BBC: F1's Greatest Driver

[Tommy Cookers]

was there ever a better driver/development engineer than John Surtees ?

riding those two horses generates conflicts of interest (Ferrari appreciated him only afterwards)

BRM also wasted his time (and theirs)
as did Honda

[raymondu999]

And of course in all this where is Markus Winkelhock? He is still the only driver in F1 to have lead at least a lap in every grand prix he's raced in

[JimClarkFan]

Jim Clark, in at number 3 (yyyaaaa), http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20124557

List so far;
Number 3 - Jim Clark
Number 4 - Michael Schumacher
Number 5 - Alain Prost
Number 6 - Stirling Moss
Number 7 - Jackie Stewart
Number 8 - Sebastian Vettel
Number 9 - Niki Lauda
Number 10 - Fernando Alonso
Number 11 - Alberto Ascari
Number 12 - Gilles Villeneuve
Number 13 - Nigel Mansell
Number 14 - Mika Hakkinen
Number 15 - Lewis Hamilton
Number 16 - Nelson Piquet
Number 17 - Emerson Fittipaldi
Number 18 - Jack Brabham
Number 19 – Graham Hill
Number 20 – Jochen Rindt


Prediction, Senna 2nd, Fangio 1st.

[clipsy1H]

Jim Clark, in at number 3 (yyyaaaa), http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20124557

List so far;
Number 3 - Jim Clark
Number 4 - Michael Schumacher
Number 5 - Alain Prost
Number 6 - Stirling Moss
Number 7 - Jackie Stewart
Number 8 - Sebastian Vettel
Number 9 - Niki Lauda
Number 10 - Fernando Alonso
Number 11 - Alberto Ascari
Number 12 - Gilles Villeneuve
Number 13 - Nigel Mansell
Number 14 - Mika Hakkinen
Number 15 - Lewis Hamilton
Number 16 - Nelson Piquet
Number 17 - Emerson Fittipaldi
Number 18 - Jack Brabham
Number 19 – Graham Hill
Number 20 – Jochen Rindt


Prediction, Senna 2nd, Fangio 1st.

this top have nothing with reality .... guy with most championship can't reach top 3??? it's like in Snooker Stephen Hendry will not be placed in top 3 or Loeb in rally.
we all love BBC F1 guys :-"

[f1316]

this top have nothing with reality .... guy with most championship can't reach top 3??? it's like in Snooker Stephen Hendry will not be placed in top 3 or Loeb in rally.
we all love BBC F1 guys :-"

They had to have a Brit above Schumacher, that was the point

[timbo]

I think in a list like this there must not be a top 3 whatsoever.

[snoop1050]

I think in a list like this there must not be a top 3 whatsoever.

arranging drivers into groups would be a more accurate list rather than giving them their own number

[RB7ate9]

I'm glad they put Jim Clark up there. He was incredibly fast, the most respected driver during that period, had a love for racing in general (as indicated by racing in non-points international exhibition races, indy, and others), and was an all-around gentleman. Taken before his time, like so many.

I would've put him at the top for being the exemplary example of racers of that time. However, Senna probably is the ideal for modern drivers, so he'll be #1.

[munudeges]

Clark was one of those drivers where you can say with better reliability and better safety, two things totally out of his control, he could have been champion as many times as he wanted to be. He also won when his Lotus wasn't that great, such as in 1966.

As Fangio once said, he was the greatest driver in the world.

[JimClarkFan]

As Fangio once said, he was the greatest driver in the world.

High praise indeed, Fangio will be number 1.

[blrdy]

wouldn´t surprize me,if damon hill at no 2,like this list shows,nothing realy with top 20 to do,from my view point.it not matter how much hate for schummi one has,him not at top 3 a joke,a very britsh joke.

[lebesset]

Clark was one of those drivers where you can say with better reliability and better safety, two things totally out of his control, he could have been champion as many times as he wanted to be. He also won when his Lotus wasn't that great, such as in 1966.

As Fangio once said, he was the greatest driver in the world.

having followed F1 longer than anyone else here and having a long memory , I can only think of 2 drivers who were regarded by their peers as being in a class of one in their era ; the only people REALLY able to judge are their contemporaries

which drivers ?...fangio and clark
so they are one and two for me , couldn't pick an order as I never saw fangio from trackside

[Websta]

In the 60 odd years since Fangio was winning championships, you mean to tell me there has not been a greater driver? From a statistical perspective that is very, very unlikely. Especially when you consider that the selection for F1 drivers has become more and more competitive over the years, such that in later F1 seasons only the best from a much larger and invariably more talented sample pool have been given race seats. From this perspective, I am very sceptical of the accolades given to drivers from so long ago and especially in rating them greater than the drivers from the 80's, 90's and contemporary seasons.

I can't judge the actual ability of these old drivers as I have never seen them racing and don't know much about them, but I thought this was good food for thought.

[schick]

Sadly, I'm old enough to have seen Clark race and he was brilliant, but, speaking through interpreters to Fangio (corporate function) he said #1 was Senna! and thats good enough for me.
PS, for sheer speed across the causeway at Warrick Farm, Australian Tasman series... Jochen Rindt was unbelievable, much, much, quicker than Clark, Brabham, Hill, Amon.

[JimClarkFan]

In the 60 odd years since Fangio was winning championships, you mean to tell me there has not been a greater driver? From a statistical perspective that is very, very unlikely. Especially when you consider that the selection for F1 drivers has become more and more competitive over the years, such that in later F1 seasons only the best from a much larger and invariably more talented sample pool have been given race seats. From this perspective, I am very sceptical of the accolades given to drivers from so long ago and especially in rating them greater than the drivers from the 80's, 90's and contemporary seasons.

I can't judge the actual ability of these old drivers as I have never seen them racing and don't know much about them, but I thought this was good food for thought.

I don't know who you were speaking to there, but I think Schumacher should be number 1 as I have said before.

Top 4 would be the following for me:

1- Schumacher
2/3- Fangio or Clark
4-Senna
5/6- Prost or Alonso

For me Alonso is in there now, I think I could make a good case for him going higher as well.