How do you measure greatness? A year ago Jenson Button scraped into our list
of the 50 greatest Formula One drivers. Even though he was rated at just 41,
the decision inspired fury among many readers who believed that a man with a
decade in the sport and a single victory to his name had no place in our
motor racing pantheon.
We noted then that Button had everything he needed to be a world champion –
except the car. Note how his peers in that list – from Fangio to Moss and
Stewart to Hakkinen – were all blessed with the best machinery of the time
so that they could fully display their talents, while Button has for much of
his career been forced to accept the limitations of his cars.
How different it all looks now since Ross Brawn finally gave Button the
machinery. Button has at last fulfilled his promise, winning what could be
the first of several world championships, which is why we have updated our
top 50 to take account of a new name that deserves to be given even greater
prominence.
There are 14 British drivers represented, the most from any single nation, and
that includes a remarkable 10 world champions, now that Button has completed
the set in exhilarating fashion at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Amazing how
fortunes change…and how promise can finally be fulfilled. Welcome Jenson
Button to his new ranking on our list.
50. Michele Alboreto
23.12.1956 to 25.4.2001
Italy
Grands prix: 194
Wins: 5
World Championships: none
"Nice guy" racer who stayed too long. Feted by none other than Enzo
Ferrari when he hired his fellow Italian for the Scuderia, and won five
races. But once he left - a victim of Ferrari politics - it was a long slide
down to Minardi, where his F1 career ended. Killed in Germany testing an
Audi sports car for the Le Mans 24-hour Race.
49. Peter Collins
8.11.1931 to 3.8.1958
Great Britain
Grands prix: 32
Wins: 3
World Championships: none
Finished third in his first full season in F1, driving for Ferrari. But
impressed the sport when he voluntarily handed over his car to Juan Manuel
Fangio to finish the Italian Grand Prix. It ended his hopes of a World
Championship that was never to be. Collins was killed at the German Grand
Prix after only 32 grands prix.
48. Clay Regazzoni
5.9.1939 to 11.12.2006
Switzerland
Grands prix: 132
Wins: 5
World Championships: none
Maverick who spent much of his career at Ferrari but will be remembered for
scoring the first grand-prix victory for the Williams team at the British GP
in 1979. The fun-loving Regazzoni’s F1 career ended when he crashed at the
1980 United States GP, although he went on to race in cars with adapted
controls. Killed in a road crash in Italy.
47. Dan Gurney
13.4.1931
United States
Grands prix: 86
Wins: 4
World Championships: none
Americans are thin on the ground in Formula One but Gurney was highly rated by
his European counterparts as an immensely quick driver. This son of an opera
singer never managed to lay hands on a car that could do full justice to his
talents in an era dominated by Jim Clark and Graham Hill.
46. Gerhard Berger
27.8.1959
Austria
Grands prix: 210
Wins: 10
World Championships: none
The practical joker whose winning smile belied a tough racing character, good
enough to sit alongside Ayrton Senna at McLaren and win the Brazilian’s
respect and affection. But two spells at Ferrari when the Scuderia struggled
were unproductive and Berger may feel his talent was never fully realised.
45. Lorenzo Bandini
21.12.1936 to 10.5.1967
Italy
Grands prix: 42
Wins: 1
World Championships: none
Exotic and fast, Bandini lived in the shadow of John Surtees, his team leader
at Ferrari. Died in a gruesome, fiery crash at Monaco in full view of the
world’s television cameras at the age of just 32. Still remembered at a
colourful annual ceremony in Brisighella, his home town.
44. Jo Siffert
7.7.1936 to 24.10.1971
Switzerland
Grands prix: 96
Wins: 2
World Championships: none
A scion of the great independent team run by Rob Walker, and a sports car
racer of repute, Siffert showed pace that put him alongside his great rivals
of the time. Unfortunately, after a solid career, Siffert was killed in a
non-championship, end-of-season F1 race at Brands Hatch.
43. Giuseppe Farina
30.10.1906 to 30.6.1966
Italy
Grands prix: 33
Wins: 5
World Championships: 1
Winner of the inaugural World Championship of the modern era in 1950. Aloof
but exotic, in his Alfa Romeo and then Ferrari, Farina was the epitome of
the dashing racing driver of the early years, although his single title win
was the high point of his career. Killed in a road crash on the way to watch
the French Grand Prix.
42. Phil Hill
20.4.1927
United States
Grands prix: 48
Wins: 3
World Championships: 1 (1961)
The quiet man of F1 won his championship with Ferrari when Enzo, the founder,
was at his Machiavellian worst. Clinched the title in the Italian Grand Prix
at which Wolfgang von Trips, his team-mate, careered into the crowd, killing
himself and 14 spectators. After leaving Ferrari, his career went into slow
decline.
41. Tony Brooks
25.2.1932
Great Britain
Grands prix: 38
Wins: 6
World Championships: none
The qualified dentist from Cheshire is spoken of with genuine affection by all
who came into contact with him. Regarded as one of the finest drivers of his
generation, but too polite and mild-mannered to unleash a killer instinct
during one of the most competitive eras in Formula One racing.
40. Carlos Reutemann
12.4.1942
Argentina
Grands prix: 146
Wins: 12
World Championships: none
Somewhat enigmatic man from Santa Fe, now a politician, promised much for
Brabham and Ferrari before moving to Williams, where he came within a hair’s
breadth of becoming champion, only losing out at the final race of the 1981
season to Nelson Piquet. Inexplicably walked away from the sport two races
into the 1982 season.
39. Jackie Ickx
1.1.1945
Belgium
Grands prix: 116
Wins: 8
World Championships: none
Enjoyed brilliant spells with Ferrari and Brabham but never came close to
achieving the championship that many had marked him down for. Considered so
fast that Sir Jackie Stewart once suggested the Belgian slow down for his
own self-preservation. Finished his career in uncompetitive Ensign and
Ligier cars.
37. Rubens Barrichello
23.5.1972
Brazil
Grands prix: 287
Wins: 11
World Championships: none
Refuses to give up and has secured a seat at Brawn Racing for 2009 to extend
an already long career. Likeable Brazilian who could match Michael
Schumacher, his Ferrari team-mate, for pace on his day but was too
psychologically vulnerable ever to master the German. However, he could win
in grand style, as he did memorably at Silverstone in 2003.
37. Jody Scheckter
29.1.1950
South Africa
Grands prix: 112
Wins: 10
World Championships: 1 (1979)
Hugely talented if somewhat accident-prone - with 16 crashes recorded in seven
seasons - Scheckter achieved his championship at Ferrari while partnered
with the mercurial Gilles Villeneuve. A later career in the arms industry
has been followed by life as an organic farmer in the South of England.
36. Felipe Massa
25.4.1981
Brazil
Grands prix: 116
Wins: 11
World Championships: none
So near yet so far, heart-breakingly defeated in 2008 by a single point by
Lewis Hamilton. Massa has rarely been treated as a serious contender but has
won grudging respect, not just for standing up to Hamilton but for quelling
the undoubted talent of Kimi Raikkonen, his Ferrari teammate. Still time for
a title.
35. Ronnie Peterson
14.2.1944 to 11.9.1978
Sweden
Grands prix: 123
Wins: 10
World Championships: none
Regarded by Max Mosley, president of the FIA and former team owner at March,
as one of the fastest drivers of all time. Spectacular style that took him
to second place in the 1971 championship behind Jackie Stewart, but killed
in a Lotus Ford during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
34. Didier Pironi
26.3.1952 to 23.8.1987
France
Grands prix: 70
Wins: 3
World Championships: none
Infamous for his tremendous infighting with Gilles Villeneuve while they were
team-mates at Ferrari. Fuelled by desire to become the first French champion
but thwarted disastrously in a massive, career-ending accident in practice
for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. Killed in a powerboat crash in the
Solent.
33. David Coulthard
27.3.1971
Great Britain
Grands prix: 247
Wins: 13
World Championships: none
The great underachiever, unlucky enough to have pitched up in F1 at the same
time as two fierce talents, Mika Hakkinen, his McLaren team-mate, and
Michael Schumacher. On his day, an awesomely fast driver, but, arguably,
allowed his constant self-analysis to overwhelm his undoubted gifts. Still
the highest British points scorer in history.
32. Denny Hulme
18.6.1936 to 4.10.1992
New Zealand
Grands prix: 112
Wins: 8
World Championships: 1 (1967)
Regarded as a tough and irascible character but deeply affected by the death
of Bruce McLaren, his countryman and friend. Rose to prominence as Jack
Brabham’s team-mate but could more than hold his own during a Formula One
era that was both flamboyant and highly competitive.
31. Damon Hill
17.9.1960
Great Britain
Grands prix: 115
Wins: 22
World Championships: 1 (1996)
Intelligent, articulate and, perhaps, too sensitive for the cut-throat world
of F1. Admits he was fazed by the aggressive Michael Schumacher but held
everything together to claim a World Championship that delighted a nation.
Moved on to Jordan, but retirement was a messy and unpleasant affair that
marred his career.
30. Juan Pablo Montoya
20.9.1975
Colombia
Grands prix: 84
Wins: 7
World Championships: none
The ego had landed when Sir Frank Williams brought Montoya from IndyCar racing
in the United States. A great improviser with a brilliant flair for
overtaking, Montoya struggled with the discipline of Formula One, making too
many mistakes. Broke early with McLaren as disillusion set in and headed
back to the US to race in NASCAR.
29. John Surtees
11.2.1934
Great Britain
Grands prix: 111
Wins: 6
World Championships: 1 (1964)
His feat of being a world champion on both two wheels and four will probably
never be surpassed. Very much his own man, Surtees fell out spectacularly
with Enzo Ferrari two years after winning his only title and went to Honda,
where he won a grand prix for the Japanese before they pulled out of F1.
28. Bruce McClaren
30.8.1937 to 2.6.1970
New Zealand
Grands prix: 101
Wins: 4
World Championships: none
The name lives on although McLaren had no connection to the team that now
bears his name under the stewardship of Ron Dennis. McLaren was a precocious
talent and a former youngest championship points scorer before he was
usurped, appropriately, by Lewis Hamilton for McLaren. Killed testing a
McLaren CanAm car at Goodwood.
27. Mario Andretti
28.2.1940
United States
Grands prix: 128
Wins: 12
World Championships: 1 (1978)
Now head of a racing family dynasty in the US, Andretti can be acclaimed as
the best American to compete in Formula One. Born in Trieste, Italy, his
family moved to America as the Second World War started, but Andretti was
inspired by Italy’s racers. Won the Indy 500 before triumphing with Lotus in
F1.
26. Mike Hawthorn
10.4.1929 to 22.1.1959
Great Britain
Grands prix: 45
Wins: 3
World Championships: 1 (1958)
The quintessential English racer of the 1950s with his dashing looks. Probably
not in the class of some of his contemporaries and won his title amid
controversial circumstances, with Phil Hill, his Ferrari team-mate, ordered
to pull over so that Hawthorn could beat Stirling Moss to the title. Killed
in a car crash on the Guildford bypass.
25. Jacques Villeneuve
9.4.1971
Canada
Grands prix: 151
Wins: 11
World Championships: 1 (1997)
A career you could argue wrecked by bad management. A revelation as Damon
Hill’s team-mate in 1996 and went on to become champion a year later. But
then followed Craig Pollock, his manager, to the disaster that was the new
British American Racing team where he became embittered and eventually
embarrassed by the talents of Jenson Button.
24. Keke Rosberg
6.12.1948
Finland
Grands prix: 114
Wins: 5
World Championships: 1 (1982)
The moustachioed Rosberg somehow failed to live up to his rich early promise.
His world title, won with Williams, was a model of consistency rather than a
flamboyant procession, with only a single victory in the season. Retired
perhaps too soon, turning to driver management, which includes managing
Nico, his son, now driving for Williams.
23. Alan Jones
2.11.1946
Australia
Grands prix: 116
Wins: 12
World Championships: 1 (1980)
Powerful and brave, looked more like a rugby player than a Formula One driver.
Splendid relationship with Sir Frank Williams brought a first world title
for the British team. But they were the glory days and there was only one
more good season and a third place in the championship before his career
petered out at Arrows and the ill-fated Lola-Haas outfit.
22. Emerson Fittipaldi
12.12.1946
Brazil
Grands prix: 144
Wins: 14
World Championships: 2 (1972, 74)
Catapulted into the leadership of the Lotus team after the death of Jochen
Rindt, Fittipaldi won only his fourth grand prix. Went on to drive with
distinction for Lotus and McLaren, but took the emotional decision to join a
team run by Wilson, his brother, in 1976. That spelt the demise of a great
career.
How
Fitterpaldi kept his eye on the title
21. Lewis Hamilton
7.1.1985
Great Britain
Grands prix: 51
Wins: 11
World Championships: 1 (2008)
Youngest world champion who exploded into F1 - but is he really that good? In
the best car of the past two years yet makes too many mistakes and is
competing in, arguably, a Formula One field short of star talent. No
arguing, though, with his exciting style but the jury is out on whether he
will attain the status of a legend although 2009 was, arguably, his best
season, wrestling with a difficult car yet still getting the job done.
20. Sir Jack Brabham
2.4.1926
Australia
Grands prix: 126
Wins: 14
World Championships: 3 (1959, 60, 66)
The only man to win a World Championship in his own car, which is some
achievement, especially because he was aged 40 at the time. On arrival in
Britain, lucked into the all-conquering, rear-engined Cooper, which helped
him sweep up two championships. Brabham was tough and practical, qualities
that propelled him to a third title.
Jack
Brabham makes motoring history
19. Gilles Villeneuve
18.1.1950 to 8.5.1982
Canada
Grands prix: 67
Wins: 6
World Championships: none
No one who saw him drive could forget his utterly fearless and flamboyant
style. Even now, he is the darling of the cognescenti and a Formula One
legend although he was never champion. But it was a career cut cruelly short
when Villeneuve crashed attempting to match the lap times of Didier Pironi,
his Ferrari team-mate, preparing for the Dutch Grand Prix.
18. Jochen Rindt
18.4.1942 to 5.9.1970
Austria
Grands prix: 60
Wins: 6
World Championships: 1 (1970, awarded posthumously)
Managed by Bernie Ecclestone, now F1’s supremo, Rindt was a slow starter in
F1. But after joining Lotus in 1969, he blossomed and a year later was
amassing points as well as five victories. Unfortunately, Rindt crashed
after a mechanical failure in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
and the Austrian became Formula One’s only posthumous world champion.
17. James Hunt
29.8.1947 to 15.6.1993
Great Britain
Grands prix: 92
Wins: 10
World Championships: 1 (1976)
Flamboyant, intelligent and flawed, Hunt was the ultimate playboy driver who
turned into a consummate television pundit after retirement. His world title
was one of the most exciting in history and underlined his understated
bravery and determination. Will forever be a favourite for millions of
Formula One fans.
James
Hunt reaches the summit at Fuji
16. Jenson Button
19.1.1980
Great Britain
Grands prix: 171
Wins: 7
World Championships: 1
We originally billed Button’s career as “what-might-have-been”. But now Button
has realized all that potential so many people doubted. He remains supremely
gifted, rarely making mistakes and capable – as he proved in Brazil to take
the title – of breathtaking overtaking manoeuvres. Sometimes he is too
understated for his own good but he will be one of the most popular of
champions among his peers in Formula One.
15. Nelson Piquet
17.8.1952
Brazil
Grands prix: 204
Wins: 23
World Championships: 3 (1981, 83, 87)
Regarded as the ultimate professional, combining intelligence with technical
know-how and supreme driving ability that reached a peak at the Bernie
Ecclestone-owned Brabham team. Later switched to Williams and a great
rivalry with Nigel Mansell, his teammate, where he still took third title
before heading off to Lotus and Benetton.
Piquet
breaks through the pain barrier
14. Niki Lauda
22.2.1949
Austria
Grands prix: 171
Wins: 25
World Championships: 3 (1975, 77, 84)
Came back from horrific burns in a crash at Germany’s frightening Nürburgring
circuit to win the 1977 championship and establish himself as one of Formula
One’s most extraordinary personalities. Astonishingly, had to borrow £35,000
to buy himself a Formula One seat to get started, but made his fortune and
founded his own airline in retirement.
The
man with unbeatable drive
13. Kimi Raikkonen
17.10.1979
Finland
Grands prix: 156 starts
Wins: 18
World Championships: 1 (2007)
It would be fair to say that few know what goes on in Raikkonen’s head, least
of all Raikkonen. But the unsmiling mask hides an intelligent and daring
driver of astonishing talent and his championship victory was just reward
for his doggedness. But his sudden loss of form since is a mystery. Perhaps
Raikkonen is bored with Formula One but we hope he makes a substantial
comeback.
12. Graham Hill
17.2.1929 to 29.11.1975
Great Britain
Grands prix: 176
Wins: 14
World Championships: 2 (1962, 68)
No one who lived through the 1960s could escape Hill, with his clipped English
accent and fighter pilot’s moustache. But the outwardly jokey Hill, Damon’s
father, was ruthless in the business of Formula One, underlined by five
victories in Monaco.
Suffered serious leg injuries at the age of 40 at the 1969 United States GP,
which effectively finished his career although he drove on until 1974.
Killed when the light plane he was piloting crashed on a golf course at
Arkley, just north of London.
Hill
on top ten years after passing test
11. Alberto Ascari
13.7.1918 to 26.5.1955
Italy
Grands prix: 32
Wins: 13
World Championships: 2 (1952, 53)
The very name conjures the great era of Italian dominance of Formula One.
Ascari forged a partnership with Enzo Ferrari, which they exploited in
exhilarating style as he won two world titles. Ascari was the darling of
Italy, the son of Antonio, a famous pre-Second World War racer, and rated by
some as better than the great Juan Manuel Fangio. But Ascari’s career ended
bizarrely: at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, he crashed at the waterfront
chicane and careered into the harbour; a week later, he was killed testing a
Ferrari at Monza. He died on the same day of the same month as his father.
10. Mika Hakkinen
28.9.1968
Finland
Grands prix: 161
Wins: 20
World Championships: 2 (1998, 99)
If Hakkinen’s first victories were controversial, there was no doubting what
came later. David Coulthard, his team-mate, was twice instructed to move
over to allow the Finn to win his opening grand prix. But the Finn was
faster and the only man who could go wheel-to-wheel with Michael Schumacher
and gain the German’s respect. Hakkinen had announced himself by
outqualifying Ayrton Senna, his team leader, at the 1993 Portuguese Grand
Prix. Two years later, he narrowly escaped death in a massive shunt at the
Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. It was touch-and-go but he recovered to
the delight of Ron Dennis and his McLaren team. A bond was forged between
Dennis and Hakkinen, who served out his career with McLaren, showing flashes
of raw genius, such as his daring manoeuvre on Schumacher at the 2000
Belgian Grand Prix, hailed as the overtaking move of the decade as the
German went one way around the BAR Honda of Ricardo Zonta and Hakkinen went
the other. Pure genius.
9. Nigel Mansell
8.8.1953
Great Britain
Grands prix: 187
Wins: 31
World Championships: 1 (1992)
There will simply never be another Nigel Mansell. Formula One is utterly
divided on the Mansell question, with half adoring his bull-headed bravery,
his antics and sometimes laughable moaning, and the other half detesting
those same qualities. Here was a man willing to give up everything to drive
a Formula One car and who would give everything in the cockpit. After a
successful spell at Williams, Mansell went to Ferrari, at a time when the
Scuderia were at a low ebb. He promptly won his first race for them and was
hailed by the tifosi as Il Leone, the Lion. In Britain, "Our
Nige" was nothing less than a hero, adored on a scale probably never
witnessed before or since in Formula One. Strange, then, that he took his
only title in a Williams car so utterly dominant, he barely had to break
sweat. Inevitably, his break-up with Williams was messy and Mansell left for
the United States to chalk up the IndyCar title to become the only driver to
win motor racing’s two leading open-wheel championships back-to-back.
8. Fernando Alonso
29.7.1981
Spain
Grands prix:123
Wins: 21
World Championships: 2 (2005, 06)
Too many will remember Alonso’s sullen year at McLaren, definitely the low
point of his career. But he would be better remembered as the precocious
talent who knocked Michael Schumacher off his perch and proved himself to be
a tough and intelligent competitor, who could drive brilliantly or simply
play the percentages. The year at McLaren was an aberration, although Alonso
still tied with Lewis Hamilton on points at the end of the 2007 season and
took four victories. But on his return to the Renault team last year - and
mercifully free of the Hamilton bandwagon - the Spaniard was back to his
former self, driving an uncompetitive car with dexterity and determination.
Alonso is one of the greats but has plenty of time to achieve even more.
7. Sir Stirling Moss
17.9.1929
Great Britain
Grands prix: 66
Wins: 16
World Championships: none
Where do you place the only driver in our top ten who did not win a world
championship? Yet Moss is the driver they all look up to, a natural talent
whose honesty and deference to the great Juan Manuel Fangio cost him at
least one title and whose career was cut tragically short when he crashed at
Goodwood on Easter Monday 1962. By then, as he emerged slowly from a coma,
he was a national treasure with every policeman expected to ask a speeding
motorist: “Who do you think you are, then? Stirling Moss?” It was a sign of
the affection in which Moss was held by the British public. His greatest
achievement possibly came outside Formula One when he drove a Mercedes-Benz
300SLR 1,000 miles across Italian roads to win the Mille Miglia at an
incredible average speed of 99.2mph, a feat that will probably never be
repeated. In Formula One, he was the nearly man, though, missing out on the
1958 championship by one point to Mike Hawthorn; in seven seasons from 1955,
his championship placings were four seconds and three thirds - fantastic
consistency without quite reaching the summit. In at least one survey of the
greats of Formula One, Moss has been placed at No 1. He does not make it
this time, but no list would be complete without him.
6. Juan Manuel Fangio
24.6.1911 to 17.7.1995
Argentina
Grands prix: 51
Wins: 24
World Championships: 5 (1951, 54, 55, 56, 57)
Consider this: Fangio drove in only 51 grands prix yet started 48 of them from
the front row of the grid, winning almost half the races he competed in. An
unlikely sporting figure, somewhat rotund with powerful forearms, Fangio
became a legend in his own lifetime. He was clever enough to know where the
best cars were, how to get a drive in them and then how to exploit them to
their utmost. Even more astonishing was that Fangio was winning World
Championships at an age when most men were putting on their slippers and
sucking on a pipe in front of the fire; he was 47 when he won his final
grand prix. Stirling Moss was in awe of his team-mate and even now insists
that there has never been anyone better. We cannot argue, which is why, six
decades on, Fangio must be included in our top ten.
Fangio's
finest race
5. Sir Jackie Stewart
11.6.1939
Great Britain
Grands prix: 99
Wins: 27
World Championships: 3 (1969, 71, 73)
Jackie Stewart was the first millionaire racing driver and one of the most
recognisable faces in sport at his peak. The lad from Dumbarton, in
Scotland, dined out with royalty and shared his fun with multimillionaires,
and his favourite haunts were in Monaco and in tax exile in Switzerland. But
that all paled beside his focus on driving. He was a natural who found his
niche with Ken Tyrrell’s homely team; the cars were not necessarily very
good but in Stewart’s calm hands, they were winners. Stewart had no qualms
about walking away from the sport, tantalisingly placed on 99 grands prix,
after the death of François Cevert, his team-mate and close friend, and
Stewart will probably want to be remembered as much for his refusal to
accept lax safety standards and his campaigning for better measures that
probably helped save the lives of many drivers. Now the elder statesman of
F1, Stewart has emerged not only as a great driver but also as one of the
greatest figures in motor racing.
Stewart's
fight for world title
4. Alain Prost
24.2.1955
France
Grands prix: 199
Wins: 51
World Championships: 4 (1985, 86, 89, 93)
Prost finds it difficult to win admirers in the company of other mercurial,
often fiery, drivers in Formula One who win flamboyantly and display their
passion. But Prost was not nicknamed “The Professor” for nothing. He thought
his way to victory, preparing meticulously and driving in exactly the same
way, refusing to take risks and get involved in shenanigans with other
drivers. It was not spectacular but as one seasoned commentator observed:
“The faster he went, the slower he looked.” Prost’s nemesis, though, was
Ayrton Senna and their fraught relationship at McLaren, understandable as
they fought to be the team’s top dog, spilt over into rare bout of
tit-for-tat for the Frenchman. In the end, he decamped for two unhappy years
at Ferrari before he was fired before the end of the 1991 season. A year off
led to a single season with Williams, partnering Damon Hill, and a final
title. Quite a send-off for the Prof.
The
world's toast is Prost
3. Michael Schumacher
3.1.1969
Germany
Grands prix: 250
Wins: 91
World Championships: 7 (1994, 95, 2000, 01, 02, 03, 04)
If statistics were the yardstick by which we measured the greatest of all
time, this would be a walkover for Schumacher. He was the greatest
record-breaker in the history of sport. You name it, he achieved it. He was
also the consummate team-builder, creating a squad at Ferrari that was
completely dedicated to him. He rewarded them with a level of commitment in
the cockpit that was not only awe-inspiring but dominant for more than a
decade. Yet, his incredible focus was both his strength and his downfall. He
won his first title in 1994 amid dubious circumstances after crashing into
Damon Hill, preventing the Briton from winning the championship. In 1997, he
was expunged from the official records after doing the same to Jacques
Villeneuve and who can forget, even near the end of his career, how he
parked his Ferrari across the track at Monaco to prevent Fernando Alonso
taking pole. Utterly ruthless, some may say a downright cheat. It is a
shadow that will fall long across a truly great career from a truly
extraordinary sportsman.
2. Ayrton Senna
21.3.1960 to 1.5.1994
Brazil
Grands prix: 161
Wins: 41
World Championships: 3 (1988, 90, 91)
Ayrton Senna has been elevated to the status of a legend as much because of
the dramatic circumstances of his death in front of a worldwide television
audience. The world held its breath on that day in May 1994, as doctors
tried to extricate the three-times champion from the wreckage of his
Williams. The Brazilian had started the San Marino Grand Prix desperately
trying to fend off the challenge of Michael Schumacher, the pretender to his
throne, when his car careered off the Imola circuit into a wall. Senna could
be regarded as the forerunner to the modern grand-prix driver, as dedicated
to his fitness as he was to his technical ability and understanding of the
the modern grand-prix car. When he was hired by McLaren to partner Alain
Prost, he was not remotely overawed to be alongside an established champion.
He just worked harder until Prost had to move on. Ruthless, private and yet
a practical joker, particularly in the company of Gerhard Berger and Ron
Dennis, his McLaren team principal, Senna was the complete driver: brave,
fast, skilful, exciting and daring. We will never know whether Senna would
have overcome Schumacher in what could have been one of the most fascinating
battles in the history of Formula One.
1. Jim Clark
4.3.1936 to 7.4.1968
Great Britain
Grands prix: 72
Wins: 25
World Championships: 2 (1963, 65)
There was always the feeling that Jim Clark could drive a milk float and make
it fly around a grand-prix track. Adept in saloon cars and sports cars, he
was the yardstick by which every driver wanted to measure themselves in
Formula One. There was nothing he could not do at the wheel of a Formula One
car and his marriage with Lotus was made in grand-prix heaven. The shy son
of a Scottish border farmer had little to say for himself and would have
been out of place in today‘s publicity-hungry environment, ruled by sponsors
flinging around money and demanding the attention of the drivers they
backed. Clark was a gentleman amateur who drove simply because he loved
driving. And he was sublime at the wheel, his touch and feel for his car and
the circuit without peer. He could administer a trouncing that would leave
his rivals in admiration, no more so than at the extraordinary
Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. In the 1960s, the circuit was more
than eight miles long, winding through the dense forests of the Ardennes,
with its quixotic micro-climate, which struck on race day for the Belgian
Grand Prix in 1963. Clark drove through the pouring rain to lap the entire
field, which effectively put him eight miles in front of his nearest
challenger. Clark was also impressively accident-free, registering only
three crashes in eight Formula One seasons, which only underlines the
paradox of his death. In a minor Formula Two race at Hockenheim, his car
flew off the track into the trees and he was killed instantly. Formula
One stood still and his death even now ripples through the sport. The quiet
man from Scotland was gone, but the memories of his immense talent live on.
Clark
regains motor-racing championship
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