Which Formula 1 driver won Ferrari’s first World Drivers’ Championship since 1979 in 2000?

Michael Schumacher won Ferrari’s first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship since 1979 in 2000.

Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996 after winning two championships with Benetton. Ferrari had become increasingly competitive during the late 1990s, but its previous drivers’ title had been won by Jody Scheckter in 1979.

In 2000, Schumacher won nine Grands Prix and defeated McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen for the championship. He secured the title at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished ahead of Häkkinen after starting from pole position. The achievement began Ferrari’s remarkable run of drivers’ championships in the early 2000s.

Schumacher defended the title in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The 2000 championship is sometimes confused with Ferrari’s 1999 constructors’ title, which the team won even though Schumacher did not take that year’s drivers’ crown.