Michael Schumacher clinched his fourth world championship 25 years ago today at the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking his seventh win of the 2001 season and building an unassailable 43-point lead over David Coulthard. With four rounds remaining and wins worth 10 points under the era's scoring system, the title was settled.
Only Juan Manuel Fangio and Alain Prost had won four championships before Schumacher. The club has since expanded: Sebastian Vettel broke through in 2013, Lewis Hamilton reached four in 2017, and Max Verstappen joined in 2024. Both Schumacher and Hamilton went on to win seven titles total, the sport's all-time mark.
Ferrari's 2001 dominance made for an early coronation. Seven wins by mid-August, a 43-point cushion, and no real challengers left—the Hungaroring didn't just deliver a championship, it turned the rest of the season into a formality.
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