The Da Vinci of F1

[Agent Orange]

Ben Dirs on the BBC has written an interesting piece on the beautiful artists of sport.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/snooker/25816658

Ben Dirs said:

When O'Sullivan plays snooker like this, the consensus is that he makes it look like he is playing another game. This is what the beautiful sportspeople do.

In the hands of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, a tennis racquet is a rock hammer and a tennis court a quarry. In the hands of Roger Federer, a tennis racquet is a paint brush and a tennis court a canvas.

On his day, Tiger Woods plays golf better than anyone but he often makes it look as pleasing to the senses as shovelling coal.

Ben didn't include F1 or any motorsport in his article and the line about Tiger Woods shovelling coal rang true for me about Vettel. If your life depended on a win you'd have Vettel every time.

But I'd take Button's drive in Canada 2011 or sit at the top of the Suzuka S curves watching him thread the car through any day.

So who's your Da Vinci of F1?

[Steffan]

Unquestionably Fangio. Best British driver must be the late great Jim Clark. Like Stirling Moss, the best driver never to win a championship, Clark could drive every type of car brilliantly. My personal favourite was Graham Hill who exemplified Motor Racing at its most suave and sophisticated and was such a delightful ambassador for racing. Schumacher had very much more reliable machinery in this efforts but his unrepeatable consistency must be respected. But the best for me was Juan Manuel Fangio

[RealSquirrels]

hamilton passing 2 cars at once through becketts, or past raikonnen under braking at monza, or when he confused felipe massa so much he fell off the track in malaysia.

[Derek Smith]

Steffan said:

Unquestionably Fangio. Best British driver must be the late great Jim Clark. Like Stirling Moss, the best driver never to win a championship, Clark could drive every type of car brilliantly. My personal favourite was Graham Hill who exemplified Motor Racing at its most suave and sophisticated and was such a delightful ambassador for racing. Schumacher had very much more reliable machinery in this efforts but his unrepeatable consistency must be respected. But the best for me was Juan Manuel Fangio

I never saw Fangio.

I saw Clark drive F1, F2, saloon and sports cars. Once, at Crystal Palace when in a Lotus Contina and being unable to pass a 4.7 Mustang, driven I think by Gawaine Baillie, he hung the back out on every corner on the slowing down lap just for the fun of it.

In the rain at Brands he put half the Indy circuit on the rest of the field on a lap of the GP circuit.

I've followed F1 since 66 and he's the only one I'd describe as an artist in a car, any car.

[Justaredbadge]

Derek Smith said:

I never saw Fangio.

I saw Clark drive F1, F2, saloon and sports cars. Once, at Crystal Palace when in a Lotus Contina and being unable to pass a 4.7 Mustang, driven I think by Gawaine Baillie, he hung the back out on every corner on the slowing down lap just for the fun of it.

In the rain at Brands he put half the Indy circuit on the rest of the field on a lap of the GP circuit.

I've followed F1 since 66 and he's the only one I'd describe as an artist in a car, any car.

This.

Clark.



If you're after a Picasso of the sport, G Villeneuve.

[Steffan]

Derek Smith said:

Steffan said:

Unquestionably Fangio. Best British driver must be the late great Jim Clark. Like Stirling Moss, the best driver never to win a championship, Clark could drive every type of car brilliantly. My personal favourite was Graham Hill who exemplified Motor Racing at its most suave and sophisticated and was such a delightful ambassador for racing. Schumacher had very much more reliable machinery in this efforts but his unrepeatable consistency must be respected. But the best for me was Juan Manuel Fangio

I never saw Fangio.

I saw Clark drive F1, F2, saloon and sports cars. Once, at Crystal Palace when in a Lotus Contina and being unable to pass a 4.7 Mustang, driven I think by Gawaine Baillie, he hung the back out on every corner on the slowing down lap just for the fun of it.

In the rain at Brands he put half the Indy circuit on the rest of the field on a lap of the GP circuit.

I've followed F1 since 66 and he's the only one I'd describe as an artist in a car, any car.

Derek it is very difficult to compare racers when the cars and circuits have altered to such an extent. My Father always championed Nuvolari as the greatest and indeed he was quite outstanding in his time. In the Clark days drivers were able, indeed had to race every type of car and Clark was undoubtedly quite exceptional. I watched Fangio and the mid fifties races with my Father and on balance Fangio is my personal candidate. With the modern Kart trained drivers Schumacher must surely be the leader. But it is a matter of opinion and I do not claim to be right in this choice. Just my opinion.

[DanielSan]

Justaredbadge said:

This.

Clark.



If you're after a Picasso of the sport, G Villeneuve.

Agree with that.

[entropy]

Has to be Senna.

The purity of driving and racing: on the limit. Not only was he expressing himself it was a form of art.

Pole lap, Adelaide 1985 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geJMv8Qzp-Q&app...

Ironically he is more closer to Michelangelo/Caravaggio than Da Vinci. Ronnie as well.

[Forbes82]

Justaredbadge said:

This.

Clark.



If you're after a Picasso of the sport, G Villeneuve.

Also agree with these two.

Senna's in there somewhere but my artistic knowledge is insufficient to suggest where.

Others have been great, but if we are talking about 'artists' then i struggle to see anyone else alongside these three. I don't know enough about pre-clark drivers to comment on them though.

[Eric Mc]

Driving artistes "stroke" and "caress" a car - they don't drive it.

[Richard-G]

Kobayashi, Suzuka 2010. In a season where we saw very few dry weather overtakes and aero dominated by blown double diffusers meaning cars couldn't drive close, he drove that car in places and speeds he shouldn't have been able too. Some of his passing was almost hard to believe.

Vettel, monza 2008 was at 100% the whole way with just a few tiny errors.

[RealSquirrels]

i'd also like to nominate hamilton at silverstone 2008, possibly the most dominant victory of the current (previous) era.

[RDMcG]

Of the drivers I have seen personally Schumacher. I recall a race (Spain?),where it was very wet, and he came third. Not bad,as he was stuck in fifth gear,PITTED in fifth,came out and drove a long stint to the finish. I was astonished.

[RDMcG]

Of the drivers I have seen personally Schumacher. I recall a race (Spain?),where it was very wet, and he came third. Not bad,as he was stuck in fifth gear,PITTED in fifth,came out and drove a long stint to the finish. I was astonished.

[fivepint]

I think in the true spirit of DaVinci, Adrian Newey should be in with a shout! An artistic engineer who seemingly can visualise airflow

[Agent Orange]

fivepint said:

I think in the true spirit of DaVinci, Adrian Newey should be in with a shout! An artistic engineer who seemingly can visualise airflow

Actually that's a good shout.

I'm wondering how this would apply to other motorsports. MotoGP, bikes etc. and rally.

Not a case of who's the best but who makes their chosen motorsport the most beautiful to watch.

[24lemons]

I'm sorry, Ben Dirs? Surely that's a made up name!

[Agent Orange]

24lemons said:

I'm sorry, Ben Dirs? Surely that's a made up name!

Sadly for him no it's completely genuine. A brilliant sports writer in my mind and an especially exceptional boxing writer. His output for the BBC sports website isn't huge but he's definitely a case of quality over quantity.

"twitter: The latest from Ben Dirs (@bendirs1). My name, alas, is Ben Dirs and I write and blog about sport and stuff. I work for the BBC but I am not them."

[entropy]

Agent Orange said:

fivepint said:

I think in the true spirit of DaVinci, Adrian Newey should be in with a shout! An artistic engineer who seemingly can visualise airflow

Actually that's a good shout.

I'm wondering how this would apply to other motorsports. MotoGP, bikes etc. and rally.

Not a case of who's the best but who makes their chosen motorsport the most beautiful to watch.

NASCAR - Dale Earnhardt (funnily enough he said he could visualise the draft/airflow), Tim Richmond, Kyle Busch

Touring cars - Peter Brock

Moto GP - Marc Marquez, Casey Stoner, Freddie Spencer (I'm starting to watch old races on YouTube)

Rallying - Colin McCrae

RDMcG said:

Of the drivers I have seen personally Schumacher. I recall a race (Spain?),where it was very wet, and he came third. Not bad,as he was stuck in fifth gear,PITTED in fifth,came out and drove a long stint to the finish. I was astonished.

You're getting mixed up with two races.

1994 was when he was stuck in 5th - and it was dry!

1996 was when he won in the wet - though I must add he was the only driver on full wet set up.

[Steffan]

Eric Mc said:

Driving artistes "stroke" and "caress" a car - they don't drive it.

I have to agree. That is why Stirling Moss is a hero of mine his Mille Milgia drive was quite outstanding. I also thought Jim Clark in a racing car was quite superbly smooth often driving very fragile Lotus creations. It was the inability of Chapman to equal Clark as a driver that caused him to employ the youngster in F1. Fangio remains the greatest driver I have seen overall. Masterly wet or dry.