Hamilton is hands down the best driver and has proved so and will continue to over the next few years. Yes drivers like senna and prost had involvement in development as well as driving but that was a different time and as far as raw talent and driving ability he gets my vote, especially in modern times where there are more than enough distractions that could take away a drivers focus.
Where do Hamilton and Vettel rank against the greatest drivers?
- Thread starter spudbynight
- Start date
Caporegime
I suspect that, like most sportsmen, if it was actually possible to transport them from the past and put them against modern drivers - or vice-versa - they'd get trounced by the modern crew. Everyone on the grid has so much more experience, preparation, and training than it used to be possible to have. Fangio was 40 when he won his first Championship and 46 when he won his last. Can you imagine any driver achieving that today?
I don't particularly think there's a "balls" issue. It takes balls to drive a car at 200mph round a narrow circuit no matter what.
Man of Honour
Senna
Clarke
Fangio
Hamilton
Schumacher
Alonso
Prost
Vettel
Stewart
Moss
No particular order, but they are probably my top ten "best". If I was using my heart instead of my head, I'd switch a couple of those out for Mansell and Villeneuve.
Clarke
Fangio
Hamilton
Schumacher
Alonso
Prost
Vettel
Stewart
Moss
No particular order, but they are probably my top ten "best". If I was using my heart instead of my head, I'd switch a couple of those out for Mansell and Villeneuve.
Enjoyed this_is_gav's summary albeit where I would disagree was comments regarding Villeneuve. Not sure I recall when Villeneuve apart from his own, attributed to 2 further deaths - Is this is reference to Fuji 77?
Surely it was a tragic accident, similar to many seen before and since - drivers were not usually labelled as the culprit when spectators were killed?
Anyway, Hamilton this year is driving as a true World Champion, setting the benchmark, clean racing and using his head.
Would I (armchair expert) believe Hamilton deserves his place in the elite of F1 greatest driver of all time hall of fame - absolutely.
Surely it was a tragic accident, similar to many seen before and since - drivers were not usually labelled as the culprit when spectators were killed?
Anyway, Hamilton this year is driving as a true World Champion, setting the benchmark, clean racing and using his head.
Would I (armchair expert) believe Hamilton deserves his place in the elite of F1 greatest driver of all time hall of fame - absolutely.
Soldato
By all accounts Villeneuve out-braked himself and launched himself off Peterson's Tyrrell, with Villeneuve's Ferrari fatally striking the two marshals and injuring several others. Accident it was of course, but not the sort of accident many (any?) others were reckless enough to have instigated in that era. Patrese causing Peterson's ultimately fatal accident (according to Hunt) perhaps, but it had nothing on Villeneuve's consistently reckless driving.
Soldato
Id agree with that!
Mansell is an interesting one, he had talent while probably not natural as some of the others, his determination more than made up for that. (probably not to dissimilar to Hill snr). one quote that makes me wonder is when he said the fans of Silverstone were worth a second a lap. I doubt in this day an age any driver would allow the fans to take that much credit, was he being gracious or not fully appreciative of his talent (in typical British fashion). He wasn't exactly one for being non-arrogant in times.
It was Villeneuve's first season, was it not explained that the 6 wheeled Tyrell required a different racing line which (possibly) caught Villeneuve out?
I don't agree with apportioning blame. It was a tragic accident just like others before and after...
Soldato
Wasn't it at the end of the straight in the braking zone for turn 1? The reports say he locked up and crashed into the back of Peterson at high speed.
I don't like apportioning blame for accidents I've not seen, but in that era there was only one driver reckless and impatient enough to have had two somersaulting aerial accidents - I'm not even sure any driver had any other somersaulting crashes at all (possibly Stommelen, but that was obviously a car failure) let alone two.
I clearly said it was an accident, but both were accidents that should have been avoided. The era was dangerous without such driving standards (not just these two, but others throughout his career).
Caporegime
Mansell went from winning F1 to winning IndyCar. I always think he must be a better driver than he's often given credit for to do that.
It is weird how some seem to get great results from determination and others as clinical drivers - my gran was kind of like Sabine Schmitz she seemed to drive more by sheer force of will than actual driving technique - somehow getting the vehicle around corners that seemed to defy physics - I bet she'd have made a great racing driver if she'd ever had the chance.
I agree, so near to being a multiple World Champion. Mansell was very unlucky in 86. 87 Nigel came close but the crash at Suzuka finished his hopes. Mansell competed in era of very strong world champion drivers, all in competitive cars and held his own.
Damon Hill. If not for the incident at Adelaide 94 - Damon could have been a double champion. Its sad to read that Damon gets so much flack, his efforts to rebuild the team after Imola 1994 simply overlooked.
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Hill (snr) because of his Triple crown - esp in the era he did it - gets him well above the likes of Hamilton , Alonso, Schumacher and Vettel in my vote (and so will Alonso if he manages the Indy 500 at any point)
Moss
Stewart
Fangio
Senna
Prost
Clarke
Are all better than the current crop, the cars are so much safer, easier to drive (as well as the tracks themselves) and imo F1 has lost a lot since the domination of Red Bull to start and then Mercedes
Moss
Stewart
Fangio
Senna
Prost
Clarke
Are all better than the current crop, the cars are so much safer, easier to drive (as well as the tracks themselves) and imo F1 has lost a lot since the domination of Red Bull to start and then Mercedes
Soldato
Lewis Hamilton is one of the five greatest champions in Formula 1 history, says Fernando Alonso.
Alonso named Hamilton with Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost as his top five.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45905592
Alonso named Hamilton with Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost as his top five.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45905592
Soldato
If not for a 2 race ban, Schumacher would have waltzed it in 1994.
Soldato
Caporegime
I always forget how much of a cheat Schumacher was. F1 used to be a much dirtier sport.
and if the FIA had any balls he would have been banned for his antics in Austalia as well
Just on the topic of Mansell, I am amazed more people don't recognise his talent.
He is 7th in the all time list of race wins and achieved this while racing in the era of Senna and Prost. I think that both Senna and Prost were superior drivers to Mansell when you consider their whole package. When it came to sheer race pace, Mansell was pretty evenly matched with them. He also raced in the era of Piquet and I would actually rank Mansell higher than him.
He is 7th in the all time list of race wins and achieved this while racing in the era of Senna and Prost. I think that both Senna and Prost were superior drivers to Mansell when you consider their whole package. When it came to sheer race pace, Mansell was pretty evenly matched with them. He also raced in the era of Piquet and I would actually rank Mansell higher than him.
I do agree, Nigel's autobiography is an eye-opener, desperately unlucky 86, 87. I am (like my old man) a Mansell fan and was very fortunate to witness first hand many of the races during 1991-92 seasons. In my book one of the greats and agree with your comments - even when not the best car, truly competitive. When he raced in the best car - everyone moans and tries to cheapen his achievements. Just like Lewis - a joke really.
I will never forget visiting races across Europe in 1992. You just knew when either Senna/Mansell took to the track - from the off, even in practice - they were going for it...