F1 drivers rankings

[maxu05]

I started this thread to find out how the forum members rate the top 100 drivers of all time. Due to another thread discussing the list from Mr Henry, and the controversy that followed, I thought we could have our own poll. Let us just pick #1 driver of all time for now.

My pick - Fangio.
Make your pick. The driver with the most picks is the forums #1. That does not mean that he is the best, it just means that most of the forum members agree that we THINK he is the best. Next pole would be #2 driver of all time.

[Nurburgring]

I agree with Fangio at number one.
There are quite a few who could be number two eg. Ascari, Farina, Senya, Schmacher, and Brabham (only because he made his own car and won a championship in it)

[ShiftingGears]

My list...

Based on talent - Jim Clark.
A good thing to note was that the Top 4 on my list all had that ability to read situations as well as focusing on driving as fast as possible. A good example is Fangio winning the 1950 Monaco GP when half the field got wiped out when a wave crashed over onto the road before the chicane. Fangio didn't crash because he slowed down, seeing the spectators moving away from the road before the wave hit.
That is why Senna is lower down on the list - he drove with his heart more than his brain, and as a result, was involved in many more crashes than he should've been. Ruthless, maybe, but he did crash with backmarkers as well when he didn't give them enough room (Monza 1988).

1. Jim Clark - Dominant driver. Faster than everyone else in any car, in any conditions. Led races in the 3L era while driving a 2L car, and came back from a lap down to lead races. Won at Spa by 8 miles.
2. Michael Schumacher - Statistics speak for themselves.
3. Jackie Stewart - quick everywhere. Used his head and won championships in cars that weren't the quickest. Wasn't as spectacular as Ronnie, but faster.
4. Juan Manuel Fangio - Dominant in his 40's, with 5 championships.
5. Ayrton Senna - completely committed, most talented driver on the grid for several years.
6. Stirling Moss - Had that ability to win in inferior cars (not just grands prix). He was the man to beat when F1 went to mid-engines.
7. Tazio Nuvolari - won races into his 50's, brave and utterly committed, won in vastly inferior cars.
8. Bernd Rosemeyer - instantly quick in a recalcitrant car, having never raced a car before in his life. Noone else mastered the Auto Union like Rosemeyer.
9. Rudolf Carracciola - Multiple European Champion. An excellent and very brave driver. " ... of all the great drivers I have known - Nuvolari, Rosemeyer, Lang, Moss or Fangio - Caracciola was the greatest of them all." - Alfred Neubauer.
10. Fernando Alonso - pips Raikkonen, only because he has 2 championships to his name. Time will tell. Also, Hamilton rattled him, but that's seperate from sheer driving talent.

[maxu05]

Perhaps I should have made it top 10. I think top 100 is too much, and perhaps just the best of all time is too little.

[SGWilko]

Alain Prost

Supreme at setting a car up, made going fast look easy. Had the balls to pull up in unsafe conditions. Very car sympathetic.

[D-Type]

Clarification please: The title says 'Formula 1 drivers' the text says 'no 1 driver of all time'. Which? Are AJ Foyt and Nuvolari in the frame? Do I consider Moss's sports car and rally performances or just his Formula 1 record? etc

[DazzlaF1]

Well here would be my top 30 (Counting world championship Grand Prix only)

1. Juan Manuel Fangio
2. Michael Schumacher
3. Jackie Stewart
4. Ayrton Senna
5. Niki Lauda
6. Alain Prost
7. Jim Clark
8. Jack Brabham
9. Stirling Moss
10. Alberto Ascari
11. Gilles Villeneuve
12. Graham Hill
13. Nelson Piquet
14. Emerson Fittipaldi
15. Nigel Mansell
16. Fernando Alonso
17. Ronnie Peterson
18. Giuseppe Farina
19. Mika Hakkinen
20. Kimi Raikkonen
21. Mario Andretti
22. John Surtees
23. Jacky Ickx
24. James Hunt
25. Wolfgang Von-Trips
26. Francois Cevert (I think he would have been at least top 10 if he lived to race on)
27. Pedro Rodriguez
28. Mike Hawthorn
29. Dan Gurney
30. Alan Jones

[Nurburgring]

My list...

1. Jim Clark - Dominant driver. Faster than everyone else in any car, in any conditions. Led races in the 3L era while driving a 2L car, and came back from a lap down to lead races. Won at Spa by 8 miles.
2. Michael Schumacher - Statistics speak for themselves.
3. Jackie Stewart - quick everywhere. Used his head and won championships in cars that weren't the quickest. Wasn't as spectacular as Ronnie, but faster.
4. Juan Manuel Fangio - Dominant in his 40's, with 5 championships.
5. Ayrton Senna - completely committed, most talented driver on the grid for several years.
6. Stirling Moss - Had that ability to win in inferior cars (not just grands prix). He was the man to beat when F1 went to mid-engines.
7. Tazio Nuvolari - won races into his 50's, brave and utterly committed, won in vastly inferior cars.
8. Bernd Rosemeyer - instantly quick in a recalcitrant car, having never raced a car before in his life. Noone else mastered the Auto Union like Rosemeyer.
9. Rudolf Carracciola - Multiple European Champion. An excellent and very brave driver. " ... of all the great drivers I have known - Nuvolari, Rosemeyer, Lang, Moss or Fangio - Caracciola was the greatest of them all." - Alfred Neubauer.
10. Fernando Alonso - pips Raikkonen, only because he has 2 championships to his name. Time will tell. Also, Hamilton rattled him, but that's seperate from sheer driving talent.

What about Alberto Ascari. He led Ferrari to their first World Driver's Championship and it was also because of him that Alfa Romeo were no longer competetive. This is just me speaking but if a persons driving can bring down an entire F1 team they deserve to be in the top 10.

Also what the heck is with Fernando Alonso in the top 10. Sure he is a great driver but his not one of the best, I mean many other drivers who aren't in the top 10 could match him if you ask me eg. Mika Hakkinen. And besides Alonso is an obnoxious self centrered prick who couldn't handle the fact that Hamilton was a better driver than he is and that McLaren were going to give Hamilton the chance to win his first WDC instead of letting Alonso defend his.

But you know it does raise an interesting question: Can two drivers be on the same team both as the number one driver, like McLaren last year, without getting into an arguement as to who is better, and who is more deservant of the WDC?

My answer is no.

[woody2goody]

I started watching F1 in 1995/6ish, and so I'm going to compile my list of the best 30 drivers since that time. The ones that I have seen race in Grands Prix and who I think is the best.

30. Christian Klien
29. Mika Salo
28. Mark Webber
27. Takuma Sato
26. Alexander Wurz
25. Johnny Herbert
24. Robert Kubica
23. Olivier Panis
22. Heikki Kovalainen
21. Eddie Irvine
20. Gerhard Berger
19. Nico Rosberg
18. Jean Alesi
17. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
16. Ralf Schumacher
15. Felipe Massa
14. Nick Heidfeld
13. Jarno Trulli
12. Rubens Barrichello
11. Lewis Hamilton
10. Giancarlo Fisichella
09. Damon Hill
08. Jacques Villeneuve
07. Jenson Button
06. David Coulthard
05. Juan Pablo Montoya
04. Kimi Raikkonen
03. Fernando Alonso
02. Mika Hakkinen
01. Michael Schumacher


Feel free to comment!! Please tell me if I've missed any obvious ones! :)

[ShiftingGears]

What about Alberto Ascari. He led Ferrari to their first World Driver's Championship and it was also because of him that Alfa Romeo were no longer competetive. This is just me speaking but if a persons driving can bring down an entire F1 team they deserve to be in the top 10.

Also what the heck is with Fernando Alonso in the top 10. Sure he is a great driver but his not one of the best, I mean many other drivers who aren't in the top 10 could match him if you ask me eg. Mika Hakkinen. And besides Alonso is an obnoxious self centrered prick who couldn't handle the fact that Hamilton was a better driver than he is and that McLaren were going to give Hamilton the chance to win his first WDC instead of letting Alonso defend his.

But you know it does raise an interesting question: Can two drivers be on the same team both as the number one driver, like McLaren last year, without getting into an arguement as to who is better, and who is more deservant of the WDC?

My answer is no.


Ascari was no doubt dominant in the dominant car - he'd often lap his teammates, including Farina. The main reason for him not being there is the fact that he won the championships in by far the best car, in addition to the fact that Fangio had a broken neck for much of '52 and '53. Not really a clear case as much as Fangio.
Alonso, unlike Mika, is sublime in the wet. That was the main reason. Also that even though Hamilton had spent longer in the McLaren mould, and the team did appear to favour Hamilton, Alonso equalled him on points.

[woody2goody]

Ascari was no doubt dominant in the dominant car - he'd often lap his teammates, including Farina. The main reason for him not being there is the fact that he won the championships in by far the best car, in addition to the fact that Fangio had a broken neck for much of '52 and '53. Not really a clear case as much as Fangio.
Alonso, unlike Mika, is sublime in the wet. That was the main reason. Also that even though Hamilton had spent longer in the McLaren mould, and the team did appear to favour Hamilton, Alonso equalled him on points.

Despite the fact that I really disliked Alonso's antics last season, overall, barring probably Canada and Japan, he was probably faster than Hamilton. I just wanted Hamilton to win at the end because of Fernando's whining. But in the end I was happy that Kimi won because he'd put a lot of effort in over the last 7 seasons and had little to show for it.

[pino]

.... And besides Alonso is an obnoxious self centrered prick who couldn't handle the fact that Hamilton was a better driver than he is and that McLaren were going to give Hamilton the chance to win his first WDC instead of letting Alonso defend his.

But you know it does raise an interesting question: Can two drivers be on the same team both as the number one driver, like McLaren last year, without getting into an arguement as to who is better, and who is more deservant of the WDC?

My answer is no.

That has nothing to do with the topic, so please keep it off here...thanks :)

[Cozzie]

Had trouble sorting out the top three but here is my list:
1. Juan Manuel Fangio
2. Jim Clark
3. Michael Schumacher
4. Bernd Rosemeyer
5. Tazio Nuvolari
6. Alain Prost
7. Ayrton Senna
8. Rudolf Carracciola
9. Graham Hill
10. Jackie Stewart
11. Jack Brabham
12. Jochen Rindt
13. Niki Lauda
14. Nigel Mansell
15. Emmerson Fittipaldi
16. Alberto Ascari
17. Fernando Alonso
18. Stirling Moss
19. Giuseppe Farina
20. Wolfgang von Trips

[llgc8080]

Look Fangio stats, specially percents on races won/ races started and pole positions/ races.
In the 50's there's no 16 races per year like today...

[llgc8080]

Look Fangio stats, specially percents on races won/ races started and pole positions/ races.
In the 50's there's no 16 races per year like today...

And his age at that times!!!!