[Official] Top 10 Drivers of the Season and Number 1 Driver Poll

[GORDON STREETER]

To me an"icon" is someone that is very good at their chosen sport and has a profile outside of it that the media can pick up on that probably clouds the issue a little
Reporting on car racing drivers 50 years ago was a bit different to today and would hardly make a daily paper unless they had won the F1 title of the year or they had been killed !
People like James Hunt/ Barry Sheene/Gerry Marshall etc will be remembered by their fans for their exploits off the track as well as on them, TV exposure and ads will make people remember them even more.
It can even work the other way round as people would have heard of "Eddie the Eagle"
Obviously if you are a keen F1 fan then "an icon" is subjective and possibly a driver who they have followed for years, even though they only won one WDC or none at all !

[m355y]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

That's an interesting comment about Fittapaldi. he won two titles, one when he was very young at 23 but then won again two years later for McLaren. The Copersucar project for the brothers team didn't do a lot for him and never really worked and that probably sifted him from the forefront to the rear of the midfield in peoples consciousness.

Which is a point I made earlier. Being an icon is very subjective. Clark and to a lessor extent Stewart are /were icons to me because of Scottish heritage in my bloodline. My attitude toward Stewart has changed but when he was at BRM and Tyrrell, yes, he was an idol.

To people in Australia and New Zealand Brabham was a name everyone recognised, and down under he had extraordinary public recognition in both countries.
Everyone would have recognised the Brabham name in the 60's and into the 80's. In New Zealand at that time he was more 'iconic' than McLaren was.

So going back to Fittapaldi, returning to America and winning Indy and Indycar titles made him a real icon of South American racing drivers and a great in American eyes, more so than Senna.....

So really 'iconic' is quite subjective and often owes more to popular recognition within a region or culture than most of us realise. Yes you have to be very good but who you are, where you come from and where you race all make a significant contribution besides just how 'good' you were.

I think Fittipaldi, much like Mario Andretti, is an all-round Motorsport icon rather than an F1 icon. I think he also suffered by being paired with Peterson. As early as 1973 there was the feeling that while Emmo was the best, Peterson was the fastest. And in tems of bring an icon, everybody wants to be fastest. The old Senna vs Prost thing.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by m355y

I think Fittipaldi, much like Mario Andretti, is an all-round Motorsport icon rather than an F1 icon. I think he also suffered by being paired with Peterson. As early as 1973 there was the feeling that while Emmo was the best, Peterson was the fastest. And in tems of bring an icon, everybody wants to be fastest. The old Senna vs Prost thing.

But Peterson is almost unknown in the US now whereas Fittapaldi is known by several million people who would recognise his name. So it goes back to the subjective thing again, and the location, place time factors.

[Born Racer]

Peterson is a long-term motorsport fan's icon, but perhaps more so if you're into Grand Prix racing and live on the European side of the pond. Fittipaldi might be more of a household name. Eddie the Eagle was more of a household name than many skiiers here in the UK. However, Fittipaldi was a really good driver

[Born Racer]

Peterson is a long-term motorsport fan's icon, but perhaps more so if you're into Grand Prix racing and live on the European side of the pond. Fittipaldi might be more of a household name. Eddie the Eagle was more of a household name than many skiiers here in the UK. However, Fittipaldi was a really good driver.

Edit: Just seen Gordon's Eddie the Eagle reference!

[bauble]

An 'icon' is, as I am sure we all knew, a religious painting depicting Jesus or some other Holy Figure, and is it's self treated a s 'Holy'.

It is also used to describe some one, or something that is symbolic of something.

I personally tend to think of 'icons of the sport' as those that have achieved more than just success, but that represent something unique in character.

Within 'motor sport' there are many 'icons', however, I believe that few would be recognised outside of the sport to any great degree, and it these few examples that I describe as 'Icons of the Sport.'

My particular 'hero' Mike Hawthorn by being Britain's first World Champion, and then dying so soon after retiring in a road accident, became a very public figure, and almost iconic. Just an example of my thinking you understand.

Carry on the discussion, occasionaly I am wrong.

[Born Racer]

I really think this is going to need a separate thread. I'm going to have to separate the discussion, as we have a new topic here.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by bauble

An 'icon' is, as I am sure we all knew, a religious painting depicting Jesus or some other Holy Figure, and is it's self treated a s 'Holy'.

It is also used to describe some one, or something that is symbolic of something.

I personally tend to think of 'icons of the sport' as those that have achieved more than just success, but that represent something unique in character.

Within 'motor sport' there are many 'icons', however, I believe that few would be recognised outside of the sport to any great degree, and it these few examples that I describe as 'Icons of the Sport.'

My particular 'hero' Mike Hawthorn by being Britain's first World Champion, and then dying so soon after retiring in a road accident, became a very public figure, and almost iconic. Just an example of my thinking you understand.

Carry on the discussion, occasionaly I am wrong.

Origin of the word Icon is C16th Latin and is in turn from Greek, eikōn image.

[Born Racer]

Please put all discussion about icons into this new thread: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143349

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Please put all discussion about icons into this new thread: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143349

There are two threads called, Who are your icons and what makes an icon? http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143350 and http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143349.

[fomoco]

Originally Posted by bauble

I agree BJ, but multiple World Champions like Brabham, Stewart, Lauda, Piquet are never placed in the icon category, any more than Alain Prost (with four titles) is, and I feel that unless Seb does something spectacular for Ferrari, he will go the same way. There have been many very good and successful drivers who history does not favour. I have seen all of the 'icons' listed, race, and can understand why they have achieved their measure of fame, there name is never forgotten. However, being a WC does not ensure a place in the pantheon of 'greats'.

Fate is fickle I suppose.

Kind regards,

Bauble.

Have to agree, the late Sir Jack, how many remember, that he built his cars, his great mate Denny Hulme won a WC,in one of Jack, s cars.
Black Jack won three, he and Graham Hill and others from england changed the Indy 500, rear engined cars, yet they still don't come up as icons.
time will tell

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by fomoco

Have to agree, the late Sir Jack, how many remember, that he built his cars, his great mate Denny Hulme won a WC,in one of Jack, s cars.
Black Jack won three, he and Graham Hill and others from england changed the Indy 500, rear engined cars, yet they still don't come up as icons.
time will tell

I disagree about Graham Hill. When I talk about motorsport with people his name invariably comes up, just as it has here.

[Knowlesy]

1) Hamilton
2) Ricciardo
3) Alonso
4) Rosberg
5) Bottas
6) Hulkenberg
7) Button
8) Kvyat
9) Bianchi
10) Vettel

I couldn't argue with any of my top three being number one. Well, not much. Gave it to Hamilton because, out of the three, he was the only one in the heat of a championship battle and having to deal with much more pressure. Other than that, they were pretty much on a par with each other.

[FAS33]

Daniel Ricciardo is the best Driver of the Season by FAR, overtook all the best drivers in F1, was the best overtaker this year, all without crashing into someone, something Lewis Hamilton could learn from him, he destroyed Vettel in the same car. All that with a smile on his face, TOO EASY of a choice.

[bauble]

He may not be the 'best driver of the year', but Massa over came the 'patsy' tag some many have pinned on him over the years, and proved to be a top driver, even dogged by the inevitable 'bad luck', where he seems to be a magnet for wayward drivers. Also stood no nonsense about 'move over for your team mate'. Well into the top ten for me.

[AoB Special Stage]

Hamilton won it, but credit must be given to Massa and Riccardo for trying to disrupt the dominance. Although, only so much can be done to stop a W105.