BBC: Formula 1's Greatest Drivers of All Time (Top 20)

If not for Mclarengate (which has happened before in F1 with other teams and other times but without that eras FIA's chessmaster mentality) Lewis would have been a WDC in his rookie year against all that assembled talent. Including his team-mate who is #10 on the list.

Probably never to be seen again.

 

Pete Aron
Jean-Piere Sarti
Scott Stoddard
and
Nino Barlini

 

umm, lemme see here.


top ten, ok,

#1: Filipe Massa (king of the 'almosts')
#2: Vitantonio Liuzzi (last Italian driver, I had to give him something)
#3: Patrick Tambay (why not)
#4: Nelson Picquet jr
#5: do I need to go on?



These 'lists' these news orgs come out with are nuts.

 

Grab the tin foil hats, everyone...

 

I, too, always thought Speed kinda got screwed. Alguersuari definitely got screwed. Ah well.

 

Fernando is #10 on the list, with an excellent description of his career thus far

 

Lost-my-Speed did some of the worst grid interviews of all times: Fake exuberance and confidence as if he'd be about to clinch the title in the next hour.

I was glad when RB finally pulled the plug on him.

Quite the opposite: Because Got-no-Speed represented RB's search for the next US driver in one of their biggest up and coming (back then) Red Bull drink markets, they gave him more chances than he deserved. Ultimately he did himself in by lashing out at the team manager.

 

Disagree, I also think Toro Rosso's management team was and continues to be *******s. Scott Speed wasn't much (if any) worse than Liuzzi and their results prove that.

Also, what's wrong with some exhuberance during interviews? Sorry, I know you worship his "style" but I'd rather watch someone that is willing to talk than a yawnfest like Raikkonen.

 

Your number 7 won LeMans in 1988, driving 13 of 24 hours and beating the Porsches for the first time in 6 years despite a broken gearbox. Other accomplishments are F3 champion, two World Championship titles in sports prototypes and two victories at Daytona 24hrs.

I hardly think that qualifies as a pointless hero.

His F1 days were hardly glorious, but that was mostly due to lack of financing as he comes from a poor background. His driving skills have proven themselves over the years and certainly aren't the reason he didn't make it in F1.


Onno

 

I saw this list the other day, i thought it wa so stupid i didn´t even bothered to coment....but since it´s a british made list i can get it!!!
PS...i wonder how they forgot to put Damon Hill in the top ten!!!

 

Hamilton and mansell ahed of Piquet..thats hust briliant!!!
And where are they going to find all these drivers to put ahed of Gilles!!! Genious, pure genious!!!

 

Wow...can Vettel REALLY be in the top 8? He's great and all but was in a dominant car...how is he ranked ahead of someone like Lauda? Is Button #5?

Maybe he didn't make the top 20...

 

Wow!
G.Hill, Brabham, Ascari, Hackinen, G.Villeneuve are all behind Vettel?!?!?!
These lists are weirder than MTV's "greatest video of all time" classifications.

 

Honestly, if Vettel is in the top 8, above Alonso, this list automatically becomes a joke (as if it wasn't already).

 

Not in the top 25. Top 4 we all know who it should be.

 

You mean James? Certainly 24th is open to debate, but remember this is a fan "popularity poll", and the guy was truly loved by many - Maybe as much for his commentating with Murray as his driving, but I don't have any problem with him being there.

And the top 4 above I have no problem with - I could debate the order, but not the content.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Off course, the No.1 has got to be the Brazilian!:



Rubens Barrichello!



In the end he was so good that he had to leave F1 to give the others a chance!

(At least that was the gist that I got from his interviews!)

It would also explain why Massa seems so desperate to emulate Barrichello's career!


This is where you guys get F1 all wrong! - it's not about what you have actually achieved - it's about what you could have potentially achieved!
(At least that seems to be Massa's current line of thinking!)


As for the old: Schumacher Vs Senna, I give it to Schumacher.

Not because of his 7 WDC's, race wins, fastest laps or any of that.

I give it to Schumacher because unlike Senna, he didn't chicken out of going to Ferrari and working hard to make them a success again. He didn't take the easy option to get more WDC's, whereas Senna did.
Senna stated that one day he wanted to drive for Ferrari - even if it was as slow as a beetle, but first he wanted to win more Championships!

Yes Schumacher was reluctant to join Ferrari at first, but once there, he grafted hard, night and day to make them successful again which Senna wasn't prepared to do.

Also, Suzuka 1990 goes against Senna for Me.

("Ah!, but Jerez '97!" some will say. Here's the difference: Jerez '97 was a stupid decision that was made in the heat of the moment. Suzuka '90 was a premeditated assault that could have had dire consequences, especially considering the speed involved. Schumacher's act was ridiculous! - Senna's act was bordering on criminal!)

 

Partying must have been a factor but if it carried a lot of weight James would have won the whole poll going away.

Agree re order but who will be number 5? Prost, Stewart or moss?

 

Some good points made here-which is why I'd put Clark and Juan ahead of both of them. They kept their composure in the heat of battle without need for lunatic antics.

 

OF COURSE those chaps at SPEEDTV will ALWAYS put Senna as number 1 and relegate Alain Prost, when EVERYBODY knows that Alain Prost had always and will always be ahead of Senna.

Just my humble opinion; but since it has been scientifically proven that I am Infallible and Perfect, my opinion should carry some weight!!!!!

BTW: NONE of the current drivers should be in the top 10, EXCEPT for Schumacher of course.

 

You could mention Suzuka '89 to counter that. You could also mention how after Senna secured pole in 1990, it was changed to suit Prost, thanks to Balestre's blatant favoritism.

And Hungary 2010 for Schumacher was also a borderline criminal act for me. Yes, I know there wasn't any contact; but forcing Barrichello like that against the wall at 180-200 mph was not only idiotic, but criminal as well.

 

Alonso, too. 2 WDC's, 30 victories, and this season especially, leading the standings in what was once a dog of a car. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to put Fernando in the top 6/top 7.