Who are your top 5 favourite F1 drivers?

[SALEEN S7R]

Okay heres the deal, who is your top 5 F1 racing drivers? This isnt neccarcily based on indavidual results or nationality just who you like and why. Here's mine.

1:Rubens Barichello - Very laid back and funny guy and a proper professional. Had 6 tough years at Ferrari and for the most part did very well, never gave up when he was in a postition a lot of drivers would have.

2:Justin Wilson - Another very laid back charchter and a proper racer, didnt get the breaks he should have had but did a very good job in tough conditions whilst at Minardi and Jaguar.

3:Martin Brundle - One of the racing drivers that got me into F1, perhaps even the driver that got me into F1. Only saw him racing for 1 season in 1996 when he was at Jordan but from what I remember he got some good results, gave Barichello a run for his money too!

4:Eddie Irvine - Contraversial, loud, hilarious and sometimes annoying. Irvine was a great driver IMO and possibly Schumachers strongest team mate to date, on his day he was simply unstoppable.

5:Mike Hakkinen - Extremely quick and pretty quiet and modest, Mika was one of the few drivers to beat Schumacher on a regular basis. Just a shame he didnt stick around a little longer. IMO.

[Pro Racer]

for me as i am only 16 and have only been really into f1 the past few season i can only comment on the current crop of guys.

1. Mark Webber - not because were from the same country its because he is down to earth if he has an incedent and its his fault eg hungry he puts his hand up and admits to his mistake or if he has a mechanical faliure for eg monaco where he could of rubbished the team he didn't and he is an all round good bloke not affraid to speak his mind and a good team player.

2. Micheal Shumacher - great driver no doubt thats what puts him this high in my list and would be number1 if he would stand up and admit his mistakes instead of making excuses and if he would take on on of the big guns in f1 like kimi raikkonen as a team mate we'll see next year if he does.

3. Rubens Barrichello good but i think took to much of being second at ferrari to shumacher to long and really hasnt been able to show his full talent but he is a good team player so that why he is on my list

4. Kimi Raikkonen great driver but makes a few silly mistakes like in hungry when he jumped the torro rosso and blamed liuzzi for the crash when liuzzi did move over for him to pass.

5. Fernando Alonso great driver but could he do it in a lesser car and he gets to fired up if someone gets in his way and he thinks everyone should get out of his way including if its for position he waves his fist in the air thats why he is abit lower down my list but i love the things he does at the end of the race when he wins

[Flat Out Farr]

VERY DIFFICULT ONE THIS;

1]Jean Alesi - the guy was incredible; the drive in the wet, on slicks, when he was with Ferrari(the brain is getting old); he blew everyone away.

2] Nigel Mansell: for his sheer balls and determination; Ok everyone did not like him but he was the people's person;

3] JPM; he was excellent in Champ Cars and showed flashes of brilliance. He would not let Schumacher intimidate him

4] Tony Brise; he could have been a top guy. I lived round the corner from him and saw him go up the ranks. He was something special

5] Emerson Fittipaldi; even now, the old boy still shows he can cut the mustard.

I could add another 10 names but, we did say top 5!

[KaiserSose]

1. Alain Prost
2. Nikki Lauda
3. Michael Schumacher
4. Nelson Piquet
5. Fernando Alonso

[Chatters]

1. Ayrton Senna- All I have is admiration for the guy. He was a born racer, he was phonomenal behind the wheel, especially in Monaco in his rookie years.

2. Jaqcues Villeneuve- When he was in his prime in the mid to late 90s, he was unstoppable. His character was funny and I think it's a shame he's (supposedly) leaving F1.

3. Mark Webber- For sheer determination. He's been given a rotten line of cars to race in, and good race finishes are few and far between, but he goes out there every race weekend and tries his hardest no matter what car he is in.

4. Michael Schumacher- No matter what everyone says about him, no matter what his antics on the track are, when it comes down to it he is a brilliant driver truly worthy of his 7 WDCs.

5. Jenson Button- Nice guy, good (not necessarily lucky) driver. He has determination like no other (apart from Webber ) and his skill is extremely good.

[Bluewolf]

1. Gerhard Berger -- Good driver with an excellent, upbeat personality and a good sense of humor.

2. Niki Lauda -- Very Intelligent -- you would always listen when Lauda spoke.

3. Ayrton Senna -- How can you not like the greatest driver of all time.

4. Alan Jones -- I always felt he was a bit underrated so I gotta give him a vote.

5. Rubens Barrichello -- Great attitude -- Having to play second fiddle so many years to Schumi and not letting it get you down is a tall order.

[Speedblood]

As i'm only 17, i can only really say who i've seen race.

1) Mika Hakkinen- His Mclaren debut at Portugal in 1993 was very impressive. Made Senna look slow! Very quiet and usually calm character makes him my no.1

2) Damon Hill- Always had a smooth driving style that was precise and usually very quick. Lost motivation at the end of his career, but it's his years in Williams that i'll always remember.

3) Michael Schumacher- As much as I used to hate him, i've come to accept that quite frankly he is the best of the modern era. He may be controversial at times, but then again thats just him.

4) Martin Brundle- One driver who never got the chance he deserved. Nealry beat Senna in F3, consistent points scorer and should of won at least 1 grand prix.

5) Kimi Raikkonen- Might make mistakes on occasions, but usually is ice cool and wrings the maximum out of the car. His quiet character makes him different to anyone else.

[Armco Bender]

Rindt,Hunt,Peterson,Brambilla.J-P Jarier.

I'm ancient.

[baldrick1946]

Clark
Stewart
Brabham
Senna
Prost

I`m even more ancient.
Simmohttp://tentenths.com/forum/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[luke]

1. Nigel Mansell - His guts and determination. Excitment and drama. My hero and he could beat the likes of Senna Prost, Piquet....

2. Ayrton Senna - One of the best drivers ever no doubt. His perfection and amazing driving was incredible to watch. He was the ultimate.

3. Michael Schumacher - My favourite driver since the above retired. I guess I just liked him even more when he came so close everytime. The best driver certainly in the last ten years.

4/5/6 Eddie Irvine, Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick. I liked Eddie as he was at Ferrari, he was cool, funny not that bad on the track and was awesome in 1999.
Martin Brundle should have been in a top seat he should have been a winner shame it never quite happened.
My Grandad was friends with Derek Warwick and for the above he was British and a nearly man.

[Jordi]

1 - Jacques Villeneuve: I can't say I only like him as a driver, for me he is an example.

2 - Damon Hill: Got me into F1 back in 1993, and I always liked him... How do you explain? I just liked him.

3, 4 and 5: I'm not old enough to have seen them race, but I've always been intrigued by Jim Clark, Gilles Villeneuve and Carlos Reutemann. For some reason I look for things on them, and I regret having not been around to see them race.

[Rex Judicata]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Okay heres the deal, who is your top 5 F1 racing drivers? This isnt neccarcily based on indavidual results or nationality just who you like and why.

Ok, but these are not in any particular order.

Rudi Caracciola - because he a great gentleman, a master of car control, was the first rain master, and he was the great master of the Silver Arrows.

Mario Andretti - because he was a true racer, and won in everything he drove.

Dan Gurney - because Jimmy Clark said Dan was the only person he feared on the track - compliments just don't come any better than that.

Niki Lauda - because of his intellect, his triumph over horrible pain and adversity.

Gilles Villeneuve - aka Villeneuve pere - because of his passion, love of racing, and his sheer native talent.

I give honorable mention to Jimmy Clark, Stirling Moss, Ricardo Rodriguez, Bernd Rosemeyer, Phil Hill, Tazio Nuvolari, Nigel Mansell, and Peter Revson. It was particularly hard not to include Stirling in the above list. I'm not sure of today's young lions, but I wonder if Nico Rosberg, Scott Speed, or Marco Andretti will turn out to be the real thing.

I exclude Schumacher, Senna, and Prost - because I don't like their values as much as I appreciate their ability and their success.

[EERO]

I'm somewhat ancient.

Jimmy Clark-The one against whom all others are measured, the absolute peerless performer when I first followed F1

Peterson-flair, bravery, style and a Swede

Andretti- The greatest American racer ever

Mika Hakkinen-charming and blessed with a subtle sense of humour, blindingly fast in a racecar

Damon Hill-His own man, drew upon deep resources after Senna's death, was brave, honest and tenacious and someone who seized the opportunity that fell in his lap and proved the doubters wrong.

Reutemann, Brambilla, Revson, Donahue, De Angelis, Jarier,
Frentzen, Hailwood, Reggazoni, Ickx, Panis, Gurney and Heidfeld all are close to the top for me.

[DPRacing]

Ronnie Peterson
Mika Salo
Nick Heidfeld
Gunnar Nilsson
Alessandro Zanardi

[Knowlesy]

Juan Pablo Montoya
Nigel Mansell
Damon Hill
Mika Hakkinen
Gerhard Berger

All inspiring in different ways. All great characters. All fast in their own ways. Heck, some of them won titles.

None are in F1 currently.

[Hamness]

Stirling Moss
Jim Clark
John Surtees
Tom Pryce
Jean Alesi

Listed in no particular order but they were all drivers (that I was lucky enough to see on many occasions) that stood out amongst their contemporaries. Many others since have gone on to greater things if their win ratios , total wins, championships etc. are taken into account but I still dont place them above my 5 choices . Maybe close but not above.

[Bononi]

Like mine, none of them are in F1 currently.

At least, earthly F1...

[JohnSSC]

Wow! What a question! Only five, ehh. Well being pretty ancient means I have a bit of an odd list and in no particular order:

Mario Andretti - peerless in American and darn fine in European racing: absolutely one of the most versatile drivers ever.

Michael Schumacher - a master behind the wheel - peerless team builder - perhaps unmatched on the technical (engineering) side.

Niki Lauda - "Super Rat." Extraordinary combination of brains, guile, skill and guts.

Graham Hill - personification of the "club" era of F1 before it went "corporate."

JM Fangio - the "benchmark" by which we still measure driver greatness.

Honourable mention: Clay Regazzoni, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt, Jim Clark, Jody Scheckter, Reutemann, Emmo, Bruce McLaren, Mark Donohue, John Surtees, Black Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, JP "Jumper" Jarier, Phil Hill, Nigel Mansell...and, well, can I pick 15 instead of five???

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

and, well, can I pick 15 instead of five???

You already did you old man It's easy to see that we, veterans or whatever people call people beyond 40 (see, I'm still young inside, and I have a reputation to keep) hardly can choose only 5 speed genius.

[Knowlesy]

I found it hard enough myself and I'm a fraction of your age Bon.

[Chatters]

16... And still I could list about 25 other drivers...

[Marbot]

Senna,Senna,Senna,Senna and err.........Senna,in no particular order.

But i too could list maybe 25-30 that deserve a mention.

[maltafan]

Senna king of all drivers, then, in no particular order

M Schumacher
Prost
Mansell
Montoya (in his Williams days)


I also have a lot of respect for Zanardi, although his days in F1 were not of the highest standards and in a car worth crap

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

... and I'm a fraction of your age Bon.

Are you implying that I am too old or you're too young ?

[strider]

A purely personal list, in historical order:

Stirling Moss
Niki Lauda
Ayrton Senna
Mika Häkkinen
Kimi Räikkönen