The top 15 Formula 1 drivers ever

I’m thinking of a video in which the Catalan Dani Clos made it clear that he believed Narain Karthikeyan had taken his spot in Formula One because of Karthikeyan’s money and sponsors.

In motorsport, such scenarios frequently play out: not the best drivers who win but the best-positioned drivers.

It is unfortunate, however, that you feel the need to be on the starting grid if you are not a good driver. Only the very best are allowed to be there.

Along the asphalt of the circuits, great deeds have been accomplished, and great legends have starred in those deeds, leaving behind great legacies.

Senna, Schumacher, and Fangio helped transform Formula One into something significantly more than just a competition.

For the magic to work, you need to give it some time.

As a result, to provide our younger readers with the models they should strive to emulate to achieve their goals of becoming champions in some endeavor, we will now discuss the 15 drivers who have amassed the most points in the history of Formula One racing.

The 15 drivers are considered to be the best in the history of Formula One.

The lights go out as the engines begin to rev up for the start of the Grand Prix.

The drivers push each other to their limits to score points, and the competition turns hostile as the race draws closer.

At stake? No more and no less than the seat that each of them occupies, those who can maintain their status as drivers for a more significant number of seasons have a greater chance of being immortalized in the annals of the history of this magnificent sport.

We will admit that money is the primary driving force behind Formula One. Still, with so many tickets available.

There have been 15 individuals whose names have earned the right to be written in gold letters as genuine legends of this sport. Let’s start.

1. Ayrton Senna

A magic halo surrounds everything in the vicinity of the Brazilian driver. He had only one objective, and that was to win.

There was no room for an explanation. And he had three victories (1988, 1990, 1991). His on-track battles with Alain Prost are now legendary for their intensity.

Those seemingly impossible duels captured the attention and admiration of millions of people all over the world. And Senna gave it his all to triumph over his competitor.

Sadly, Senna passed away at the Imola circuit in 1994, and ever since then, the question of whether or not he was the best driver in the history of the sport has been hotly debated.

Senna was more than just someone who won 41 races and finished on the podium 80 times; he was extraordinary.

2. Michael Schumacher

Ninety-one wins, 155 podiums. The Emperor by himself.

He was unbeatable because he could coax the very best performance out of his opponent when the stakes were the highest.

Even though he hadn’t begun his professional career until 1991, he was already acting like a winner.

He won the titles in 1994 and 1995 while riding for Benetton.

There followed a period of relative tranquility, but after his move to Ferrari, the entire team got down to serious business: from 2000 to 2004, he was free of any significant threat.

Even though his personality and demeanor occasionally caused controversy, the Ferrari driver was a genuine icon for the masses.

No one will ever be able to displace him from the top three historical positions.

3. Juan Manuel Fangio

The Argentine was the first champion to be considered “modern.” When Formula One was starting, there was a desperate need for a savior who could bring it up to where it is today.

The one who was destined to win was Master Juan Manuel Fangio. Between the years 1950 and 1958, he participated in 51 races. He was victorious in nearly half of them, claiming 24.

These are some genuinely absurd numbers.

Some people attribute his success to the cars he drove (he raced for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, and Ferrari), but his talent was unquestionably the driving force behind his success.

He won the world championship in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957.

4. Alain Prost

A gentleman of great intelligence and refinement. The name “Le Professeur” was bestowed upon the Frenchman as a surname.

Why do you think that is? It was during his time at Renault (1981-1983) that he learned how to win races; it was during his time at McLaren that he learned what it is like to have bad luck; once he had this knowledge, he went on to win the championships in 1985, 1986, 1989, and 1993.

His battles with Ayrton Senna, knife fights between the Brazilian’s strength and the Frenchman’s intelligence, have been the subject of movies and documentaries.

In the end, there were 51 wins and 106 podium finishes.

5. Jim Clark

Some claim that not even he knew why he was going so quickly. Simply put, he possessed an uncanny ability to shatter every record.

His partnership with the manufacturer Colin Chapman turned them into a formidable adversary, and the two of them went on to win the championships in 1963 and 1965.

The dependability of the single-seaters was the only issue that was encountered. But even so, Jim never stopped fighting.

Although he was killed in a car accident at Hockenheim in 1968 while competing in an F2 race, he will be remembered for his incredible talent behind the wheel.

6. Jackie Stewart

The exactitude of the British on top of a vehicle. He thought that technique and smoothness were more important than speed.

Jackie Stewart was victorious in 1969, 1971, and 1973, so it was a wise decision on his part.

His 27 wins and 43 podium finishes are enough to give us an idea of his greatness, but the crowds loved it when he took the trophy home because it was like candy for them.

In 1969, for instance, he triumphed on the Monza circuit on the final straight with his Tyrrell Matra MS80-Ford Bosworth in a brave performance that has been immortalized in history.

Moreover, he won the race with his car.

7. Niki Lauda

Since 1964, Ferrari hadn’t been able to take home the world championship, and the typhoons weren’t holding out much hope for the young Austrian who joined the team in 1973. However, in 1975, they celebrated in Marinello because Niki Lauda had won, marking the beginning of a legend. The championship in 1976 was also his to win, but he was involved in a terrible accident that prevented him from doing so. Because he won once more in 1977, nothing else transpired. 1979 was the year she decided she could no longer continue racing and retired, only to return with McLaren the following year and take first place. One of the best has 25 victories and 54 podium finishes.

8. The actor Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss possessed the skills necessary to compete in any motor racing event. But as fate would have it, he also decided to compete in Formula One.

The Briton had all the makings of a champion. Still, unfortunately, he ended up racing against Fangio, and the rest of this story is something that we are already familiar with.

Despite this, Moss was consistently among the competitors, evidenced by his record of 16 victories, four runners-up finishes, and 24 podium finishes.

Therefore, we should not be fooled by his track record. It would be a shame if Stirling Moss, one of the most accomplished race car drivers in history, were to be forgotten.

9. Fernando Alonso

He is the most controversial of all drivers, not because of his personality (he is a beautiful person); instead, he is controversial due to whether or not he would have won more championships if he had a good car and team.

His competitors acknowledged that he was the best driver on the grid when competing against him.

In 2005, he successfully dethroned Kaiser Schumacher with Renault, contributing to his rise to fame. In 2006, he accomplished the feat once again without any difficulties.

He signed with McLaren because of the assurances given to him, but after that, his star in Formula One began to fade.

Every new car improved over the one before it only in name only.

His most recent position with Alpine was similarly unsuccessful.

Despite this, he sits atop the leaderboard with 32 victories and 97 podium finishes.

10. Gilles Villeneuve

This individual does not have any world titles to their name. He has only six victories to his name so far.

The younger ones could be confused about why he is included on this list.

There are times when one must look beyond the figures. Everyone was taken aback by this Canadian’s fighting ability, which he displayed even in the most challenging circumstances.

Outside of the car, he was a completely genuine person, but when he was behind the wheel of his Ferrari, he was shattering speed records on the track.

In 1979, he finished in second place, but history had more incredible things in store for him than that.

However, he passed away during the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982.

11. Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell is often cited as an example of success after adversity because of his perseverance.

We will only mention two of his accomplishments: he began his career in Formula One racing in 1980 and won the championship in 1992.

And up until that point, he did not give up trying. Williams defeated him in the final match of the tournament in 1986.

But Il Leone was winning over new followers and fans who put their faith in him.

In 1992, he got sick of waiting and, using an FW14B, defeated all of his competitors and won the championship he desperately wanted.

He finished his career with 31 victories and 59 podium finishes.

12. Emerson Fittipaldi

If you want your name to enter the popular vocabulary, you must first become a world crack.

Being a Fittipaldi meant driving the car at a very high rate of speed (and being a bit of a freak).

But there was this kid who, in 1969, was waiting in line to get Graham Hill’s autograph, and by the following year, the two of them were already teammates at Lotus.

In 1972, he set a record by becoming the youngest driver to win a world championship.

After switching to McLaren in 1973, the Brazilian driver went on to win his second championship the following year.

Because of his graceful driving style and natural charisma, generations of aspiring young drivers look up to him as a benchmark.

13. Nelson Piquet sr.

The Brazilian’s first accomplishment was getting Niki Lauda to retire from racing.

Bernie Ecclestone wanted him to be the leader of the Brabham team, and he repaid the confidence that Bernie had in him by winning the championship in 1981.

He improved BMW’s turbo engine to the point where it is now among the best.

He did so again in 1983 with relatively little difficulty.

Although he had a difficult time getting along with his teammates and the team, he won his third title with Williams in 1987.

He signed with the team in 1986 and received a good contract. His rise to fame was catalyzed by the fact that he won three championships during the 1980s, a decade that was filled with great drivers.

14. Jochen Rindt

An exceptional driver for a unique story. Jochen Rindt is the only driver to have triumphed in the driving world championship after he had passed away.

He was a very skilled driver who garnered a lot of respect from his competitors in Formula One and Formula Two.

From 1965 through 1967, he competed for Cooper; in 1968, he drove for Brabham.

However, it is possible that his abilities would have gone unnoticed had the Lotus brand not chosen to sign him, making this a very effective combination.

He raced for Cooper between 1965 and 1967.

In 1970, he was running at the Monza circuit when he was involved in a tragic accident that took his life.

Despite this, he had already won the world championship.

15. Mika Hakkinen

One of the very few people Michael Schumacher genuinely feared.

1998 and 1999 were the years that he won both world titles.

And in 1995, he nearly died due to a crash at the Adelaide circuit, but the track doctors saved his life by performing a tracheotomy.

Mika still had a lot to say.

In 1998, Schumacher had already set his sights on becoming the Emperor of Formula One, but the Finn, unfazed, defeated him and then went on to defeat him again the following year.

In conjunction with his intense relationship with Ron Dennis, these duels contributed to his rise to prominence on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton is featured on the bonus track.

The seven-time champion of the world is the one we have saved for last.

The Briton is still awaiting the verdict that future generations will give him.

The fact that he has won multiple titles lends credence to the notion that he is among the most significant drivers in history.

For some, the success is not due to him but rather to the quality of the cars and the genuine lack of competition.

Since he was a young kart racer at ten years old, Lewis has demonstrated that he is both ambitious and a fighter. This has been the case ever since.

In 2007, he was given the responsibility of serving as Alonso’s squire at McLaren, and the following year, he won the championship.

After spending many years away from the public eye, he eventually returned and, between 2014 and 2020, left his competitors with almost no viable options (minus 2016).

If he didn’t have a skilled driver, his Mercedes probably wouldn’t perform as well. How things turn out is up to time.

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