Greatest drivers of all time
Greatest drivers of all time
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Discussion

sploosh

Original Poster:

822 posts

237 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
I met Murray Walker the other week. I had the opportunity to ask him a question ......... but in the moment couldn't think of anything paperbag

Anyway I would have really liked to have a chat about his opinions on the greatest driver of all time - any discipline.

For my two penneth I used to really enjoy watching Mansell - always gave 110%. I will never forget his scrap with Senna at Monaco 1992 - edge of the seat stuff.

VladD

8,196 posts

294 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
I'd say Loeb would be right up there and Makinnen too.

Sheaver1

93 posts

219 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
For me, Jim Clarke would have to top the list. Sublime car control. Stewart would also have to be up there, along with Senna and Schumacher.

Discuss . . .

driving

aeropilot

40,632 posts

256 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Fangio, Clark and Schumacher.

Teppic

8,076 posts

286 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Fangio, Clark, Moss, Stewart, Gilles Villeneuve, Senna, Schumacher.

freedman

6,015 posts

236 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Senna

german tony

2,000 posts

237 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Me but I've been hiding my talent under a total lack of cash for the past 20 years.

profstoff

1,272 posts

256 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Sheaver1 said:
For me, Jim Clarke would have to top the list. Sublime car control. Stewart would also have to be up there, along with Senna and Schumacher.

Discuss . . .

driving
thumbup Jim Clark proved his worth by being able to jump into so many different cars and win. Anyone who saw him in a Lotus Cortina would have been convinced of his supreme car control.

It's a shame modern drivers are so polarised in F1 as they don't get a chance to shine in anything else.

I agree with all the others: Fangio, Stewart, Prost, Senna and Schumacher all had superlative car control. Then there are Graham Hill and Nigel Mansell for sheer bloody determination.

Who is the best is impossible to say because how do you comapre drivers from different eras, driving different cars and against different opposition? But that's what makes the debate so interesting.

Shaw Tarse

31,888 posts

232 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Teppic said:
Fangio, Clark, Moss, Stewart, Gilles Villeneuve, Senna, Schumacher.
All mentioned in Murray Walkers Formula One Heroes, a decent book, which cost me all of £1 !
Ideal for reading on the loo!

thunderbelmont

2,982 posts

253 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Is it that time already? Must be at least six months since we last had a "greatest driver ever" thread.

Sheaver1

93 posts

219 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
I remember some time back (in the late nineties) F1 Racing magazine running a feature covering this topic. They used the criterion of how each driver performed against their team mates. Using this method, Jim Clark was statistically the best driver. Considering he had Graham Hill as a team mate, that was pretty impressive.

However, that article was published before the Schumacher domination of the first half of this decade. Also, the fact the Schumacher had undisputed Number 1 status may skew these results.

bow

Rich VRS

605 posts

229 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
with my limited knowledge; Senna, Loeb, Makinnen, Schumacher, and theres some other but im waiting to see how there current careers go, Giovanardi been one.

sploosh

Original Poster:

822 posts

237 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
.... also thought about Tom Kristensen, one hell of a CV.


Rich VRS

605 posts

229 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
sploosh said:
.... also thought about Tom Kristensen, one hell of a CV.
that's who I was trying to remember!!!

744ti

181 posts

218 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Henri Toivonen, Walter Röhrl, Ari Vatanen

Toma500

1,249 posts

282 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Teppic said:
Fangio, Clark, Moss, Stewart, Gilles Villeneuve, Senna, Schumacher.


Yep all of those and some largely forgotten blokes like Vic Elford for instance in 1968 he won the Monte Carlo rally, Daytona 24hr,second at Sebring , and won the Targa florio. I reckon its hard to compare the abilities of the older drivers with the new because of the increased safety comparing say Alonso with Ascari i bet alonso couldnt drive an an Ascari era car around the old Monza as hard as Ascari but Ascari would do all right in a modern F1 car arond the New or old Monza lets face it these old racers had balls as big as elephants. hehe

anonymous-user

83 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Loeb, senna, makinen, peter brock, schumacer

Shaw Tarse

31,888 posts

232 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Colin McRae?
I'd love to see an all time/multi discipline race to find the World's best racing driver!

aeropilot

40,632 posts

256 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
Fangio, Clark and Schumacher.
Aah, yes, not just F1 only, in which case, in addition to the above....

Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, Henri Toivonen, Hannu Mikkola, Walter Rohl, Martin Schanche, Derek Bell, Jacky Ickx, Richard Petty, Peter Brock, Ari Vatenen and of course the late great Gerry Marshall.


Freddie von Rost

1,978 posts

241 months

Monday 13th October 2008
quotequote all
Tazio Nuvolari. Probably the most gifted driver of them all.





Edited by Freddie von Rost on Monday 13th October 18:54