Lewis Hamilton won his third F1 World Championship at the US Grand Prix in October, and statistically speaking he sits alongside the greats. But his career isn’t over yet, and while there is every chance he can become one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, he still has some way to go to join this list.
While we know it's difficult (or even impossible) to compare drivers from different generations, that hasn't stopped us listing what we think are the 10 best F1 World Champions in the history of the sport. Don’t agree? Send us your top 10 by tweeting us @GulfNewsGuides.
10. Alain Prost
Alain Prost was known as “The Professor” for the simple reason that every move he made, be it on the track, what he said, or moving between teams, was carefully calculated and never on a whim.
Prost began his F1 career with McLaren in 1980, before leaving for Renault where he would score his first win in France in 1981. Strong results followed before he rejoined McLaren to partner Niki Lauda in 1984. It was the start of a dominating period for the Frenchman who, after losing the 1984 title by half a point, won it consecutively in 1985 and 1986.
Ayrton Senna joined him 1988 and things soon turned sour. Prost won the title in 1989 after much controversy, and moved to Ferrari. He was fired in 1991 for criticising the car, before returning to F1 with Williams in 1993 where he would win his fourth and last title.
Prost is today involved in the all-electric Formula E series and is often seen around the F1 paddock with French TV.
World titles 4 – 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 Wins 51 Poles 33 Years active 1980 to 1991, 1993
9. Jack Brabham
Australian Jack Brabham redefined what was possible in Formula 1. To this day he remains the only driver to have won a Formula 1 world title in a car carrying his name, a fete he achieved in 1966.
Like all champions, Brabham hated losing, and in one defining race he proved that he would get the points at all costs. At the Monaco Grand Prix in 1957 his fuel pump failed, so he got out and pushed the car over the line. Remarkably, he did this again in 1959, but this time in the US and to claim his first world title. How is that for determination?
Brabham died in 2014, at the age of 88.
World titles 3 – 1959, 1960, 1966 Wins 14 Poles 13 Years active 1955 to 1970
8. Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda should have been killed at the infamous Nurburgring in 1976. Before the race, Lauda had campaigned to boycott the race on account of the circuit’s dreadful safety record, but he failed and race went ahead.
On the second lap of the 14-mile course he crashed at Bergwerk. The car went into the barriers and caught fire, before being hit by Brett Lunger’s Surtees-Ford. He was pulled from the wreckage, badly burned and on the edge of death. He lost his right ear, eyelids, and most of his hair. Remarkably he was back racing six weeks later - albeit in pain.
Already a champion by this point, he would take the title the following year in 1977 and again in 1984. His 1976 campaign against James Hunt was immortalized in the 2013 film Rush.
Today Lauda serves as non-executive chairman for the Mercedes AMG F1 team.
World titles 3 – 1975, 1977, 1984 Wins 25 Poles 24 Years active 1971 to 1979, 1982 to 1985
7. Graham Hill
Known colloquially as “Mr. Monaco” on account of his five wins at the famous street circuit, Graham Hill was a tough, uncompromising gentleman racer. With his pencil-thin moustache and slicked-back hair, Hill became a popular TV personality, and even appeared in films.
On track, he was a quick, consistent, and occasionally ruthless competitor, always trying to get the best out his car. He won two world titles in 1962 and 1968.
Hill was killed when the private plane he was piloting crashed when trying to land in London in 1975.
World titles 2 – 1962, 1968 Wins 14 Poles 13 Years active 1958 to 1975
6. Nigel Mansell
There was no British fans’ favourite quite like Nigel Mansell. “Our Nige” got to F1 the hard way, and despite it taking 72 races for him to win his firs race, he was still recognised as a leading driver. Once he took that first win at Brands Hatch in 1985 the floodgates opened and the moustachioed Brit took it to another level.
It’s surprising that Mansell only won the World Championship once, in 1992. He came close in 1986, 1987, and 1991, but although he was short on titles, he wasn’t short on guts and determination. A real hero.
Mansell is often spotted at Grands Prix, although likes to spend time on the golf course and kartin with his sons.
World titles 1 - 1992 Wins 31 Poles 32 Years active 1980 to 1992, 1994 to 1995
5. Jim Clark
Jim Clark was considered to be the best F1 driver during the 1960s, and was part of the British clique that took on the Americans in their own backyard. “Farmer Jim” was a Scottish country man who enjoyed simple pleasures. In the 73 races he entered, he took two world titles, 25 wins, 33 pole positions and 28 fastest laps.
Clark is best-known for his close relationship with Colin Chapman, having driven for Chapman’s Lotus team throughout his entire F1 career. He is still a revered figure in British motorsport.
Clark was killed during a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968.
World titles2 – 1963, 1965 Wins 25 Poles 33 Years active 1960 to 1968
4. Jackie Stewart
Few drivers have made such a mark on Formula 1 quite like Jackie Stewart. The canny Scot burst onto the circuit in 1965, winning his first race at Italy that year in a BRM. Stewart was a three-times World Champion, winning 27 races in all.
However, on the eve of his 100th race, his teammate and close friend, Francois Cevert, was killed in an horrific crash at Watkins Glen. Stewart withdrew from the event as a mark of respect.
Throughout his career, Stewart campaigned for safer conditions in the sport, and many of the improvements endure to this day. He is also responsible for creating the “champagne celebration” which is now a custom in the sport.
Jackie Stewart still has an active presence in the paddock.
World titles 3 – 1969, 1971, 1973 Wins 27 Poles 17 Years active 1965 to 1973
3. Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio won five world titles in 1951, and then between 1954 and 1957, a record that would stand unbroken until Michael Schumacher won his sixth title in 2003.
Fangio raced during F1’s “Golden Era”, which was a time of linen helmets for drivers, no seat belts, and hay bales as the only means of safety barrier. It was a dangerous time, and Fangio commanded it better than any of his contemporaries.
Fangio died in 1995 at the age 84.
World titles 5 – 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 Wins 24 Poles 29 Years active 1950 to 1951, 1953 to 1958
2. Michael Schumacher
To his fans, Michael Schumacher is the greatest F1 World Champion of all time, and certainly in the early 2000s he went about rewriting the record books. He won seven titles between 1994 and 2004, and in total scored 91 race victories and 68 pole positions.
He failed to add to this tally during his comeback with Mercedes between 2010 and 2012. Schumacher was as brilliant as he was ruthless, and was able to build a super-team around him at Ferrari. It will be a long time before his records are broken.
Schumacher is still fighting a coma sustained two years ago after a skiing accident.
World titles 7 – 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Wins 91 Poles 68 Years active 1991 to 2006, 2010 to 2012
1. Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna is widely considered to be the greatest F1 World Champion of them all. Between 1984 and 1994 he notched up three world titles, 41 race wins and a staggering 65 pole positions.
Senna was driven by raw emotion and his desire to win sometimes bordered on the manic. The great man can best be encapsulated by his performance at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, his home race. Stuck in fifth gear, he drove through near paralysis of his shoulders to take what he billed as his greatest win. He could barely hold the trophy on the podium.
And then, of course, there was Donnington in 1993 - reagarded as one of the greatest first laps in Formula 1.
Senna was killed in 1994 at San Marina Grand Prix at Imola. His death brought about massive safety changes in the sport.
World titles 3 – 1988, 1990, 1991 Wins 41 Poles 65 Years active 1984 to 1994
