As the beginning of the 2010 season draws ever closer, there are several young drivers on the grid hoping that this will be the year they take their place alongside the big names of Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and (incredibly) Jenson Button, by winning a formula one world championship. If the confusing mess of lap-times that is winter testing is anything to go by, then surely the Red Bull drivers, as well as Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg can look to David Coulthard for inspiration and say to themselves "this will be my year!"
Yet if they don’t succeed, they needn’t be too upset. As Patty will show you, some of the best drivers in the history of the sport haven’t got a championship to their name…
1) Where else to start but with Stirling Moss. Driving up until 1962, Moss competed in a tough era in which he won 16 formula one grands prix, had some of the most talented team mates imaginable and would compete in various other championships simultaneously. Between 1955 and 1961, he never finished lower than 3rd in the formula one world championship, good sportsmanship cost him the title in 1955 and, when participating in the 1955 Mille Miglia (an Italian endurance race), he beat his nearest competitor, Juan Manuel Fangio, by almost an hour!
2) Perennial fan favourite and all-round madman Gilles Villeneuve slots in at number two. Winning only six grands prix, Villeneuve’s skill and sheer lunacy behind the wheel meant that he was almost always an exciting racer to watch, as this infamous 1979 battle with Arnoux will testify. Let down in 1980 by a sub-par Ferrari, and tragically killed in 1982, what Gilles lacked in world championships, he made up for in flair, remaining an iconic figure, described by Niki Lauda as "the craziest devil I ever came across".
3) Carlos Reutemann may be USF1 founder Peter Windsor’s favourite driver, but don’t let that put you off. Competing in the sport for a decade, the Argentine was arguably at his best during the 1981 season. Having consistently led the championship, he was beaten at the last grand prix by Brazilian Nelson Piquet, losing the title by a solitary point. He won 12 formula one races in his career and to this day is the only formula one driver to have finished on the podium in a world rally championship event.
4) The second British driver in the list is Peter Collins. In his short career, Collins won 3 races, and came tantalisingly close to winning the 1956 championship before team orders dictated that he hand his Lancia-Ferrari over to team leader Michael Schumacher Fangio. While his actions didn’t win a world championship, they did, apparently, win him the affections of the Enzo Ferrari and the Tifosi – some things never change. His life was tragically cut short during the 1958 German grand prix in which he was thrown from his car after a high-speed spin. Like so many drivers of his era, he may have achieved great things had safety standards been anything like they are today.
5) Perhaps best remembered now as the founder of ‘Team McLaren’, but having achieved 4 grands prix wins and 27 podiums, New Zealander, Bruce McLaren was also an incredibly gifted formula one driver. His victory at the 1959 US grand prix made him the youngest ever race winner at that time while he also enjoyed success in the Can-AM sports car series.
6) Lastly comes Ronny Peterson. Competing in the sport for 8 years and winning 10 races, the sulky Swede was another driver who came ever so close to winning a championship. Partnering Mario Andretti in 1978 at Lotus, Peterson was the de facto number 2 at the team, scoring 4 1-2s (finishing second in them all) and only winning when Andretti had engine problems. He had a reputation for raw speed, and before his death in 1978, was known for his outstanding qualifying laps and sheer race pace.
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments (2)
Subscribe to this comment's feed...
Good read as always, I really like the Six of the Best features! And although when you have to select only six drivers or cars or whatever, you're sure to have some kind of discussion, I really think you picked the right ones here.
-
- +0
-
-
Write comment
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
