Formula One drivers from France

There have been 75 Formula One drivers from France, the most successful of them being Alain Prost who won the World Drivers' Championship four times.

World champions and race winners
The title has been won by a French driver on four occasions, all of which were victories for Alain Prost. Eleven other drivers have won at least one race, though they are all far behind Prost's tally of 51 wins.

Alain Prost debuted with McLaren in 1980. He finished in the points on four occasions but only finished 16th overall, moving to Renault for the following season. After three successful years, including finishing the 1983 season as the championship runner-up, he returned to McLaren. Prost drove with the team between 1984 and 1989, winning the championship three times and coming second twice. During this time McLaren introduced a new team-mate for Prost – Ayrton Senna. Their relationship was difficult and the pair clashed on and off the track, leading to it being described as "one of the sport's greatest ever rivalries". Prost joined Ferrari in 1990 and resumed his battle with Senna, losing the championship at the penultimate race of the season after the pair collided. In 1991 the Ferrari was uncompetitive and for the first time since his debut season Prost was unable to win a race. He publicly slated the team for their performances and was subsequently fired before the end of the year. He took a year off in 1992 and returned for one last season in 1993, winning his fourth championship.

René Arnoux won seven races during a career than spanned 12 years, having made his debut in 1978 with Martini. The team folded part way through the season, and he secured a drive with Renault for the following year. For some of his time there he partnered Alain Prost, and he controversially ignored team orders to win the 1982 French Grand Prix ahead of his favoured team mate. He moved to Scuderia Ferrari and enjoyed his most successful season, winning three races and finishing third in the championship. Ligier signed Arnoux for four seasons from 1986 and he retired after several years of poor performance.
Jacques Laffite, who developed Ligier race cars, won six races and finished fourth in the drivers title in three successive seasons (1979–1981) : he was the first French driver to win a Grand Prix, in Sweden, for a French team, with a French car and a French engine (Matra V12). His Formula One career began in 1974 and ended with a serious accident at the 1986 British Grand Prix, though he still raced in other disciplines.

Didier Pironi started his Formula One career in 1978 with Tyrrell. He moved to Ligier in 1980 alongside compatriot Jacques Laffite, frequently outpacing the team leader. He won that year's Belgian Grand Prix and finished fifth in the championship. He signed with Ferrari as partner to Gilles Villeneuve but could not keep pace with the French-Canadian. In 1982, the year of Villeneuve's death, Pironi looked set to win the championship having won two races and finished on the podium six times. At the German Grand Prix he crashed during a practice session, breaking his legs and ending both his title challenge and his career.
Patrick Tambay made his Formula One debut in 1977 with Ensign. He signed for McLaren for his second year in the sport but the car was never particularly competitive. He left the team at the end of 1979, being replaced by Alain Prost for his first year in the sport. Tambay returned in 1981 after a year in the US but was dropped at the end of the season. He announced his retirement but was asked to drive for Ferrari for the second half of the 1982 season after the death their driver, and close friend of Tambay, Gilles Villeneuve. He won one race and stayed with Ferrari for the following season, winning once more. After two years with Renault and one with Lola he retired for a second time.
Maurice Trintignant competed in the inaugural season of the Formula One World Championship, debuting at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix in a Simca-Gordini. Five years later he became the first French driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix at the same circuit. His only other race win also came at Monaco when he took the chequered flag in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. He retired in 1964 having raced with ten different teams.

Patrick Depailler, who developed and drove the 6-wheels Tyrrell P34, won 1978 Monaco Grand Prix and 1979 Spanish Grand Prix for the British team.
Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who developed and drove the Renault turbo,  won the 1979 French Grand Prix and the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix for the French team.
François Cevert won the 1971 United States Grand Prix for Tyrrell. He died after an accident in practice of 1973 United States Grand Prix.
Jean-Pierre Beltoise, iconic Matra driver, won the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix for BRM.
Jean Alesi is the only French driver to be in the "200-plus club", having competed in 201 races and being one of only a small number of drivers to reach the landmark. He made his debut in 1989 and raced with a variety of teams until his retirement in 2001. He scored 31 podium finishes but only won one race – the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix.
Olivier Panis is the most recent French driver to have secured a race victory, being first to take the chequered flag at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix.

Alphabetic list

A
Jean Alesi (born 1964): 202 Grands Prix (201 starts) from 1989 to 2001, 241 points, 1 win
Philippe Alliot (born 1954): 116 Grands Prix (109 starts) from 1984 to 1994, 7 points
René Arnoux (born 1948): 165 Grands Prix (149 starts) from 1978 to 1989, 181 points, 7 wins

B
Marcel Balsa (1909–1984):1 Grand Prix in 1952
Élie Bayol (1914–1995): 8 Grands Prix (7 starts) from 1952 to 1956, 2 points
Jean Behra (1921–1959): 53 Grands Prix (52 starts) from 1952 to 1959, 51.14 points
Paul Belmondo (born 1963): 27 Grands Prix (7 starts) in 1992 and 1994
Jean-Pierre Beltoise (1937–2015): 88 Grands Prix (86 starts) from 1967 to 1974, 77 points, 1 win
Éric Bernard (born 1964): 47 Grands Prix (4 starts) from 1989 to 1994, 10 points
Jules Bianchi (1989–2015): 34 Grands Prix, in 2013 and 2014, 2 points
Jean-Christophe Boullion (born 1969): 11 Grands Prix in 1995, 3 points
Sébastien Bourdais (born 1979): 27 Grands Prix in 2008 and 2009, 6 points

C
François Cevert (1944–1973) : 47 Grands Prix (46 starts) from 1970 to 1973, 89 points, 1 win
Eugène Chaboud  (1907–1983) : 3 Grands Prix in 1950 and 1951, 1 point
Bernard Collomb (1930–2011) : 6 Grands Prix (4 starts) from 1961 to 1964
Érik Comas (born 1963) : 63 Grands Prix (59 starts) from 1991 to 1994, 7 points

D
Yannick Dalmas (born 1961) : 49 Grands Prix (24 starts) from 1987 to 1994
Patrick Depailler (1944–1980) : 95 Grands Prix from 1972 to 1980, 141 points, 2 wins
José Dolhem (1944–1988) : 3 Grands Prix (1 start) in 1974

E
Philippe Étancelin  (1896–1981) : 12 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1952, 3 points

F
Pascal Fabre (born 1960) : 14 Grands Prix (11 starts) in 1987

G
Bertrand Gachot (born 1962) : 25 Grands Prix (16 starts) in 1994 and 1995 (French licence)
Patrick Gaillard (born 1952) : 5 Grands Prix (2 starts) in 1979
Pierre Gasly (born 1996) :  Grands Prix from 2017 to 2019,  points
Yves Giraud-Cabantous (1904–1973) : 15 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1953, 5 points
Aldo Gordini (1921–1995):1 Grand Prix in 1951
Jean-Marc Gounon (born 1963): 9 Grands Prix in 1993 and 1994
Georges Grignard (1905–1977):1 Grand Prix in 1951
Romain Grosjean (born 1986):  Grands Prix from 2009 to 2019,  points 
Olivier Grouillard (born 1958) : 62 Grands Prix (41 starts) from 1989 to 1992, 1 point
André Guelfi (1919-2016) :1 Grand Prix in 1958

H
François Hesnault (born 1956) : 21 Grands Prix (19 starts) in 1984 and 1985

J 
Jean-Pierre Jabouille ( 1942) : 55 Grands Prix (49 starts) from 1974 to 1981, 21 points, 2 wins
Jean-Pierre Jarier (born 1946) : 143 Grands Prix (134 starts) from 1971 to 1983, 31.5 points 
Max Jean (born 1943) :1 Grand Prix in 1971

L
Robert Lacaze (born 1917) :1 Grand Prix in 1958
Jacques Laffite (born 1943) : 180 Grands Prix (176 starts) from 1974 to 1986, 228 points, 6 wins
Jean-Louis Lafosse (1941–1981) :1 Grand Prix (no start) in 1974
Franck Lagorce (born 1968) : 2 Grands Prix in 1994
Gérard Larrousse (born 1940) : 2 Grands Prix (1 start) in 1974
Michel Leclère (born 1946) : 8 Grands Prix (7 starts) in 1975 and 1976
Pierre Levegh (1905–1955) : 6 Grands Prix in 1950 and 1951
Guy Ligier (born 1930) : 13 Grands Prix (12 starts) in 1966 and 1967, 1 point
Henri Louveau (1910–1991) : 2 Grands Prix in 1950 and 1951
Roger Loyer (1907–1988) :1 Grand Prix in 1954
Jean Lucas (1917–2003) :1 Grand Prix in 1955
Jean Lucienbonnet (1923–1962) :1 Grand Prix (no start) in 1959

M
Guy Mairesse (1910–1954) : 3 Grands Prix in  1950 and 1951
Robert Manzon  (1917–2015) : 29 Grands Prix (28 starts) from 1950 to 1956, 16 points
Eugène Martin (1915–2006) : 2 Grands Prix in 1950
François Mazet (born 1943) :1 Grand Prix in 1971
François Migault (1944–2014) : 16 Grands Prix (13 starts) from 1972 to 1975
Franck Montagny (born 1978) : 7 Grands Prix in 2006

O
Esteban Ocon (born 1996):  Grands Prix from 2016 to ,  points

P
Olivier Panis (born 1966) : 158 Grands Prix (157 starts) from 1994 to 2004, 76 points, 1 win
Henri Pescarolo (born 1942) : 64 Grands Prix (57 starts) from 1968 to 1976, 12 points
Charles Pic (born 1990) : 39 Grands Prix in 2012 and 2013
François Picard (1921–1996):1 Grand Prix in 1958
Didier Pironi (1952–1987): 72 Grands Prix (70 starts) from 1978 to 1982, 101 points, 3 wins
Jacques Pollet (1922–1997): 5 Grands Prix in 1954 and 1955
Charles Pozzi (1909–2001) :1 Grand Prix in 1950 
Alain Prost (born 1955): 202 Grands Prix (199 starts) from 1980 to 1993, 798.5 points, 51 wins, World Drivers' Champion (4)

R
Pierre-Henri Raphanel (born 1961) : 17 Grands Prix (1 start) in 1989
Louis Rosier  (1905–1956) : 38 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1956, 18 points

S
Stéphane Sarrazin  (born 1975) :1 Grand Prix in 1999
Jean-Louis Schlesser (1948) : 2 Grands Prix (1 start) in 1983 and 1988
Jo Schlesser (1928–1968) : 3 Grands Prix from 1966 to 1968
Johnny Servoz-Gavin (1942–2006) : 13 Grands Prix (12 starts) from 1967 to 1970, 9 points 
André Simon (1920–2012) : 12 Grands Prix (11 starts) from 1951 to 1957
Raymond Sommer  (1906–1950) : 5 Grands Prix in 1950, 3 points
Mike Sparken  (1930–2012) :1 Grand Prix in 1955. 
Philippe Streiff (born 1955) : 55 Grands Prix (53 starts) from 1984 to 1988, 11 points

T
Patrick Tambay (born 1949) : 123 Grands Prix (114 starts) from 1977 to 1986, 102 points, 2 wins
Maurice Trintignant  (1917–2005) : 84 Grands Prix (82 starts) from 1950 to 1964, 72.33 points, 2 wins

V
Jean-Éric Vergne (born 1990) : 58 Grands Prix from 2012 to 2014,  51 points.

Current drivers
In the 2020 Formula One season there are three French drivers.

Romain Grosjean was born in Geneva, Switzerland but races as a French driver. He came through the Renault driver development programme, becoming a test driver for the team in 2008. When Nelson Piquet, Jr. was dropped in 2009 Grosjean was promoted into the racing seat but failed to impress, being dropped for the following year. He was brought back into the team (now named Lotus F1) for the 2012 season. For 2016, he moved to the Haas F1 Team.

Pierre Gasly made his debut for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. He was then promoted to Red Bull Racing for 2019 after Daniel Ricciardo left the team. Esteban Ocon made his debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix and is driving for Renault in 2020.

See also

List of Formula One Grand Prix winners

References

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