Article: The Greatest Formula 1 Driver Of All Time | Formula One

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Who is the Greatest Formula 1 Driver of all time?

  • Michael Schumacher

  • Ayrton Senna

  • Jim Clark

  • Juan Manuel Fangio

  • Jackie Stewart

  • Alain Prost

  • Sir Stirling Moss

  • Niki Lauda

  • Gilles Villeneuve

  • Other(Please state via a comment)


Results are only viewable after voting.
Apr 27, 2011
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England
Over the years there have been many attempts to find out who was the greatest of all time. Some have asked fans, some asked the drivers some asked both sets of people.

We all have names in our head that spring out, and I have seen a couple of comments of people's greatest of all time, but not really a widespread collection of views and opinions.

So I will start a poll to see who is the greatest of all time. As the poll can only take 10 options these are the 9 I will use some of which I know mighty not be people favourites:

Michael Schumacher
Ayrton Senna
Jim Clark
Juan Manuel Fangio
Jackie Stewart
Alain Prost
Sir Stirling Moss
Niki Lauda
Gilles Villeneuve

Of course I will also allow other drivers, so there will be a Other option requiring you to state via a comment who you think is the Greatest Of All Time that is not one of those 9.

I will start off by saying Aryton Senna for me is the greatest of all time. For three reasons:

Speed
Charisma
Dedication

In my opinion he had it all. Feel free to post a video of your greatest of all time driver (if you can find one) of their greatest moment or just your favourite. For me it has to be this lap :

[video=youtube;-k4pun6j0Fg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k4pun6j0Fg[/video]
 
Senna is overrated in my opinion. Comfortably outscored by Prost in the two season they were teammates. For me, Senna's legacy was embellished by his tragic demise, and the way people go on and on about him, particularly since his film came out, really gets on my nerves.

Jackie Stewart gets my vote, not just a fantastic driver but a great ambassador for the sport and it was largely down to his hard work that the horrifying fates suffered by a number of the drivers on your list are now a thing of the past.
 
Its difficult to describe one driver as the greatest because it's almost impossible to compare drivers of different eras. I can name a few great drivers...

Fangio
Clark
Stewart
G.Villeneuve
Prost
Schumacher

I can't narrow that down any further.
 
Its difficult to describe one driver as the greatest because it's almost impossible to compare drivers of different eras. I can name a few great drivers...

Fangio
Clark
Stewart
G.Villeneuve
Prost
Schumacher

I can't narrow that down any further.

I had the same list but without Villeneuve and Schumacher. It was Stewart's work since retiring (bit harsh on Clark as he died while racing) that got him the nod for me. <ok>
 
I immediately consider anyone who can score three or more championships to be one of the truly great Formula One drivers (I make exceptions in this rule for Alonso, Ascari, Mansell,etc.).Excuse my Aussie pride here but I think Jack Brabham is definately up there, he was very fast, and then made a car that could go on and win four drivers titles and two constructors titles. He became the only driver to win in a car that he engineered. He had incredible engineering talent and great skill and was all-round a good guy.
Unfortunately, because I'm fairly young, I did miss out on a lot of Senna's racing but the footage I've seen of him is just mind-blowing and it's enough to get him my vote. I guess it's because missed out on a lot of the other greats racing as well that it's hard to judge them.
My list looks like this:
Senna
Schumacher
Fangio
Brabham
Prost
Lauda
Piquet
Alonso
That's only a few..
 
[video=youtube;ppU1nDK2bHk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppU1nDK2bHk[/video]
 
not a fan but shouldnt msc be top? he has won 7 world titles and that is the best way to judge how good a driver is.

football teams are judged on silverware, athletes on medals, strikers on goals etc why should it be different for racing drivers?
 
not a fan but shouldnt msc be top? he has won 7 world titles and that is the best way to judge how good a driver is.

football teams are judged on silverware, athletes on medals, strikers on goals etc why should it be different for racing drivers?

Schumacher was great... Senna was out of this world.
 
Unfortunately I simply can't judge before 1998

so the best in my opinion from 1998 - now are

Hakkinen
Raikkonen
Schumacher
Hamilton
Vettel
Alonso
Kubica

Out of those Hmmm

Raikkonen or Hamilton for me
 
Unfortunately I simply can't judge before 1998

so the best in my opinion from 1998 - now are

Hakkinen
Raikkonen
Schumacher
Hamilton
Vettel
Alonso
Kubica

Out of those Hmmm

Raikkonen or Hamilton for me

Hmm Interesting again... I wouldn't put Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel or Raikkonen near the greatness of Hakkinen or Schumacher though.
 
I put Prost, but no-one is the GOAT. Prost would get it because he has everything, maybe not the best at one thing but definately up there with everything. If it was fastest of all time then Senna or Clark would get the vote.
 
I put Prost, but no-one is the GOAT. Prost would get it because he has everything, maybe not the best at one thing but definately up there with everything. If it was fastest of all time then Senna or Clark would get the vote.

In terms of intelligent driving, Alain Prost was in another galaxy. His only weakness in comparison to Senna was qualifying.