Top 3 British F1 Drivers of all time

F1 and Great Britain have always had a very intimate relationship. Proof of that is more than visible whenever the F1 circus reaches Silverstone, with fanfare incomparable to any other track throughout the year.

British drivers have always been a staple of the F1 grid and the island nation has produced some great talent throughout the years. Even on the current grid are Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris representing Great Britain. In light of this, it's safe to say that the future of British motorsports is in safe hands.

In this piece, we take a trip down memory lane and rank the top 3 British drivers of all time. As a special mention, we would note drivers like James Hunt, Jenson Button and Nigel Mansell who narrowly missed out in the rankings, although their contribution to the British racing heritage cannot be appreciated enough.

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Ranking the top 3 British F1 greats

#3 Jackie Stewart

Wins: 27

Poles: 17

Championships: 3 (1969, 1971, 1973)

A pioneer of his time, Sir Jackie Stewart was one of the first drivers that understood how you can succeed in F1. And being the versatile driver that he was, he used his guile to succeed at the highest level. There aren't too many drivers that understand the importance of building a relationship with the team to the extent Stewart did.

A driver with exceptional talent and all-rounded skills, Stewart would taste immediate success in F1. After debuting with a bang in a Lotus, he went on to develop a close relationship with Ken Tyrell and ultimately the partnership would result in three world championships.

Known for his skills in the car and his charisma outside of it, the Flying Scot, as Stewart was nicknamed, was one of the fan-favorites of his time. Ending his career with 27 wins in just 99 entries, he was the most successful F1 driver when he retired. It would take another 14 years for his record to be bettered by Alain Prost. In many ways, Sir Jackie Stewart was, and still is, one of the icons of British racing history.

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#2 Jim Clark

Wins: 25

Poles: 33

Championships: 2 (1963, 1965)

For a driver who is considered one of the greatest drivers of all time, Jim Clark is a name that gets forgotten far too often. A driver who was born to drive cars fast, Clark was a phenomenon that struck the Formula 1 world out of nowhere and forced the world to sit back and take notice of his talents.

A driver with a stupendous record of 25 wins and 33 poles in just 72 starts, Clark was magnificient in stint in F1. As another Scotsman driving a Lotus, Clark dominated and won two world championships in his career in 1963 and 1965.

A career that showed promise, making him the most prolific F1 driver at the time, was, however, cut short when he would crash out of an F2 race at Hockenheim. A driver that could have achieved so much more, Jim Clark is still considered by many experts to be one of the best drivers to have ever raced in F1.

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#1 Lewis Hamilton

Wins: 103

Poles: 103

Championships: 7 (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

Who else but Lewis Hamilton could have been placed at the top of these rankings? A career with countless accomplishments and achievements has seen Hamilton become a modern-day Formula 1 great.

He made history by becoming the first black driver to race in Formula 1 in 2007 and then the then-youngest champion the next year. Later in his career, he just kept adding on to his list of accomplishments. Be it winning the championship for the first time, or for a record seventh time, Lewis Hamilton has been there and done that.

The kind of respect and love that the Briton garners globally is unbelievable. It is this love and admiration, coupled with his racing statistics, that make him the greatest British driver ever in the history of the sport.