Best Formula 1 Drivers of All Time
Ayrton Senna da Silva (21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula One world championships for McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991 and is regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He was killed in an accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix for Williams. Brilliant, ruthless, determined, fast and charismatic. Just some of the superlatives that some up the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever seen.
Ayrton ushered in a more professional approach to fittness and absolute dedication to the sport. He had to win and be the best... as Jo Ramirez said in the documentary "Right to Win", "For him it was nothing but winning - to him him coming second was to be the first of the losers. "
Senna, also possessed the supreme ability to utilise every part of the track and find speed from absolutely nowhere. He was unquestionably the best driver ever in wet weather conditions. One only has to remember Donnington in 1993 where Ayrton went from fifth to first before the end of the first lap!
Obviously the numbers favor Schumacher, but those who followed Senna's career know that his talent was phenomenal. Outqualified the very talented Prost by up to 1.5 seconds in the same car, was otherworldly in the wet, amazing nerve, drive and car control, the like of which we have never seen before, and may never see again. Certainly the fastest F1 driver ever, not always the best strategy, went for wins rather than places points, "as a professional race car driver I am programmed to win" won a Formula 3 (against other F1 up and comers) with no front brakes, many almost unbelievable stories about the guy, but they are true.
Ayrton Senna was the best F1 driver ever; a gifted prodigy and legend. His gifted driving skills were clearly evident, especially during harsh wet conditions.
Ayrton raced to win every race; second place was the first spot for the long list of losers.
Unfortunately in motor racing and most other sports, nobody remembers who came second, third, and so on. But even the best driver cannot win every race.
Even the very best driver ever, cannot survive or avoid a high speed crash caused be catostrophic steering failure. Some people still blame Ayrton for his fatal crash. Even if it was driver error, which it wasn't; Ayrton was not God, but only a man, but a man that possessed the greatest driving skills, I had the privilege to witness.
Mention Formula 1 to most people, and just about everyone remembers Ayrton Senna. Ayrton was not just very good; he was great; brilliant; a super star; clearly the best, head and shoulders better than his greatest competitors.
We will sadly ...more
There was only one Senna; a prodigy, legend, champion & super star, especially in wet harsh conditions. There was and always will be many champions. Senna was something special; he genuinely wanted to win every race; perhaps not always the best or safest strategy. But Senna was a genuine, fierce competitor, and widely respected. Mention formula 1, and most people will remember Ayrton Senna, even people that have absolutely no interest in motor racing. Since there is only one place for number one, surely it has to be Ayrton Senna, it just has to be. Ayrton Senna was second to none, end of story!
The Greatest of all Time. Schumacher changed F1 and no one comes close to him. Schumacher won 7 championships with 3 different engines (Renault, Ford and Ferrari). Schumacher won 12 of the first 13 races in 2004, including a race in France where he did 4 pit stops and still won. Schumacher stood on the podium in all 17 races in 2002, and only once third. In 2003, he achieved more hattricks (win + pole + fastest lap) than anyone else that year even won races (3 schumi hattricks vs 2 wins at most for anyone else).
He won the championship in 1994 despite racing in only 14 of the 16 races and being disqualified from two, and he had only the second best car.
In 1997 he managed to keep the title fight open until the last race despite his direct title rival having a FAR BETTER car. Same thing in 1998!
Schumacher also came back from a broken leg in 1999 and immediately took pole position by almost a whole second.
NOBODY COMES CLOSE.
Schumacher finished a race in second once ...more
It's certainly not crap about Senna being the best in the wet. Let me spill some beans about Schumacher's infamous "rainmaster" drive: during that race (Barcelona if I remember), Ferrari were running a system which gave their cars additional traction. It was very borderline legally, but the authorities turned a blind eye as they were keen for Ferrari to get back to the top.
Additionally, Schumacher's contract at Ferrari meant that the second driver played a supporting role - so he was never in a Lauda/Prost or Prost/Senna situation.
You could say he was the Pete Sampras of motor racing - undoubtedly one of the best, but the number of titles doesn't mean so quite so much considering the lack of competition. Perhaps he should be tied with Fangio in this respect.
Many fans weren't keen on his personality, nor his occasional tendency to go beyond the limit in defending his position, but anyone who cannot see how he is clearly ahead of the rest, is blinkered. At his best no one could touch him. That includes prime Senna, prime Alonso, prime Hamilton, Lauda, and the list goes on. I see many comments of how good Senna was in the wet. Schuey was better and the king of wet conditions - anyone remember him staying on slicks when it was a river on track and keeping Hill behind who had wet tyres, or when his car had only 5th gear and he still managed to keep Hill behind for the last 1/3 of the race? I suspect he is a little like Hendry in that he was so good and so far ahead of the others that people resented him winning all the time rather than enjoy just how bloody brilliant he actually was. There are many amazing drivers worthy of consideration but only one that is worthy of the crown and that is Schuey.
It is either Vettel or Schumacher. Actually Vettel hasn't proven himself so much, yet. So I got to stick to him. Sure technically things and safety were improven in their times, but it is the time I live in and the statistics are holding facts. What I mean is that there has always been some sort of beeing fearless to use a racecar and maybe it is safier nowadays...
It has always been about feeling comfortable in "your car" and that's it. So I choose him. The rest I could write must be pretty clear then for my comment...
Fangio was the Schumacher of his time.
Fangio won the world championship with 4 different teams and he has made great teammates such as Stirling Moss and Guiseppe Farina look average.
His most impressive drive is Germany 1957 where he had a bad pitstop and was a full minute behind the leader and then broke the track record multiple times in a row to take the lead and win the race.
Unlike the other racers on this list. Fangio raced in a time where helmets were basically just leather caps,seatbelts were pretty much non existant and drivers could die in even small crashes. A crash like the 1973 British GP back in 1951 would easily injure at least 5 or 6 drivers involved and kill probably 1 or 2. Fangio dominated an era where entering every race is like a death wish.
Fangio had won with multiple teams, something that would be impossible today. Fangio paved the way for all the other F1 legends
He obtained five world championships in the first 7 years of professional F1, which started in 1950. He achieved this milestone with four (4) different car makers, from Alfa-Romeo to Mercedes, he won it all. The pole-positions percentage is 56%, the wins percentage is 46%. In 2015 these figures are still to be matched.
He should be higher up if overall performance is the rating. But consider that the era these racers were in can not really be fairly compared to other eras with such different equipment, rules, etc. To me anyone of them that were top runners is the best in their era.
Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver who races in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Petronas. A five-time Formula One World Champion, he is often considered the best driver of his generation and widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. He won his first World Championship title with McLaren in 2008, then moved to Mercedes where he won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 before winning back-to-back titles again in 2017 and 2018. Statistically the most successful British driver in the history of the sport, Hamilton has more World Championship titles (5) and more race victories (73) than any other British driver in Formula One. He also holds records for the all-time ...read more. A lot of people may say Lewis Hamilton has won F1 Championships just because of Mercedes-Benz dominance. Yes, I agree Mercedes-Benz has been the best F1 team since 2014. However, we should not forget that he has shown his driving skills, his concentration, his ability to make the best decisions and making least mistakes in compere to his rivals during the high pressure moments in 2008, 2017,2018 in which his car was one of the best cars on track not the best one.
Also, he fought as a teammate to several word champions and finished ahead of them as followed: Fernando Alonso (1 out of 1), Jenson Button (2 out of 3) and Nico Rosberg (3 out of 4).
Speaking of dominance, I should recall that 2 out of 4 Sebastian Vettel's championships was more than 100 pints clearance to second driver and during Michael Schumacher's peak F1 fans decrease due to Ferrari dominance.
Fourth, come on, he is easily now number 1! He is better than anyone has ever been. He has Sennas one lap pace, Schumacher's relentless drive and consistency (even more consistent than schumacher was), Alan Prosts analytical skills and careful approach to point scoring and a faultless record than no one has ever had, he just doesn't make mistakes anymore! Oh yes, he also doesn't cheat like Senna, Prost and schumacher were all prepared to do to win a championship. If the Mclaren pit team weren't such a bunch of amateurs when he drove for them he would already be sitting on at least 7 titles! The car was good, but not as good as the Ferrari, in spite of this he kept beating them. If Mclaren hadn't consistently made mistakes that cost Hamilton dearly in 2007,2008 & 2009, he would already have been the undisputed best driver in history! Vettel's titles came from a superior car and a team that never let him down. Where is he now, a has been?
Hamilton should be above Alonso.
Hamilton was 2nd driver yet he made the current champion of the day look ordinary at McLaren. I don't agree with people who say Vettel is better in the wets because even Button is better in those. The only driver who will be able to match Hamilton will probably be Verstappen.
Vettel is always tussling with Verstappen and coming out second best.
Old drivers are only rated above Hamilton because of Nostalgia. For me Schumacher is the best followed by Senna and Hamilton. Senna could have gone to achieve more which is why he will be always top 3.
I think many people are unjustifiably harsh on Lewis, but the numbers speak for themselves.
Great champions like Lewis can win under any circumstances and raise their game under intense pressure, unlike some ranked higher on this list who can only be relied upon to whine and blame others when the going gets tough, or crack under pressure and make mistakes.
Hell, even the highly regarded Fernando Alonso thinks Hamilton is one of the best ever.
I'd go with Alonso's opinion any day over those biased armchair racers.
Fernando Alonso is a Spanish racing driver and former Formula One racing driver. He is a two-time Formula One World Champion, and is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport. Fernando Alonso is one of the best of the best.
Each time his team was the best, he also won. Not every driver can say they won the championship when their team did (For example Lewis Hamilton lost in 2016 and 2021 despite his team winning.)
In 2007, Alonso joined McLaren and Lewis Hamilton was his teammate. Alonso had to adjust to a new team and different tyres (Michelin to Bridgestone) in addition to his teammate having far more support from the team, yet Alonso and Hamilton scored the exact same amount of points and wins.
Alonso did magic on track and not many people can compare. His wheel to wheel battle against Sebastian Vettel in Silverstone 2014 remains one of the best, his defense against Michael Schumacher in Imola 2005 was incredible (although Alonso did have the better car), he beat Vandoorne (not a bad driver) 21-0 in qualifying duels.
Additionally, Alonso won the 24h of Le Mans!
Two championships, 3 times second in the championship. All that ...more
Up there with Ayrton Senna in terms of talent and race-craft, probably not as fast as Senna on a single lap, but I would say he is the most complete race driver ever because he knows how to handle pressure, he know how to get the most out of the shopping trolleys that they build him of late and he is utterly relentless! Similarly to Ayrton Senna, he has spent most of his career if not all of it without sitting in the best car. In a nutshell: Give him the second best package on the grid and he'll win you the championship.
The best driver in history. He has not only shown it in F1, he has shown it in WEC and IndyCar as well, where he steps in a car and is quick from the get-go. He might lose a tenth in qualifying to the likes of Hamilton or Vettel. But he reads a race like no other, has sick consistency and wheel-to-wheel his competitor is always one step behind. Even with McLaren-Honda he could put up a fight against much faster cars.
He is a born talent. A Legend. You can't measure that in # of world titles, or even victories. It's something you just need to have eye for.
I haven't seen so far any other pilot who has always taken out the best of his car in every single race.
Maybe not the best qualifier but by far the strongest on race of the last 20 years.
He defeated Schumacher and won 2 tittles in a renault.
No other pilot has ever gone out so many times of his comfort zone and squeezed every single inch of his car in order to fight against better cars.
With a decent car...he would have at least +6-8 world championships.
Grande Fernando
Jim Clark was probably the greatest natural talent ever seen in any form of motor racing. Just as importantly, he was a gentleman racer who didn't have to block other drivers to stay in front. Relatively shy outside the car, he had a natural affinity with the machinery, and was less hard on the equipment than virtually anyone else. His smoothness belied his quickness; he did everything behind the wheel with such grace that he was simply in a class by himself. He could adapt to an ill-handling machine in short order and get the most from it, and he could drive and win in anything. Simply the best ever. I'd pick either Fangio or Senna second, and the other third. Schumacher couldn't compare with Clark.
Jim Clark was unquestionably the most talented F1 driver of all time. Very few drivers could've driven a Lotus 25 as fast as he did. The sheer numbers of races he competed in every year would leave a modern-day F1 driver speechless. If you believe that Hamilton or Vettel could win the Indy 500, the Tasman Series, the British AND French F2 championships and the F1 championship in the same year, then you're insane.
Jim Clark is and always will be the greatest racing car driver in history.
Almost certainly the best racing driver ever I guess there is a certain conflict if we on the confine the assessment to Formula One. When you look at his ratios in respect of achieving wins per start or front of grid per start or fastest laps he simply outranks everybody by a country mile with the exception of perhaps Fangoi! Stripping out the other races at which he excelled perhaps he is not absolutely the best Formula One driver but it can only come from one of three which would include Fangio and Senna!
Shortly before his death, Ayrton Senna commissioned an oil painting by the Mexican artist Hugo Escobedo.
The canvas depicted Senna's ultimate 'fantasy' Grand Prix; an impression of the starting grid at Monaco featuring all of the greatest drivers in Formula One history.
Juan Fangio sits talking to mechanics at the wheel of his 1950 Alfa Romeo 158... Alongside the Argentinian, Stirling Moss is seen climbing into the great hump-backed whale that was the Vanwall... Jackie Stewart, all Sixties sideburns, pulls on his helmet in the cockpit of his Matra-Ford... Emerson Fittipaldi, the first of the great Brazilians, is there in an early McLaren... Niki Lauda in the classic Ferrari of '75... And Senna himself, of course, squeezed into the all-conquering McLaren-Honda with which he won the 1991 world driver's championship.
Senna made only two stipulations: a) there was to be no trace of Alain Prost, his bitter rival; and b) Escobedo could place the drivers in any formation ...more
Alain Marie Pascal Prost is a French retired racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Michael Schumacher surpassed Prost's total of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix. Alain Prost is rightfully regarded as one of the best.
He is a four time World champion!
Nobody had as many good teammates as Prost, yet none of them made him look bad, it was either eye level or Prost ahead!
Who did he beat as teammates?
Niki Lauda (3 championships)
Keke Rosberg (1 championship)
Ayrton Senna (3 championships)
Nigel Mansell (1 championship)
Damon Hill (1 championship)
He was champion in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993 so you can see he was at the top for a LONG time! In 1990, he finished a close second to Senna despite having a much worse car!
Prost should have had at least 5 world championships, if not 6 or 7. In 1982, he was fastest, but bad reliability from the Renault caused him to only win one race and retire many times, In 1984, he had more car reliability problems and lost out to Lauda by half a point (the smallest margin ever).
1988 was the year that him and Senna met on equal terms, driving identical cars, and Prost got more points, but Senna only won the title by a quirk of an experimental ruling system that year.
Best f1 driver ever. No doubt. Only Senna is equivalent. Prost as one of the most extraordinary carrers of f1. 4 times world champion in a time where there is always 4 best drivers (including Senna). How can it be so low in this ranking? Schumacher in 2nd? I did not have any competition in his days.
It takes knowledge to appreciate Alain Prost quality as a racing driver.
The best of the golden era.
The king of the turbo charged mayhem.
The most accomplished F1 driver.
Simply the best, winning his second title in an inferior car with an inferior engine.
Niki Lauda is one of the most famous names in F1 for a reason.
In 1975 he was Ferraris first champion in 11 years! In 1976, he almost died and missed only a few races and almost won the championship against James Hunt, a great driver.
In 1977 he won the championship, not because he was the fastest, but because he was the smartest.
Not being the fastest but being the smartest was Laudas thing. He didn't bother to fight for 1st place if the risk was too high, he settled for second happily because its still a lot of points! He'd rather finish second three times than win twice and score 0 points in the third race. This tactic saw him win 1977 and 1984, he did not take unnecessary risks and just scored as many points as possible! Consistency is key!
In 1984 he was teammates with the legendary Alain Prost and beat him by HALF a point. How? Because Lauda was smarter and settled for second when necessary, instead of taking risks and crashing out.
He is Prosts master ...more
The most impressive thing on Lauda, concerning strictly his abilities (and not is bravery, which is admirable), regards his logic reasoning. On the track, the guy was a general mastering what or not to do, which risks to undertake or races to complete. Off the track, his reasoning was brilliant on the evaluation of the car, and the necessary adjustments. To this we should add the period in which he competed, facing Hunt, Prost, among others. He may not have the biggest number of tittles, but by far, in my opinion, was the biggest genius on F1.
Lauda had the skill to fight his way up through the field during the race. In those days it wasn't all about getting pole position or the fastest lap, but also getting temperamental cars through to the end of the race. This is something Alain Prost learned from him - and by the way he should be equal to Lauda in the ranking.
Perhaps not the most "raw talented" driver of all time but his intellect,determination, technical understanding and and smooth driving style could have won him 2 or 3 more titles. He did not always pick the best teams after leaving Ferrari after 77. Schumacher, Prost, Vettel always drove in first rate winning cars, Lauda did not.
Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver currently driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is a four-time Formula One World Champion, having won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing. Vettel is the Senna in the wet of this generation. He will be the only driver to ever top Schumacher. He is leading Ferrari to another period of glory days. The only reason Lewis Hamfist has won the last two championahips is because Mercedes did such a great job with the car. Any time Lewis gets under pressure he cracks, drives off track. He's a good driver, but he can only win if there is no actual competition or problems for him. Vettel is the best driver after Alonso, who would be at least a 5 time world champion if he didn't keep flocking to a new team right when his old one was getting it together. If he and Vettel were with Ferrari 2016, Mercedes would be done for.
By far the best driver of this era. He only had the fastest car 4 years and won all 4. Lewis had the fastest car 7 or 8 years and won only 4. Alonso had the best car 0 years, or I guess technically 1 year where his own team was favoring Hamilton and sabotaging them (when they tied in points and Raikkonen won over both with an inferior car) and won 2 Championships. Vettel and Alonso are both way superior to Hamilton. Would love to see Vettel and Alonso in the same car and see who wins.
Sebastian is one of the best drivers on the field defeating Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso he has the record for the youngest man to win 4 consecutive F1 Titles. He is known for his scintillating comeback drive in the Brazilian Grand Prix 2012. Seb had a terrible start and then was span around by Bruno Senna at turn 4. The car had major damage and unfixable damage. Seb fought back in the most fashionable way possible. Vettel from 2010-2013 was one of the most dominant drivers of all time defeating the odds of many people
Four time world champion! Amazing driver and lucky too. The near crash in Brazil could have made Alonso three time champ. Winning the last race in 2010 made Vettel champion for the first time. Alonso could have been three time champ. You have to have the whole package and Vettel does.
Great team, great designer and great driver. He should in top five by now.
Saw him race several times. Certainly in a class by himself. Had 99 starts with 27 wins. He might have raced longer if not for the death of his team mate and friend Francois Cevert. I was at Watkins Glen to see Jackie's 100th start, but after Cevert's tragedy, Tyrell pulled the team out of respect. JAckie was a champion of safety. With his persistence, many F1 Drivers have had safer experiences, thanks to him. A True Champion!
Skilled and intelligent, came did the business and retired before the sport took from him. Modern drivers owe him for the safety measures he pushed and pushed and pushed for.
Have to agree about " before so many computers and not so many gadgets. Plus he raced for smaller teams.
Raw talent with grace and dignity!
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen, nicknamed "The Ice Man", is a Finnish racing driver currently driving for Sauber in Formula One. He was the winner of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship in his first season with Scuderia Ferrari. He currently holds the record for the most race wins (21) in Formula One by a Finnish Driver. Quite frankly Kimi is the fastest driver in the world, said Sir Stirling Moss!
And he is absolutely right!
On pure skill and race craft, he is second to none and that is why he is regarded as the greatest natural talent to have ever driven an F1 car!
It is also true that Kimi has great feel for the car, which is high ally and nemesis because if he isn't confident in the car, it will effect his performance, but when he is confident in his car, there is no one who could match him!
Kimi should have at least been a 3 time world champion,if his Mclaren was a tad more reliable. He was the guy who took the fight to Michael when Ferrari-Schumi was just running away with Championships!
If he had an ounce of the luck, Michael or Vettel or Hamilton had, his stats would have been something magnificent. And of all the top drivers, he is only one to not have the fastest car of the season more than a year in his whole career.
Kimi had the fastest car only in 2005 and we all know ...more
Kimi should be a four time world champion now. 2003 and 2005 he should have won the title with Mclaren, because he was the fastest driver on the grid, but had bad luck with the reliability of his car. 2008 he got screwed by Ferrari, Domenicali and Santander. Otherwise he would have successfully defend his title, because he was faster and better than Massa and even he nearly became world champion this year. What I want do say with this is, that Kimi Raikkonen is one of the best drivers ever and he is of a few F1 drivers who are not only fast an F1 car. He is much better than the statistics say.
He's the sole reason I had an intense and passionate love affair with the sport over the years, and I will probably come to a dead end after he hangs his boots. It's a shame to witness his current circumstances and how he has become a victim of neglect and dirty politics every weekend. The team's obsession towards Sebastian Vettel's probability of clinching the Driver's Championship title has crossed the boundaries of madness.
The only remaining driver in F1 who doesn't love about anything about F1 except the sport itself. Not the fame, not the drama, not the politics, just the raw competition. Just for the sake of it. His personality sets him apart from any driver in the history of F1. Known for doing only the things he wants to do, including driving, winning, sleeping under a desk, and eating ice creams.
I simply fail to understand why the "Flying Finn" is so low on the page. he should be in the top ten at the very least! granted he hasn't won as many championships as hamilton but he beat Michael Schumacher to the world championship TWICE and let's be honest, Schumi was among the very best out there. At one point in time he was the quickest on the track and when things went wrong for him he never complained much. he could push the car to its absolute limit. Mika is the embodiment of a great racer.
Calm, focused - Michael Schumacher's arch rival, whom schumi himself respected a lot.
The numbers may not be that great, but if u go by sheer talent, dedication and ability
I think he should be in the top ten.
He was nt blessed with a great car and reliability issues reckoned his career
Watch his overtaking @spa 2000
One of the very few F1 drivers that won quietly. He didn't make a fuss or anything, and quite a few drivers should take a hint from him.
He should definitely be higher up on this list. He was the one Schumacher feared more than any other driver!
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. After retiring from racing in 1979, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman. James Hunt is one of the most talented drivers.
He replaced Emerson Fittipaldi and the team said he was faster than Fittipaldi! He also won a championship against Niki Lauda despite having a slower car.
Hunt however was inconsistent and didn't stay long in F1. He also made a lot of mistakes.
True grit and determination. To much raw talent to contain and sheer class, entertainment and one of the stars that has made F1 so popular today. Today's stars have a lot to be thankful to James.
Banged great looking women plus great driver.
Party king buut once he took his title he was never the same driver..
Never won a championship but had the talent to do so. No other driver EVER had the passion to win as much as he did.
That guy took no prisoners on his quest to win races. Never raced for points, just wins.
If he won a race, that was all good, if his car ended up in a smoking heap of crap, that was all good too.
Nobody, NOBODY could ever match that guy on guts and sheer driving ability.
Enzo Ferarri saw that fire and hired him.
I spoke with him @ the LGBP in 1979 a couple days before he won that race.
Never met anybody with a focus with intensity and the calm demeanor that he had.
It's our loss that he was taken away too soon.
Right up there with the very best in sheer talent plus incredible nerve and determination. Given better equipment, could have won far more.
«Best driver in his time, he was the man to watch on the track, he made extraodinary moves that no F1 driver dare to make up to now.
He should be in the top 5 best driver's list. He should have came to f1 in the 1960 where the driver made the difference not the car.
Gilles can't be described by numbers.
Gilles is emotional. He represents the spirit of races!
Pushed his car 500 yards to win in 1959 and then becomes only driver in HISTORY to win the championship racing in his own team in a car built by himself.
Now nobody would even try to push a car one yard let alone 500 and build their own team like he did.
A legend who rose from the land down under, a country with no previous f1 experience at the time, and hit the big time In a car he built himself, going on to become a triple world champion.
The only F1 driver to build and race his own car, which puts him ahead of many other drivers...
He built his own car. What a legend
Unbelievably low.
At least top 10.
Should be up around 8 or 9.
Entering at 17 years old and driving among older and more "experienced" drivers. He got inside everyone's mind, outperformed many cars in better conditions. This is it, the next generation future Goat is among us. 21 now and he's got 5 years behind him, every year he treats us with something special. A catch-up race in the rain at Brasil, round the outside's, impossible overtake inside curbs at U.S. vs Kimi, crazy defendings, Introducing a 'Max Verstappen Rule' and many more impressive drives.
Along with Hamilton and Alonso, clearly the best driver in the last 5 years.
Toro Rosso Performances in his debut year at 17 were outstanding, completely outclassed fellow talented debutant Carlos Sainz no doubt had the ability to challenge for title like Lewis had he had a competitive car.
Record at Redbull:
7 wins, many involving great charges through the field, rarely in the strongest car
-avg 0.2-0.3s faster than Ricciardo in quali and faster than Ricciardo in race pace and
-avg 0.7s faster than Gasly
-tied best in rain with Hamilton
I really REALLY wish that RedBull could have a more competitive engine then Honda in 2019. (Honda should stick to making lawnmowers not competing with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault! m! ). And even at his young age, MV has more dedication, determination and pure skill then anyone on the F1 circuit today! In 10 years people will be saying "Hamilton who? " And "what ever happened to that guy Vettel? " He will be the greatest driver of the 21st century!
He is outperforming his car consistently, and his latest "360" on the track, making sure his rear wheels kept spinning, so he would make the full 360 and would be able to keep driving, tells me there is somebody special driving this car. Lewis can do that to. These guys are outside category. It depends on the car but both of them would dominate in good car.
The best driver that never won a championship.
He finished second in the championship 4 times and for a few years was regarded as the best driver on the grid despite not being a champion.
Repeated podium position in the Championship - should be higher than 16th.
Has never won a championship. All the top ten have
Give him a better car/ engine and watch the paddocks heads turn. Has big potential of being one of the greats. Remember only driver to get 3 wins other then Mercedes team drivers for 2014.
Stand up and dedicated guy. Very consistent and a lovely Smile! May not be the fastest, but is the most charming racer for sure.
A positive guy who outscored vettel and a driver extraordinaire driving a ordinary car.
What you mean his way to high. This guy passed both mercedes and ferrari with a RED BULL and won the race
Robbed of two titles by a German driver and Italian team boss, fact!
If Schumacher was supposed to be so good, then in a fair season, Hill was better. Hungary in the Arrows just proved how good he really was.
Maybe lacked the arrogance to think its okay to cheat to win which senna and shumi had, if that's a good thing.
The best driver after Senna! He was terribly robbed for the title in 1994! For me this guy is at least twice world champion and great gentleman! And yes - faster than Schumacher the knocker!
He was a good driver for his age. But unfortunatley his personality off of the T.V. is horrible. If you've meat him that is
I can't believe he is so far in the list.
I personaly believe he was a great driver and should be miuch highier in the list
Piquet is not in the talk for who's the best, which is surprising.
His first two titles with Brabham were not in the best car, his teammates were NOWHERE compared to him!
He later became teammate of Nigel Mansell and they were eye-level, in 1987 Piquet beat Mansell the same way Lauda beat Prost: consistency.
He also did a great overtake against Senna around the outside while drifting (Hungary 1986). You don't count out Piquet!
Obviously many voters are too young. He was the best F1 driver of the 80s and easily top 5 of all time. Could win on any engine and wheel. No other champion has done what he did. Also despite havng less fastest qualifiers than Senna, has raced more fastest laps in race.
Piquet was cold, intelligent, and knew how to win a race. He was not popular, thus his position below some drivers that don't deserve to be above him.
Never acted like a big shot, was truly the last driver who exemplified the stereotypical idea of how one sees a racing driver.
Great driver and builder
To come from where he came from and to leave a legacy that still exists on the F1 racetrack, is quite incredible
One of the best drivers... Eventhough he has won only a single championship he deserves to be in the top 10... But he should have taken his career a bot more seriously since he retired very soon... I am sure that he would have won a few more championships if he was still active...
The best driver to have never won a championship, lost the 2015 championship by bad luck and some of his own doing, he can beat Hamilton to a championship if he just puts a few more things together.
Out of all my heroes in f1, Mico Rosberg beats everyone for... His ability, bravery and velocity. He's my personal favourite even though my favourite team is ferrari. Go Nico! Go Nico! YEAH!
Rosberg should be higher on the list.
Agreed he is the best driver to not win a championship.
The most aggressive driver of all times. Always moving forward, always in attack mode. Usually faster than the equitment could handle. Either won or broke. If he raced in this day and time when their were few retirements, he would destroy the field.
Best in class in a period of greats which included Senna, Prost & Piquet. Beat them all for out and out pace and tactics but could not, for driver or car reasons, derive as much success with reliability.
Insanely quick but equally as unlucky with reliability which arguably cost him the 1986 & 1987 titles which could easily have seen him become one of the best drivers of all time.
The best in the 80s apart from Senna & Prost. Better then them both on occasion though! F1 all time Best at drama on track and off it! Amazing to watch!
Emerson was one of the best F1 drivers in that difficult era he drove in.
Calm,focussed,fast when needed, clever, always alert.
Great battles with the also legendary Jackie Stewart.
I wonder if he hadn't make the decision in 1976 to run his own Fittipaldi-F1 team, and had stayed with McLaren or had moved to Ferrari,how many f1-titles he may have won extra!
And further more always a gentleman and a very nice guy!
Great driver, and a thoroughly nice person. Great ambassador for the sport