 1 team.
This list focuses on modern-era drivers—defined as those who have raced at least once since 2000—ranking them by the number of teams they have competed for, while still counting any earlier teams they may have driven for before the millennium.
As with many F1 statistics, interpretation can be complex, particularly in cases like Jenson Button. Although he appears to have raced for seven different teams, he was effectively based at only four distinct organisations. Williams and McLaren are straightforward, but his time at Benetton and Renault involved a continuation of the same operation, while BAR, Honda, and Brawn were successive rebrands of one core team.
Jos Verstappen’s career is another notable example. He competed in eight seasons with seven different teams, with Arrows being the only outfit he stayed with for more than a year. Early in his career, he moved rapidly through Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, and Stewart, before later stints elsewhere. He even came close to a mid-season return with Jordan in 1999 before ultimately missing out, and later finished his career with Minardi in 2003 after completing a full “backmarker circuit” of the grid.
Not Enough to Lead the List
However, even that level of movement is not enough to top the overall list.
Fernando Alonso – 6 teams
Alonso began at Minardi in 2001, won two titles with Renault, and later fought for championships with Ferrari. He also had two separate McLaren spells and is currently with Aston Martin. If Alpine and Renault are counted separately, his total reaches six teams.
Sergio Perez – 6 teams
Perez has also reached six teams, now including Cadillac. His career has taken him from Sauber to McLaren, followed by a long stint with Force India/Racing Point, then Red Bull, and now his latest chapter with Cadillac.
Rubens Barrichello – 6 teams
Barrichello raced for Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn, and Williams, becoming Schumacher’s long-time Ferrari teammate and later enjoying a late-career resurgence at Brawn.
Jarno Trulli – 6 teams
Trulli debuted with Minardi in 1997, moved through Prost, Jordan, Renault (winning Monaco 2004), Toyota, and finally Lotus.
Nick Heidfeld – 6 teams
Heidfeld raced for Prost, Sauber, Jordan, Williams, BMW-Sauber, and Lotus-Renault, including several short stints and return spells.
Jean Alesi – 6 teams
Alesi drove for Tyrrell, Ferrari, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, and Jordan, spanning a long career from the late 1980s into the early 2000s.
Daniel Ricciardo – 7 teams
Ricciardo’s career includes HRT, Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, and others, with some listings separating Faenza-based entries to reach seven.
Jenson Button – 7 teams (4 organisations)
Button’s record shows BAR, Honda, Brawn, Williams, McLaren, plus the Benetton-to-Renault transition, though several entries are essentially rebranded versions of the same teams.
Johnny Herbert – 7 teams
Herbert raced for Tyrrell, Lotus, Benetton, Ligier, Sauber, Stewart, and Jaguar, often in short or partial stints.
Mika Salo – 7 teams
Salo frequently filled in as a replacement driver, including notable short spells at Ferrari and BAR, alongside full seasons with Tyrrell, Arrows, Sauber, and Toyota.
Giancarlo Fisichella – 7 teams
Fisichella’s career included Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India, and a late Ferrari appearance.
Jos Verstappen – 7 teams
Verstappen moved through Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows, and Minardi, rarely staying long in one place.
Nico Hülkenberg – 8 teams
Hülkenberg tops the list with eight entries, including Williams, Sauber (twice), Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin, Renault, Haas, and his current Audi project, although some represent the same evolving organisation.
