Top 3 German F1 drivers of all time

F1 and Germany have traditionally always gone hand in hand. Be it with the Mercedes domination we see in F1 right now, or even in the past with manufacturers like BMW being a prominent presence on the grid. Elite German F1 drivers have been, however, few and far between.

Many drivers rose through the junior ranks with a lot of hype surrounding them. When they reached the top level, however, they could not replicate that success. Drivers like Heinz Herald Frentzen, Nick Heidfeld and Nico Hulkenberg showed a lot of promise in the junior categories but were never able to replicate it on the big stage.

Having said that, Germany is not lagging when it comes to producing elite F1 drivers, as it has produced multiple world champions that left their impact on the sport. In this piece, we rank the top 3 German drivers to ever drive in F1 keeping in mind the longevity and success these drivers were able to achieve in their careers.

---

Ranking the 3 greatest German F1 drivers of all time

Nico Rosberg

Wins: 23

Poles: 30

Championships: 1 (2016)

Nico Rosberg made an abrupt exit from the sport in 2016. The German had just defeated Lewis Hamilton, a generational talent in his own right, in the same car. He had emulated his father's achievements in the sport and, at the time, the world was his oyster. Yet, the German decided to walk away from the sport as a world champion.

Even then, in a career that lasted a decade, Rosberg was able to make his mark on the sport. He was one of the earliest members of the Mercedes juggernaut that dominated the sport until now. When push came to shove, he dug deep and beat arguably the best driver on the grid at the time, in the same car.

Additionally, to cap off a great career, Nico Rosberg has beaten both Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, arguably the top two drivers in the history of the sport, as their team-mate. If this doesn't make him qualified enough to be on this list then nothing will.

---

Sebastian Vettel

Wins: 53

Poles: 57

Championships: 4 (2010,2011,2012,2013)

The young German made his debut with BMW at the 2007 US Grand Prix and surprised everyone with his pace and composure. So much so that he was given a seat by Red Bull that very season.

That same driver would learn on the job at Red Bull, face adversity with multiple reliability issues, and still go on to win the title in 2010, becoming the youngest F1 world champion in the process. Sebastian Vettel was the unfancied king for a long time until he finally became the undisputed king of the sport.

From 2010 to 2013, the combination of Vettel and Red Bull ruled the world of F1. The German is now a four-time world champion and has the third-highest number of wins in the history of the sport. When Vettel was rising through the ranks he was called 'Baby Schumacher'. After looking at his career achievements, it's fair to say that the nickname was justified.

---

Michael Schumacher

Wins: 91

Poles: 68

Championships: 7(1994,1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Undisputably at the top of the food chain is Michael Schumacher — a seven-time world champion with the second-highest number of wins and pole positions in the sport. He is an enigma, a pioneer in the world of F1, and more importantly, the driver responsible for the iconic status enjoyed by Ferrari.

Schumacher turned the sport on its head with his all-encompassing focus on racing. He was a gifted talent no doubt, but he was also smart enough to know what needs to be done to make a team successful. He turned around the fortunes of Ferrari, a team that had not won a title for more than a decade, and transformed it into a championship-winning juggernaut.

More importantly, though, he brought F1 to Germany and made the sport a household name. There aren't many drivers that have such a far-reaching impact on a sport. Schumacher is one of them and is surely the greatest German driver in the history of the sport.