Most "deserving" F1 WDC

[Muzzer79]

robemcdonald said:

Not going to be popular this, but Nigel Mansell. He made a lot of personal sacrifices and used his own money to start out.
Although he's not as successful as some and arguably not as talented he was in a way a people's champion and very popular amongst the general public in a way that no subsequent British driver has managed.

Mansell is a difficult one for me.

I was a huge, huge fan growing up. He was always the driver I supported

However, in the last few years and as I've read his books, I've come to think he wasn't half a moaning s0d who liked to blame other people/equipment!

[robemcdonald]

Muzzer79 said:

robemcdonald said:

Not going to be popular this, but Nigel Mansell. He made a lot of personal sacrifices and used his own money to start out.
Although he's not as successful as some and arguably not as talented he was in a way a people's champion and very popular amongst the general public in a way that no subsequent British driver has managed.

Mansell is a difficult one for me.

I was a huge, huge fan growing up. He was always the driver I supported

However, in the last few years and as I've read his books, I've come to think he wasn't half a moaning s0d who liked to blame other people/equipment!

Pretty much like every other driver then. At least he go at there due to his own endeavours rather than just having wealthy / connected family.
I appreciate that Lewis Hamilton doesn't come from a privileged background, but in his case it was his dad that made the sacrifices.

[tommunster10]

Eric Mc said:

tommunster10 said:

I'd go as far as to say Miki was the best F1 driver ever, for his success's yes, for his human reaction to moments, very much yes. But he just seems to be so different to other F1 drivers, i never remember him being a dick or dangerous.
A great representative of F1, so not the best driver ever but certainly one of the best as an example of how to carry yourself.

EVER?

Are you dismissing people like Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart etc?

Yeah maybe not on reflection! lol., certainly Jackie has the mantle of doing arguably the most for the sport in that respect.

[JNW1]

Muzzer79 said:

robemcdonald said:

Not going to be popular this, but Nigel Mansell. He made a lot of personal sacrifices and used his own money to start out.
Although he's not as successful as some and arguably not as talented he was in a way a people's champion and very popular amongst the general public in a way that no subsequent British driver has managed.

Mansell is a difficult one for me.

I was a huge, huge fan growing up. He was always the driver I supported

However, in the last few years and as I've read his books, I've come to think he wasn't half a moaning s0d who liked to blame other people/equipment!

He did have a reputation for being a bit of a moaner but IMO it would have been a travesty if he hadn't won a WDC; he was competitive with some of the best drivers in the history of the sport (Prost, Senna, Piquet) and when he made occasional returns for Williams following Senna's death in 1994 he was still very much on the pace.

To be honest I never understood why Williams didn't give him the drive for 1995 as I reckon he'd have beaten Schumacher to the title that year; Coulthard was arguably a driver for the future but McLaren had an option on him for 1996 so if he showed any promise Williams were never going to get more than a year out of him. Therefore, might as well have given the drive for 1995 to Mansell who, I suspect, would have made a better fist of it than either Hill or Coulthard. Mansell's drive in the 1987 British GP remains for me one of the best I've seen, probably second only to Senna at Donnington in 1993; to be fair Schumacher at Barcelona in 1996 was pretty impressive as well though!

[robemcdonald]

For me it has to be Hungary 1989. Nigel in the unreliable and underpowered Ferrari starting 12th on the grid. Working his way to his best victory. The way he overhauled Prost and Senna is amazing.

Highlight video here

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g0B09GdlG1U

[Vaud]

robemcdonald said:

Not going to be popular this, but Nigel Mansell. He made a lot of personal sacrifices and used his own money to start out.
Although he's not as successful as some and arguably not as talented he was in a way a people's champion and very popular amongst the general public in a way that no subsequent British driver has managed.

He was a fighter. A moaning whinging fighter but clever with it... his competition was first class... The Italians called him "il leone" which is endorsement enough...

No other driver has since had the balls to quit as WDC and try to be champion in another series?

[S0 What]

tommunster10 said:

Eric Mc said:

tommunster10 said:

I'd go as far as to say Miki was the best F1 driver ever, for his success's yes, for his human reaction to moments, very much yes. But he just seems to be so different to other F1 drivers, i never remember him being a dick or dangerous.
A great representative of F1, so not the best driver ever but certainly one of the best as an example of how to carry yourself.

EVER?

Are you dismissing people like Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart etc?

Yeah maybe not on reflection! lol., certainly Jackie has the mantle of doing arguably the most for the sport in that respect.

For drivers from my time watching i'd agree with you on Mika, he was so cool and polite in nearly every situation, said what he had to to the driver not the press and is such a nice guy.
I only know Jackie from edited videos never live so wouldn't like to comment as a personal view but i respect Mika as much as anyone can whome i've never actually met, his public persona was impecable, Jackie as far as i can tell was again a gentleman but as i say only ever seen edited videos of his time on the track.

[coppice]

Every era has somebody special - two or three if you are lucky. The first F1 car I saw was driven by Stewart - sideways out of Lodge at Oulton - and he was one of those drivers whose wins had an inevitability about them . Not always spectacular - not like Villeneuve (senior) , Peterson, Alesi, Hamilton (who , like Senna and Schumacher is both fast and great to watch ) . With Prost, Lauda , Andretti, Hakkinen and Alonso , Stewart could win almost as of right . And although his book is dire beyond words , JYS did more for safety in F1 than anybody else , and at a time when nobody wanted to hear . A truly great man .

[Eric Mc]

S0 What said:

For drivers from my time watching i'd agree with you on Mika, he was so cool and polite in nearly every situation, said what he had to to the driver not the press and is such a nice guy.
I only know Jackie from edited videos never live so wouldn't like to comment as a personal view but i respect Mika as much as anyone can whome i've never actually met, his public persona was impecable, Jackie as far as i can tell was again a gentleman but as i say only ever seen edited videos of his time on the track.

There's no harm in making a suggestion for "best" driver from your own era. But the poster did say best F1 driver "ever" - which was a fairly wide time period and had to, be definition, to back to the start of F1 (which was actually 1946, not 1950).

Back in the pre-safety constrained and antiseptic circuits of today, being gentlemanly was as much to do with avoiding killing oneself or your competitors. In older times examples of drivers squeezing others off the track or deliberately blocking were extremely rare - although some drivers did have reputations which were less "saintly" than others.

[ZX10R NIN]

Jean Alesi is a driver who I'd like to have won a championship.

[JNW1]

ZX10R NIN said:

Jean Alesi is a driver who I'd like to have won a championship.

There was much I liked about Alesi's style of driving (aggressive without being dirty) but difficult to make a case for him being a deserving WDC when in many seasons of competing he only won one Grand Prix! Admittedly he perhaps ended-up in the wrong cars at the wrong time (went to Ferrari just as they were on the slide, same with Benetton) but the really good drivers still manage a few wins even when they're not in the best machinery and sadly Alesi never quite achieved that.

[coppice]

Never mind championship and stats , Alesi was hugely exciting to watch and I will always be grateful to him during a practice session at Silverstone. Wet track , all the girls blouses ignoring the paying public and sitting it out in the pit garages whilst we soaked . Until Alesi came out in his Ferrari and ragged the arse off it. Because he could .