There have been 71 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 final 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.
Jean Alesi (born 1964): 202 GP (201 starts) from 1989 to 2001, 241 points, 1 win
Philippe Alliot (born 1954): 116 GP (109 starts) from 1984 to 1994, 7 points
René Arnoux (born 1948): 165 GP (149 starts) from 1978 to 1989, 181 points, 7 wins
Marcel Balsa (1909-1984): 1 GP in 1952
Élie Bayol (1914-1995): 8 GP (7 starts) from 1952 to 1956, 2 points
Jean Behra (1921-1959): 53 GP (52 starts) from 1952 à 1959, 51,14 points
Paul Belmondo (born 1963): 27 GP (7 starts) in 1992 and 1994
Jean-Pierre Beltoise (1937–2015): 88 GP (86 starts) from 1967 to 1974, 77 points, 1 win
Éric Bernard (born 1964): 47 GP (4 starts) from 1989 to 1994, 10 points
Jules Bianchi (1989–2015): 34 GP, in 2013 and 2014, 2 points
Jean-Christophe Boullion (born 1969): 11 GP in 1995, 3 points
Sébastien Bourdais (born 1979): 27 GP in 2008 and 2009, 6 points
François Cevert (1944-1973) : 47 GP (46 starts) from 1970 to 1973, 89 points, 1 win
Eugène Chaboud (1907-1983) : 3 GP in 1950 and 1951, 1 point
Bernard Collomb (1930-2011) : 6 GP (4 starts) from 1961 to 1964
Érik Comas (born 1963) : 63 GP (59 starts) from 1991 to 1994, 7 points
Yannick Dalmas (born 1961) : 49 GP (24 starts) from 1987 to 1994
Patrick Depailler (1944-1980) : 95 GP from 1972 to 1980, 141 points, 2 wins
José Dolhem (1944-1988) : 3 GP (1 start) in 1974
Philippe Étancelin (1896-1981) : 12 GP from 1950 to 1952, 3 points
Pascal Fabre (born 1960) : 14 GP (11 starts) in 1987
Bertrand Gachot (born 1962) : 25 GP (16 starts) in 1994 and 1995 (French licence)
Patrick Gaillard (born 1952) : 5 GP (2 starts) in 1979
Yves Giraud-Cabantous (1904-1973) : 15 GP from 1950 to 1953, 5 points
Aldo Gordini (1921-1995): 1 GP in 1951
Jean-Marc Gounon (born 1963): 9 GP in 1993 and 1994
Georges Grignard (1905-1977): 1 GP in 1951
Romain Grosjean (born 1986): 104 GP from 2009 to 2016, 316 points
Olivier Grouillard (born 1958) : 62 GP (41 starts) from 1989 to 1992, 1 point
François Hesnault (born 1956) : 21 GP (19 starts) in 1984 and 1985
Jean-Pierre Jabouille ( 1942) : 55 GP (49 starts) from 1974 to 1981, 21 points, 2 wins
Jean-Pierre Jarier (born 1946) : 143 GP (134 starts) from 1971 to 1983, 31,5 points
Max Jean (born 1943) : 1 GP in 1971
Robert Lacaze (born 1917) : 1 GP in 1958
Jacques Laffite (born 1943) : 180 GP (176 starts) from 1974 to 1986, 228 points, 6 vwins
Jean-Louis Lafosse (1941-1981) : 1 GP (no start) in 1974
Franck Lagorce (born 1968) : 2 GP in 1994
Gérard Larrousse (born 1940) : 2 GP (1 start) in 1974
Michel Leclère (born 1946) : 8 GP (7 starts) in 1975 and 1976
Pierre Levegh (1905-1955) : 6 GP in 1950 and 1951
Guy Ligier (born 1930) : 13 GP (12 starts) in 1966 and 1967, 1 point
Henri Louveau (1910-1991) : 2 GP in 1950 and 1951
Roger Loyer (1907-1988) : 1 GP in 1954
Jean Lucas (1917-2003) : 1 GP in 1955
Jean Lucienbonnet (1923-1962) : 1 GP (no start) in 1959
Guy Mairesse (1910-1954) : 3 GP in 1950 and 1951
Robert Manzon (1917-2015) : 29 GP (28 starts) from 1950 to 1956, 16 points
Eugène Martin (1915-2006) : 2 GP in 1950
François Mazet (born 1943) : 1 GP in 1971
François Migault (1944-2014) : 16 GP (13 starts) from 1972 to 1975
Franck Montagny (born 1978) : 7 GP in 2006
Esteban Ocon (born 1996): 9 GP in 2016, 0 points
Olivier Panis (born 1966) : 158 GP (157 starts) from 1994 to 2004, 76 points, 1 win
Henri Pescarolo (born 1942) : 64 GP (57 starts) from 1968 to 1976, 12 points
Charles Pic (born 1990) : 39 GP in 2012 and 2013
François Picard (1921-1996): 1 GP in 1958
Didier Pironi (1952-1987): 72 GP (70 starts) from 1978 to 1982, 101 points, 3 wins
Jacques Pollet (1922-1997): 5 GP in 1954 and 1955
Charles Pozzi (1909-2001) : 1 GP in 1950
Alain Prost (born 1955): 202 GP (199 starts) from 1980 to 1993, 798,5 points, 51 wins, worldchampion (4)
Pierre-Henri Raphanel (born 1961) : 17 GP (1 start) en 1989
Louis Rosier (1905- 1956) : 38 GP from 1950 to 1956, 18 points
Stéphane Sarrazin (born 1975) : 1 GP in 1999
Jo Schlesser (1928-1968) : 3 GP from 1966 to 1968
Johnny Servoz-Gavin (1942-2006) : 13 GP (12 starts) from 1967 to 1970, 9 points
André Simon (1920-2012) : 12 GP (11 starts) from 1951 to 1957
Raymond Sommer (1906-1950) : 5 GP in 1950, 3 points
Mike Sparken (1930-2012) : 1 GP in 1955.
Philippe Streiff (born 1955) : 55 GP (53 starts) from 1984 to 1988, 11 points
Patrick Tambay (born 1949) : 123 GP (114 starts) from 1977 to 1986, 102 points, 2 wins
Maurice Trintignant (1917-2005) : 84 GP (82 starts) from 1950 to 1964, 72,33 points, 2 wins
Jean-Éric Vergne (born 1990) : 58 GP from 2012 to 2014, 51 points.
In the 2016 Formula One season there are two 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.
Mercedes AMG Petronas protege and Renault reserve driver Esteban Ocon replaced Rio Haryanto, who only has sponsorship until 2016 German Grand Prix, for the rest of the 2016 Formula 1 Season at Manor Racing, thus making a debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.
