Grid of the best drivers never to win WDC

I'm tired of waiting for Fuji practice to begin. I'm tired of hoping Massa remains at Ferrari next season. Friends at Sebring were having a heated discussion over this and I never completed a list because I couldn't decide on the last few. I'll fully admit that I haven't witnessed some of these drivers in action and therefore my choices are based on race accounts and biographies I've read. For true race fans, some of the nominees are indisputable, but I'll bet everyone has a different grid. I've tried to remember these drivers at their peak and undoubtedly, some would have gone on to be WDC had things gone differently.

Modern era only, no drivers currently in F1 allowed, some of them are admittedly personal favourites and in no particular order.........

1) Clay Regazzoni
2) John Watson
3) Jean Alesi
4) Riccardo Patrese
5) Ritchie Ginther
6) Juan Pablo Montoya
7) Dan Gurney
8) Gerhard Berger
9) Pedro Rodriguez
10) Froilian Gonzalez
11) Michele Alboreto
12) Jacques Laffite
13) Bruce McLaren
14) Didier Pironi
15) Carlos Reutemann
16) Stefan Bellof
17) Jacky Ickx
18) Gilles Villeneuve
19) Ronnie Peterson
20) Stirling Moss
21) Rene Arnoux
22) Chris Amon


23) would be Heinz-Harald Frentzen but .....that's my grid.

F1 aficiandos, who should get bounced ??? And replaced by ????

 

Didier Pironi and JPM should go. Maybe Jean Alesi too. There are also a couple of names that I am not familiar (their careers).

 

I would Add:

Francois Cevert
Lorenzo Bandini
Patrick Tamby
Carlos Pace
Alfonse De Portago
Wolfgang Von Tripps
Carel de Beaufort

I would take out :
Alesi and Montoya
I dont think they had the real talent needed to be WC...Alesi is a great driver, but not real smart.... JPM.... had all the chances he needed and blew it.... again not so smart, or perhaps committed... fitness, mental strength etc...

 

I would take out Patresse, Regazzoni and Watson, and add Lorenzo Bandini, Eddie Irvine....

...and Kimi Raikonnen (j/k)

 

Replace Juan Pablo with Fangio.

 

you beat me to cevert...he was a talent but had a sad end.

 

Those of you who would eliminate Alesi...

You do know that had he chosen to take the Williams offer instead of Ferrari's, he would almost certainly have become a multiple WDC?

 

+1 Alesi should stay. His love of Ferrari proved to be his downfall in regards to becoming WDC. He was the first guy that came to my mind when I saw the thread title.

 

"best driver never to have won a WDC"
Fangio??? He won a few back in the day, specifically 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

 

1) Stirling Moss
2) Gilles Villenuve
3) Carlos Reuteman
4) Ronnie Petersen
5) Dr. Tony Brooks

 

Certainly keep Alesi, dump JPM. Add Cevert, Ikyx, and Peterson

 

Many greats on the list but my top 2 are on everyone's:

1) Stirling Moss
2) Gilles Villenuve

Controversial Pick:

DC

-dsd

 

Dump Montoya, add Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips... Montoya would be one of the last ones to deserve a WDC

 

OK; I'll admit my ignorance of 50s/60s F1.
I just assumed Stirling Moss had a WDC or a few. And hes still alive. Must have been an incredible sting of bad luck.

The heavy hitters I knew hadn't;
Ronnie Peterson and Gilles.
Both an incredible shame.

Jackie Stewart saved many but not these two.

 

Both those guys were too brave in the period they lived in...Unfortunately. Gilles IMHO was the fastest driver that ever lived. Watch Jarma in 1981 as an example..

 

+1 000 000
Just someone mentioning his name makes my hairs stand up. He never slowed down, right to the last minute of his life. The amzing part about him was that it didn't matter if he was fighting for 6th on the first race of the season or for the title. IMO he never raced anyone but himself. I wish we had at least one driver like him today.
He was well capable of taking the 79 title, but he was a gentleman and accepted the team orders for what they were. I have hard time picturing JPM in the same situation. Or almost any other driver for that matter.

 

Nice post, but may I ask how old are you and did you ever see him actually race?

 

I am 31, but ever since I can remember he has been my dads idol. He used to tell me all about him and Niki Lauda and James Hunt and all the greats. He even said that when I was little I looked a lot like Gilles. I don't think so, but whatever....
So following F1 was a tradition in my family. And it still is. Now that I live in the states and my dad is still in Europe, even if we don't call each other all winter or we have a bad argument and don't speak, you can still count on a phone call from him on every sunday after a race.
The funny thing is that my dad never was a particular Ferrari fan. He just loves the sport and we share a great passion for F1. He never was a fan of Senna however, which I never understood. Well if I have to be honest I never was the biggest Schumi fan untill like 2003, but you got to give credit when credit is due.
To answer you other question. No, I never had the pleasure to actually see Villeneuve race, but when I started to understand what was actually going on on the TV I started getting interested in all things F1. So I got every possible book and video I could get my hands on, which in the 80s behind the iron curtain was next to nothing. But they still showed all the races on TV.
Now it is easy as you can find anything and everything. I don't own lots of books and videos but I've read a lot of them.
My dad stayed with me this year for over two months and I took him to Indy. He works with Bridgestone in Europe but they could not pull any strings as they say it is like 3 different companies between EU, JAP and USA. Anyway I managed to get him in the pits anyway and get the Bridgestone hat that he was wearing signed by the entire Ferrari team. It was awesome. It was really difficult for me to bring myself to give it to him as a souvenir but after all without him I wouldn't even care about cars.

 

add two GP winners:
JP Beltoise (Monaco 1972)
Jo Siffert (GB 1968)

 

Not a fan of Didier because of the lowdown move on GV, but he was always a threat at the time. JPM I knew was controversial but again, he was always a threat. Alesi stays. Lucky to have been in Montreal for his only win..!!
How about adding a few to replace those you wanted out ??

 

Tom , Pace, Bandini and Cevert were on the cusp. Tons of talent but fate stepped in too early. Tambay, De Portago, and Taffy were good drivers according to stats and books, but I don't believe they were top notch. de Beaufort doesn't register with me at all..maybe I overlooked him..

 

Bandini was this close , I agree with you. Eddie was quick but meh.. Wattie stays (some great drives ..Detroit ie) .Clay was just fantastic and Patrese was one of the best but again he was controversial. His longevity within F1 also had some influence..

 

Brooks and Collins. Good call... but yank who ?

 

Ron, hope each day is better and you're feeling well. Jacky and Ronnie ARE THERE!!! This close on Cevert..I might have to add him , he's got a lot of fans on here..

 

DC I'd most likely add, but he doesn't qualify ( no pun intended...)