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

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I guess the respect of your peers is one of the most telling (and desirable) things that can be said of any athlete. That he was pretty much universally regarded as the best of the best is indeed telling - These guys raced against him - They weren't spouting from the safety of their keyboards.......

Cheers,
Ian[/QUOTE]

Exacly, when do you see than world champion admit that his team mate is faster than him?
Jody often said that he knew he had a chance of beating Gilles because Gilles simply wasn´t thinking about the title, he just wanted to be the fastes, the rest didn´t matter to him.....i remenber at Monaco, the first qualifying session, Jody set fastest lap, Gilles went out and made better, Jody went out again and set yet a better time, Gilles went out again and blew his time....an Jody simply stated...it´s no use to go out again, he´s just faster than me!!!

 

how can he overlook Nuvolari ?

 

Seems like he limited himself to drivers that he saw race.
(Assuming that's Ascari Jr.)

 

It doesn't rain often here, but I have been caught riding in the rain without goggles on when riding my quad. The other day I was coming back from my friends house and it started to rain...so I gun it. 4km ride at 130km/h in Tshirt, jeans and helmet without goggles. Ouch. I can't imagine doing that at well over double the speed, whilst occasionally being behind another car (dirt/stones being flicked up).

Mighty impressive.

 

And Bernd Rosemeyer, Hans Stuck, Luigi ***ioli, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Rudi Caracciola.
Pete

 

Pete, how old are you?

 

Chances are, given the list of drivers, that Jenks was referring to F1 World Championship competitors, ie post-1950.

 

44 ... when I was a kid my father had a wonderful collection of Autosport (I think) and many other motor racing and car books. I read and reread the cr@p out of them, plus my father is the biggest motorsport fan ever born.

He has since sold most of those books, but I absolutely loved them. I am now working on building up my own collection but they will never consume me like those books did at my then tender and impressionable age.

Yes, quite right. The thing that annoys me though is so many people think top level motorsport started with the title F1, but it so didn't. F1 was just the new marketing name or brand for that level competition with yet another set of rules.

The 20's, 30's and 40's were absolutely awesome years for motorsport. The FIATs, Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, Mercedes Silver Arrows, Auto Unions, Sunbeams, ERAs and so many more. Wonderful period.
Pete

 

The German cars of that era were as high tech for their time as anything running today.

Go back to the earliest days of GP racing and you'll find iron men driving mechanical monstrosities on primitive tracks and roads for incredible distances. Men like Nazzaro, Lautenschlager and Jenatzy.

 

And Vincenzo Lancia himself. Also Louis Renault whose brother Marcel was killed in a motorsport event. Real heroic stuff.

Pete

 

Interesting parallel between the Renault and Chevrolet brothers.

 

Just learnt something, thanks. I did not know (or remember) that Louis Chevrolet and his brothers were into motorsport.
Pete

 

You're welcome.
Some dont remember that there were equally heroic racers over here as well as in Europe pre-war.
In any case, despite what Bernie would have you believe, there were great racers before the commercial era.

 

Absolutely.
Pete

 

Pete, I am 47, and it was the same for me with the old magazines and VHS Races. Good to hear your comments always. Romantic ERA of drivers. Another reason, I don't give a rats ass about statistics and always feel that Gilles was in the top 10.

 

You know what I miss most?
Drivers with mustaches.
Back in the day they had some great mustaches.
Now I don't think half of them are old enough to grow a decent one.

Get off my lawn.

 

Clay Regazzoni? Keke Rosberg? Graham Hill? Do tell David..

 

Tell you what I miss........... this, now get off my lawn, it's my B, day..and am old.
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And when did they race?
This century?

Its a sobering (sorry) day when you realize that it's too late to live fast and die young.

Happy B D you old coot.

 

Thanks D

 

Been there.

Soon enough you'll be looking back wishing you were this young again.

So go out and do something dumb.

 

Hahaha very true acting and doing something dumb comes naturally for me ...

 

We all play to our strengths.

 

How could you forget Nigel??!!

 

What a hero. Certainly not one of the best, but what an entertaining chap...!