Top five drivers NEVER to win F1 WC? | FerrariChat

Top five drivers NEVER to win F1 WC?

Discussion in 'F1' started by sjb509, Apr 19, 2005.

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  1. sjb509

    sjb509 Guest

    What is your top five? I would make it open to any driver who has raced an F1 car. Only one guy on my list is still active, but I highly doubt he will ever win a WDC. I kept off Alonso or Raikkonen because they probably will be champ someday.

    I'm sure there are other great drivers (like Nuvolari) that pre-date the current championship started in 1950, but here goes:

    1. G. Villenueve
    2. J. Ickx
    3. D. Coulthard
    4. G. Berger
    5. M. Alboreto
     
  2. F1racer

    F1racer F1 Rookie

    Oct 5, 2003
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    Laval
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    1. Gilles Villeneuve
    2. Jean Alesi
    3. Gerhard Berger
    4. Riccardo Patrese
    5. Ronnie Peterson
     
  3. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
    48,581
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    Andreas
    1. Eddie Irvine
    2. Gilles
    3. who cares
     
  4. imperial83

    imperial83 F1 Rookie
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    May 14, 2004
    2,893
    In my mind Gilles Villeneuve was the greatest driver never to win a World Championship!
     
  5. paulyb

    paulyb Karting

    Nov 1, 2003
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    London
    Full Name:
    paul bellis
    Stirling Moss
     
  6. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
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    Sameer
    1. Stirling Moss
    2. Jose Froilan Gonzales
    3. Gilles Villenueve
    4. Ronnie Peterson
    5. Chris Amon?
     
  7. senna21

    senna21 F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2004
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    Charles W
    Really tough...

    1. Gilles Villeneuve
    2. Jean Alesi
    3. Sterling Moss
    4. Gerhard Berger
    5. Ronnie Peterson

    God only knows how many championships Jean Alesi could have won if he'd steped into the Williams instead of the Ferrari. I still remember him in the raised nose Tyrell in Monaco and leading Senna in his very first race for 30 laps being passed then taking the position back...
     
  8. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 3, 2002
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    Rob C.
    1. Stirling Moss. By miles the #1 choice
    2. Gilles Villeneuve. Was never champion because his word to Jody Scheckter was worth more than the title
    3. Tony Brooks. Incredibly fast but never had the package
    4. Stefan Bellof. A great talent whose carrer was cut short.
    5. Francois Cevert. Killed at his prime.
     
  9. RocketBoy

    RocketBoy Formula 3

    Feb 13, 2004
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    Professor Hajji
    1. Irvine
    2. Gilles
    3. David Coulthard
    4. Gerhard Berger
    5. Alex Yoong ( Go KL and Minardi! Imperial's fav team)

    RocketBoy
     
  10. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
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    Top 5 bud! Not the bottom 5 (excluding good ol' Gilles)
     
  11. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
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    Russ Turner
    1. Sterling Moss -So versatile
    2. Gilles
    3. Gerhard
     
  12. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    WOW! You want every Minardi driver? WeeHoo!
     
  13. Tifoso1

    Tifoso1 F1 Rookie

    Nov 18, 2003
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    I can only think of three who truely deserve to win a WC, they are Sterling Moss, Gills Villeneuve and Jean Alesi. As for the other drivers mentioned, they are good but I don't know if I would say that they deserve to win a WC, IMHO.
     
  14. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
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    Jeff B.
    I'd like to put in a vote for Bruce McLaren.

    Edit: Honorable mention to Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodriguez.
     
  15. teegeefla

    teegeefla Formula Junior

    Apr 26, 2004
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    Tom Gee
    Dan Gurney.
     
  16. imperial83

    imperial83 F1 Rookie
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    May 14, 2004
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    I will throw a huge party the day Minardi quit racing.
     
  17. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    1. Stirling Moss, and no one else really comes close.
    2. Ronnie Peterson
    3. Gilles Villeneuve
    4. Jacky Ickx
    5. Dan Gurney

    And, by an equally large margin, the top driver never to win an "official" race:
    1. Chris Amon
     
  18. F129b

    F129b Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2004
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    Robert
    I totally agree with putting Patrese in there.
     
  19. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

    Nov 20, 2002
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    Pete
    Agree.

    Pete
     
  20. macca

    macca Formula Junior

    Dec 3, 2003
    692

    I'm with you, Jim - only, I wish it could be top 6 to include Brooks.


    Paul M
     
  21. Anthony_Ferrari

    Anthony_Ferrari Formula 3

    Nov 3, 2003
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    Anthony Currie
    1. Stirling Moss


    2. Gilles Villeneuve
    3. Francois Cervert
    4. Jean Alesi
    5. Eddie Irvine

    I put Stirling right up there because I think most drivers would agree that the very fact that he was never champion actually devalues the whole championship! Gilles and Francois would have got there if they had more time. Alesi had the talent, but made a mistake by being loyal to Ferrari during a bad patch.
    Irvine, I don't know. I like the guy. I was sooooo gutted when he didn't win in 1999. I suppose there may well be more talented non-champions than him, but I think he was always under-rated as a driver and is sorely missed as a character on the grid.
     
  22. RocketBoy

    RocketBoy Formula 3

    Feb 13, 2004
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    Professor Hajji
    I started following F1 in the early 90s when I was in high school. I can not comment on drivers I have never seen before. With the exception of reading books on and seeing the odd highlight race on Gilles on Speed, I can not say I remember watching how great Nuvolari, Frolian G, nor Moss was because I wasn't even born during their prime. Unlike the "I read in a magazine therefore Im the expert" Fchatters who comment on the merits of an Enzo vs Murci, my opinions are based from my own experiences. Not stating I dislike your comment to me just putting a little more bulk behind my list.

    I really think Irvine as champ is seriously under-valued. F1 is the top of class in terms of racing and I think with Fast Eddie as champ would give some more PR exposure in the States. This would have been great, increasing popularity in F1 and taking a bit away from WWE circus known as Nascar. Ferrari playboy, switching over to Ford run Jag and appearing on Letterman? Apart from Hill knowing he was on the move next season, I can not remember a bigger underdog going for it all. Gilles is just about passion. DC I think blew his chance with every single asset availible to him. I can recall that many experts, ( was it Stewart who would always comment on him on ITV and F1Racing?), thought DC was as good Mika. Since the Senna/McLaren domination was going on during the point I first got hooked to F1, I thought Berger could maybe sneak in a challenge.

    Yoong is a shout out to Imperial, whom I think posts some fun reads and since this is Fchat, I have to admire his "Santa is real" approach to Ferrari always winning.

    RocketBoy
     
  23. imperial83

    imperial83 F1 Rookie
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    May 14, 2004
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    Ferrari 1 - 2 at Imola!!! (nothing else matters)
     
  24. sjb509

    sjb509 Guest

    Boy I feel stupid leaving off Moss. For some reason I thought he had won one around the time of Phil Hill. Back in the bad old days of skinny rock hard tires and paper thin alumimum gas tanks surrounding the cockpit. He would be #1 or #2, with Alboreto off the list.

    Actually, once you get past the first three or four, there are so many drivers that are equal it would be hard to decide. Irvine, Gurney, MacLaren, Alesi...all of them could easily be on the list.

    I don't really know enough about Gurney or MacLaren to comment on them, although developing your own cars must have been a struggle back in the day. Imagine Schumacher being both driver and boss over the entire Ferrari team. Or even better, building his own car with a team he put together from scratch.

    I left Irvine off the list because I feel that he won races mostly because of the car, and Mika gave him every chance to win the championship, but Eddie was unable to close the door. Barrichello is the same, Good driver-Great car, and off the list.

    I left Alesi off because while very fast, he was too inconsistent throughout even a single race, not to mention the season to ever be champ. I always rooted for him though. He and Prost were two Frenchmen on the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.
     
  25. classic308

    classic308 F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
    6,793
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    Paul
    Moss, Villeneuve, Peterson, Alesi, Ickx. Honorable Mention:Reutemann

    Alesi was in the wrong place at the wrong time (Ferrari's Dark Period), otherwise would have easily been a winner.

    Amon was the unluckiest man ever to race in F1-if he ran a funeral home no one would die!!!
     

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