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A Formula One drivers is often likened to the gladiators of old, mastering an uncontrollable beast of a car at spectacular speeds. These drivers, especially the ones at the top of the ladder, more often than not, are looked up to by the rest of the world. With a certain sense of envy and a tinge of disbelief, these drivers are revered by fans all across the globe for the feats that they achieve on track. With that in mind, we look at 5 of the most popular drivers in the history of Formula One.
#1 Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna, to this day, is considered to be the greatest talent to have ever graced the sport. His breathtaking speed, tenacity, self-confidence, and more so, his willingness to go for any gap available, was what made him stand out on a grid that already had legends like Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, and Nigel Mansell.
Senna started gaining prominence when he stepped into McLaren against Alain Prost, considered at that time the best driver on the grid, and beat him in the same machinery to win the title. There were instances throughout the season where Senna would qualify almost a second quicker than Prost, which certainly put to rest any doubts about who had more raw speed among the pairing.
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Senna becoming a World Champion endeared him to the Brazilian fanbase even more. Every year, thousands of local fans would fill the grandstands at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sau Paulo to cheer for their favorite son.
Senna would win the championship three times in a career that was cut short by his untimely death in 1994. He is remembered by many as one of the greatest drivers ever in Formula One and served as an inspiration for legends like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
#2 Michael Schumacher
What made Michael Schumacher great was what made people like and hate him at the same time. Michael Schumacher was a driver who would go to any extent to win. Sometimes, that meant pushing the boundaries beyond acceptable limits as well.
What set Michael Schumacher apart, however, was his decision to join Ferrari after winning two titles at Benetton. At the time, Ferrari was, at best, a midfield team struggling to get back to its glory days.
Moving from a championship-winning team at Benetton to revive Ferrari was a decision many found hard to understand. In the initial years, Schumacher faced backlash as well, as he would be unable to win another title for five years. In 2000 however, Ferrari would turn a corner as Schumacher won his first-ever title with the team.
This would kick off an unprecedented five-year run of consecutive Championship triumphs for Schumacher. In the early 2000s, Formula One became synonymous with Michael Schumacher and his red Ferrari. His perseverance and hard work turned around the fortunes of Ferrari as it went on a six-year championship.
Despite an unflattering return to the sport with Mercedes after a few years away from Ferrari, Schumacher is considered to this day one of the best drivers to ever do it.
#3 Lewis Hamilton
The reigning world champion is arguably the biggest crossover driver in the history of the sport. Lewis Hamilton's F1 journey is nothing short of a fairytale. Encountering Ron Dennis at a very young age and telling him that you'll drive for him one day, beating a reigning double world champion in his debut season, and then moving to Mercedes, a team that was at best a midfield team, before putting together the most successful run in Formula One's history with them.
Lewis Hamilton's career is one that any youngster would aspire to have and dream to replicate. At the same point in time, his background, his extravagant lifestyle and, his eccentric personality propel him beyond the boundaries of what is possible for a Formula One driver.
Lewis Hamilton is not only a Formula One driver but a global personality. He's transcended the sport in many ways. No driver comes close to Hamilton's following on social media nor his results on track. His stance on global movements like Black Lives Matter and his bending the knee before the start of the race has singled him out as someone ready to use the position he's in to make his voice heard.
In terms of popularity, Hamilton has broken barriers and taken Formula One to an entirely new demographic. He might not enjoy the cult status that Senna did or the kind of admiration that Schumacher had but he holds his own in terms of the groups he's penetrated and the number of eyeballs he brings to the sport.
#4 Kimi Raikkonen
"Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing".
There aren't that many drivers in the history of the sport that can get away with saying anything they want quite as much as Raikkonen does. Then again, Raikkonen is a one-of-a-kind driver who would get it on the track and nonchalantly follow it up with some of the best one-liners ever heard in sport.
Raikkonen jumped into the spotlight as the spiritual successor to his outgoing compatriot, two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen at McLaren, and immediately proceeded to carry his silver steed to places it didn't always deserve, giving the likes of Michael Schumacher a run for their money.
His unflappable attitude, ice-cold demeanor, and raw speed in a Formula One car made everyone a fan of his in no time.
Raikkonen's aura would continue to grow during his stint at McLaren, where he was let down by substandard machinery multiple times in the title fight. He then moved to Ferrari in 2007 to win his first and only championship.
His popularity reached its peak when he made a return to Formula One with Lotus and looked like the Kimi Raikkonen of old. His pace and consistency made him one of the best drivers on the grid. What made Raikkonen so affable was his reserved nature, dry humor, and an ability to unwittingly say something funny.
It was this attitude that made Raikkonen a different kind of Formula One driver in an era of robotic drivers.
Even at 41, Raikkonen is still going strong and will be driving for Alfa Romeo in 2021.
#5 Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso will be making a return to Formula One in 2021 with Alpine F1 Team. The Spaniard, a former two-time world champion, burst onto the scene when Flavio Briatore decided to drop Jenson Button to make way for Fernando Alonso in his team in 2003.
Alonso, too, would repay the faith by becoming the youngest-ever race winner in Formula One. Belonging to a part of Europe more famous for producing fast two-wheel racers, Alonso was one of the few who showed talent and affinity for four-wheelers.
It was his success in Formula One that paved the way for not one but two races in Spain every year at one point in time, with Valencia also holding a Grand Prix in addition to Barcelona. Fernando Alonso's popularity reached its peak during his time at Renault, where he won his two titles.
He would consistently perform well at his home race and win over the fans. By 2007, Alonso was considered to be the next Michael Schumacher on the grid, and Alonso, for his part, produced some of his best races in Spain, with him winning the 2012 European Grand Prix at Valencia. The tears on the podium and the crowd's reaction showed what the victory meant to the crowd and the driver.
When Alonso announced his return to Formula One, it was welcomed with renewed vigor from his fans who are waiting to see him again on track after a two-year sabbatical.
