TOP 10 F1 RACING DRIVERS: AN ERA OF LEGENDS

10. Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss was the most gifted and versatile racing driver Britain has ever produced another driver for whom simply listing the statistics is only scraping the surface, but winning 212 of 529 races is a very high hit rate. In the Formula One, he has notable achieved 16 GP wins with 10 pole positions and 162 podium finishes in 211 entries. He was the driver his opponents feared and he was possibly the best Formula One driver who never won a World Championship. He’d race almost anything sports cars touring cars GT cars, Grand Prix cars and everything in between, Sterling would be outstanding in all of them. He came the closest to winning the championship in 1958 but for the scoring system in effect at the time his standing as an F1 icon has not changed.

9. Jack Braham

Jack Brabham was an Australian Formula One racing driver who is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He is unique in the history of the sport for being the only driver to win a Formula One World Championship in a car that he designed and built himself. Brabham began his racing career in Australia, competing in various categories including sports cars and Formula One. He achieved significant success with the Cooper team, winning TWO World Championships (1959 and 1960) in the rear-engine cars that he helped develop.

He won his THIRD World Championship in 1966 driving his own Brabham BT19, becoming the first driver to achieve this feat. With 3 World Championships, he has also won 14 Grand Prix races, 13 pole positions, 60 podium finishes in 127 entries.

8. Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso was solely complied of raw skill; the Spaniard is one of the best drivers of his generation inspiring a new generation of Spanish drivers. Alonso began his racing career in karting and quickly transitioned to Formula 3, where he demonstrated exceptional talent. He made his Formula One debut in 2001 with Minardi, impressing with his speed and determination. In 2003, Alonso joined the Renault team and quickly established himself as a top driver. He won his first Formula One World Championship in 2005 and followed it up with another title in 2006, becoming the youngest driver to achieve this feat at the time. A TWICE world champion and 32-time race winner who could have won five titles if the dice had fallen more favorably and Alonso had chosen who and when he competed for more intelligently when he joined the Scuderia Ferrari in 2010. Although having stints with McLaren and Ferrari, where he faced challenges, but still achieved notable success. He still managed to achieve 22 pole positions and an over of 106 podium finishes in his entire career.  He was possibly only the third driver after Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher to wield enough personality domination over the team to convincingly build it around himself.

In 2021, Alonso returned to Formula One with Alpine, where he achieved impressive results. In 2023, he joined Aston Martin, aiming to continue his success. Alonso is a terrific energetic and competent driver who has found success wherever he goes.

7. Jackie Stewert

Jackie Stewart, a Scottish natural racer he spent his childhood watching his father race motorcycles while his older brother Jimmy competed in the 1953 British Grand Prix. Although it may appear to be an inherent feature of F1, Jackie Stewart was one of the first drivers to illustrate that drivers can and should strive for improved safety standards. Stewart has the credibility needed to transform the culture of safety in Motorsport as a triple champion and dominant force in the sport aside from his quest for safety. Stewart joined the Tyrrell team in 1968, forming a successful partnership that led to multiple championships. Stewart was a brilliant racer who was the man to beat during his career winning THREE World Championships: He won the Formula One World Championship in 1969, 1971, and 1973 along with 27 GP wins, 43 pole positions and 80 podium finishes demonstrating his consistency and skill.

6. Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel’s Formula One career began in 2007 and in his first three years, he took 9 podiums and 5 wins but this was nothing compared to what was to come over the next four years. He became the face of Formula One winning four successive championships in 2010 to 2013 and becoming the sport’s youngest world champion taking the accolade from Lewis Hamilton. He also set records for the most podium finishes in a season, the most victories in a season, the most pole positions in a season, the most laps led in a season, the most consecutive wins, the most consecutive grand slams and the most wins from pole in a season.He has won the 2011 and 2013 Grand Prix races organized in India, at the Buddha International Circuit (BIC), Greater, Noida.

Somehow, the regulation changes in 2014 did not favor Red Bull or Vettel and the team swiftly slid back through the pack he went from nine consecutive wins in the final nine races of the 2013 season to not winning a single race until 2015 and he’s only won 14 races since then. In 2015, Vettel joined Ferrari, where he achieved notable success but was unable to replicate his Red Bull dominance. In 2022, Vettel joined Aston Martin, aiming to continue his competitive career.

He announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season with still, an overall of 53 GP wins, 57 pole positions, 122 podium finishes in his racing career. He was universally recognized as one of the best drivers on the grid and his list of records is expected to last for many more seasons.

5. Juan Manuel Fangio

When Formula One was in its infancy, Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio dominated for a decade winning five championships in the 1950s. Fangio raced in the first season of Formula One in 1950 finishing second in the drivers’ Championship after his withdrawal in the last race allowed Giuseppe Farina to win the championship. Fangio won his first Formula One World Championship in 1951, driving for Alfa Romeo. He went on to win FOUR more championships in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957, cementing his status as a dominant force in the sport.

His FIVE World Championships stood as a record for many years until Michael Schumacher surpassed it. Fangio was responsible for Mercedes first Formula One World Championships because Formula One was so different in the 1950s. It’s difficult to compare Fangio to other drivers. In contrast he retired with the highest winning percentage in Formula One history with 24 Grand Prix wins, 35 pole positions, 40 podium finishes in just 52 entries is a record that still remains today.

4. Alain Prost

Alain Prost, the driver placed fourth on this list more than deserves to be here. Prost began his racing career in karting and quickly transitioned to Formula Three, where he demonstrated exceptional talent. He made his Formula One debut in 1980 with McLaren and quickly established himself as a competitive driver.

To begin with; He’s won FOUR world championships in the years 1985, 1986, 1989, and 1990 and more than 50 Grand Prix, 33 pole positions and 106 podium finishes in 201 entries. His racing skill is arguably the purest of all time. Alain Prost precise manner enabled him to compete against it and Senna in the heated Feud for which he is most famous. His secret weapon was a combination of speed and intellect and he possessed a natural excellence in his driving that allowed Prost to become France’s first world champion in 1985. In 1987 he broke Jackie Stewart’s record of 27 victories and a year later McLaren won 15 of 16 races demonstrating the powers of both Prost and Senna. Prost remained at the top of his game until his retirement at the age of 38 when he won his fourth and last championship for Williams the professor as he was dubbed is without a doubt one of the greatest of all time and he well deserves his position on this list

3. Micheal Schumacher

Michael Schumacher was a German rookie who debuted in 1991 in Formula One and no one knew that his name will go on to become one of the greatest drivers of all time made his debut in F1. Some thought he’d never be surpassed as a racer, but many consider him to be the greatest race car driver of all time. Previously, He won TWO titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari, a team that had been struggling for success. Over the next few years, Schumacher transformed Ferrari into a dominant force in Formula One. Michael Schumacher possessed all of the qualities that would distinguish him as the ideal racer, speed focus courage judgment character and arrogance., although he is best known for his time with Ferrari, winning FIVE World Championships and 48 victories. Until the emergence of Hamilton, he was the face of Formula One dominance SEVEN titles, five of them consecutive in Ferrari, among which, 2004 has been the most dominant one in his career, he has achieved an overwhelming number of 72 victories with unwavering competitiveness. Schumacher changed the game in Formula One with his mix of devotion passion and of course raw brilliance. Michael has always been raising the bar and been a team player that makes him stand out from the rest of the drivers creating a record book featuring Michael Schumacher’s name in almost every category followed during the next five years.

2. Lewis Hamilton

Certain records were thought to be unbroken, but a British driver named Lewis Hamilton made it possible. In terms of overall victories and total number of poles, Lewis Hamilton has been the most successful Formula One driver of all time. He raced in 30 different countries and has won a race in every single season he has raced in until 2021. Lewis Hamilton has been tied with the number of world titles with Micheal Schumacher. Lewis made his Formula One debut with Mclaren in the year 2007 and was just 1 point away from being the world championship, but went to win it in the year 2008. He joined the Mercedes F1 team in 2013 and continued to win his 6 out of the 7 world titles in the year 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. It is hard to imagine the records Lewis has broken with the most records of Grand Prix with a total of 105 victories, 104 pole positions that is the highest number any driver has ever achieved, 201 podium finishes in 348 entries.

1. Aryton Senna

Aryton Senna da Silva was known for his supreme talent and high dedication with fierce competitiveness, yet immense sportsmanship made him a global icon. This Brazilian F1 driver attracted the attention of the Formula One teams by winning the British F3 Championship in 1983 and eventually made his debut in F1 in 1984 with Toleman. Senna is regarded as the best racing driver of all times. The 65 pole positions, 41 GP victories in just 162 entries say a lot about Aryton Senna. He was a mystic in his own intensity and he truly believed ‘he had a God given right to win’. Senna had his most notable achievements with Mclaren where he formed a heated rivalry with his companion, Alain Prost. Senna claimed his first World Championship in the year1988. Prost claimed the championship in 1989, and Senna his second and third championships in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. In 1992, the Williams-Renault combination began to dominate Formula One. Senna managed to finish the 1993 season as runner-up, winning five races and negotiating a move to Williams in 1994. Aryton Senna was popular for winning three world championships. When racing from Williams at the San Marino GP in 1994, he was killed in a high-speed accident. Senna possessed exceptional natural talent and driving ability. His speed and precision on the track were unmatched by many of his contemporaries. Although being laid to death at just the age of 34, he truly lived a legacy that would never be forgotten.