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Motorsports has been popular in the United States for quite some time now, but Formula 1 has struggled to gain ground as NASCAR and IndyCar have quenched the diet of race lovers there.However,there have been a fair share of drivers who have proved their worth in F1, below is a list of the 5 greatest F1 drivers from the U.S.A..
#5 Richie Ginther
During his F1 career, Ginther raced for several teams like Ferrari, BRM, Honda and Cooper. Overall in 52 Grand Prix starts,he achieved fourteen podiums and a win which was also Hondas first win as a constructor.
He finished fifth in the championship in 1961 and 1964 and was third in 1963.
#4 Peter Revson
Revson was the nephew of Revlon Cosmetics owner Charles Revson and was an heir totheirfortune worth $1 billion.
Revson joined F1 full time in 1972 with McLaren and secured several podiums enroute to fifth place in the Championship.This was followed by an even more successful year in which he got two wins and another fifth place in the Championship.But his career came to an abrupt endin 1974, when he was killed during a test session with Shadow Racing Team at Kyalami, South Africa.
#3 Dan Gurney
During his F1 career spanning from 1959 to 1970, Gurney drove for several teams including Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Brabham, McLaren among others. He achieved nineteen podiums including four wins and finished in top 5 in the World Championship on four occasions, but could not clinch the title.
Although he usually opted for a fluid driving style, but whenfaced with mechanical troubles in his car, he used a more aggressive style, through whichheachieved several great results.
Besides F1, he also found success in the Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am and Trans-Am Series.
#2 Phil Hill
Hill wasstill the only American born in the USA to have won the Championship. Starting off as a mechanic, Hill slowlymade his transition to racing in the mid 1950s, his major breakthrough being the signing with Ferrari for three races of the1958 F1 Season. Back to back podium finishes at the end of that season were enough to sign him full time for the next season.
Two successful seasons in 1959 and 1960 were followed by his championship winning 1961 season, wherein he finished every race on the podium barring one and took victories intwo of them. This was followed by a moderately successful 1962, after which he drove for several teams like Cooper, Porsche, etc before finally quitting the sport in1966.
#1 Mario Andretti
The Italian born is the last world champion from the U.S.A.. He made his F1debutin 1968and had several short spells with teams like Lotus, March, Ferrari and Parnelli beforehesigned an agreementwith Team Lotus for the 1976 season. He impressed with three podiums including a win.
Andretti improved in 1977 where he stocked up 4 wins and succeeded in finishing fourth in the Championship standings. His best year was1978, when he finally reached the pinnacle by clinchingthe title after winning six races during the season.
Lotus didnt prove competitive in the succeeding years andhe couldnt challenge for the title. Heleft the sport after scoring his last podium (3rd place) with Scuderia Ferrari in 1982.
