Listening to Jackie Stewart dismissing Hamilton as though he was irrelevant, he claims it’s Fangio

I don’t know enough about motor racing to have a real valid opinion. In my lifetime, I’d say Schuey – albeit I didn’t like him as a driver. I vaguely remember watching the Senna/Prost era.

Whatever your thoughts on Hamilton, I know he’s not the greatest, but he is breaking records and he should/will go down in history books – I think he is a greater driver than Vettel.

Next one to make a real impact will be Verstappen I think, but these days it’s about the car more than ever I suppose

BOAT

Shui

Senna

It’s an impossible question to answer given the different eras and the lack of any proper way of comparing Fangio with Schumacher or Senna with Hamilton, but I wouldn’t rule Hamilton out so conclusively. I’m not a Hamilton fanboi either, but it’s hard not to admire him.

Got to go with who’s won it the most, Schumacher. Although a lot depends on who you know in the industry (to give you the best car), who your team mate was (not competetive!) etc.

I always liked Senna, I think in a like for like car he may well have beaten Schumacher. Just an opinion though – same as with Ali the greatest boxer of all time.

Fangio, or in the modern era, Schumacher.

Hamilton would’t make my top 10.

. I’m not a Hamilton fanboi either, but it’s hard not to admire him.

actually, I find it quite easy not to admire him

I know he’s not the greatest

He’s certainly one of the greatest. As are all of them really, different eras, different cars, different circuits mean you can’t really say Senna over Schumacher or Fangio, or whomever.

Fangio jump around teams to stay in the best car didn’t he? Lewis’s champs have always been in the best car too? Senna would ring the neck of anything, and Schmacher jumped to an absolute dog at Ferrari to help rebuild them – got to be one of those 2 for me

This will always be personal opinion.

Senna for me – if he’d still been around Schumacher wouldn’t have won so many championships.

Shui wasn’t be best, he was the hardest working up to that point, but Ferrari and the FIA conspired the keep him winning for year after year becaus they thought a single hero everyone could cheer for helped sales.

Senna was pure talent, but a total bully of a driver and wouldn’t have be so successful in the modern age.

Hamilton is pure talent too, harder working than Senna and has succeeded in an era when you couldn’t just drive people out of your way, If he’s got a fault it’s frustration when things go wrong.

For me the best (of the era I remember) it’s Alonso, he’s got the best mix of raw talent, mental strength and Work ethic, I’m amazed how he manages to stay so positive after crap car after crap car (his own fault in part), I’ve got a feeling he’s going to kill it in 2018.

I always liked Senna, I think in a like for like car he may well have beaten Schumacher. Just an opinion though – same as with Ali the greatest boxer of all time.

The thing that was always said about Schumacher was how fantastically well he worked with the team and his engineers in improving the car, he was miles ahead of everyone in doing that. So given the same starting point and resources, Schumacher would deliver a better car for the race and improve it more throughout the season.

There may have been drivers who had the edge for driving skill, but not his complete package for everything that made him a winning driver.

Fangio for results.
Senna, Hawthorn and Hunt for the stories.

Schumacher a dishonourable cheat, which devalues his achievements in my opinion.

Senna for me

Top 5 maybe

Car technology and race safety have changed so much since F1 began in ~1948, it’s impossible to say.

In theory, I should have been able to compare drivers from ~1980, but as a youngster I was largely oblivious to F1 besides Mansell’s tyre failure at Australia while leading the race and consequently cost him the title. It was only when Schumacher began his domination that I began watching most races.

I’d love for F1 to be more about the drivers and less about the team technology race. The current rules drive me insane, the cars are far too wide and so aero based that there is barely any proper overtaking.

But here I am about to watch Mexico live!

Schumacher will always be tainted for me by his attitude towards team-mates. A great driver doesn’t care who is in the other car.

Schumacher every time for me, mainly based on the way he would make other F1 drivers look like amateurs when it rained. That alone was proof enough for me that he was on another level in terms of skill.

What he managed to do with that dog of Ferrari also speaks volumes to his tenacity, professionalism and ability.

No one for Vettel then!? 😉

senna of those I have seen

Do people forget how senna would punt people off the track in order to win? Short memories you all must have, he was arrogant and petulant.

Alain Prost was pretty amazing, he could drive anything but just happened to be driving at a time when there were so many other good drivers

I’m not sure there is a greatest but Senna is certainly my all time favourite and would be my pick.

Based purely on speculation if Imola ’94 hadn’t happened and he’d won another 2, 3 or even 4 titles and would have finished on 6 or 7. That would trump Schmacher’s 7 as the Ferrari was almost a F1++ car in some seasons and he never had a team mate to challenge him for results in the way Prost did for Senna.

Senna would beat Schmacher in an identical car, he was simply a faster driver. Schmacher also had 0% flair which when you’re talking about the greatest in a sports dicipline should come into the equation, e.g Ali for boxing etc.

Do people forget how senna would punt people off the track in order to win?

As did Schumacher and Prost.

ed – the OP just said greatest driver. Senna was an arrogant twerp no doubt – but fantastic driver

No one mentioned Alonso yet either…

As did Schumacher and Prost.

As has Vettel.

It’s part of F1 racing

Senna for me ..loved the documentary film ..not a huge fan of F1 tbh but loads of respect for Hamilton

For me it would be Jim Clark. He could out drive anybody in any vehicle. He didn’t need to bully anybody he was just on another level. Of the recent bunch it’s hard not to acknowledge Lewis’s ability. The number of Poles etc.

Best all-round driver?

Close but would have to be a +1 for Alonso from me.

Jim Clark

Senna or Schumacher
Both taken far too early*

(and yes I know Schumacher had stopped racing and isn’t physically dead yet)

Fangio, or in the modern era, Schumacher.

Hamilton would’t make my top 10.

Who are the other eight? Not a Hamilton fan, tbh, but quite curious about that one.

actually, I find it quite easy not to admire him

Funny, I feel the same way about Schumacher. Did at the time too.

There’s two sort of great drivers. The ones who drive what you give them and wring its neck and the ones who work with the engineers to turn dogs into gems.

Hamilton is I think in the first mould and is good in that arena.
Vettel is in the second and ain’t shabby there.

But Senna in mould one and Schumacher in mould two were better.

Fangio? Hmmm. Before my time, but allegedly pretty decent.

How about gentleman Jim Clark?

Edit – I see I’m not the first to mention Mr Clark

I wish Jackie Stewart would STFU. The guy is a berk

I wish Jackie Stewart would STFU. The guy is a berk

+1

The only time you hear from him is when he is having moan about Hamilton and brown nosing vettel. He can’t stand Lewis taking his records so goes off on one.

Schumi 4 sure , that 310b was a turkey & still he won races. Monaco 97!

As you can’t really compare eras directly I would put the following in equal terms:

Fangio – just brilliant at getting the best out of the machinery and getting in the right car.
Clark – genius in anything he drove.
Senna – pure passion with amazing skill.
Schumacher – took the professionalism a driver had to maintain to another level.
Alonso – just sublime in his race craft.
Hamilton – goes about racing his way and still delivers.

It’s all subjective anyway so feel free to disagree 😀

Schmacher was the Steve Davis of F1 lol

I’m picking Senna simply because, when he was on it, he was untouchable

Gonna give a shout out to Giles Villeneuve too. Okay, obviously not the greatest but a ridiculously fast and talented driver. Didn’t he once take pole in the wet by 6 seconds?

Hamilton is I think in the first mould and is good in that arena.

I think part of my problem with Hamilton is that we don’t really know how he’d wring the neck of a crap car, has F1 career hasn’t put him in a position of having to make do with a mid-pack (at best) outfit