Thousands of people every month ask how tall F1 drivers are – who’d have thought – so GPFans are here with all the answers to your height-related questions.
When drivers are careering around tracks at high speed, we only just helmets poking out from their ultra-aerodynamic cars. Pretty tough to work out how tall they are from that.
But there might be a broader range of varying heights than you might think, so let’s take a look at the 2026 grid. While height might not decide who wins a Grand Prix, physical build and cockpit comfort can still make subtle differences in performance — something that’s always worth keeping in mind when checking the latest F1 race predictions, odds.
Of the 22 drivers set to compete in the 2026 world championship, there is roughly a foot or 0.30m difference between the tallest and smallest men on the grid.
Who are the tallest and shortest drivers on the grid?
The new shortest driver on the grid is Red Bull new boy Isack Hadjar at 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall. He replaces former team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (5ft 3ins). At the opposite end of the scale, the tallest driver is Haas youngster Oliver Bearman at 6ft 2ins or 1.88m.
Brit Justin Wilson, who raced for Minardi before moving to Jaguar in 2003, is considered the tallest driver of the modern era, at 1.94m.
What is the average height of an F1 driver?
The average height for a F1 driver in 2026 is a shade under 1.77m, or 5 feet and 9 and three-quarter inches. Lewis Hamilton is almost exactly on that average mark.
Do drivers need to be a certain height?
As you would expect, for weight and design purposes, extremely tall drivers would have it tough with the modern car and cockpit design.
Size and space are at more of a premium than ever before, and as such it seems as though the likes of Albon and Ocon are at the upper limit of what is feasible for the current F1 car set-up.
