Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part III

Before starting to write this list I could feel this might be controversial, this list is very much opinionated and every F1 fan has their own order of who was the best.

These 20 drivers that I am going to highlight over four articles demonstrate what it takes to make it at the pinnacle of motorsport.

They are what makes F1 great, winning world championships, being respected among fellow racing drivers and teams within the sport and of course being a favourite among the many fans that travel around the world to follow the sport.

This is my list in terms of the 20 best drivers in F1 history.

This is the third article which highlights the drivers from 10th to 6th:

#10 Nelson Piquet

First driver into the top ten best F1 drivers of all time is Nelson Piquet, a driver that wasn’t the most popular on the grid but that was not something he cared about, he only cared about driving. He had a passion for racing and that showed with 23 GP wins and three world championships.

In 1980 Nelson won three races for Brabham whose boss was Bernie Ecclestone, he finished second to Alan Jones in the championship. The 1981 season proved to be his first success, he won 3 races that season and along with many podium finishes, he became world champion. He did the same in 1983 battling Renault’s Alain Prost to claim his second title.

He hated being in the limelight and after the 1983 season he considered retirement, he was persuaded by Niki Lauda to purchase his own private jet to make life easier, this allowed Piquet to continue racing but the lifestyle took its toll. More money became hugely important for Piquet with his lavish living becoming costly, he asked for more money from Brabham but 1984 and 85 weren’t great seasons for Brabham and could not offer him that, Frank Williams, on the other hand, offered to triple his $1 million retainer and so Piquet joined Williams-Honda.

The problems at Williams started from the off as both drivers hated each other and in the 1986 season Piquet and Nigel Mansell were too preoccupied fighting each other that Alain Prost sneaked past both in the championship and went on to win. The 1987 season saw Mansell win more races with six wins to Piquet’s three but the Brazilian went onto win the championship. After a few more years in the sport, racing for Lotus and Benetton, he only achieved 3 more wins at Benetton and decided to retire from F1 in 1991 at an amazing age of 40.

Stats

World Championships – 3 (1981, 1983, 1987)

GP Entries - 207

GP Wins – 23

Podiums – 60

Last Win – 1991 Canadian GP

Also Check Out!

Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part I

Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part II

#9 Sir Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss is the highest driver on the list never to win a world championship but the way he conducted himself and the way he drove became the benchmark for many drivers following in his footsteps, 9th on this list is Sir Stirling Moss.

He was an all-round racing driver, successful in many categories including Formula One. He won 16 races in his time in F1 and became a great rival to Juan Manuel Fangio during his time in the sport. Driving alongside the Argentinian at Mercedes-Benz in 1955 made both drivers race harder and faster, some of his great battles in the sport came alongside Fangio.

Among his 16 GP wins were some of the greatest F1 victories ever seen, one race saw Moss beat Fangio by over three minutes at Pescara during the 1957 season.

When Fangio retired Moss was regarded as the best driver in the world and although he never won a world championship to this day he is still regarded as one of the best drivers ever to grace the sport.

Stats

World Championships – 0

GP Entries - 67

GP Wins – 16

Podiums – 24

Last Win – 1961 German GP

#8 Niki Lauda

At number 8 on the list is Niki Lauda, a driver that after an appalling accident in 1976 came back to the sport in an amazingly short space of time and medical professionals called his recovery a sheer force of will. It was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport and the amount of courage it must have taken to climb back into the cockpit was unreal.

His break in F1 came in 1973 after he managed to get a rent-a-ride deal with the BRM team, he managed to get decent results throughout the season and was rewarded by being offered a seat by Enzo Ferrari for the 1974 season.

Ferrari at that time had not won a championship since John Surtees in 1965 and were desperate for a talented driver who could win them a title and Niki Lauda was that man, he won a couple of race in the 1974 season but in 1975 he won the drivers’ championship with Italy rejoicing after finally winning a title once again.

Six weeks after suffering his horrific accident in 1976 he was back in the car and finished fourth in the Italian GP even with blood seeping through his bandages. Jackie Stewart was the one that said after that it was the most courageous comeback in the history of the sport.

He won another title with Ferrari in 1977 before retiring from the sport in 1979 after two difficult years at Brabham. He came back in 1982 and signed for McLaren and won his third drivers title in 1984 just beating his young teammate Alain Prost.

Stats

World Championships – 3 (1975, 1977, 1984)

GP Entries - 177

GP Wins – 25

Podiums – 54

Last Win – 1985 Dutch GP

#7 Sir Jackie Stewart

Speaking of Sir Jackie Stewart in the last one, here he is at number 7 on the list. You may still see him at GP’s from time to time still wearing his tartan trousers and showing guests around the paddock, he is still as much a fan favourite now as he was in his racing years.

He helped shape F1 to what it is today, he made the sport more popular to watch not just by racing but by using his excellent communication skills. He was also someone who helped massively in making the sport much safer during times when not everyone would make it throughout the whole season.

He was one of the first F1 superstars, someone who lived a glamorous life rubbing shoulders with movie stars, politicians and royalty yet he stay very grounded and was always there for his wife and kids. The Scot was a huge attraction for the fans with his famously long hair and trademark black cap he became a poster boy for the sport.

He was a hugely talented driver with his three world championship highlights that fact but it was what he did for the sport in general which is what really impressed me and in 2001 he received a knighthood for his contributions to the sport he loves.

Stats

World Championships – 3 (1969, 1971, 1973)

GP Entries - 100

GP Wins – 27

Podiums – 43

Last Win – 1973 German GP

#6 Jim Clark

At number 6 is Jim Clark, another Scotsman who dominated in the sport and became a legend in British sporting history. His story in the sport started in 1958 where he impressed Lotus founder Colin Chapman after driving competitively around Brands Hatch in a Lotus Elise coupe.

He was Invited by Chapman to race a Lotus Formula Junior, Clark again excelled and was promoted to Team Lotus for the latter stages of their 1960 Formula One season. 1963 was the season that Clark won his first drivers title, winning seven races that year and stormed his way to the championship.

He just lost out in 1964 when an oil leak at the last race saw him miss out but he pushed on and the next season won 6 out of the 10 races and won his second world drivers’ championship.

The sporting world lost the great racer in 1968 after his Lotus had a tyre failure in an F2 race at Hockenheim, he would be sorely missed with Colin Chapman saying he had lost his best friend. We may have lost Jim Clark but his legacy still lives on and he still remains one of the best-loved champions and fewer drivers are remembered so fondly.

Stats

World Championships – 2 (1963, 1965)

GP Entries - 73

GP Wins – 25

Podiums – 32

Last Win – 1968 South African GP

Continue Reading: Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part IV