Which Nations Dominate F1 and WRC?

By Dsmll on July 26, 2019 • ( 0 )

We’re all familiar with the greats of the sport, but which countries can boast the best record on the track? Select Car Leasing analysed how many drivers from each country have taken part in F1 and WRC and compared that total to each nation’s population size, per every 1m citizens. The stats revealed some big surprises.

Key Findings
–       The UK loves the track…with the second-best F1 participation rate, behind only Switzerland
–       Just 5 nations have won a title in both F1 and WRC... which includes the UK, Finland, Italy, Spain and France
–       The UK and US represent almost half of the total motorsport participants since 1950… featuring a combined total of 418 drivers
–       The F1 bug hasn’t yet reached China and India… Despite a combined population of 2.7 billion citizens, they’ve had just two professional drivers
–       Where Winter bites WRC is popular… Estonia, Sweden, Norway and Finland lead the line for participation
– Estonia falling at the final hurdle… despite huge participation, the country is yet to win a professional WRC title

When thinking about which drivers and countries dominate motorsport, some of the first people to come to mind are Germany’s Michael Schumacher, the UK’s Lewis Hamilton and France’s Alain Prost. However, while these drivers have helped establish significant interest in their countries, there are several smaller nations that continue to contribute to the Formula 1 (F1) and World Rally Championship (WRC) circuit. These have made a massive impact on both sports and created huge excitement in some of the world’s lesser-known provinces. At Select Car Leasing, we wanted to make sure the little guys aren’t forgotten.

Courtesy: Select Car Leasing