The best driver thread is one thing, but this is totally different. Who is your favorite F1 driver of all time. Mine is Gilles.... followed by Senna and Clark.
Dick Seaman. He was an Englishman who won the German GP in 1938. He died while leading at Spa the next year.
I am more of the team kind of person. I hated Senna and Prost because they were killing the Ferraris, then I hated Schumacher for beating the Ferraris, I think you get the point. But if I have to pick a race driver whom I admire the most, I think I have to say Juan Manual Fangio. From what I have read, he is both a true gentleman and a sportsman.
Gilles-pure passion. Last few laps of 1979 French Grand Prix says it all. 1981 Spanish Grand Prix also brilliant.... Also like Lauda and MS. Senna-brilliant but at times he had me saying WTF???? Yeah, we all know about Donington 1993 but what about Brazil 1990? What about driving into the back of Prost in Japan 1990? Stupid, unsportsman, and very dangerous. Dislike: Pironi-all true F1 fans know why..... Rosenberg-decent driver but one of the weakest world champions ever. Montoya-his whiney BS fits in well with chief biatch Ron Dennis....
Not to derail this interesting thread, but you hit a nerve with Pironi: I respected him a lot for what he did in the Ligier and disliked him just like you for breaking his word in Imola. However after Gilles' death I simply had to root for him and was saddened a second time that year when we lost him in Hockenheim. He was darn brilliant. Heck, thereafter I even rooted for Tambay... Rosberg, couldn't agree more with you on that one. Good driver, undeserving champion.
Among drivers I've seen, Mansell, followed by Peterson, Lauda and G. Villeneuve. Mario Andretti gets an honorable mention just because of his versatility. Among drivers I never saw, Clark, followed by Ickx, Gurney and Nuvolari. Well, actually I did see Ickx race, but it was in the twilight of his F1 career; I was thinking more of 1968-1972.
Senna & Prost: Dominant forces in F1 when I started watching in my teens. two different paths to winning races, but nearly equal in speed at the end. Schumacher: Especially in the early Ferrari years before dominating. Now that he is the underdog again I can start rooting for him again. Alesi: Always cheered for him, thought he had more bad luck than the entire grid sometimes. Lauda: Anyone that can be given last rites and nearly win the championship later that year deserves mention. Never saw him race though. Coulthard: Ol' square head gets a sympathy mention as well. Along with Moss and GV as probably the best drivers never to win a championship.
Giles by a landslide. Also was a big fan of Lauda, plus I really rooted for Mario at Lotus. I still have a JPS Lotus cap.
I would have to pick Gilles as Nuvolari wasn't an F1 driver. I liked Irvine and Senna, but wasn't keen on Prost. I thought Johnny Herbert was great and probably had more bad luck than Alesi!
