There are countless opinions on who is the greatest driver of all time. It is impossible to mention every driver here and today. However, I've tried to inform you about the best drivers statistically.
Lewis Hamilton-103 wins
First race: 2007 Australian Grand Prix
World Championships: 7 (2008, 2014-15, 2017-18-19-20)
Number of races: 310
Number of wins: 103
Number of pole positions: 103
Career points: 4405.5
Lewis Hamilton is the greatest Formula 1 driver to have ever driven on a circuit in terms of career victories and overall career points. The British driver, who is presently tied with Michael Schumacher for the most world championships after barely losing out on winning an eighth title in 2021 to Max Verstappen, has won races in nearly every season he has participated in. He has also claimed victories in 30 different countries. With a deal that lasts through the end of 2023, Hamilton currently holds a number of Formula 1 records and appears to be able to break even more of them.
Lewis Hamilton (2022 US Grand Prix)
He almost missed winning the title in his rookie season by one point, but the following year, he did win the title, making him the (at the time) youngest world champion. He has six more titles under his belt after 14 years and is still going strong.
Michael Schumacher-91 wins
First race: 1991 Belgian Grand Prix
World Championships: 7 (1994-95, 2000-01-02-03-04)
Number of races: 308
Number of wins: 91
Number of pole positions: 68
Career points: 1566
Michael Schumacher immediately comes to mind when thinking of the best F1 driver. Up until the ascent of Hamilton, Schumacher was the epitome of Formula 1 dominance. With seven championships (five of them consecutive), an almost unfathomable number of victories, and relentless competition, Schumacher revolutionized the sport. Schumacher is not only his statistics and success but he is an icon that led the sport into wider audiences.
Micheal Schumacher driving Ferrari 412T2 (1995 Winter Test)
He won two championships with Benetton, but Ferrari is where he made his name. He joined the group in 1996, and after numerous highs and lows in the years that followed, the group finally had success in 2000. Five world championships, 48 victories, and a record book with Michael Schumacher's name in nearly every category came next over the course of the following five years.
His second stint in F1 didn't go as well as his first, just giving him one podium to add to his resume. However, any statistical study would still rank him highly because of his 91 victories, 155 podium finishes, and 68 pole positions. Here are our top ten Schumacher triumphs
Alain Prost-51 wins
First race: 1980 Argentinian Grand Prix
World Championships: 4 (1985-86, 1989, 1993)
Number of races: 199
Number of wins: 51
Number of pole positions: 33
Career points: 768.5
Alain Prost is best known for his bitter feud with Ayrton Senna, which he engaged in thanks to his meticulous driving style. Also known as “The Professor”, Prost's secret weapon was intelligence in addition to speed, and he had a natural knack for driving precisely, which helped him become the first world champion from France in 1985. He was well known for his race craft and tyre management. He handled the strategy and knew how to play the mind games. Unlike Senna he was never the fan’s favorite, he never had the support of sponsors (Honda) yet, he managed to win a championship against Senna in equal machinery. It was a common occurrence, Senna getting pole position due to his outright pace but Prost winning the race with better strategy and fuel, tire management.
Senna and Prost in front of MP4/5 (1989 Brazilian Gp)
Due to the skill of both Prost and Senna, he broke Jackie Stewart's record of 27 victories in 1987, and a year later McLaren won 15 of the 16 races in the season. Prost won his fourth and final championship for Williams at the age of 38, staying at the top of his game all the way up until his retirement.
Sebastian Vettel-53 wins
First race: 2007 United States Grand Prix
World Championships: 4 (2010-13)
Number of races: 300
Number of wins: 53
Number of pole positions: 57
Career points: 3098
There was a time when Sebastian Vettel was practically unbeatable, despite the fact that his performance in Formula 1 began to wane toward the end of his career.
Sebastian Vettel after his final race in Abu Dhabi 2022
In his first three years in Formula One, Vettel won five races and finished on the podium nine times, but this was nothing compared to what was to come. He rose to prominence in Formula One over the following four years, winning four straight championships and becoming the sport's youngest world champion in the process (taking the accolade from Lewis Hamilton). In addition, he established the records for the most victories, pole positions, laps led, consecutive grand slam victories, podium finishes, and wins from pole position in a season.
So, who really is the goat of Formula 1 the debate should not be limited with these 4 people. How can we disregard talents like; Jim Clark who had died so early, Fangio who had won 5 championships in an era where half the drivers couldn’t survive or any of Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Häkkinen maybe even Verstappen in the future. In a sport where statistics really don’t show how good you are it is difficult to compare such talents. But in this article I’ve tried to compare 4 big names of F1 including their stats and careers. A concept of “the greatest” eventually depends on how you define it: Is it raw pace, race pace, most wins, most championships or some other indicator? Thus, we should appreciate all these talents and enjoy the ones we are still able to watch while we can.
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