Who's the greatest F1 driver EVER?

youngoldy · 5 Sep 2005, 21:14 (Ref:1399859)

So, who will it be?
Schumacher?
Fangio?
Senna?
Mansell?

Lets hear you'r fave!!

Knowlesy · 5 Sep 2005, 21:17 (Ref:1399863)

Oh god, not this question.

Difficult to say.

Jordi · 5 Sep 2005, 21:20 (Ref:1399865)

Clark.

runshaw · 5 Sep 2005, 21:22 (Ref:1399867)

Taki Inoue, obviously.

Joe Taylor · 5 Sep 2005, 21:33 (Ref:1399875)

Not Giovanni Lavaggi?

Seriously, I think it's impossible to compare eras

Menelaos · 5 Sep 2005, 21:36 (Ref:1399877)

You're asking who's our favorite driver or the best driver? I always enjoyed Hakkinen's driving style, now I enjoy Raikkonen's because it's very smooth. But the best? there can be no answer to this question I'm afraid...

richard_sykes · 5 Sep 2005, 22:40 (Ref:1399924)

Matter of opinion in my opinion.

runshaw · 5 Sep 2005, 23:19 (Ref:1399937)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Menelaos

You're asking who's our favorite driver or the best driver? I always enjoyed Hakkinen's driving style, now I enjoy Raikkonen's because it's very smooth. But the best? there can be no answer to this question I'm afraid...

Yes, it really is a subject that can just go on and on, without a firm answer. But in any case, I agree with you about Hakkinen, he and Michael Schumacher are the drivers that stand out in my mind, as well as more recently, Raikkonen. It is also a difficult to answer the question 'who is the greatest' as it is difficult to compare drivers from different eras.

MacMan · 5 Sep 2005, 23:55 (Ref:1399948)

Senna, why? cos I said so ;-D

JeremySmith · 5 Sep 2005, 23:55 (Ref:1399950)

Fangio.

kramer · 6 Sep 2005, 00:32 (Ref:1399962)

Fangio. Won half the grands prix he started.

Clark - super smooth, taken from us too soon

Lauda - dragged an underperforming Ferrari to the top, survived and came back from what should have killed him

Villeneuve major. For sheer speed and cojones.

Senna. Sheer speed, intellectual ability, courage.

Schumacher major. Incomparable success.

Kramer

SpawnyWhippet · 6 Sep 2005, 00:33 (Ref:1399963)

This is an unanswerable question as there is no way to compare them, eg would a tiny Fangio cope in a modern, highly technical, high G force car, and would Schumacher even put his backside in a 1950's aluminium F1 car at racing speeds with only a pig's bladder and sunglasses to protect his precious head?

But here's my best guess.

Different drivers for different reasons:
Schumacher for breaking so many records and being so dominant, most WDC etc.
Fangio for having such a high pole / win to start ratio.
Senna for having that extra something even when compared to Prost, Mansell et al.
Moss for being such a good allrounder who still competes even today.
Even Damon Hill has a very good win / start ratio if you want to get a bit silly about it...

mac · 6 Sep 2005, 01:12 (Ref:1399973)

It doesn't matter who the best is - no one can ever truly know.

That they are great in their own time is all that matters.

**John Turner** · 6 Sep 2005, 07:54 (Ref:1400082)

I agree with the last two posts; it's all highly subjective. As many will have probably noted by now, I maintain that Moss was the greatest driver ever, but I have to accept that many, quite reasonably, will argue that he was not the greatest F1 driver ever. The best you can do really is list the greatest for their era - Nuvolari, Ascari, Fangio, Moss, Clark, Stewart, Lauda, Prost, Senna, Schumacher. There will be others who for their own good reasons might equally rate Caracciola, Wimille, Brabham, Rindt, Andretti, Peterson, Villeneuve (G!), Piquet, Mansell and Hakinnen.

However, it's fun trying to rate them, and we have been doing this on several threads recently. It would be good if we could add Alonso and Raikkonen to that debate in a few years time.

Gerben24 · 6 Sep 2005, 07:59 (Ref:1400085)

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...8&page=1&pp=15

Skam85 · 6 Sep 2005, 09:00 (Ref:1400127)

Formula One has not been the same since Takagi left.

But onto the best driver, I reckon Gilles Villeneuve, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher would share the honours.

Kicking-back · 6 Sep 2005, 09:10 (Ref:1400141)

Alain Prost is usually shamefully overlooked in such debates.

You don't win 51 Grands Prix without being a great.

dubby99 · 6 Sep 2005, 09:17 (Ref:1400147)

My pick is Senna and this has nothing really to do with stats just the fact that Senna in my veiw wanted to win at all costs regardless of what would happen to him.

ensign14 · 6 Sep 2005, 09:28 (Ref:1400158)

Clark.

25 wins, one second place.

If the car was capable of finishing, he won.

Should have been champ every year from 1962 to 1968 - and could well have been all the way to 1974 and beyond.

312T4 · 6 Sep 2005, 09:50 (Ref:1400181)

Clark

Gabrio · 6 Sep 2005, 09:52 (Ref:1400186)

Clark. Absolute grace with extreme speed.

Mattracer · 6 Sep 2005, 11:34 (Ref:1400312)

Might be better to group your favourites or accepted standouts in catgegories because across the board comparisons are far too controversial and practically impossible to defend outside of favouritism.

Brilliance types- Senna (though also in the thinker ranks of course), Gilles, Clark

Thinker types, Prost, Lauda, Piquet, Schumacher, Stewart, Fangio, G Hill

Flamboyant, brave/courage types- Mansell, Rosberg, Alesi, Hakkinen

Oaksnaf · 6 Sep 2005, 12:14 (Ref:1400355)

Pre F1 official introduction: Tazio
1950's: Fangio
1960's: Clark
1970's: Stewart
1980's: Senna/Prost
1990's: Michael Schumacher
2000's: Michael Schumacher

pole2pole · 6 Sep 2005, 12:26 (Ref:1400372)

For me the greatest ever was Senna. I always look around the world of racing to see if there is anybody who would come close to Senna. The name that springs to mind is Rossi from Motto gp.

**John Turner** · 6 Sep 2005, 16:57 (Ref:1400539)

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubby99

Senna in my veiw wanted to win at all costs regardless of what would happen to him.

Which was not good for him or any other driver around him! That is not an attribute that should engender greatness.

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