Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part II

Before starting to write this list I could feel this might be controversial, this list is very much opinionated and every F1 fan has their own order of who was the best.

These 20 drivers that I am going to highlight over four articles demonstrate what it takes to make it at the pinnacle of motorsport.

They are what makes F1 great, winning world championships, being respected among fellow racing drivers and teams within the sport and of course being a favourite among the many fans that travel around the world to follow the sport.

This is my list in terms of the 20 best drivers in F1 history.

This is the second article which highlights the drivers from 15th to 11th. In case you've missed out on the previous one Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part I

#15 Emerson Fittipaldi

He was the youngest world champion at that time at the age of 25 and he won his second title two years later

At 15 on the list is Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula One World Champion and a two time Indy 500 winner. He was the youngest world champion at that time at the age of 25 and he won his second title two years later.

In 1972 the Lotus F1 team was the class above the rest and saw Fittipaldi use his skill in a racing car to exploit its potential.

He won five out of the 12 races that season and scored enough points to secure him his first World Title and the Constructors' Championship for Team Lotus.

His driver qualities consisted of a calm approach which saw him avoid trouble on the race track and a tactical know-how which saw him and his team excel at strategy.

He joined McLaren in 1974 and his McLaren M23 saw him win in Belgium, Canada and his home country of Brazil.

He made it onto the podium on four other occasions during the season and scored points in another three races to become the World Champion of 1974.

But a poor career choice saw Fittipaldi move to Copersucar in 1975, the car was seriously noncompetitive and his career came to a halt in 1980 when he retired at the end of the season.

Stats

World Championships – 2 (1972, 1974)

GP Entries - 149

GP Wins – 14

Podiums – 35

Last Win – 1975 British GP

#14 Fernando Alonso

At the age of 22, he made Formula 1 history by becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner with his victory in Hungary

Next on the list at number 14 is Fernando Alonso, only after writing this list have I realised that 14 is his race number as well.

Growing up in this era of F1 racing allowed me to watch and try to understand the talent that is Fernando Alonso, the man that brought Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s dominant reign to an end.

A Formula One test with Minardi in 2000 saw him secure a race seat with the team. It may not have been the best place to start his career with Minardi struggling for finance at the time, but as Alonso has done throughout his career he managed to extract everything out of the car and was signed by Renault as a test driver in 2002.

His move to Renault turned out to be an outstanding move by both driver and team as he became a race driver for Renault in 2003 and at the age of 22, he made Formula 1 history by becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner with his victory in Hungary.

Renault looked off the pace in 2004 season, but Alonso gave it everything, using his natural talent of improvising and being observant of threats around him, even in the most challenging circumstances. He secured the drivers’ championship with two races left of the season, Alonso at the time became the youngest title holder in F1 history.

He battled Schumacher in the 2005 season where he won his second world title, in what was Schumacher’s final season with Ferrari. It looked at the time that Schumacher was handing over the reins of the sport to Alonso, a new generation of racing drivers.

However, driver movements from then on never saw him claim the drivers’ championship for the third time.

His teams consisted of McLaren, Renault again, Ferrari and McLaren for a second time, he claimed victories in these years and came close to winning the drivers’ championship with Ferrari in 2012, missing out to Vettel by three points.

He looks set to retire from the sport this weekend at the Abu Dhabi GP, he has said he may return but we won’t hold our breath. Alonso has been an amazing driver to watch over the years, a driver that has deserved more championship but looks to have moved to teams at the wrong time.

Stats

World Championships – 2 (2005, 2006)

GP Entries – 313 (314 on Sunday – His last race in the sport)

GP Wins – 32

Podiums – 97

Last Win – 2013 Spanish GP

#13 Mika Hakkinen

Mika Hakkinen is at 13 on the list of the best drivers in F1, the Finnish driver won two drivers titles with McLaren in the late 90's.

Like most Finnish drivers he let his driving do the talking, he was a consistent driver who knew how to get the best out of their car. Over half of his races in the sport, he finished with points and his great rival in F1 Michael Schumacher said he was the driver he respected the most.

He nearly missed out on winning his world championships with a near-fatal accident in 1995.

The accident took place in Adelaide, during practice some debris punctured a tyre which saw his McLaren make contact with a wall.

Rescue crews found Mika critically injured. Doctors, led by FIA medical delegate Professor Sid Watkins, performed an emergency tracheotomy, making an incision into his throat and inserting a tube so he could breathe.

He was transported to the hospital where his life hung in the balance, he slowly regained consciousness after some time.

His first victory came in 1997 at Jerez and became the start of something big for Hakkinen. Schumacher and Hakkinen battled hard in the 1998 season but in the end, the Finnish driver came out on top.

He secured the chequered flag in eight races to Schumacher’s six to win the 1998 world title. In the 1999 season, he defeated Ferrari's Eddie Irvine to win his second drivers title, with Schumacher out of the running after missing several races due to a broken leg.

At the end of the 2001 season, he announced he was going to take a year off from F1 to spend more quality time with his family.

After nine years at McLaren that year sabbatical turned into retirement, many fans missed the Finnish driver once he retired and who knows he could have upset the pages of history had he battled Schumacher during his dominant years?

Stats

World Championships – 2 (1998, 1999)

GP Entries - 165

GP Wins – 20

Podiums – 51

Last Win – 2001 USA GP

#12 Sebastian Vettel

At twelve is a current driver in the sport and a four-time world champion with Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver dominated the sport between 2010 and 2013 winning his titles four years in a row. Red Bull also won the constructors championship four times too.

After impressing in the junior categories, Red Bull signed Vettel to their young driver programme in 1998, in 2000 he was invited to join Red Bull junior team.

He was a third driver for BMW Sauber before making his big move to Toro Rosso in 2007, he impressed once again and was retained for 2008 and from then on he went from strength to strength.

He won his first GP and Toro Rosso’s only win in Italy that season which no doubt earnt him the switch to the Red Bull senior team for the 09 season.

He lost out to Jenson Button and Brawn GP in 2009 but in the 2010 season he went one better.

Despite not being top of the drivers standing for the whole of the season he won the championship at the final race in Abu Dhabi, as he finished with his fifth win of the season and became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.

After three more titles with Red Bull he decided he needed a change and in 2014 he agreed to join Ferrari for the departing Fernando Alonso for the 2015 season.

His first season with Ferrari saw him adapting to the team after being in the Red Bull programme for so long, he still managed to win three races that season which was three more than teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

However since Vettel joined the team Ferrari have not been able to win either the drivers or constructors title, losing out to Mercedes each year.

Both the 2017 and 2018 season has seen Vettel and Ferrari apply more pressure to Mercedes but once again the Silver Arrows reigned supreme. Could the 2019 season be the year for Vettel and Ferrari?

Stats

World Championships – 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

GP Entries - 219

GP Wins – 52

Podiums – 110

Last Win – 2018 Belgium GP

#11 Nigel Mansell

At number 11 on the list is Nigel Mansell.

The British driver only managed to win only one world title, but he won the hearts of the fans with his dogged determination and daring manoeuvres. He was one of the most exciting drivers to ever make their way onto the grid.

He had a different approach to racing which resorted in a fascinating stat, he achieved 31 wins in his career but also had 32 crashes during his time in the sport.

His championship winning year came in 1992 which saw Mansell dominate the competition as he won nine out of 16 races in his Williams-Renault FW14B.

He announced his retirement from F1 shortly after being crowned champion. Williams tried to offer him a better deal, but with Prost looking to join as his teammate for the next season, he decided to move on. He went off to race in IndyCar and in 1993 won the IndyCar championship.

He did make a short comeback in 1994 racing the final four races for Williams.

He won the last race in Australia from pole position. He raced twice for McLaren the year after but decided the car wasn’t right and this time he retired for good.

He became one of the all-time greats and one of the most successful drivers in British racing history and it feels sad that he only made 11th on the list but there are many more great drivers still to come.

Stats

World Championships – 1 (1992)

GP Entries - 191

GP Wins – 31

Podiums – 59

Last Win – 1994 Australian GP

Continue Reading Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part III