Who is the best driver F1 has ever seen?

By Joe Murphy

A question that will surely never have a definitive answer. There are plenty of contenders and you’re personal opinion will probably depend on the era you remember most.

Regarding outright honours, Lewis Hamilton is the obvious starting point. Most Poles, Wins and World Titles. Well, not necessarily. Whilst his achievements cannot be ignored, he is not alone on seven championships. Michael Schumacher dominated the early 21st century like something we hadn’t seen for 50 years. The German did some remarkable driving over his career and achieved things that nobody else had in the history of the sport.

If you consider Michael, what about Mika Hakkinen? He out-performed Schumacher, arguably in an inferior car. Does this not mean he was a better driver? The general consensus is no.

Before we go back in time, let’s not forget Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso. With six World championships between them, there is no doubt these two remain in the conversation at the very least. Is the only reason they aren’t odds-on favourites to have the honour of the greatest in history, the fact they only have four and two championships respectively? Probably. The same goes for Kimi Raikkonen.

Then, there’s the popular option. I don’t think there is a person on this planet that doesn’t have Ayrton Senna in their top three drivers of all time. To go with his three titles, he also raced laps that were almost extraterrestrial. The fact he was taken from us prematurely meant he never got to dominate in the same way Schumacher or Hamilton have done since. Speaking of drivers who lost their lives, what about Jim Clark? He could have gone on to achieve multiple world titles, had he not encountered such misfortune.

If you have Senna up there, then you simply have to have Alain Prost. He has an extra world title compared to the Brazilian, and was his direct rival for the majority of his career. His achievements are undeniable, with only a handful of drivers ahead of him on the important statistics lists.

Going back further, Niki Lauda is again a popular choice, as is Jackie Stewart. Both of these men achieved three world titles in cars that are almost incomparable to today’s machines. There was a higher element of danger, due to the fewer safety measures, yet these two drivers, among others, pushed these cars to their limits, and beyond. Nelson Piquet is often overlooked, but you shouldn’t forget that he also won three World championships at a time when he was competing against multiple aforementioned legends of the sport.

You also have to have Juan Manuel Fangio in the conversation, and for good reason too. The Argentine driver won five World Championships between 1951 and 1957, such domination wasn’t seen again in the sport until the likes of Schumacher and Hamilton in the following century. With different rules, regulations and equipment, the sport is almost incomparable. That’s why this question of who is the best ever is so subjective.

Max Verstappen, for example. Who knows what he can become. In the right circumstances, there is no reason why he himself cannot go on to replicate the major success of some of these names above. The same could be said for Lando Norris or George Russell. Despite their talents, they cannot be considered anywhere near the top just yet.

I think if you stand back as a neutral and consider all factors, it does come down to a top seven and then you whittle down from there. Schumacher, Hamilton, Fangio, Senna, Prost, Lauda and Vettel.

I think we can eliminate Vettel from the equation, due to his lack of success at Ferrari. Lauda probably falls just short too. The only thing going against Fangio is that his championships were only around eight races.

In this cut throat question, I will put Prost in fourth. And then, because Hamilton and Schumacher simply had the best cars (which does help), they are second and third respectively. Not to say their achievements aren’t incredible. Lewis won a world title in his second season in the McLaren, a historic and incredible achievement. Schumacher also won two championships in the mid 90’s through sheer unbelievable talent. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that they had (perhaps still have in the Brit’s case) a car pace advantage for Ferrari and Mercedes.

That leaves Senna. Despite losing his life on the track, despite only amassing three world titles and despite falling short in race wins, I think he has to take it. Every driver I mentioned, has had some memorable laps. But Senna, he took pole by over 1.5 seconds on multiple occasions. Moreover, he was the kind of person who would stop and put their own life in danger, to help fellow drivers. Just watch his Lap from the God’s from the European Grand Prix 1993, or his hair raising laps around the streets of Monaco from the early 90’s, and try not to get goosebumps. As shown below, it’s mystical.