The all-time Greatest Formula One Drivers

 *As of the end of 2024 season, wins and poles statistics updated to 2025 Hungarian GP

 

"There’s no doubt, Ayrton was my toughest rival. I could beat him on my day but that’s the key phrase, on my day, because the great drivers have many more of their days, and he did have that natural talent, that sixth sense they all have."

Martin Brundle

Top 50 list 

 

 

50. Jacques Laffite

 

Name: Jacques-Henri Laffite

Nationality: French

Birth place: Paris, Nazi-occupied France

Birth date: 21-nov-1943

F1 entries: 180

Race starts: 176

Wins: 6

Podiums: 32

Career points: 228

Pole positions: 7

Fastest laps: 7

F1 debut: 1974 German GP

First win: 1977 Swedish GP

Last win: 1981 Canadian GP

Last race: 1986 British GP

Teams: Williams (FWRC), Équipe Ligier, Williams

 

 

 

 

Career resume:

x3 4th placed in Formula One (1979, 1980, 1981)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1979, 1981), x5 International Class seasons
International Class career, World Class prime

Greatest driver in Équipe Ligier history

1975 European Formula Two Champion

 

  Jacques Laffite was the best driver in the history of the French Équipe Ligier and one of the main stars in the grid in the second half of the 1970s and the firsts 1980s. He won six races in Formula One and arrived the last race of 1981 with mathemathical title chances, despite finally finished 4th placed in the standings.

 

 

49. Lando Norris

Name: Lando Norris

Nationality: British

Birth place: Bristol, United Kingdom

Birth date: 13-nov-1999

F1 entries: 141

Constructors titles: 1 (2024)

Wins: 9

Podiums: 38

Career points: 1257

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 17

F1 debut: 2019 Australian GP

First win: 2024 Miami GP

Last win: 2025 Hungarian GP

Current team: McLaren F1 Team

Car number: 4

Career resume:

2024 Formula One runner-up

2024 Constructors Champion (McLaren)

x1 Outstanding World Class season (2024), x3 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
World Class career

2017 European F3 Champion, 2018 Formula 2 runner-up 

  Lando Norris is the main McLaren driver of the 2020s decade. He was a crucial part of the comeback to success of the McLaren team and his career-first outstanding world class performance in 2024 elevated him into the historic Top 50 after three previous consecutive regular world class seasons.

He's one of the rising stars of the actual grid and already has played an important role in the history of McLaren by carrying the team to be Constructors Champion for the first time since 1998.

In his debut season, 19 y/o, he quickly showed pace and consistency and even beated a few times his teammate Carlos Sainz. In 2020 his season started with his first career highlight by scoring a podium and fastest lap after a 5 sec. penalty for Lewis Hamilton allowed him to clinch the 3rd position by closing the gap in the last laps. His first World Class season came in 2021, scoring 4 podiums and 1 pole position -which was very close to become a  and widely beating his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in both qualy and race H2H, which would happen again in 2022 and again with his new teammate the rookie Oscar Piastri in 2023 and 2024.

Norris also gained a lot of popularity inside and outside of Formula One for his personality and use of social media and streaming sites, specially during the 2020 pandemic lockout and his participation and investment on simracing and eSports events.

 

 

48. Rubens Barrichello

 

Name: Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello

Nationality: Brazilian

Birth place: São Paulo, Brazil

Birth date: 23-may-1972

F1 entries: 326

Race starts: 322

Constructors titles: 6 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009)

Wins: 11

Podiums: 68

Career points: 658

Pole positions: 14

Fastest laps: 17

F1 debut: 1993 South African GP

First win: 2000 German GP

Last win: 2009 Italian GP

Last race: 2011 Brazilian GP

Teams: Jordan, Stewart, Scuderia Ferrari, Honda, Brawn GP, Williams

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One runner-up (2002, 2004)

x6 Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, Brawn GP - 2009)

x3 World Class seasons, x12 International Class seasons

1993 Best rookie, International Class career

Greatest driver in Stewart Grand Prix history 

1991 British Formula 3 Champion, x2 Stock Car Brasil Champion (2014, 2022)

  Rubens Barrichello held the record for most F1 entries between 2008 and 2020 (broken by Kimi Räikkönen) and is still the 4th driver in History with most entries. He also was the youngest polesitter of all-time when he scored the pole position in the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix. His career is often reduced to his six-season span in Ferrari in which he played a key part as 2nd driver during the dominance of Michael Schumacher, bu

47. Robert Kubica

 

Name: Robert Józef Kubica

Nationality: Polish

Birth place: Kraków, Poland

Birth date: 7-dec-1984

F1 entries: 99

Wins: 1

Podiums: 12

Career points: 274

Pole positions: 1

Fastest laps: 1

F1 debut: 2006 Hungarian GP

First win: 2008 Canadian GP

Last race: 2021 Italian GP

Teams: BMW Sauber, Renault, Williams, Alfa Romeo Racing

Car number: 88 

 

 

 

  

Career resume:

2008 4th placed in Formula One
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (2008, 2010), x1 International Class season
World Class career

2005 Formula Renault 3.5 Champion, 2013 WRC2 Champion, x2 ELMS LMP2 Champion (2021, 2024), 2023 WEC LMP2 Champion

  Robert Kubica was 

 

 

46. Mark Webber

 

Name: Mark Alan Webber

Nationality: Australian

Birth place: Queanbeyan, Australia

Birth date: 27-aug-1976

F1 entries: 217

Race starts: 215

Constructors titles: 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Wins: 9

Podiums: 42

Career points: 1047,5

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 19

F1 debut: 2002 Australian GP

First win: 2009 German GP

Last win: 2012 British GP

Last race: 2013 Brazilian GP

Teams: Minardi, Jaguar Racing, Williams, Red Bull Racing

 

 

 

Career resume:

x3 3rd placed in Formula One (2010, 2011, 2013)

x4 Constructors Champion (Red Bull - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
x4 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons

2002 Best rookie, International Class career

1998 FIA GT Championship runner-up, 2001 International Formula 3000 runner-up, 2015 World Endurance Champion

  Mark Webber was

45. Heinz-Harald Frentzen

 

Name: Heinz-Harald Frentzen Lladosa

Nationality: German, Spanish

Birth place: Mönchengladbach, West Germany

Birth date: 18-may-1967

F1 entries: 160

Race starts: 158

Constructors titles: 1 (1997)

Wins: 3

Podiums: 18

Career points: 174

Pole positions: 2

Fastest laps: 6

F1 debut: 1994 Brazilian GP

First win: 1997 San Marino GP

Last win: 1999 Italian GP

Last race: 2003 Japanese GP

Teams: Sauber, Williams, Jordan, Prost, Arrows

Career resume:

1997 Formula One runner-up

Constructors Champion (Williams - 1997)

x1 Outstanding World Class season (1999), x3 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons
1994 Best rookie, International Class career

Greatest driver in Jordan Grand Prix history

1989 German Formula Three runner-up

  Heinz-Harald Frentzen was

44. Jacques Villeneuve

 

Name: Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve

Nationality: Canadian

Birth place: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada

Birth date: 9-apr-1971

F1 entries: 165

Race starts: 163

Drivers titles: 1 (1997)

Constructors titles: 2 (1996, 1997)

Wins: 11

Podiums: 23

Career points: 235

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 9

F1 debut: 1996 Australian GP

First win: 1996 European GP

Last win: 1997 Luxembourg GP

Last race: 2006 German GP

Teams: Williams, British American Racing, Renault, Sauber, BMW Sauber

 

 

Career resume:

1997 Formula One World Champion

x2 Constructors Champion (Williams - 1996, 1997)
x1 Outstanding World Class season (1997), x5 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season

1996 Best rookie, International Class career

1995 CART IndyCar Champion, 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner

 

  Jacques Villeneuve was a World Class driver in the second half of the 1990s and the firsts 2000s and the Formula One World Champion of 1997. His career was a clear example of from hero to zero as he made his rookie season driving the fastest car in the grid, winning the pole position in his first race, scoring lots of podiums and some wins and becoming World Champion in his only second season.

With 11 wins already, the IndyCar accolades and a very competitive mentality he once looked like the generational rival of Michael Schumacher. But he'd never be able to even win a race again from 1998 on. After the departure from Williams of both engineer Adrian Newey and Renault engines, Jacques made one of the all-time worsts team moves when he signed for British American Racing in 1999, where he still performed World Class for some seasons despite being out of the spotlight, but couldn't keep it as the promised competitive machinery never came year after year.

 

43. Daniel Ricciardo

 

Name: Daniel Joseph Ricciardo

Nationality: Australian

Birth place: Perth, Australia

Birth date: 1-jul-1989

F1 entries: 258

Race starts: 257

Wins: 8

Podiums: 32

Career points: 1329

Pole positions: 3

Fastest laps: 17

F1 debut: 2011 British GP

First win: 2014 Canadian GP

Last win: 2021 Italian GP

Teams: HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Renault, McLaren, Visa CashApp RB

Car number: 3

 

Career resume:

x2 3rd placed in Formula One (2014, 2016)

x2 Outstanding World Class season (2014, 2016), x3 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons

Best rookie of 2011, International Class Driver career

2009 British Formula Three Champion

  The 'Honey Badger' Daniel Ricciardo was one of the Formula One superstars in the 2nd half of the 2010s. Winner of eight Grand Prixes, owner of a charismatic smile and popularity

42. Mike Hawthorn

 

Name: John Michael Hawthorn

Nationality: British

Birth place: Mexborough, United Kingdom

Birth date: 10-apr-1929 

Death: 22-jan-1959 (Guildford, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 47

Race starts: 45

Drivers titles: 1 (1958)

Wins: 3

Podiums: 18

Career points: 112+9/14 (127+9/14)

Pole positions: 4

Fastest laps: 6

F1 debut: 1952 Belgian GP

First win: 1953 French GP

Last win: 1958 French GP

Last race: 1958 Moroccan GP

Teams: Cooper (privateer), Scuderia Ferrari, Vanwall, BRM, Maserati

Career resume:
1958 Formula One World Champion

World's best driver of 1958, x3 World Class seasons, x4 International Class season
1952 Best rookie, World Class career

1955 24 hours of Le Mans winner

  Mike Hawthorn was the first British Formula One World Champion

41. Jean Alesi

 

Name: Jean Robert Alesi (born Giovanni Roberto)

Nationality: French

Birth place: Avignon, France

Birth date: 11-jun-1964

F1 entries: 202

Race starts: 201

Wins: 1

Podiums: 32

Career points: 241

Pole positions: 2

Fastest laps: 4

F1 debut: 1989 French GP

First win: 1995 Canadian GP

Last race: 2001 Japanese GP

Teams: Tyrrell, Scuderia Ferrrari, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan

 

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 4th placed in Formula One (1996, 1997)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1989, 1996), x4 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
1989 Best rookie, International Class career

1988 French F3 Champion, 1989 International F3000 Champion

  Jean Alesi drove for Ferrari in the first half of his career and become one of the most popular driver for his natural brute talent, often suffering of unconsistency and bad luck that took him off some more wins and podiums. Alesi's first season in Formula One was one of a kind in the entire history of motorsports. He took the International Formula 3000 title and from half the season on he made his debut in Formula One for Tyrrell, outclassifing his teammate Jonathan Palmer in 6 out 8 qualys and all races he finished, apart from being the only Tyrrell to score points in those races.

Alesi started his second season and the first complete one in 1990 with a podium at Phoenix and again at Monaco, showing an incredible performance in street circuits with an inferior car and securing a contract with Ferrari for 1991. After a troublesome season for the Scuderia, teammate Alain Prost left and Jean Alesi took the role of first driver for 1992, outscoring Ivan Capelli and later being equalled in performance with Gerhard Berger. This was when Alesi won a race for the only time in his career, in the 1995 Canadian GP after race leader Michael Schumacher suffered from electrical problems, both Ferrari teammates moved to Benetton for 1996, when Alesi had the best season of his career, despite not winning any race he finished the season 4th with 8 podiums and a brutal qualy H2H of 13-3 with Berger.

His career would enter in decadency from 1997 on. In the first race, the Australian GP, he suffered one of the most bizarre DNFs in Formula One history as he lost a potential podium finish because he didn't make his pitstop and run out of fuel after a lot of calls from his team crew by both radio and info boards. He would finish the season 4th again but showing way less dominance respect to Berger and his substitute driver Alex Wurz. Alesi eventually moved to Sauber, scoring his last podium there and finished his F1 career in Prost Grand Prix and Jordan without success.

 Jean Alesi's career was characterized by the immediate success everywhere he went due to his natural ability but never been able to keep consistency. The paradigma of this unconsistency was probably the fact that Gerhard Berger being his teammate in both Ferrari and Benetton was very inferior to Jean in 1993 and 1996 but eventually adapted to the cars and matched the level for 1994 and 1997 while Jean seemed to be unable to make that same progress, which would've put him directly on the fight for titles and race wins.

 

 

40. Nino Farina

 

Name: Giuseppe Farina

Nationality: Italian

Birth place: Turin, Italy

Birth date: 30-oct-1906

Death: 30-jun-1966 (Aiguebelle, France)

F1 entries: 35

Race starts: 33

Drivers titles: 1 (1950)

Wins: 5

Podiums: 20

Career points: 115+1/3 (127+1/3)

Pole positions: 5

Fastest laps: 5

F1 debut: 1950 British GP

First win: 1950 British GP

Last win: 1953 German GP

Last race: 1956 Indianapolis 500

Teams: Alfa Romeo, Scuderia Ferrari

 

 

Career resume:

1950 Formula One World Champion
x1 Outstanding World Class season (1950), x5 World Class seasons
International Class career

First Formula One polesitter, first Formula One race winner, first Formula One fastest lap, first Formula One World Champion

x3 Italian Championship winner (1937, 1938, 1939), 1948 Monaco GP winner, 1953 24 hours of Spa winner

  Giuseppe "Nino" Farina was and will always be the owner of all the 'firsts' records in Formula One as he 

 

39. Bruce McLaren

 

Name: Bruce Leslie McLaren

Nationality: New Zealander

Birth place: Auckland, New Zealand

Birth date: 30-aug-1937

Death: 2-jun-1970 (Goodwood Circuit, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 104

Race starts: 100

Constructors titles: 2 (1959, 1960)

Wins: 4

Podiums: 27

Career points: 188,5 (196,5)

Fastest laps: 3

F1 debut: 1958 German GP (F2 entry), 1959 Monaco GP

First win: 1959 United States GP

Last win: 1968 Belgian GP

Last race: 1970 Monaco GP

Teams: Cooper Car Company, McLaren, Eagle

Career resume:

1960 Formula One runner-up

Constructors' Champion (Cooper - 1959, 1960)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1962, 1964), x5 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
Best rookie of 1959, International Class career

1964 Tasman Series Champion, 1966 24 hours of Le Mans winner, x2 Can-Am Cup Champion (1967, 1969)

  Bruce McLaren, the founder of McLaren F1 Team, was one of the fastests drivers in the grid in the first half of the 1960s, he was also the youngest Grand Prix winner in his time and held the record for 53 years. He began his career driving for the Cooper Car Company

38. Denny Hulme

 

Name: Dennis Clive Hulme

Nationality: New Zealander

Birth place: Motueka, New Zealand

Birth date: 18-jun-1936

Death: 4-oct-1992 (Bathurst, Australia)

F1 entries: 112

Drivers titles: 1 (1967)

Constructors titles: 3 (1966, 1967, 1974)

Wins: 8

Podiums: 33

Career points: 248

Pole positions: 1

Fastest laps: 9

F1 debut: 1965 Monaco GP

First win: 1967 Monaco GP

Last win: 1974 Argentine GP

Last race: 1974 United States GP

Teams: Brabham, McLaren

 

 

Career resume:

1967 Formula One World Champion

x3 Constructors Champion (Brabham - 1966, 1967; McLaren - 1974)
x3 Outstanding World Class seasons (1967, 1968, 1970), x5 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
World Class career

1961 24 hours of Le Mans S850 winner, x2 Can-Am Cup Champion (1968, 1970)

  'The Bear' Denny Hulme was the World Champion of 1967 and one of the rising stars in Formula One and World Motorsports in the second half of the 1960s. After his title, won based over reliability and consistency more more than in pure speed, he moved into the new McLaren team in 1968, founded by his fellow New Zealand driver Bruce McLaren, where he spent the rest of his Formula One career and had his best years in terms of performance

37. Elio de Angelis

 

Name: Elio de Angelis

Nationality: Italian

Birth place: Rome

Birth date: 26-mar-1958

Death: 15-may-1986 (Circuit Paul Ricard, France)

F1 entries: 110

Race starts: 108

Wins: 2

Podiums: 9

Career points: 122

Pole positions: 3

F1 debut: 1979 Argentine GP

First win: 1982 Austrian GP

Last win: 1985 San Marino GP

Last race: 1986 Monaco GP

Teams: Shadow, Team Lotus, Brabham

 

 

 

 

Career resume:

1984 3rd placed in Formula One
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1982, 1984), x3 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
1979 Best rookie, World Class career

  Elio de Angelis was the last of the old 'gentleman drivers' and one of the Top stars in the grid in the first half of the 1980s until his career was sieged in a fatal crash, aged 28, during a testing session in 1986.

36. Mario Andretti

 

Name: Mario Gabriele Andretti

Nationality: American

Birth place: Montona, Kingdom of Italy

Birth date: 28-feb-1940

F1 entries: 131

Race starts: 128

Drivers titles: 1 (1978)

Constructors titles: 2 (1978, 1982)

Wins: 12

Podiums: 19

Career points: 180

Pole positions: 18

Fastest laps: 10

F1 debut: 1968 Italian GP

First win: 1971 South African GP

Last win: 1978 Dutch GP

Last race: 1982 Caesars Palace GP

Teams: Team Lotus, March, Scuderia Ferrari, Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, Alfa Romeo, Williams

 

Career resume:

1978 Formula One World Champion

x2 Constructors Champion (Lotus - 1978, Ferrari - 1982)
World's best driver of 1978, x2 Outstanding World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
World Class career

x3 USAC Champion (1965, 1966, 1969), 1984 CART IndyCar Champion, 1967 Daytona 500 winner, x3 12 hours of Sebring winner (1967, 1970, 1972), 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner, 1969 Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner, 1972 6 hours of Daytona winner, 1974 Dirt Car Series Champion, 1995 24 hours of Le Mans WSC winner 

  Mario Andretti, as happens with Jacky Ickx, is one of the most complete racing drivers of all time to whom his Formula One career is just one more episode of success. 

35. Jacky Ickx

 

Name: Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri Ickx

Nationality: Belgian

Birth place: Brussels, Belgium

Birth date: 1-jan-1945

F1 entries: 122

Race starts: 116

Wins: 8

Podiums: 25

Career points: 181

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 14

F1 debut: 1966 German GP (F2 entry), 1967 Italian GP

First win: 1968 French GP

Last win: 1972 German GP

Last race: 1979 United States GP

Teams: Tyrrell, Cooper Car Company, Scuderia Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren, Williams (FWRC), Team Lotus, Ensign, Équipe Ligier

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One runner-up (1969, 1970)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1969, 1970), x3 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
International Class career

1967 European Formula Two Champion, x6 24 hours of Le Mans winner (1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982), 1979 Can-Am Champion, x2 World Endurance Champion (1982, 1983), 1983 Dakar Rally winner

  Jacky Ickx is one of the most succesful drivers in the History of Motorsports if not the most decorated and versatile of all-time. With eight wins in Formula One, two times runner-up in the World Championship after Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt and the most complete and dominant career outside of F1, even winning in the most important off-road event, he would be listed way up more if this wasn't strictly about Formula One, which for him was just the first chapter in his story.

In fact, Jacky's first complete season was in 1968, aged 23, when he signed for Ferrari as the reigning Formula Two Champion. The Ferrari was proven a very fast car that year in the hands of teammate Chris Amon, but very unrealiable, while Ickx was never a threat for the Championship contenders but clinched a magical win in France under the rain lapping everybody except the 2nd placed, four podiums and a pole position at the Nürburgring that secured him the 4th place in the standings. He'd move for Brabham in 1969 and go back to a re-built Ferrari for 1970, this two seasons would be the peak of his career in both terms of results and performance.

In 1969 he outclassified his teammate Jack Brabham with a head-to-head of 7-3 in qualy and 5-0 in races and in 1970 he repeated the performance against the rookie of the year Clay Regazzoni, beating him in qualy by 11-2 and 4-0 in the Sundays. Despite he was never in the title fight in 1969 against the dominant dupla Jackie Stewart-Matra, in 1970 after his win in Austria and the death of posthumous World Champion Jochen Rindt, Jacky found himself driving the fastest car of the 2nd half of the season, placed 6th with a 26 points gap to the dissapeared leader and 36 points still to dispute. It was the best opportunity of his career and only reliability problems avoided him of winning the title, finishing runner-up again, this time with 5 points of margin. Jacky would continue to be the first driver of Ferrari until 1973 and his F1 career entered in decadency.

After his final win at the 1972 German GP and one of the worst seasons for the Scuderia in 1973, Jacky moved to Lotus and was absolutely inferior to teammate Ronnie Peterson for two seasons and kept racing for less competitive teams until 1979 while he was starting his dominancy in endurance racing.

Jacky wasn't the fastest Formula One driver of his era but he was for some years a consistent Top-5 of the grid with special skill in wet driving, in which he was probably the best in the grid. This racer conditions made of him a beast for endurance racing, where the pure speed matters maybe a bit % less and wet & night driving are key, and his pairing with Derek Bell was simply unbeatable along the years.

34. Damon Hill

 

Name: Damon Graham Devereux Hill

Nationality: British

Birth place: London, United Kingdom

Birth date: 17-sep-1960

F1 entries: 122

Race starts: 115

Drivers titles: 1 (1996)

Constructors titles: 3 (1993, 1994, 1996)

Wins: 22

Podiums: 42

Career points: 360

Pole positions: 20

Fastest laps: 19

F1 debut: 1992 Spanish GP

First win: 1993 Hungarian GP

Last win: 1998 Belgian GP

Last race: 1999 Japanese GP

Teams: Brabham, Williams, Arrows, Jordan

 

 

Career resume:

1996 Formula One World Champion

x3 Constructors Champion (Williams - 1993, 1994, 1996)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1994, 1996), x4 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
World Class career

  Damon Hill was the first great rival of Michael Schumacher, 1996 World Champion and one of the best drivers in the grid in the middle 1990s. He was a special case in Formula One, son of a former Champion but grew up as a working class kid after the death of his father without assurance, he made his F1 debut at the age of 31 after an unsucessful career in Formula 3000, driving the pre-qualy habitual Brabham but getting a second seat in Williams, the times powerhouse, for the next year as a result of a butterfly-effect of unexpected team-moves.

But even more unexpected was him to inmediately broke in a beast of a driver in the wet (probably the best 'human' driver in this field after Senna and Schumacher), podium habitual, race winner and in only one year become one of the main title contenders along with Michael Schumacher. 

33. Charles Leclerc

 

Name: Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc

Nationality: Monegasque

Birth place: Monaco

Birth date: 16-oct-1997

F1 entries: 149

Race starts: 147

Wins: 8

Podiums: 43

Career points: 1430

Pole positions: 26

Fastest laps: 10

F1 debut: 2018 Australian GP

First win: 2019 Belgian GP

Last win: 2024 United States GP

Teams: Sauber, Scuderia Ferrari

Current team: Scuderia Ferrari HP

Car number: 16

 

 

 

Career resume:

2022 Formula One runner-up
x1 Outstanding World Class season (2020), x6 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
2018 Best Rookie, World Class career

2016 GP3 Series Champion, 2017 Formula 2 Champion 

  Charles Leclerc is

 

 

32. Jody Scheckter

 

Name: Jody David Scheckter

Nationality: South African

Birth place: East London, South Africa

Birth date: 29-jan-1950

F1 entries: 113

Race starts: 112

Drivers titles: 1 (1979)

Constructors titles: 1 (1979)

Wins: 10

Podiums: 33

Career points: 246 (255)

Pole positions: 3

Fastest laps: 5

F1 debut: 1972 United States GP

First win: 1974 Swedish GP

Last win: 1979 Italian GP

Last race: 1980 United States GP

Teams: McLaren, Tyrrell, Walter Wolf Racing, Scuderia Ferrari

Career resume:

1979 Formula One World Champion

Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 1979)

x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1974, 1979), x5 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
World Class career

1973 America Formula 5000 Champion

  'The Pooh' Jody Scheckter was 

 

 

31. Ronnie Peterson

 

Name: Bengt Ronnie Peterson

Nationality: Swedish

Birth place: Örebro, Sweden

Birth date: 14-feb-1944

Death: 11-sep-1978 (Milan, Italy)

F1 entries: 123

Constructors titles: 2 (1973, 1978)

Wins: 10

Podiums: 26

Career points: 206

Pole positions: 14

Fastest laps: 9

F1 debut: 1970 Monaco GP

First win: 1973 French GP

Last win: 1978 Austrian GP

Last race: 1978 Italian GP

Teams: March, Team Lotus, Tyrrell

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One runner-up (1971, 1978)

Constructors Champion (Lotus - 1973, 1978)
x3 Outstanding World Class seasons (1971, 1973, 1974), x4 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
World Class career

x2 Swedish Formula Three Champion (1968, 1969), 1971 European Formula Two Champion 

  The Super Swede Ronnie Peterson was one of the most competitive drivers of the 1970s, with his prime years occurring in the first half of the decade. His death after the 1978 Italian Grand Prix lap 1 crash marked one of the most common 'What if' in the History of F1 as he was still in the conditions to fight for a Drivers' title and race wins in the eventual years. He's undoubtly the greatest Swedish racing driver of all time and one of their biggest legends in Motorsports with rally titans such as Erik Carlsson or Bjorn Waldegaard.

 

30. Keke Rosberg

 

Name: Keijo Erik Rosberg

Nationality: Finnish

Birth place: Solna, Sweden

Birth date: 6-dec-1948

F1 entries: 128

Race starts: 114

Drivers titles: 1 (1982)

Wins: 5

Podiums: 17

Career points: 159,5

Pole positions: 5

Fastest laps: 3

F1 debut: 1978 South African GP

First win: 1982 Swiss GP

Last win: 1985 Australian GP

Last race: 1986 Australian GP

Teams: Theodore, ATS, Walter Wolf Racing, Fittipaldi, Williams, McLaren

Career resume:

1982 Formula One World Champion
World's best driver of 1982, x2 Outstanding World Class seasons, x3 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
World Class career

1978 BRDC International Trophy winner, 1991 430km of Magny-Cours winner, 1991 430km of Mexico winner, 1 race win in DTM (1992)

  Keke Rosberg was the World Champion and the best driver of 1982 and one of the most talented street circuit drivers of all time as well as one of the best wet track drivers of his generation.

29. Gilles Villeneuve

 

Name: Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve

Nationality: Canadian

Birth place: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada

Birth date: 18-jan-1950

Death: 9-may-1982 (Circuit Zolder, Belgium) 

F1 entries: 68

Race starts: 67

Constructors titles: 2 (1979, 1982)

Wins: 6

Podiums: 13

Career points: 101 (107)

Pole positions: 2

Fastest laps: 8

F1 debut: 1977 British GP

First win: 1978 Canadian GP

Last win: 1981 Spanish GP

Last race: 1982 Belgian GP

Teams: McLaren, Scuderia Ferrari

 

 

Career resume:

1979 Formula One runner-up
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1979, 1981), x3 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
Outstanding World Class career

1976 IMSA Formula Atlantic Champion, x2 Canadian Formula Atlantic Champion (1976, 1977)

  Gilles Villeneuve was

28. Carlos Reutemann

 

Name: Carlos Alberto Reutemann

Nationality: Argentine

Birth place: Santa Fe, Argentina

Birth date: 12-apr-1942

Death: 7-jun-2021 (Santa Fe, Argentina)

F1 entries: 146

Constructors titles: 3 (1977, 1980, 1981)

Wins: 12

Podiums: 45

Career points: 298 (310)

Pole positions: 6

Fastest laps: 6

F1 debut: 1972 Argentine GP

First win: 1974 South African GP

Last win: 1981 Belgian GP

Last race: 1982 Brazilian GP

Teams: Brabham, Scuderia Ferrari, Team Lotus, Williams

 

 

 

Career resume:

1981 Formula One runner-up

Constructors Champion (Ferrari -  1977, Williams - 1980, 1981)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (1974, 1978), x5 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
1972 Best rookie, World Class career

1971 European Formula Two runner-up, 2 podiums in the World Rally Championship

  'El Lole' Carlos Reutemann was one of the superstars during all the 1970s decade and the beginings of the 1980s and the greatest talent Argentina produced after Juan Manuel Fangio.

 

 

27. Jochen Rindt

 

Name: Karl Jochen Rindt

Nationality: West German, raced under Austrian flag

Birth place: Mainz, Germany

Birth date: 18-apr-1942

Death: 5-sep-1970 (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy)

F1 entries: 62

Race starts: 60

Drivers titles: 1 (1970)

Constructors titles: 1 (1970)

Wins: 6

Podiums: 13

Career points: 107 (109)

Pole positions: 10

Fastest laps: 3

F1 debut: 1964 Austrian GP

First win: 1969 United States GP

Last win: 1970 German GP

Last race: 1970 Italian GP

Teams: Rob Walker, Cooper Car Company, Brabham, Team Lotus

Career resume:

1970 Formula One World Champion

Constructors Champion (Lotus - 1970)
World's best driver of 1970, x2 Outstanding World Class seasons, x4 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season

World Class career

1965 24 hours of Le Mans winner

  Jochen Rindt was the only posthumous World Champion in Formula One and one of the most brutal career peaks ever seen in Formula One. He was already considered a potential World Champion after 1969 when he finished 4th after lots of reliability issues (which sometimes caused serious high-speed crashes to both him and Graham Hill) but showed pace that could match the almost unbeatable Jackie Stewart.

26. Alan Jones

 

Name: Alan Stanley Jones

Nationality: Australian

Birth place: Melbourne, Australia

Birth date: 2-nov-1946

F1 entries: 117

Race starts: 116

Drivers titles: 1 (1980)

Constructors titles: 2 (1980, 1981)

Wins: 12

Podiums: 24

Career points: 199 (206)

Pole positions: 6

Fastest laps: 13

F1 debut: 1975 Spanish GP

First win: 1977 Austrian GP

Last win: 1981 Caesars Palace GP

Last race: 1986 Australian GP

Teams: Hesketh, Embassy Hill, Team Surtees, Shadow, Williams, Arrows, Haas Beatrice

 

Career resume:

1980 Formula One World Champion

x2 Constructors Champion (Williams - 1980, 1981)
World's best driver of 1979, x2 Outstanding World Class seasons, x4 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
World Class career

1973 JPS British Formula Three runner-up, 1978 Can-Am Champion, 1982 Australian GT Champion

  Alan Jones was the first succesful driver of Williams and one of the best talents in the grid between the second half of the 1970s and the first 1980s.

 

 

25. John Surtees

 

Name: John Norman Surtees

Nationality: British

Birth place: Tatsfield, United Kingdom

Birth date: 11-feb-1934

Death: 10-mar-2017 (Tooting, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 113

Race starts: 111

Drivers titles: 1 (1964)

Constructors titles: 1 (1964)

Wins: 6

Podiums: 24

Career points: 180

Pole positions: 8

Fastest laps: 10

F1 debut: 1960 Monaco GP

First win: 1963 German GP

Last win: 1967 Italian GP

Last race: 1972 United States GP

Teams: Team Lotus, Reg Parnell Racing (Cooper, Lola), Scuderia Ferrari, Cooper Car Company, Honda Racing, BRM, McLaren (privateer), Team Surtees

 

Career resume:

1964 Formula One World Champion

Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 1964)
World's best driver of 1964, x6 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
1960 Best rookie, World Class career

x4 500cc motorcycle World Champion (1956, 1958, 1959, 1960), x3 350cc motorcycle World Champion (1958, 1959, 1960), x2 1000km of Nürburgring winner (1963, 1965), 1963 12 hours of Sebring winner, 1966 Can-Am Cup Champion, MotoGP Legend

  El hijo del viento John Surtees had probably the greatest motorsports career of all-time as he's the only man to be World Champion in both top class of motorcycle racing and Formula One as well as various wins in endurance and the Can-Am title.

 

 

24. Dan Gurney

 

Name: Daniel Sexton Gurney

Nationality: American

Birth place: New York, United States of America

Birth date: 13-apr-1931

Death: 14-jan-2018 (Newport Beach, United States)

F1 entries: 87

Race starts: 86

Wins: 4

Podiums: 19

Career points: 133

Pole positions: 3

Fastest laps: 6

F1 debut: 1959 French GP

First win: 1962 French GP

Last win: 1967 Belgian GP

Last race: 1970 British GP

Teams: Scuderia Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, Lotus (priv.), Brabham, Anglo American Racers, McLaren

 

 

Career resume:

x2 4th placed in Formula One (1961, 1965)
x3 Outstanding World Class seasons (1961, 1962, 1965), x6 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
World Class career

1964 24 hours of Le Mans GT+3.0 wnner, 1967 24 hours of Le Mans winner, x2 Indianapolis 500 runner-up (1968, 1969)

  Dan Gurney is the greatest driver not to be F1 World Champion or best driver of a season. His career was marked by wrong timing and constant signings for uncompetitive teams that never let him fight for a title despite his consistent World Class performances in the first half of the 1960s that allowed him to clinch all the 'firsts' for constructors like Porsche, Brabham and his own team Eagle.

 

 

23. Nigel Mansell

 

Name: Nigel Ernest James Mansell

Nationality: British

Birth place: Upton-upon-Severn, United Kingdom

Birth date: 8-aug-1953

F1 entries: 19

Race starts: 187

Drivers titles: 1 (1992)

Constructors titles: 4 (1986, 1987, 1992, 1994)

Wins: 31

Podiums: 59

Career points: 480 (482)

Pole positions: 32

Fastest laps: 30

F1 debut: 1980 Austrian GP

First win: 1985 European GP

Last win: 1994 Australian GP

Last race: 1995 Spanish GP

Teams: Team Lotus, Williams, Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren

 

 

Career resume:

1992 Formula One World Champion

x4 Constructors Champion (Williams - 1986, 1987, 1992, 1994)
World's best driver of 1992, x3 Outstanding World Class seasons, x5 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
World Class career

Holds the record for most Grand Slams in a single season (3 in 1992, shared)

1977 Formula Ford 1600 BRDC Champion, 1993 CART IndyCar World Series Champion 

  The British lion Nigel Mansell was a superstar in the second half of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, one of the most entertaining drivers of all time and the all-time greatest driver for Williams. He was the World Champion and best driver of 1992.

 

 

22. Jenson Button

 

Name: Jenson Alexander Lyons Button

Nationality: British

Birth place: Frome, United Kingdom

Birth date: 19-jan-1980

F1 entries: 309

Race starts: 306

Drivers titles: 1 (2009)

Constructors titles: 1 (2009)

Wins: 15

Podiums: 50

Career points: 1235

Pole positions: 8

Fastest laps: 8

F1 debut: 2000 Australian GP

First win: 2006 Hungarian GP

Last win: 2012 Brazilian GP

Last race: 2017 Monaco GP

Teams: Williams, Renault, BAR, Honda Racing, Brawn GP, McLaren

Car number: 22

Career resume:

2009 Formula One World Champion

Constructors Champion (Brawn GP - 2009)
x2 Outstanding World Class seasons (2005, 2009), x6 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons
International Class career, World Class prime

1998 British Formula Ford Champion, 2018 GT500 Super GT Champion

  Jenson Button was a consitent Top driver of the grid between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s.  

21. Graham Hill

 

Name: Norman Graham Hill

Nationality: British

Birth place: Hampstead, United Kingdom

Birth date: 15-feb-1929

Death: 29-nov-1975 (London, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 179

Race starts: 176

Drivers titles: 2 (1962, 1968)

Constructors titles: 3 (1962, 1968, 1970)

Wins: 14

Podiums: 36

Career points: 270 (289)

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 10

F1 debut: 1958 Monaco GP

First win: 1962 Dutch GP

Last win: 1969 Monaco GP

Last race: 1975 Monaco GP

Teams: Team Lotus, BRM, Rob Walker (Lotus), Brabham, Shadow (priv.), Lola (priv.), Embassy Hill

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (1962, 1968)

x3 Constructors Champion (BRM - 1962; Lotus - 1968, 1970)
World's best driver of 1962, x3 Outstanding World Class seasons, x6 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
International Class career, World Class prime

1966 Indianapolis 500 winner, 1966 Tasman Series runner-up, 1972 24 hours of Le Mans winner, Triple Crown winner

  Mr. Monaco Graham Hill is the only driver in History to clinch the Triple Crown of auto racing by winning the Monaco GP (five times), Indy 500 and the 24 hours of Le Mans. He was the best driver of 1962 and the second best after Jim Clark in the first half of the 1960s.

 

 

20. Mika Häkkinen

 

Name: Mika Pauli Häkkinen

Nationality: Finnish

Birth place: Vantaa, Finland

Birth date: 28-sep-1968

F1 entries: 165

Race starts: 161

Drivers titles: 2 (1998, 1999)

Constructors titles: 1 (1998)

Wins: 20

Podiums: 51

Career points: 420

Pole positions: 26

Fastest laps: 25

F1 debut: 1991 United States GP

First win: 1997 European GP

Last win: 2001 United States GP

Last race: 2001 Japanese GP

Teams: Team Lotus, McLaren

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (1998, 1999)

Constructors Champion (McLaren - 1998)
x2 World's best driver (1998, 1999), x6 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
1991 Best rookie, World Class career

1990 British Formula 3 Champion, 3 wins in DTM (2005, 2007)

  Mika Häkkinen was the best rookie of 1991, the World Champion and best driver of 1998 and 1999 and consistently one of the Top-5 drivers in the grid during the 1990s decade, despite he never had a winning car until the last stage of his career, when he scored all of his Grand Prix wins and pole positions and most of his podiums.

 

 

19. Emerson Fittipaldi

 

Name: Emerson Fittipaldi Wojciechowski

Nationality: Brazilian

Birth place: São Paulo, Brazil

Birth date: 12-dec-1946

F1 entries: 149

Race starts: 144

Drivers titles: 2 (1972, 1974)

Constructors titles: 4 (1970, 1972, 1973, 1974)

Wins: 14

Podiums: 35

Career points: 281

Pole positions: 6

Fastest laps: 8

F1 debut: 1970 British GP

First win: 1970 United States GP

Last win: 1975 British GP

Last race: 1980 United States GP

Teams: Team Lotus, McLaren, Copersucar Fittipaldi

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (1972, 1974)

x4 Constructors Champion (Team Lotus - 1970, 1972, 1973; McLaren - 1974)
x2 World's best driver of the year (1972, 1974), x6 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
World Class career

1969 British Formula Three Champion, x2 Indianapolis 500 winner (1989, 1993), 1989 CART IndyCar World Series Champion

  Emerson Fittipaldi was the youngest World Champion in Formula One in his time and held the record for more than 30 years until it was broken by Fernando Alonso. He was the powerhouse in Formula One in the first half of the 1970s, winning two titles and showing a superior skill for driving in the wet that nobody could match, even winning a race in which he was the only driver to cross the line without crashing.

 

18. Nico Rosberg

 

Name: Nico Erik Rosberg

Nationality: German

Birth place: Wiesbaden, West Germany

Birth date: 27-jun-1985

F1 entries: 206

Drivers titles: 1 (2016)

Constructors titles: 3 (2014, 2015, 2016)

Wins: 23

Podiums: 57

Career points: 1594,5

Pole positions: 30

Fastest laps: 20

F1 debut: 2006 Bahrain GP

First win: 2012 Chinese GP

Last win: 2016 Japanese GP

Last race: 2016 Abu Dhabi GP

Teams: Williams, Mercedes AMG

Car number: 6

Career resume:

2016 Formula One World Champion

x3 Constructors Champion (Mercedes - 2014, 2015, 2016)
World's best driver of 2009, x4 Outstanding World Class seasons, x7 World Class seasons, x3 International Class seasons
World Class career

2002 Formula BMW ADAC Champion, 2005 GP2 Series Champion

  Nico Rosberg was the best driver in 2009, the most distant case respect to the actual World Championship classification as he finished 7th this year, afterwards he moved to Mercedes and was consistently one of the most in-shape drivers of the grid for the first half of the 2010s until he finally got the World Champion title in 2016 after a long fight with teammate Lewis Hamilton and some days later retired from racing aged only 31.

Despite in that moment the public opinion on him was plenty of doubts, his legacy grew up race after race from his retirement on as both his substitute at Mercedes Valtteri Bottas and the four times World Champion Sebastian Vettel in the now-competitive Ferrari were never a title threat for Lewis Hamilton in none of the next years.

17. James Hunt

 

Name: James Simon Wallys Hunt

Nationality: British

Birth place: Belmont, United Kingdom

Birth date: 29-aug-1947

Death: 15-jun-1993 (Wimbledon, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 93

Race starts: 92

Drivers titles: 1 (1976)

Wins: 10

Podiums: 23

Career points: 179

Pole positions: 14

Fastest laps: 8

F1 debut: 1973 Monaco GP

First win: 1975 Dutch GP

Last win: 1977 Japanese GP

Last race: 1979 Monaco GP

Teams: March (priv.), Hesketh Racing, McLaren, Walter Wolf Racing

 

 

Career resume:

1976 Formula One World Champion
World's best driver of 1976, x4 Outstanding World Class seasons, x2 International Class season
Best rookie of 1973, Outstanding World Class career

x2 BRDC International Trophy winner (1974, 1976)

 James Hunt was one of the fastest drivers in terms of pure driving talent of all time, his debut season was the second best for a rookie in Formula One history after Lewis Hamilton in 2007. His career was anomally short as it only lasted in F1 for six and a half seasons and his retirement came at the age of 31, half the season of 1979. His personal life was known to be chaotic in practically every subjects and that was probably the reason for his decadency as a driver to happen so early.

Hunt debuted in the Monaco GP of 1973 driving a March for the Hesketh Racing team of Lord Hesketh, who was the main sponsor, friend and support in his early years.

16. Stirling Moss

 

Name: Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss

Nationality: British

Birth place: West Kensington, United Kingdom

Birth date: 17-sep-1929 

Death: 12-apr-2020

F1 entries: 67

Race starts: 66

Constructors titles: 2 (1958, 1959)

Wins: 16

Podiums: 24

Career points: 185+9/14 (186+9/14)

Pole positions: 16

Fastest laps: 19

F1 debut: 1951 Swiss GP

First win: 1955 British GP

Last win: 1961 German GP

Last race: 1961 United States GP

Teams: HW Motors, ERA, Connaught, Cooper Car Company, Maserati, Daimler Benz, Vanwall, R.R.C. Walker (Cooper), BRM, R.R.C. Walker (Lotus)

 

Career resume:

x4 Formula One runner-up (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958)

x2 Constructors Champion (Vanwall - 1958; Cooper - 1959)
x2 World's best driver (1959, 1961), x3 Outstanding World Class seasons, x7 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
Best rookie of 1951, Outstanding World Class career

x2 British Formula Three 500cc Champion (1948, 1950), 1952 Rallye de Monte Carlo runner-up, 1953 12 hours of Reims winner, 1954 12 hours of Sebring winner, 1955 Mille Miglia winner, 1956 24 hours of Le Mans S3.0L winner

 Sir Stirling Moss was the greatest driver ever in Formula One not to be World Champion, shares with Alain Prost the record for most times runner-up at the number of four and was the best driver of 1959 and 1961. He was consistently a World Class driver since the second half of the 1950s and his career was cut off by a serious crash in the winter of 1962, forcing him to retire aged only 31 and at the peak of his talent.

 

15. Jack Brabham

 

Name: Sir John Arthur Brabham

Nationality: Australian

Birth place: Hurtsville, Australia

Birth date: 2-apr-1926

Death: 19-may-2014 (Gold Coast, Australia)

F1 entries: 128

Race starts: 126

Drivers titles: 3 (1959, 1960, 1966)

Constructors titles:  4 (1959, 1960, 1966, 1967)

Wins: 14

Podiums: 31

Career points: 253 (261)

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 12

F1 debut: 1955 British GP

First win: 1959 Monaco GP

Last win: 1970 South African GP

Last race: 1970 Mexican GP

Teams: Cooper Car Company, Maserati (priv.), Rob Walker (Cooper), Lotus (priv.), Brabham

 

Career resume:

x3 Formula One World Champion (1959, 1960, 1966)

x4 Constructors Champion (Cooper - 1959, 1960; Brabham - 1966, 1967)
x2 World's best driver (1960, 1966), x4 Outstanding World Class seasons, x5 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons
World Class career

1960 Formula Two Champion, 1964 Tasman Series runner-up

  Sir Jack Brabham was the only driver ever to clinch a title driving his own car and one of the Top drivers in the F1 grid between the late 1950s and his retirement season 1970, in which he still won the inaugural race, aged 44.

 

14. Alberto Ascari

 

Name: Alberto Ascari

Nationality: Italian

Birth place: Milan, Italy

Birth date: 13-jul-1918 

Death: 26-may-1955 (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy)

F1 entries: 34

Race starts: 32

Drivers titles: 2 (1952, 1953)

Wins: 13

Podiums: 17

Career points: 107+9/14 (140+1/7)

Pole positions: 14

Fastest laps: 12

F1 debut: 1950 Monaco GP

First win: 1951 German GP

Last win: 1953 Swiss GP

Last race: 1955 Monaco GP

Teams: Scuderia Ferrari, Maserati, Scuderia Lancia

 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (1952, 1953)
x2 World's best driver (1952, 1953), x4 World Class seasons
Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most consecutive fastest laps (7, 1952-1953), record for most consecutive laps in the lead (304, 1952), record for most Grand Slams in a single season (3 in 1952, shared)

1949 BRDC International Trophy winner, 1953 12 hours of Casablanca S2.0 winner, 1954 Mille Miglia winner

   Alberto Ascari was the first superstar of the legendary Scuderia Ferrari and the undisputed dominant driver in the years 1952 and 1953, when he won the titles and 11 races out of 15 participations incluiding 9 wins in a row, a brutal record only equalled 60 years later by Sebastian Vettel and later, 70 years after established, finally broken by the Max Verstappen in his savage season.

 

 

13. Kimi Räikkönen

 

Name: Kimi-Mattias Räikkönen

Nationality: Finnish

Birth place: Espoo, Finland

Birth date: 17-oct-1979

F1 entries: 353

Race starts: 349

Drivers titles: 1 (2007)

Constructors titles: 2 (2007, 2008)

Wins: 21

Podiums: 103

Career points: 1873

Pole positions: 18

Fastest laps: 46

F1 debut: 2001 Australian GP

First win: 2003 Malaysian GP

Last win: 2018 United States GP

Last race: 2021 Abu Dhabi GP

Teams: Sauber, McLaren, Scuderia Ferrari, Lotus F1 Team, Alfa Romeo Racing

Car number: 7

Career resume:

2007 Formula One World Champion

x2 Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 2007, 2008)
x2 World's best driver (2003, 2007), x5 Outstanding World Class seasons, x8 World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
World Class career, Outstanding World Class Prime

Holds the record for most fastest laps in a single season (10 in 2005 and 2008, shared)

2000 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Champion

The Iceman Kimi Räikkönen was the best driver in the World in 2003 and 2007 and a consistent powerhouse in Formula One during the 2000s decade. He first retired in 2009 and come back to F1 in 2012, adding two World Class seasons more for Lotus F1 Team. His career lasted for almost a decade more until his definitive retirement in 2021, always overflown by idea that he never performed at the 100% of his potential, even in his prime years. He's known as the most famous Finnish man and inside racing his personality elevated to one of the most popular drivers of all time.

 

 

12. Niki Lauda

 

Name: Andreas Nikolaus Lauda

Nationality: Austrian

Birth place: Vienna, Austria

Birth date: 22-feb-1949

Death: 20-may-2019 (Zürich, Switzerland)

F1 entries: 177

Race starts: 171

Drivers titles: 3 (1975, 1977, 1984)

Constructors titles:  5 (1975, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1985)

Wins: 25

Podiums: 54

Career points: 420,5

Pole positions: 24

Fastest laps: 24

F1 debut: 1971 Austrian GP

First win: 1974 Spanish GP

Last win: 1985 Dutch GP

Last race: 1985 Australian GP

Teams: March Engineering, BRM, Scuderia Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren

Career resume:

x3 Formula One World Champion (1975, 1977, 1984)

x5 Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 1975, 1976, 1977; McLaren - 1984, 1985)
x2 Best driver of the year (1975, 1977), x6 Outstanding World Class seasons, x7 World Class seasons, x2 International Class season
World Class career, Outstanding World Class prime

1972 British Formula Two Champion, 1979 BMW M1 Procar Champion

   Niki Lauda, the Phoenix of Formula One, was the best driver in the grid in the second half of the 1970s and still a World Class driver after his comeback to racing with McLaren in the first half of the 1980s, clinching the most adjusted title in F1 history by only half a point over teammate Alain Prost.

 

 

11. Nelson Piquet

 

Name: Nelson Piquet Souto Maior

Nationality: Brazilian

Birth place: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Birth date: 17-aug-1952

F1 entries: 207

Race starts: 204

Drivers titles: 3 (1981, 1983, 1987)

Constructors titles: 2 (1986, 1987)

Wins: 23

Podiums: 60

Career points: 481,5 (485,5)

Pole positions: 24

Fastest laps: 23

F1 debut: 1978 German GP

First win: 1980 United States GP West

Last win: 1991 Canadian GP

Last race: 1991 Australian GP

Teams: Ensign, McLaren (priv.), Brabham, Williams, Team Lotus, Benetton

 

 

Career resume:

x3 Formula One World Champion (1981, 1983, 1987)

x2 Constructors Champion (Williams - 1986, 1987)
1980 World's best driver, x6 Outstanding World Class seasons, x11 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
World Class career, Outstanding World Class prime

1976 Formula VW 1600 Brazil Champion, 1978 Super Visco British Formula Three Champion, 1980 BMW M1 Procar Champion

  Nelson Piquet Souto Maior was a superstar in Formula One during the decade of 1980 and the first 1990s, accumulating 11 World Class seasons.

 

 

10. Jim Clark

 

Name: James Clark

Nationality: British

Birth place: Kilmany, United Kingdom

Birth date: 4-mar-1936

Death: 7-apr-1968 (Hockenheimring, West Germany)

F1 entries: 73

Race starts: 72

Drivers titles: 2 (1963, 1965)

Constructors titles: 3 (1963, 1965, 1968)

Wins: 25

Podiums: 32

Career points: 255 (274)

Pole positions: 33

Fastest laps: 28

F1 debut: 1960 Dutch GP

First win: 1962 Belgian GP

Last win: 1968 South African GP

Last race: 1968 South African GP

Teams: Team Lotus

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (1963, 1965)

x3 Constructors Champion (Team Lotus - 1963, 1965, 1968)
x3 World's best driver (1963, 1965, 1967), x5 Outstanding World Class seasons, x7 World Class seasons

Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most Grand Slams in Formula One (8), record for most Grand Slams in a single season (3 in 1963, shared)

1960 Formula Junior Champion, 1964 British Saloon Car Champion, x3 Tasman Series Champion (1965, 1967, 1968), 1965 Trophée de France Champion, 1965 British Formula Two Champion, 1965 Indianapolis 500 winner

   Jim Clark is considered by many as the most talented driver in auto racing history. His career in Formula One was cut off after his premature death in 1968 in a Formula Two event while he was the Championship leader and probably the main favourite candidate for the World Championship title as he was driving the car that eventually won the two titles of drivers and constructors. His 1965 season was probably the most dominant one for a driver as he not only won the F1 title with six wins in a row but also was Formula Two Champion, won the Tasman Series and the Indy 500.

At the moment of his death, Clark held the record for most wins and pole positions in Formula One and kept the second one for more than 20 years until Ayrton Senna clinched his 34th pole position in 1989.

 

 

9. Jackie Stewart

 

Name: Sir James Young Stewart

Nationality: British

Birth place: Milton, United Kingdom

Birth date: 11-jun-1939

F1 entries: 100

Race starts: 99

Drivers titles: 3 (1969, 1971, 1973)

Constructors titles: 2 (1969, 1971)

Wins: 27

Podiums: 43

Career points: 359 (360)

Pole positions: 17

Fastest laps: 15

F1 debut: 1965 South African GP

First win: 1965 Italian GP

Last win: 1973 German GP

Last race: 1973 United States GP

Teams: BRM, Matra International, March, Tyrrell

Career resume:

x3 Formula One World Champion (1969, 1971, 1973)

x2 Constructors Champion (Matra - 1969, Tyrrell - 1971)
x4 World's best driver (1968, 1969, 1971, 1973), x5 Outstanding World Class seasons, x6 World Class seasons, x2 International Class season
1965 Best rookie, Outstanding World Class career

1964 British Formula Three Champion, x2 BRDC International Trophy winner (1965, 1973) 1966 Tasman Series Champion

  Jackie Stewart, the Flying Scot, was the best driver in Formula One between the late 1960s and the first half of the 1970s. At the moment of his retirement he held the record for most race wins.

8. Sebastian Vettel

 

Name: Sebastian Vettel

Nationality: German

Birth place: Heppenheim, West Germany

Birth date: 3-jul-1987

F1 entries: 300

Race starts: 299

Drivers titles: 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Constructors titles: 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Wins: 53

Podiums: 122

Career points: 3098

Pole positions: 57

Fastest laps: 38

F1 debut: 2007 United States GP

First win: 2008 Italian GP

Last win: 2019 Singapore GP

Last race: 2022 Abu Dhabi GP

Teams: BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari, Aston Martin

Car number: 5

Career resume:

x4 Formula One World Champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

x4 Constructors Champion (Red Bull Racing - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
x2 World's best driver (2011, 2013), x9 Outstanding World Class seasons, x10 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
Outstanding World Class career

Youngest Formula One World Champion (2010, aged 23), youngest Formula One polesitter (2008 Italian GP, aged 21), holds the record for most pole positions in a single season (15 in 2011)

2004 Formula BMW ADAC Champion, 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series runner-up

   Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull Racing dupla was the great powerhouse in Formula One for four years in a row. He's the youngest driver to be World Champion in Formula One and so on the youngest to be twice, thrice and four times and also holds the record for the youngest polesitter and most poles scored in a single season. Seb also held the record for the youngest race winner between 2008 and 2016 and the longest streak of wins until 2023. He was consistently a Top 5 driver between the late 2000s and all the decade of the 2010s.

 

 

7. Max Verstappen

 

Name: Max Emilian Verstappen

Nationality: Dutch, Belgian

Birth place: Hasselt, Belgium

Birth date: 30-oct-1997

F1 entries: 222

Drivers titles: 4 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Constructors titles: 2 (2022, 2023)

Wins: 65

Podiums: 117

Career points: 3208,5

Pole positions: 44

Fastest laps: 34

F1 debut: 2015 Australian GP

First win: 2016 Spanish GP

Last win: 2025 Emilia Romagna GP

Teams: Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing

Current team: Oracle Red Bull Racing

Car number: 33 (currently 1)

Career resume:

x4 Formula One World Champion (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

x2 Constructors Champion (Red Bull Racing - 2022, 2023)
x4 World's best driver (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), x7 Outstanding World Class seasons, x8 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
2015 Best Rookie, Outstanding World Class career

Youngest driver to start a race (2015, aged 17), youngest driver to score points (2015, aged 17), youngest driver to win a race (2016, aged 18), youngest driver to set a fastest lap (2016, aged 19), youngest driver to score a Grand Slam (2021, aged 23), holds the record for most wins in a row (10, in 2023), record for most wins in a single season (19 in 2023), record for most sprint wins (11), most consecutive pole positions (8 between 2023-2024, shared), most podiums in a season (21 in 2023), most laps led in a season (1003 in 2023), most races left in a season when becoming Champion (6 in 2023, shared)

2014 3rd placed in Formula 3 Euro Series

  Max Verstappen, Super Max is the defending World Champion of Formula One, the greatest driver in the first half of the 2020s and the undisputed best driver in the World as of the start of 2025, apart from holding lots of Formula One records specially of the kinds of youngest driver and 'most in a season'. His aggresive style, ruthless consistency and skill for driving the most unstable cars have made of him a true potential candidate to be the next all-time number one

 

 

6. Alain Prost

 

Name: Alain Marie Pascal Prost

Nationality: French

Birth place: Lorette, France

Birth date: 24-feb-1955

F1 entries: 202

Race starts: 199

Drivers titles: 4 (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993)

Constructors titles: 5 (1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1993)

Wins: 51

Podiums: 106

Career points: 768,5 (798,5)

Pole positions: 33

Fastest laps: 41

F1 debut: 1980 Argentine GP

First win: 1981 French GP

Last win: 1993 German GP

Last race: 1993 Australian GP

Teams: McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, Williams

Career resume:

x4 Formula One World Champion (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993)

x5 Constructors Champion (McLaren - 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989; Williams - 1993)
x5 World's best driver (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986), x8 Outstanding World Class seasons, x12 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
1980 Best Rookie, Outstanding World Class career

1976 Formula Renault Nationale Champion, 1977 Formula Renault Europe Champion, x2 French Formula Three Champion (1978, 1979), 1979 FIA European Formula 3 Champion

  Alain Prost was the undisputed best driver in the grid in the first half and middle 1980s. Nicknamed The Professor for his smooth driving style, knowledge of the cars and his apparently 'good luck' for always be in the right place for inherit the lead and win races after other suffer from unreliability issues. At the time of his retirement he held all the records for most wins, podiums and fastest laps and he's still today in the historical Top 5 of all those records.

He made his F1 debut in 1980 after clinching up to five Champion titles in French and Renault feeder series, aged 25, driving for McLaren and instantly beating his teammate the most experienced and future title contender John Watson. He was the best rookie of the year and later in 1981 he moved to Renault, where he was the best driver in the grid in 1981 and 1983, losing both titles to Nelson Piquet only for mechanical problems.

A year later in 1984 he would go on to lose again a title in the last race against his teammate Niki Lauda and it wasn't until 1985 that he finally had the luck on his side and become World Champion after the Ferrari of his rival Michele Alboreto had five DNFs in the last five races and again in 1986 Prost would become two-times World Champion after the infamous tyre blow up of Nigel Mansell's Williams in the last race. With the rise of Ayrton Senna, Prost would no longer be the fastest driver of the year any further from 1987 on, but his smoother driving and a career late signing for the Williams dominant car allowed him to clinch two titles more, becoming four-time World Champion.

Despite he previously fought hard for titles against monsters of the kind of Piquet, Lauda or Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost rivalry with Ayrton Senna between 1988 and 1990 is considered one of the greatest in the history of sports, if not the greatest, the kind of competitive that would make each other an even better driver, as similar as the case of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football or Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the NBA.

Prost left Formula One in 1991 after breaking relations with the Scuderia Ferrari due to poor performance of the car and for contractual reasons he had to stay out for a year, made a comeback in 1993 with the dominant Williams, winning the last title and the last 7 races of his career and definetely retired from motorsports by the end of the season.

In 1997 he would purchase the team Ligier for rebranding it as Prost Grand Prix, a new team that would participate in F1 until 2001, with few success except for the first half of 1997 when a superlative Olivier Panis took two podiums and was placed 3rd in the standings at the time of his unfortunate leg injury.

 

 

5. Ayrton Senna

 

Name: Ayrton Senna da Silva

Nationality: Brazilian

Birth place: São Paulo, Brazil

Birth date: 21-mar-1960 

Death: 1-may-1994 (Bologna, Italy)

F1 entries: 162

Race starts: 161

Drivers titles: 3 (1988, 1990, 1991)

Constructors titles: 4 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)

Wins: 41

Podiums: 80

Career points: 610 (614)

Pole positions: 65

Fastest laps: 19

F1 debut: 1984 Brazilian GP

First win: 1985 Portuguese GP

Last win: 1993 Australian GP

Last race: 1994 San Marino GP

Teams: Toleman, Team Lotus, McLaren, Williams

Career resume:

x3 Formula One World Champion (1988, 1990, 1991)

x4 Constructors Champion (McLaren - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
x6 World's best driver (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993), x8 Outstanding World Class seasons, x9 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
1984 Best Rookie, Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most wins in the Monaco Grand Prix

1981 British Formula Ford 1600 Champion, 1981 European Formula Ford 1600 Champion, 1982 British Formula Ford 2000 Champion, 1982 European Formula Ford 2000 Champion, 1983 British Formula Three Champion, 1983 Macau Grand Prix winner

  Ayrton Senna was the best driver in the grid in the second half of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s up to his death in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, and he's one of the common names that appear when debates about the greatest driver of all-time show up.

He was the best driver on wet track of his era and one of the greatest of all-time as well as the best one-lap qualifying driver of all time. At the time of his death he held the record for most pole positions in F1 history and is currently the 3rd placed, having started around half the races of both Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. His career qualy H2H of 141-18 with all his teammates, incluiding legends such as Prost, Hill, Häkkinen, Berger or Elio de Angelis, is one of the most savage statistic ever.

As similar to Prost, Senna's pre-F1 career was a plenty of success, winning the title in the first season in all Formula Ford and Formula Three championships he entered and finishing it with an historical win in the Macau Grand Prix.

Senna's early F1 career happened in Toleman and Lotus teams, far from having machinery for winning a title he did his first masterclass in his sixth entry when rain at Monaco.

 

 

4. Juan Manuel Fangio

 

Name: Juan Manuel Fangio

Nationality: Argentine

Birth place: Balcarce, Argentina

Birth date: 24-jun-1911

Death: 17-jul-1995 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

F1 entries: 52

Race starts: 51

Drivers titles: 5 (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957)

Wins: 24

Podiums: 35

Career points: 245 (277+9/14)

Pole positions: 29

Fastest laps: 23

F1 debut: 1950 British GP

First win: 1950 Monaco GP

Last win: 1957 German GP

Last race: 1958 French GP

Teams: Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Daimler Benz, Scuderia Ferrari

Career resume:

x5 Formula One World Champion (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957)
x6 World's best driver (1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957), x7 Outstanding World Class seasons, x8 World Class seasons
1950 Best rookie, Outstanding World Class career (highest career media)

Holds the record for highest % of wins (46%), podiums (69%), pole positions (56%), fastest laps (45%) and World Championship titles (5 out of 8 seasons), oldest World Champion (1957, aged 46), World Champion with most different teams (4)

x2 Turismo Carretera Argentina Champion (1940, 1941), 1941 Mil Millas Argentinas winner, x2 Pau Grand Prix winner (1949, 1950), 1953 Carrera Panamericana winner, x2 Mille Miglia runner-up (1953, 1955), 1955 Targa Florio runner-up, 1956 1000 km of Nürburgring runner-up, x2 12 hours of Sebring winner (1956, 1957)

  The Argentine Maestro Juan Manuel Fangio was the first Worldwide superstar in the history of Formula One and practically of all kinds of Motorsports. His figure is unfathomable and his numbers, driving style, physical capacities and work ethics were simply from a different era. He's along with Ayrton Senna the only driver to remain undefeated in head-to-head in both qualy and races with all his teammates, out of lots of other significant statistical facts.

His Formula One career started at 39 years old in 1950, the inaugural season, when he finished as runner-up after a compressed title fight with Alfa Romeo teammate Nino Farina in which Fangio suffered from slightly worse relaibilty despite being quicker. The next year, which saw the rise of the Scuderia into its first race wins, was all for Fangio.

 

 

3. Fernando Alonso

 

Name: Fernando Alonso Díaz

Nationality: Spanish

Birth place: Oviedo, Spain

Birth date: 29-jul-1981

F1 entries: 404

Race starts: 401

Drivers titles: 2 (2005, 2006)

Constructors titles: 2 (2005, 2006)

Wins: 32

Podiums: 106

Career points: 2337

Pole positions: 22

Fastest laps: 26

F1 debut: 2001 Australian GP

First win: 2003 Hungarian GP

Last win: 2013 Spanish GP

Teams: Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, Aston Martin

Current team: Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Car number: 14 

 

Career resume:

x2 Formula One World Champion (2005, 2006)

x2 Constructors Champion (Renault - 2005, 2006)
x5 World's best driver (2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014), x9 Outstanding World Class seasons, x15 World Class seasons, x5 International Class seasons
2001 Best Rookie, Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most GP entries (404) and races started (401) in Formula One, most races finished (324), most laps driven (21 827) and most seasons disputed (21)

1999 Euro Open by Nissan Champion, x2 24 hours of Le Mans winner (2018, 2019), 2019 24 hous of Daytona winner, 2018-19 World Endurance Champion 

   Fernando Alonso the Spanish GOAT was the best driver in the grid during the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. He's the oldest driver of the actual grid and the greatest example of longevity in Formula One not only for the amount of seasons and races he disputed but mostly for the World Class level he's still performing in at the age of 43.

 

 

2. Lewis Hamilton

 

Name: Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Larbalestier-Hamilton

Nationality: British

Birth place: Stevenage, United Kingdom

Birth date: 7-jan-1985

F1 entries: 356

Drivers titles: 7 (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

Constructors titles: 8 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

Wins: 105

Podiums: 202

Career points: 4862,5

Pole positions: 104

Fastest laps: 67

F1 debut: 2007 Australian GP

First win: 2007 Canadian GP

Last win: 2024 Belgian GP

Teams: McLaren, Mercedes AMG, Scuderia Ferrari

Current team: Scuderia Ferrari HP

Car number: 44 

 

 

Career resume:

x7 Formula One World Champion (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), x8 Constructors Champion (Mercedes - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
x6 World's best driver (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), x12 Outstanding World Class seasons (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), x17 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
2007 Best Rookie (All-time best rookie season), Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most race wins (105), pole positions (104) and podiums (202) in Formula One, most times World Champion (7, shared), most wins in a rookie season (4), most pole positions in a rookie season (6), most podiums in a rookie season (12), most wins at the same Grand Prix (British GP, 9), most seasons with a win (16), most consecutive seasons with a win (15), most consecutive race finishes (48 between 2018 and 2020), most Grand Slams in a season (3, shared)

2003 Formula Renault UK Champion, 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion, 2006 GP2 Series Champion

   Sir Lewis Hamilton was the dominant force in Formula One in the second half of the 2010s, being the best driver of six seasons in a row, and was able to sustain a World Class level of performance for 17 seasons straight from his debut n 2007. Currently holder of a big number of records such as most race wins and pole positions in F1 history, as in the case of Alonso he's still active and in pursuit for a possible eighth title after his signing for Ferrari. He's one of the World's most popular personalities for both his sports achievements and implication in social causes specially about anti-racism.

Lewis' 2007 was the Greatest rookie season of all-time, one of the three only Outstanding World Class debut seasons in History (being the other two 1973 James Hunt and 1989 Jean Alesi) and almost a title-winner one as he leaded the Championship from round 6 on to the final, losing it by one point and eventually becoming World Champion the next year. That season saw the birth of a rivalry with Fernando Alonso, his teammate and reigning Champion that season, that would become a Cold War up until the day of today as both drivers have been the clear two best ones in the grid but never had proper title fight between each other.

 

 

1. Michael Schumacher

 

Name: Michael Schumacher

Nationality: German

Birth place: Hürth, West Germany

Birth date: 3-jan-1969

F1 entries: 308

Race starts: 306

Drivers titles: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Constructors titles: 7 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Wins: 91

Podiums: 155

Career points: 1566

Pole positions: 68

Fastest laps: 77

F1 debut: 1991 Belgian GP

First win: 1992 Belgian GP

Last win: 2006 Chinese GP

Last race: 2012 Brazilian GP

Teams: Jordan, Benetton, Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes AMG

Career resume:

x7 Formula One World Champion (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

x7 Constructors Champion (Benetton - 1995, Ferrari - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
x8 World's best driver (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004), x13 Outstanding World Class seasons, x17 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
Outstanding World Class career

Holds the record for most titles (7, shared), most consecutive titles (5) most fastest laps (77), most races left when becoming World Champion (6 in 2002, shared), most wins not starting from pole (51), highest % of podiums in a season (100% in 2002), most consecutive podium finishes (19 between 2001 and 2002), most fastest laps in a season (10 in 2004, shared)

1988 Formula König Champion, 1990 German Formula Three Champion, 1990 Macau Grand Prix winner

  Michael Schumacher was the undisputed greatest driver in the grid in the second half of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s and had the all-time greatest Formula One career for a driver, being the only to be the best in the World up to a record of 8 seasons. By the moment of his retirement he held alone all the records for most wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and titles among many more and still keeps a lot of them.

 

 

Honorable Mentions

 

 

Pedro Rodríguez

 

Name: Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega

Nationality: Mexican

Birth place: Mexico City, Mexico

Birth date: 20-jan.1940

Death: 11-jul-1971 (Norisring, West Germany)

F1 entries: 55

Race starts: 55

Wins: 2

Podiums: 7

Career points: 71

Fastest laps: 1

F1 debut: 1963 United States GP

First win: 1967 South African GP

Last win: 1970 Belgian GP

Last race: 1971 French GP

Teams: Team Lotus, N.A.R.T., Cooper Car Company, BRM, Reg Parnell Racing, Scuderia Ferrari

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 6th placed in Formula One (1967, 1968)
x2 World Class seasons, x3 International Class season
World Class career

1968 24 hours of Le Mans winner, x2 24 hours of Daytona winner (1970, 1971)

  Pedro Rodríguez was the Greatest Mexican racing driver of all-time and one of the biggest 'What if' in the History of Formula One as his infamous supernatural ability under rain only allowed him to clinch two F1 wins in the uncompetitive Cooper and BRM he drove.

Chris Amon

 

Name: Christopher Arthur Amon 

Nationality: New Zealander

Birth place: Bulls, New Zealand

Birth date: 20-jul-1943

Death: 3-aug-2016 (Rotorua, New Zealand)

F1 entries: 108

Race starts: 96

Podiums: 11

Career points: 83

Pole positions: 5

Fastest laps: 3

F1 debut: 1963 Monaco GP

Last race: 1976 Canadian GP

Teams: Lola (Reg Parnell Racing), Lotus (Reg Parnell Racing), Brabham (privateer), Cooper Car Company, Scuderia Ferrari, March Engineering, Matra, Tecno, Tyrell, Chris Amon Racing, BRM, Ensign, Wolf-Williams

Career resume:

1967 5th placed in Formula One
x1 Outstanding World Class seasons (1967), x2 World Class seasons, x6 International Class seasons

Holds the record for most pole positions scored without winning a race (5)
International Class career, World Class prime

1966 24 hours of Le Mans winner, 1967 24 hours of Daytona winner, 1969 Tasman Series Champion, 1970 BRDC International Trophy winner, 1971 Argentine GP winner

  Chris Amon was probably the greatest proof of bad luck -different meaning of tragedy- in Formula One history as he's undoubtly the best driver that never achieved a win, mostly due to absurdly frequent reliability failures when leading races. Despite it would happen later in his career in his Matra stint, losing two clear wins, the epythome of his bad luck came in the year 1968, while driving for the Scuderia Ferrari he managed to qualify in the Top 5 of the grid in every race, scoring three pole positions and being considered a title threat for Hill and Stewart throughout the season, but could only materialize one podium finish. His car broke when leading the race in both Spain and Canada among other five mechancal DNFs, ending the season only in 10th place.

 

 

Felipe Massa

 

Name: Felipe Massa

Nationality: Brazilian

Birth place: São Paulo, Brazil

Birth date: 25-apr-1981

F1 entries: 272

Race starts: 269

Constructors titles: 2 (2007, 2008)

Wins: 11

Podiums: 41

Career points: 1167

Pole positions: 16

Fastest laps: 15

F1 debut: 2002 Australian GP

First win: 2006 Turkish GP

Last win: 2008 Brazilian GP

Last race: 2017 Abu Dhabi GP

Teams: Sauber, Scuderia Ferrari, Williams

Car number: 19 

 

 

Career resume:

2008 Formula One World Championship runner-up

x2 Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 2007, 2008)
World's best driver of 2008, x2 Outstanding World Class seasons, x4 International Class seasons
International Class career

2000 Formula Renault 2000 Italy Champion, 2000 Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Champion, 2001 Euro Formula 3000 Champion, 2024 Stock Car Pro Series runner-up

   Felipe Massa was the best driver of the 2008 season and one of the fastests in the grid in terms of raw speed in the second half of the 2000s. The peak of his career was marked by the title loss in the most crazy title definng of all-time, wth him crossing the line as race winner and virtual World Champion for 30 sec. until Lewis Hamilton overtook a car in the last corner, and a life-threatening crash by half of the next season. After the recovery and come back in 2010 his career went in clear decadency in part also because of the strength of his new teammate Fernando Alonso.

 

 

Juan Pablo Montoya

 

Name: Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán

Nationality: Colombian

Birth place: Bogotá, Colombia

Birth date: 20-sep-1975

F1 entries: 95

Race starts: 94

Wins: 7

Podiums: 30

Career points: 307

Pole positions: 13

Fastest laps: 12

F1 debut: 2001 Australian GP

First win: 2001 Italian GP

Last win: 2005 Brazilian GP

Last race: 2006 United States GP

Teams: Williams, McLaren

 

 

 

 

Career resume:

x2 3rd placed in Formula One (2002, 2003)
x3 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
World Class career

1998 International Formula 3000 Champion, 1999 CART IndyCar World Series Champion, x2 Indianapolis 500 winner (2000, 2014), x3 24 hours of Daytona winner (2007, 2008, 2013), 2 wins in NASCAR Cup Series (2007, 2010), 2019 IMSA SportsCar Champion, 2021 24 hours of Le Mans LMP2 Pro-Am winner

   Juan Pablo Montoya was one of the Top drivers in the F1 grid in the first half of the 2000s.

 

 

Didier Pironi

 

Name: Didier Joseph Louis Pironi

Nationality: French

Birth place: Villecresnes, France

Birth date: 26-mar-1952

Death: 23-aug-1987 (Isle of Wight, United Kingdom)

F1 entries: 72

Race starts: 70

Constructors titles: 1 (1982)

Wins: 3

Podiums: 13

Career points: 101

Pole positions: 4

Fastest laps: 5

F1 debut: 1978 Argentine GP

First win: 1980 Belgian GP

Last win: 1982 Dutch GP

Last race: 1982 German GP

Teams: Tyrrell, Équipe Ligier, Scuderia Ferrari

 

Career resume:

1982 Formula One runner-up

Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 1982)
x1 Outstanding World Class season (1982), x2 World Class seasons, x1 International Class season
World Class career

x2 Formula Renault Champion (1974, 1976), 1978 24 hours of Le Mans winner

   Didier Pironi was one of the stars of Formula One in the firsts 1980s until his career-ending crash in the qualy of the 1982 German GP while leading the Championship standings.

 

 

Tom Pryce

 

Name: Thomas Maldwyn Pryce

Nationality: British

Birth place: Ruthin, United Kingdom

Birth date: 11-jun-1949

Death: 5-mar-1977 (Kyalami, South Africa)

F1 entries: 42

Podiums: 2

Career points: 19

Pole positions: 1

F1 debut: 1974 Belgian GP

Last race: 1977 South African GP

Teams: Token, Shadow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Career resume:

1975 10th placed in Formula One
x1 World Class season (1976), x1 International Class season
1974 Best rookie
International Class career

1970 Daily Express Crusader Champion, 1971 Formula F100 Champion, 1972 Formula Super Vee Series Champion, 1975 Race of Champions winner 

   As the case of Pedro Rodríguez, the premature death of Tom Pryce cut off a promising career for a brutally skilled driver in the wet and generally also faster than his teammates in the dry too. Pryce's achievements with Shadow included a Formula One non-Championship win in the Race of Champions and some impressive performances for a lower-half of the grid car.

 

Phil Hill

 

Name: Phillip Toll Hill

Nationality: American

Birth place: Miami, United States

Birth date: 20-apr-1927

F1 entries: 52

Race starts: 49

Drivers titles: 1 (1961)

Constructors titles: 1 (1961)

Wins: 3

Podiums: 16

Career points: 94 (98)

Pole positions: 6

Fastest laps: 6

F1 debut: 1958 French GP

First win: 1960 Italian GP

Last win: 1961 Italian GP

Last race: 1964 Mexican GP (last entry in the 1966 Italian GP for filmic purposes)

Teams: Maserati (privateer), Scuderia Ferrari, BRP (Cooper), Porsche, Automobili Turismo e Sport, Lotus (priv.), Cooper Car Company, 1966 entries with Lotus, McLaren and Eagle for filmic purposes

 

Career resume:

1961 Formula One World Champion

Constructors Champion (Ferrari - 1961)
x1 Outstanding World Class season (1961), x2 World Class seasons, x2 International Class seasons
International Class career

x2 1000km of Buenos Aires winner (1958, 1960), x3 24 hours of Le Mans winner (1958, 1961, 1962), x3 12 hours of Sebring winner (1958, 1959, 1961), 1960 Targa Florio 3.0 class winner, x2 1000km of Nürburgring winner (1962, 1966), 1964 24 hours of Daytona winner

  Phil Hill was the greatest Endurance driver for Ferrari of all-time and the best in the World in the second half of the 1950s and the firsts 1960s, winning anything possible for a Sports Car driver at the same time he took the Formula One drivers' World title in the dominant 156 Sharknose Ferrari, becoming the only racing driver ever to clinch both Formula One title and the 24 hours of Le Mans in the same season.

His Formula One career, despite, was actually short and quickly entered in decadency after he took the title. He wasn't never the best driver of a year and is rated as the worst driver to ever become World Champion in terms of F1 careers, but that doesn't matter as we're talking of a mainly Sports Car endurance driver and not of a Formula One-centric career. He even made his debut in F1 as a substitute for Ferrari after the deaths of Luigi Musso and Peter Collins. It's really impressive for an emergency substitute driver brought from the 24 hours of Le Mans to actually manage to make himself a place in the Formula One division of the Scuderia Ferrari an eventually become World Champion, nonethless if it was thanks to a dominant car.

 

 

 The Greatests by era

Decade of 1950
First half of the 1950s 1. Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) 2. Alberto Ascari (Italy) 3. Giuseppe Farina (Italy) 4. José Froilán González (Argentina) 5. Louis Rosier (France)	Second half of the 1950s (1956-1960) 1. Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) 2. Stirling Moss (United Kingdom) 3. Jack Brabham (Australia) 4. Mike Hawthorn (United Kingdom) 5. Tony Brooks (United Kingdom)
Greatest of the 1950s: Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina)
Decade of 1960
First half of the 1960s (1961-1965) 1. Jim Clark (United Kingdom) 2. Graham Hill (United Kingdom) 3. Dan Gurney (United States) 4. John Surtees (United Kingdom) 5. Bruce McLaren (New Zealand)	Second half of the 1960s (1966-1970) 1. Jackie Stewart (United Kingdom) 2. Jochen Rindt (Austria) 3. Jack Brabham (Australia) 4. Denny Hulme (New Zealand) 5. Jim Clark (United Kingdom)
Greatest of the 1960s: Jim Clark (United Kingdom)
Decade of 1970
First half of the 1970s (1971-1975) 1. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) 2. Jackie Stewart (United Kingdom) 3. Ronnie Peterson (Sweden) 4. Niki Lauda (Austria) 5. James Hunt (United Kingdom)	Second half of the 1970s (1976-1980) 1. Alan Jones (Australia) 2. Niki Lauda (Austria) 3. Mario Andretti (United States) 4. James Hunt (United Kingdom) 5. Jody Scheckter (South Africa)
Greatest of the 1970s: Niki Lauda (Austria)
Decade of 1980
First half of the 1980s (1981-1985) 1. Alain Prost (France) 2. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) 3. Keke Rosberg (Finland) 4. Michele Alboreto (Italy) 5. Elio de Angelis (Italy)	Second half of the 1980s (1986-1990) 1. Ayrton Senna (Brazil) 2. Alain Prost (France) 3. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) 4. Nigel Mansell (United Kingdom) 5. Gerhard Berger (Austria)
Greatest of the 1980s: Alain Prost (France)
Decade of 1990
First half of the 1990s (1991-1995) 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) 2. Ayrton Senna (Brazil) 3. Nigel Mansell (United Kingdom) 4. Alain Prost (France) 5. Damon Hill (United Kingdom)	Second half of the 1990s (1996-2000) 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) 2. Mika Häkkinen (Finland) 3. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) 4. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) 5. Damon Hill (United Kingdom)
Greatest of the 1990s: Michael Schumacher (Germany)
Decade of 2000
First half of the 2000s (2001-2005) 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) 3. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) 4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) 5. Jenson Button (United Kingdom)	Second half of the 2000s (2006-2010) 1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) 2. Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) 3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 4. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) 5. Nico Rosberg (Germany)
Greatest of the 2000s: Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Decade of 2010
First half of the 2010s (2011-2015) 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 2. Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) 3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) 4. Nico Rosberg (Germany) 5. Jenson Button (United Kingdom)	Second half of the 2010s (2016-2020) 1. Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) 2. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 4. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) 5. Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Greatest of the 2010s: Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom)
Decade of 2020
First half of the 2020s (2021-2025) 1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 2. Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) 3. Lando Norris (United Kingdom) 4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) 5. Charles Leclerc (Monaco)
Greatest of the 2020s: Max Verstappen (Netherlands)

 

 

The fastests of all-time

1.  Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina)
2. Michael Schumacher (Germany)
3. Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom)
4. Fernando Alonso (Spain)
5. Ayrton Senna (Brazil)
   
6. Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
7. Max Verstappen (Netherlands)
8. Alain Prost (France)
9. Jackie Stewart (United Kingdom)
10. Jim Clark (United Kingdom)
11. Alberto Ascari (Italy)
12. Niki Lauda (Austria)
13. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland)
14. Nelson Piquet (Brazil)
15. James Hunt (United Kingdom)
16. Stirling Moss (United Kingdom)
17. Alan Jones (Australia)
18. Gilles Villeneuve (Canada)
19. Nigel Mansell (United Kingdom)
20. Nico Rosberg (Germany)