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The Formula 1 World Championship has seen many innovative teams and showcased a number of dominant F1 cars, the list of which is endless. The question that arises is how do you differentiate between the legendary cars of different eras in F1? Do you only look at out-right performance? Do you look at winning streaks or does the aesthetics have a say? We have looked into all possible factors and curated a list of the five best F1 cars of all time.
5. FERRARI F2004 (2004-05)
The Ferrari F2004 was one of the creations of the Ferrari dream team of Rory Byrne, Ross Brawn, and Aldo Costa. It was dominant in the 2004 F1 championship winning 15 out of 18 races, and setting numerous lap records. Michael Schumacher won a record 13 races that season on his way to becoming a seven-time world champion, while Ferrari was crowned Constructors Champions for the sixth consecutive time. The performance of the car can be attributed to the fact that the F2004 still holds the lap record at numerous circuits even though these circuits have been regularly used in F1.
4. RED BULL - RB9 (2013)
The Red Bull RB9 was the brainchild of ace F1 designer Adrian Newey and was introduced in 2013. It became a ruthless weapon in the hands of the then F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Out of the 19 races that it competed in, the RB9 secured pole position in 11 races and won 13 races. Sebastian Vettel equaled Michael Schumacher's record of 13 wins in a season and created his own record of winning 9 straight races in a season. Sebastian Vettel was crowned the F1 world champion in 2013 with Red Bull winning the driver's championship for the fourth consecutive time.
3. MERCEDES - W07 HYBRID (2016)
The Mercedes W07 Hybrid was designed by Geoff Willis, Paddy Lowe, and Aldo Costa and introduced in the year 2016 to compete in the F1 world championships. The W07 led Nico Rosberg and Mercedes to their respective championships in 2016. The W07, piloted by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, competed in 21 races, securing a record of 20 pole positions and winning 19 races. This season of domination was rarely seen in the sport and led to the regulations being overhauled for the succeeding seasons.
2. FERRARI - 500 (1952-53)
The Ferrari 500 was actually an F2 car, but since the championship rules were revised between the years 1952-1953, we have included this beauty on our list. Very few cars on this list can claim to win not one but two drivers championships with the same chassis. That was the claim to fame of the Ferrari 500 which proved to be unstoppable during its time. The constructors' championships did not start until the year 1958. Had there been a championship during the years the Ferrari 500 competed in, it would have easily clinched both. The Ferrari 500 was designed by Aurelio Lampredi. Legendary driver Alberto Ascari used the car to win two world championships. In total, the Ferrari 500 entered in 19 races, securing pole positions in 13 races and winning a total of 14 races.
1. MCLAREN - MP4/4 (1988)
The fact that this legendary car sits on top of an all-time F1 list shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The Mclaren MP4/4 was designed by Steve Nichols and Gordon Murray. The car was piloted by two all-time greats, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, and led Senna to the drivers' championship that year while Mclaren won the Constructors Championship. This car holds the record as the most dominant F1 car. Out of the 16 races it competed in, it secured pole position in 15 races and won 15 races. Such unrivaled dominance in a season was not seen until the year 2016 when Mercedes launched the W07.
The F1 World Championship has a long and illustrious history which makes it impossible to include all of the cars we wanted to. A list of honorable mentions is listed below.
F2002 - FERRARI (2002-03)
MP4/2 - MCLAREN (1984-86)
LOTUS 72 (1970-76)
FW14 - WILLIAMS (1991-92)
What is your best F1 car of all time? Have your say in the comments
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