The Most Dominant F1 Seasons Ever

Dominance in Formula 1 is usually a team story: a car so far ahead of the field that only its own two drivers could beat each other. These are the seasons that got closest to perfect — and, in every case, the one weekend that got away.

Red Bull, 2023 — 21 wins from 22

The most dominant single season by win rate in the modern era. Red Bull won every race but one, Max Verstappen taking a record 19 and Sergio Pérez the other two. The lone defeat came in Singapore, where Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz drove a perfect defensive race. Verstappen also set a record with 10 consecutive wins. As close to 24-0 as the sport has come — and still short.

McLaren, 1988 — 15 wins from 16

The benchmark for a generation. With Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the Honda-powered MP4/4, McLaren won all but one race. The exception was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Senna, leading late, collided with a lapped car and let Ferrari score an emotional 1-2 just weeks after Enzo Ferrari’s death. A 93.75% win rate that no one matched until Red Bull in 2023.

Mercedes, 2014–2016 — the hybrid juggernaut

When F1 switched to hybrid power units in 2014, Mercedes built the definitive car and kept it in front for years:

• 2014: 16 wins from 19.
• 2016: 19 wins from 21, with Nico Rosberg edging Lewis Hamilton to the title in the same machinery.

Both seasons featured the two Mercedes drivers as effectively each other’s only rivals — the surest sign of a car in a class of its own.

Ferrari, 2002 and 2004 — the Schumacher peak

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari produced two of the most crushing campaigns ever. In 2002 he won 11 of 17 and finished on the podium in every single race. In 2004 he won 13 of 18, including 12 of the first 13 — a rate of dominance that stood as the wins record for nearly a decade.

Others in the conversation

• Williams, 1992–1996: Nigel Mansell’s nine wins in 1992 and the active-suspension FW14B/FW15C were untouchable in their moment.
• Vettel/Red Bull, 2011 and 2013: 11 and 13 wins respectively, the 2013 season closing with nine straight victories.

The common thread

Every one of these seasons is remembered as total domination. Every one of them also lost at least one race. That’s the paradox at the heart of the 24-0 game: the best real seasons ever ran at 85–95% win rates, and a perfect 100% has always stayed out of reach. If you want the numbers behind that, read why going 24-0 is nearly impossible.