Drivers who set the bar

[timbo]

The recent non-sense by Piquet jr (see the other thread) made me think of the drivers who seem to have a great impact on the sport and raised the game overall.
So here's my list:
I start from 70s, because it is hard for me to trace things much before.
1) Jackie Stewart
Was the fastest guy of his time and shown how being reserved and analytical at the wheel gives you results. Made people turn their attention to the safety. His winning record stood for very long time.
2) Niki Lauda
Not too sure about him, but it seems like his "presence" during late 70s and early 80s was very prominent. He also turned the focus on consistency.
3) Alain Prost
Wasn't named "professor" for nothing. Had speed and was very sensitive for his car. Payed a lot of attention to fitness. I heard that he was the one who introduced those fructose syrups that drivers sip all the time and was one of the first drivers with his own physio.
4) Ayrton Senna
You couldn't beat him with a talent alone. Apart from his legendary speed, he was the guy that checked all the boxes. If there was a slightest thing which could give him advantage, be it setup change, training, food or meditation he'd look into that.
5) Michael Schumacher
Set the new level of driver/team cooperation, new level of physical training, was probably the first guy to fully use the capability of modern F1 car with lever-gearshifts and left foot braking.
So feel free to add and discuss.

[marcush.]

about raising the bar...I cannot even relate that much to stewart as I started watching races only after he had already retired.
But Lauda was special -he certainly was not the new kid on the block who arrived in F1 with a bang but a genuine paydriver but in 1974 he was instrumental in turning around Ferrari to a championship winning team .He was already earmarked as
-the computer- for his singleminedness to race and be successful and not take care of anything around him.He was a very controversial person and remarkably Regazzoni was fighting for the the title in 1974 ..lauda needed the first year to get really to the level required to be champ.Lauda was the first who had his own physio (also at the track) and really worked very hard to be as fit as necessary.Günther Traub and Willy Dungl who worked wonders as Lauda was not an ox like Mansell ..).
Just think about Lauda returning to racing 4 weeks after THAT crash in Bergwerk..an incredible achievement mind you he
outscored Gilles Villeneuve and Reutemann in Monza ....
Schumacher -what was really impressive back then -on the podium you could see he had barely broke a sweat in the race ...when the others looked like soaked ...amazing..This has definetely changed now so it was really something he had as a mental advantage back then -it must be devastating for a opponent to see the guy who just beat you seemingly having had a nice drive around the block...
Senna no question is THE guy who really is responsible for what we see todays -he really picked up where Lauda had left off and lifted everything to new levels.
His astonishing ability to wring something from the car that was just not accesible for anyone else (Qualy) was just amazing.

Prost is certainly not one of those ,he´s like Alonso in this .He was a really competent driver but certainly not raising the bar ,just a damn near perfect pilot unfortunatelly for Prost and Alonso they had Senna and Schumacher who set new levels
in those days so even if Alonso and Prsot had similar commitment they were not introducing new levels of anything into the sport ..
-if one does discounts their political bs and stirring -Alonso is impossible for me forever due to his blackmailing of Ron Dennis and Prost for his nailbiting and calling the Ferarri a truck ...just relate to Schumacher who hardly ever has raised a word of public criticism over team -teammembers or car in his whole longlong career...

[DaveKillens]

Mark Donohue. Although he barely raced in Formula One before his tragic death, he was an engineer who was successful in all his endeavors. Because his technical knowledge translated into success, people took note, and realized that a driver who knew about car physics and it's mechanicals was a definite asset, it started a trend that continues to this day.

[mep]

Even though I never saw Lauda driven and only know him from several interviews I am actually impressed by his brainpower. He thinks very logical and rational. I think he raised the standards when it comes down to use of your brain which makes him still the smartest of all these drivers.

[marcush.]

maybe then you could also mention jean pierre Jabouille -
he was not quite good enough to make Renault wC but damn he bagged their first win-in France...and he was Engineer with the team as well ....
But then i think you don´t want the driver too much into all this ...I think knowing too much about it will make you think and you cannot stop when you should just drop the visor and do the job instead of thinking about what could be improved.

[ParanoiD]

How about Vettel? In terms of younger generation of F1 driver.

[raymondu999]

Well Alonso is currently setting the bar quite high. I think Hamilton has been the barsetters for rookies.

I'd like to put up Stefan Bellof and Gilles Villeneuve too. Two drivers whose speed - in my view - are greatly underrated.

[timbo]

Well Alonso is currently setting the bar quite high. I think Hamilton has been the barsetters for rookies.

Well, at each generation there are drivers who are the benchmark for others. But the drivers I mention have sort of reinvented the sport I believe. Too beat them you had to do what they are doing and more. I'm not sure any driver now is doing it, and that begs for a question -- is it possible to change the sport from the driver's perspective like Senna or Schumacher did? It seems like pretty much everything is maxxed out on the driver's side.
Maybe a Alonso is changing things a bit as he is even more calculative then Schumacher was and if he wins (probably even if he doesn't) more drivers will look into how they approach the season strategically. But I guess he's not the first one with this approach, as Prost was apparently doing something similar too.

I'd like to put up Stefan Bellof and Gilles Villeneuve too. Two drivers whose speed - in my view - are greatly underrated.

Well, you'd have to add Ronnie Peterson and many others to the list. Surely everybody recognized Villeneuve as a great talent, but had he cause everybody else to look at themselves and change their approach to racing? Not so sure.

[mnmracer]

I'd add Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and/or Sebastian Vettel as 'the young ones'.

While there have been young drivers througout history, I feel since the early 2000's we started to see really young drivers on a regular basis. I feel it really started with a young Jenson Button in the Williams, having only driven Formula Ford and Formula Three and just 20 years old. In the following years, we've seen Räikkönen, Massa and Alonso (and later of course Hamilton, Vettel, Alguersuari) also make it to Formula One at a really young age.

Fernando Alonso is the first of that young generation to become a real great.

Sebastian Vettel, well, his records speak for himself. While Alonso is the first 'young' to become a great, Vettel's path is of another level. Hamilton's case is not that unique, in that he started his F1 career in a top team. Vettel is a different level in that he showed himself in a slow car, earned his top seat and at a still incredibly young age, is one of the top drivers who it feels like he's been around for ages.

[timbo]

I'd add Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and/or Sebastian Vettel as 'the young ones'.

While there have been young drivers througout history, I feel since the early 2000's we started to see really young drivers on a regular basis. I feel it really started with a young Jenson Button in the Williams, having only driven Formula Ford and Formula Three and just 20 years old. In the following years, we've seen Räikkönen, Massa and Alonso (and later of course Hamilton, Vettel, Alguersuari) also make it to Formula One at a really young age.

Fernando Alonso is the first of that young generation to become a real great.

Sebastian Vettel, well, his records speak for himself. While Alonso is the first 'young' to become a great, Vettel's path is of another level. Hamilton's case is not that unique, in that he started his F1 career in a top team. Vettel is a different level in that he showed himself in a slow car, earned his top seat and at a still incredibly young age, is one of the top drivers who it feels like he's been around for ages.

Hmm, I guess so. Nowadays it seems being rookie even at 25 seems like too old.
But it's hard to say whether it is young formulae formats or the guys you mention changed team bosses mentality.

[PlatinumZealot]

I'd add Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and/or Sebastian Vettel as 'the young ones'.

While there have been young drivers througout history, I feel since the early 2000's we started to see really young drivers on a regular basis. I feel it really started with a young Jenson Button in the Williams, having only driven Formula Ford and Formula Three and just 20 years old. In the following years, we've seen Räikkönen, Massa and Alonso (and later of course Hamilton, Vettel, Alguersuari) also make it to Formula One at a really young age.

Fernando Alonso is the first of that young generation to become a real great.

Sebastian Vettel, well, his records speak for himself. While Alonso is the first 'young' to become a great, Vettel's path is of another level. Hamilton's case is not that unique, in that he started his F1 career in a top team. Vettel is a different level in that he showed himself in a slow car, earned his top seat and at a still incredibly young age, is one of the top drivers who it feels like he's been around for ages.

I can't take you on again.. certinly not.. but this?!! What about those Rocketships... RB5,6,7? and no champion teammate. You gotta be kidding man. Vettel didn't raise the bar, Newey did.

[mnmracer]

I'd add Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and/or Sebastian Vettel as 'the young ones'.

While there have been young drivers througout history, I feel since the early 2000's we started to see really young drivers on a regular basis. I feel it really started with a young Jenson Button in the Williams, having only driven Formula Ford and Formula Three and just 20 years old. In the following years, we've seen Räikkönen, Massa and Alonso (and later of course Hamilton, Vettel, Alguersuari) also make it to Formula One at a really young age.

Fernando Alonso is the first of that young generation to become a real great.

Sebastian Vettel, well, his records speak for himself. While Alonso is the first 'young' to become a great, Vettel's path is of another level. Hamilton's case is not that unique, in that he started his F1 career in a top team. Vettel is a different level in that he showed himself in a slow car, earned his top seat and at a still incredibly young age, is one of the top drivers who it feels like he's been around for ages.

I can't take you on again.. certinly not.. but this?!! What about those Rocketships... RB5,6,7? and no champion teammate. You gotta be kidding man. Vettel didn't raise the bar, Newey did.

We know it now, Vettel is a mediocre driver in a rocketship.
Whenever a Red Bull wins it's all down to the car and thanks to Adrian Newey who has never designed a non-winning car. Whenever another driver wins it's because they dragged a 5-sec slower car to the finish on god-like skills never seen before. Of course all those experts praising him and saying it's not just the car are completely wrong, who knows better than an armchair expert, right?

You're starting to sound like a broken record. Come back when you have something new to tell.

[PlatinumZealot]

What bar did Vettel set? and how did he do it exactly? Lets be honest about this, no rosy glasses now.

[Lurk]

Well... First of all he shows that a n°2 driver can win in his own team even with the old front wing
IMO Vettel is nothing more than a Hamilton with a faster car and a "healthier" life. But way more childish too (RedBull responsability for that).


I think we should add Fangio to the list as he was clearly the first driver to set the bar.

[timbo]

I think we should add Fangio to the list as he was clearly the first driver to set the bar.

Yeah, I agree. Not only by being the first but by showing that to be fastest you have to be fast AND have a fast car.