The Best F1 Drivers of All Time
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 07 November 2023
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
The Best F1 Drivers
Formula 1 is a sport surging in popularity and has received even more attention thanks to their Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” With that, many new fans are coming to the sport asking, “Who are the best F1 drivers?”
Here, we look to answer that question in depth. Below, continue reading to see who the best F1 drivers in history are, starting with someone you might already be familiar with, even if you’re a new fan.
The Best F1 Drivers Ever: Top 10
Max Verstappen
He may not have as many wins or world championships as Lewis Hamilton, but Verstappen’s utter dominance over the past three years is unbelievable. He’s already one of the best F1 drivers in history, and to us, he’s the undisputed best.
His first race came at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, and since then, he’s participated in 180 races, has won 49 of them, and has won three straight World Championships. No one is better than Versappen, given his relatively short career.
Lewis Hamilton
We can’t discuss the best F1 drivers ever without mentioning Lewis Hamilton. He started in 2007 at the Australian Grand Prix. Since then, he’s won seven world championships (2008, 2014-15, and 2017-2020).
He’s participated in 327 races, won 103 of them, and has gone back and forth with Verstappen for years. Verstappen has the upper hand due to recency bias, admittedly, but Hamilton is easily one of the all-time greats.
Michael Schumacher
Before Hamilton, Schumacher was the most dominant force in F1 ever. He started in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix and has won seven world championships, with his most recent coming in 2004. He’s participated in 308 races and won 91 of them.
The face of Ferrari, Schumacher didn’t have a great second-stint in F1, but he’s still viewed as a legend in his own right.
Sebastian Vettel
Starting the same year as Hamilton, Vettel started at the 2007 United States Grand Prix. He won four straight world championships from 2010-2013 and has participated in 300 races. He’s won 53 of them.
Sadly, Vettel’s success slowed down after regulations in 2014, which included numerous modifications and policies on the cars, forced him and Red Bull to drift from the pack. Still, Vettel performed even with Hamilton there.
Alain Prost
There’s a bit of a throwback here: we’re going with Alain Prost. He started at the 1980 Argentinian Grand Prix. He won four world championships, with the most recent coming in 1993. He won 51 races across 199 of them. He was the first French driver to win an F1 championship in 1985. In 1987, he broke the record of 27 wins set by Jackie Stewart.
Best Wet Drivers in F1
Driving in rainy conditions is something F1 drivers have to deal with, and it can severely impact driver visibility. As a result, driving successfully in the rain allows you to pick up more wins and be known to succeed under even the worst conditions.
Below are the best wet drivers we’ve seen in F1 history.
Ayrton Senna
Winning 41 races in his career, it’s pretty undisputed that Senna is the best wet driver ever. At the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix as a rookie, Senna drove a pretty unremarkable car and finished in second place despite the conditions.
His most memorable performance was at the1993 European Grand Prix. In the opening lap, he went from fifth to first. In 1985, he raced in the Portuguese Grand Prix and succeeded at Estoril in the heavy rain conditions. Participating in 18 wet weather races, Senna won 10 of them.
Lewis Hamilton
We considered putting Verstappen or Schumacher here, but Hamilton’s performance at the 2008 British Grand Prix was a sight to behold. In a downpour, Hamilton lapped the field and had another fantastic performance at the 2019 German Grand Prix. He’s won 36.11% of his wet races (13 of 36).
Michael Schumacher
Winning 36.36% of his wet races (16 of 44), Schumacher has been tested in these elements. At the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix, he had what many call his “most iconic drive.” This was in a downpour, and he did it again at the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen
Winning four of his 15 wet races, Verstappen hasn’t had as many chances as other drivers, but he’s also only been in the fold since 2015. Verstappen is an aggressive driver, and it’s sensational to watch when you can balance that with poor weather. His best performances in the rain were definitely the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix and 2020 German Grand Prix.
Damon Hill
Going a bit outside the box here, we’ll give some credit to Damon Hill. He’s won 21.05% of his wet races (four of 19) and had a fantastic performance at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix. He started in second and won the race. Also, let’s not forget his performance at the 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix, where he lapped Schumacher’s Ferrari. He’s not considered one of the best F1 drivers ever, but we cannot forget how potent Hill was in the rain.
Bet On F1 Races Online: How To Bet on F1
When betting on F1 races online, you can bet on the sport in a few ways. Below, we’ll list the four most common ways to wager on F1 races should you decide to get in on the action.
- Winner: Bet on which driver you think wins the race.
- Top 6 Finish: Bet which driver you think finishes the top six.
- Top 10 Finish: Bet which driver you think finishes the top ten.
- Podium Finish: Bet which drivers you think make it to the podium, which is determined by which driver or team finishes first, second, or third.
