Who is F1's greatest?

Sid Schumacher · 8th September 2005, 19:29

Many years have gone by in F1, and many highly rated drivers have come and gone...but who according to you guys is worthy of the title of being F1's greatest and most famous??

RX135 · 8th September 2005, 21:27

Just as I thought that not many heated debates are happening on T-BHP off late, you straight away hit the jackpot. I am sure, this will be one of the most debated threads. There was Prost, there was Fangio and there was all time great Senna. But, my choice would rest with Schumacher.

Found one interesting link on BBC : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/3168114.stm

mclaren1885 · 8th September 2005, 21:30

well there were different greats from differnent eras..so its pretty difficult to decide who is the greatest because all kinds of technology were available to each one of them at different levels and none had all the technologies(known to f1 till date) available at their disposal.. so going by the eras it would have to be:
1. 1950's - juan manuel fangio & alberto ascari..
2. 1960's - jim alark,graham hill & jack brabham..
2. 1970's - jackie stewart,niki lauda & mario andretti..
3. 1980's - nelson piquet,giles villeneuve,alain prost,ayrton senna..
4. 1990's - ayrton senna(again),nigel mansel,alain prost(yet again),damon hill, michael schumacher & mika hakkinen..
5. 2000's(1st half) - michael schumacher,JPM,kimi raikkonen & fernando alonso..
so i would rate the greatest from that era and not all the way back from 1950-2005 as it would be unfair to the greats back from the golden are as they didnt have such immaculate safety features..

v1p3r · 8th September 2005, 22:06

Michael Schumacher...

sridhar24 · 9th September 2005, 12:44

Its Michael schumacher for me.

shuvc · 9th September 2005, 13:03

Have been following F1 from the mid 90s ... so opinion on all drivers before that would primarily be based on hearsay and archives ..

From what I have experienced since the time I've been into F1 .. it's Mika for me

Deeps · 9th September 2005, 13:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sid Schumacher

Many years have gone by in F1, and many highly rated drivers have come and gone...but who according to you guys is worthy of the title of being F1's greatest and most famous??

Greatest and most famous are totally different things!

I'll talk about the greatest. For me it is Senna without question! A lot of people think that Schumacher is the greatest...but i beg to differ. He is definitely the most successful driver in F1 history (stats don't lie). But the greatest? Hell...no!

Rtech · 9th September 2005, 14:30

Ok, I will restrict myself to drivers I've actually seen race, and not go into the previous generation of drivers (I'll leave that for the elders on this forum

).

As far as the greatest driver goes, that's a question no-one can ever answer accurately. But, my personal best would be a tie between Prost & Schumacher.

Prost: As he was and still is one of the most precise drivers ever. Also, lets remember that he did win the Championship against some real serious competition, and even when Senna was his own teammate. IMO, Prost was a better driver than Senna.

Schumacher: well, if you look closely, he really has a similar style to Senna. They both liked to intimidate their opponents, sometime using force and questionable driving techniques to get what they want.

However, as for all things old, they are looked at through rose tinted glasses, hence Senna's driving is seen as passionate, while Schumi's is cheating!! But, what they both share is the will to win against all odds and are willing to do almost anything to get that trophy.

Also, remember, he won his first Championship with a car that was nowhere as good as the competition. It's only in recent years that he had a car advantage.

If you hold a gun to my head and ask me to chose between Prost & Schumi, well, it would Schumi for me.

I saw mclaren1885 mention Damon Hill. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I would love to know the reason behind your choice. He is a decent driver (nobody wins a WC if they are not), but definitely not up there with the greatest.

RX135 · 9th September 2005, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rtech

However, as for all things old, they are looked at through rose tinted glasses, hence Senna's driving is seen as passionate, while Schumi's is cheating!! But, what they both share is the will to win against all odds and are willing to do almost anything to get that trophy.

You snatched words from my mouth. Senna had personal charisma/glamour surrounding him, which made him larger than life figure. No doubt, he was a great (or greatest?) driver in wet conditions.

typeOnegative · 9th September 2005, 16:43

I am a big fan of Mika Hakkinen. But since the question is on who is the greatest, I will have to grudgingly give that to Schumacher. He has won the most. He is classic in the rain. Senna? Well he is dead. Schumacher is not.

deepakhon · 9th September 2005, 16:59

I started following F1 only from last year. So, I dont think I am the right person to judge here. I will not make any comment on the best F1 driver ever, but from whatever little I have seen, I admire Schumaker and Kimi.

X-Machine · 9th September 2005, 18:26

My vote goes to Prost.One person with precise judgement,control and calm head.
Schumi is excellent undoubtebly,but he is certainly not a legend yet.He has to slog a little more to attain that legendary status.

X

Sid Schumacher · 9th September 2005, 19:17

I have to say its going to be Micheal Schumacher for me too..Senna, yes...he's in a league of his own, buI do feel that the driving styles of bith Senna's and MSC's are similar in many ways.
I ALSO FEEL THAT SENNA GETS JUST AS MUCH ATTENTION AS MICHAEL...BUT I FEEL HE GETS MORE OF IT BECAUSE HE DIED WHILE RACING...
PS: OPINIONS MAY DIFFER WITH WHAT I HAVE SAID.....NO OFFENCES TO ANYONE:(

Gurkha · 9th September 2005, 19:28

Senna all the way, on the McLaren Honda, had the chance to meet the greatest in person in Canada GP, was amazingly humble and low key considering his status.
Schumacher is truly good and talented but he raced in a different time, probably the best in the current crop. Senna was God in rain, where Prost withdrew, Senna kept going, goes to show the commitment and self belief. He was equally good in dry or for that matter any terrain.

Don't forget Rossi, although from Moto GP, he is the one and only living genius like Senna.

merve_extreme · 9th September 2005, 19:45

Its Michael Schumacher for me too.it takes some special talent in a man to make a team like ferrari bow before him year after year and no wonder ron dennis is constantly checking on him.

He has a very special relation with the team and i dont think any driver would ever close to such a relation.

when senna died in 1994,MS was leading the WC(if i am correct) and senna hadn't won a race.

8th September 2005, 19:29	#1
Sid Schumacher BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 262 Thanked: 3 Times	Who is F1's greatest? Many years have gone by in F1, and many highly rated drivers have come and gone...but who according to you guys is worthy of the title of being F1's greatest and most famous??
	() Thanks

8th September 2005, 21:27	#2
RX135 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: pune Posts: 2,106 Thanked: 75 Times	Just as I thought that not many heated debates are happening on T-BHP off late, you straight away hit the jackpot. I am sure, this will be one of the most debated threads. There was Prost, there was Fangio and there was all time great Senna. But, my choice would rest with Schumacher. Found one interesting link on BBC : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/3168114.stm
	() Thanks

8th September 2005, 21:30	#3
mclaren1885 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !! Posts: 4,820 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	well there were different greats from differnent eras..so its pretty difficult to decide who is the greatest because all kinds of technology were available to each one of them at different levels and none had all the technologies(known to f1 till date) available at their disposal.. so going by the eras it would have to be: 1. 1950's - juan manuel fangio & alberto ascari.. 2. 1960's - jim alark,graham hill & jack brabham.. 2. 1970's - jackie stewart,niki lauda & mario andretti.. 3. 1980's - nelson piquet,giles villeneuve,alain prost,ayrton senna.. 4. 1990's - ayrton senna(again),nigel mansel,alain prost(yet again),damon hill, michael schumacher & mika hakkinen.. 5. 2000's(1st half) - michael schumacher,JPM,kimi raikkonen & fernando alonso.. so i would rate the greatest from that era and not all the way back from 1950-2005 as it would be unfair to the greats back from the golden are as they didnt have such immaculate safety features..
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8th September 2005, 22:06	#4
v1p3r Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR / DXB / LON Posts: 5,334 Thanked: 6,896 Times View My Garage	Michael Schumacher...
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9th September 2005, 12:44	#5
sridhar24 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,046 Thanked: 88 Times	Its Michael schumacher for me.
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9th September 2005, 13:03	#6
shuvc Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kolkata Posts: 2,913 Thanked: 352 Times View My Garage	Have been following F1 from the mid 90s ... so opinion on all drivers before that would primarily be based on hearsay and archives .. From what I have experienced since the time I've been into F1 .. it's Mika for me Last edited by shuvc : 9th September 2005 at 13:13.
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9th September 2005, 14:30	#8
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Ok, I will restrict myself to drivers I've actually seen race, and not go into the previous generation of drivers (I'll leave that for the elders on this forum ). As far as the greatest driver goes, that's a question no-one can ever answer accurately. But, my personal best would be a tie between Prost & Schumacher. Prost: As he was and still is one of the most precise drivers ever. Also, lets remember that he did win the Championship against some real serious competition, and even when Senna was his own teammate. IMO, Prost was a better driver than Senna. Schumacher: well, if you look closely, he really has a similar style to Senna. They both liked to intimidate their opponents, sometime using force and questionable driving techniques to get what they want. However, as for all things old, they are looked at through rose tinted glasses, hence Senna's driving is seen as passionate, while Schumi's is cheating!! But, what they both share is the will to win against all odds and are willing to do almost anything to get that trophy. Also, remember, he won his first Championship with a car that was nowhere as good as the competition. It's only in recent years that he had a car advantage. If you hold a gun to my head and ask me to chose between Prost & Schumi, well, it would Schumi for me. I saw mclaren1885 mention Damon Hill. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I would love to know the reason behind your choice. He is a decent driver (nobody wins a WC if they are not), but definitely not up there with the greatest.
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9th September 2005, 16:43	#10
typeOnegative Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Vikhroli, Mumbai, India Posts: 1,503 Thanked: 27 Times	I am a big fan of Mika Hakkinen. But since the question is on who is the greatest, I will have to grudgingly give that to Schumacher. He has won the most. He is classic in the rain. Senna? Well he is dead. Schumacher is not.
	() Thanks

9th September 2005, 16:59	#11
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	I started following F1 only from last year. So, I dont think I am the right person to judge here. I will not make any comment on the best F1 driver ever, but from whatever little I have seen, I admire Schumaker and Kimi.
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9th September 2005, 18:26	#12
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	My vote goes to Prost.One person with precise judgement,control and calm head. Schumi is excellent undoubtebly,but he is certainly not a legend yet.He has to slog a little more to attain that legendary status. X
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9th September 2005, 19:17	#13
Sid Schumacher BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 262 Thanked: 3 Times	I have to say its going to be Micheal Schumacher for me too..Senna, yes...he's in a league of his own, buI do feel that the driving styles of bith Senna's and MSC's are similar in many ways. I ALSO FEEL THAT SENNA GETS JUST AS MUCH ATTENTION AS MICHAEL...BUT I FEEL HE GETS MORE OF IT BECAUSE HE DIED WHILE RACING... PS: OPINIONS MAY DIFFER WITH WHAT I HAVE SAID.....NO OFFENCES TO ANYONE:(
	() Thanks

9th September 2005, 19:28	#14
Gurkha BANNED Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Kalyani, West Bengal Posts: 444 Thanked: 10 Times	Senna all the way, on the McLaren Honda, had the chance to meet the greatest in person in Canada GP, was amazingly humble and low key considering his status. Schumacher is truly good and talented but he raced in a different time, probably the best in the current crop. Senna was God in rain, where Prost withdrew, Senna kept going, goes to show the commitment and self belief. He was equally good in dry or for that matter any terrain. Don't forget Rossi, although from Moto GP, he is the one and only living genius like Senna.
	() Thanks

9th September 2005, 19:45	#15
merve_extreme Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,359 Thanked: 18 Times View My Garage	Its Michael Schumacher for me too.it takes some special talent in a man to make a team like ferrari bow before him year after year and no wonder ron dennis is constantly checking on him. He has a very special relation with the team and i dont think any driver would ever close to such a relation. when senna died in 1994,MS was leading the WC(if i am correct) and senna hadn't won a race.
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