Top 5 American F1 Drivers of all time

#2 - Phil Hill

Phil Hill (extreme left) became the first American F1 champion in 1961.

The only American-born Formula 1 world champion, Phil Hill is a motorsport legend and one of the nicest men to ever sit in the cockpit of a racing car. The majority of Hill's on-track triumphs came during his time at Ferrari between 1958 and '62, including his driver's world championship. 1961 was Hill's best year, as the Scuderia adapted to the smaller 1.5 litre engines better than the competition and the American dueled with teammate Wolfgang von Trips for the driver's world title that season.

2 victories and 4 more podiums from the first seven out of eight races gave him a lead that would prove to be insurmountable, as von Trips and fifteen spectators died in a tragic incident with Jim Clark. Hill became world champion on a truly bittersweet day for Ferrari and their driver.

Von Trips' death affected Hill greatly, who stated ahead of the '62 season that he didn't "have as much need to race, to win. I don't have as much hunger anymore. I am no longer willing to risk killing myself." He'd never win another Grand Prix, but did continue in F1 until the end of the 1966 season. After retiring, Hill built up a vast collection of vintage sports cars, and his restoration company became one of the best in the business.