It wouldn't be farfetched to say that it's the Team Principal who indirectly wins races for the team. Yes, it's the drivers that deserve most of the credit for executing the plans but it's the Team Principals who actually come up with those plans. They are also responsible for hiring and firing anyone within the team and they hence play an important role in the team's overall performance. Over the years, Formula 1 has had some excellent Team Principals who are as popular as the drivers of their teams. Here are some of them.
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Colin Chapman can be called the heart and soul of Team Lotus. Also the founder of Lotus Cars, he was so influential that many of his ideas are still used in Formula 1 cars. Under his leadership, Team Lotus won seven Formula One Constructors' titles and six Drivers' Championships between 1962 and 1978.
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If you've been following Formula 1 for the past few years, Toto Wolff will need no introduction. The man behind the dominance of the Mercedes F1 team has had a huge impact on the sport. Last year's controversial final race had kept him in the news for a very long time after the season had ended.
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Jean Todt is an absolute legend in Formula 1. Under his leadership, Michael Schumacher won five consecutive World Drivers' Championships and Ferrari won a whopping 14 Formula One World Championship titles. From 2009 to 2021, he was also the president of the FIA.
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No list of the most popular Team Principals in F1 will be complete without a mention of Christian Horner. The Englishman's rivalry with Toto Wolff is one of the most exciting aspects of Formula 1 right now. As Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, he has won the team four World Constructors' Championships and five World Drivers' Championships, the latest among which came last year after Max Verstappen's thrilling victory.
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Nine Constructors' Championships and seven Drivers' Championships were won by the team Williams Racing under the leadership of Frank Williams. He headed the team from its foundation in 1977 to 2020.
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Ron Dennis was the Team Principal of McLaren from 1981 to 2009 and was instrumental in transforming the team into a regular world championship contender. Greats like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton have raced for him over this period.
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Here's another big name in this list of the most popular Team Principals in F1. He was a legendary driver who won three World Championships and later founded the influential Brabham team. His legacy, however, is defined by the fact that he was the first and still the only person to win the Formula One World Championship driving one of his own cars.
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India-born Monisha Kaltenborn was the first female team principal in Formula One. In 2012, she was handed a one-third stake of the Sauber team, making her a part-owner. The same year, after the retirement of Peter Sauber, she became the team principal of the historic team.
Those are the most popular Team Principals in F1 that you ought to know about.
