FORMULA 1 2009

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F1's greatest drivers:

19 RONNIE PETERSON

SWEDEN

Ronnie Peterson's enduring legacy owes much to his employment of a spectacular sideways style, shunning the smooth approach called for by the evolving aerodynamics of the time.

Regarded by many as one of the fastest drivers in F1 history, 'SuperSwede' was at his scintillating best in qualifying, delighting onlookers by sliding his March, Tyrrell and Lotus steeds as if on a rally stage.

The aggressive approach paid fewer dividends in the races and the world championship thus proved elusive, though a full innings may have righted that wrong.

Peterson's death was as unfortunate as it was tragic. After crashing at the start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix he was pulled from his burning Lotus 78 by fellow drivers and taken to hospital with badly broken legs. A complication that night led to an embolism that robbed F1 of its hardest charger.

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F1's greatest drivers:

18 JACK BRABHAM

AUSTRALIA

Laconic to the point of taciturn - he was called 'Black Jack' for a reason - Jack Brabham occupies a unique place in F1 history. Having honed his skills racing midgets and hillclimbs in Australia, he moved to England and linked up with Cooper.

The partnership yielded back-to-back championships in 1959 and 1960, and a third followed in 1966 for the eponymous team that he'd set up with compatriot and designer Ron Tauranac a few years earlier.

While renowned for his technical skill, Brabham deserved respect as a driver. His aggressive style might not have had the finesse of his rivals, but then again none of them were winning their third world title at the age of 40 - as unlikely a proposition then as it is today.

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F1's greatest drivers:

17

From the moment McLaren gave its backing to an ambitious 10-year-old karter there were great expectations of Lewis Hamilton. And he delivered in style. The Formula Renault UK title, the F3 Euro Series crown and the GP2 championship presaged a move into F1 with McLaren.

Teamed up with double world champion Fernando Alonso, many critics doubted the wisdom of promoting Hamilton so quickly. But he confounded them instantly, finishing on the podium in his first grand prix.

A maiden win followed in Canada, backed up with a second win a week later in the US. Lewis was heading towards an unprecedented championship win in his first season when disaster struck in the last two races.

His failure was quickly forgotten with victory in the opening race of 2008. Four more wins and the world championship followed. The 2009 McLaren started the year off the pace, but Hamilton showed his skill and maturity in helping turn the team around and scored a brace of brilliant late-season wins.

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F1's greatest drivers:

16 ALBERTO ASCARI

ITALY

Enzo Ferrari described Alberto Ascari as being 'virtually impossible to overtake' when leading. It is a notion to which the 1952 season attests, since Ascari was victorious in six of the year's eight races, before going on to win the first three grands prix of 1953 (not counting the Indianapolis 500).

With these feats Ascari established records for the highest percentage of wins in a season and for the most consecutive wins from races started, both of which remain unbroken almost six decades later.

Ascari lost his life while testing a Ferrari sportscar at Monza in May 1955. His death held eerie similarities to that of his father, Antonio, himself a grand prix driver; each met his end on the 26th day of the month, seven weeks shy of his 37th birthday and with 13 grand prix triumphs to his name.

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F1's greatest drivers:

15 MIKA HAKKINEN

FINLAND

One of the few to beat Michael Schumacher in a straight fight, Hakkinen was twice crowned world champion at the end of the '90s for McLaren.

But if it wasn't for the skills of trackside medics, who performed an emergency tracheotomy after a crash in practice at Adelaide in 1995, it would have been a very different story. Hakkinen's comeback meant his relationship with Ron Dennis transcended the norm of driver/team boss - much as with Ayrton Senna at the start of that decade.

His '98 title came after a nerve-jangling head-to-head with Schumacher at Suzuka, while the second, in '99, should have been easier after Schu broke his leg at Silverstone, but was punctuated by errors - most famously at Monza. Again, a masterful performance in Japan sealed the deal.

His greatest win came at Spa in 2000, when he defeated Schumacher with a dazzling pass a lap after the German had edged him onto the grass at 200mph.

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F1's greatest drivers:

14 JOCHEN RINDT

AUSTRIA

Speak to anyone who raced against Jochen Rindt, be it in F1 or in F2, and they are without fail in awe of the Austrian's ability. It took him a while to get behind the wheel of a racewinning car in F1 after spending three years with Cooper from 1965-1967 and then a season with unreliable Brabham in 1968, but when he did he made the most of it.

His move to Lotus, where he linked up with the great innovator Colin Chapman, gave him that chance. His way of thinking dovetailed well with that of Chapman despite occasional disagreements, and in 1970 Rindt and the Lotus 72 were formidable.

He won five out of six mid-season races (his Monaco win coming behind the wheel of the Lotus 49C) and won the title in tragic circumstances after being killed in practice at Monza.

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F1's greatest drivers:

13 NELSON PIQUET SR.

BRAZIL

Piquet burst onto the scene in 1979, effectively forcing Niki Lauda into retirement with some stunning qualifying performances. It convinced Bernie Ecclestone to entrust Piquet with team leadership at Brabham.

With Gordon Murray designing the cars it was a highly successful relationship, yielding two world titles. Piquet's brilliance as a test driver turned the unreliable BMW turbo into a title-winner.

A move to Williams made Piquet a very rich man, but his failure to exert his authority over team-mate Nigel Mansell also took the shine off his reputation. His huge Imola crash knocked the edge off his performance too, but his testing prowess in developing the active suspension brought a third title.

His Lotus years were a disaster, but two seasons at Benetton produced three more wins. After leaving F1 he entered the Indy 500 and badly broke both legs in a massive crash, which effectively ended his competitive career.

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F1's greatest drivers:

12 EMERSON FITTIPALDI

BRAZIL

Such was the meteoric talent of Emerson Fittipaldi possessed that having queued for Graham Hill's autograph in the summer of 1969, less than a year later he would become a fellow Lotus driver in F1.

The Brazilian took his meticulous and deeply intense approach to his racing, combined it with a beautifully smooth but fast style, and became the youngest grand prix winner in 1970, and then the youngest world champion in '72. He transported this overwhelming ability to McLaren in 1973 and then gave the team its first world title a year later.

Having failed to succeed with a home-grown Copersucar team he co-ran with his brother, it is testament to the legendary Brazilian's enduring ability that following a 10-year F1 career he then embarked on a separate and longer one in CART. Along with the '89 IndyCar title, came two Indianapolis 500 wins. He was still winning at the age of 49.

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F1's greatest drivers:

11 NIGEL MANSELL

GREAT BRITAIN

He's the only man to have started more races before winning the world championship than Jenson Button, but it could have been so different for Nigel Mansell. After learning the ropes at Lotus, Mansell's career came alive when he joined Williams in 1985.

A title challenge followed in 1986, where he was cruelly robbed in famous style in Adelaide, while a practice crash at Suzuka a year later cost him another shot at the crown.

It would be four years before Mansell was back in a title-challenging car, but during that time he was able to endear himself to the Ferrari-loving tifosi, who idolised 'Il Leone' almost as much as his adoring British fans.

Equipped with the dominant FW14B, Mansell was unstoppable in 1992, wrapping the title up by August. It was a record-breaking season, which only Michael Schumacher has surpassed.

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F1's greatest drivers:

10 GILLES VILLENEUVE

CANADA

Gilles Villeneuve won only six of his 67 grands prix and has not a single world championship to his name. History, though, goes beyond numbers and will remember the diminutive French Canadian as one of the sport's greatest competitors.

Perhaps Villeneuve's finest moment was his performance in a sodden practice session for the US Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen in 1979. His Ferrari team-mate Jody Scheckter, the new world champion, was confident of being comfortably fastest, until he looked at the timesheets; Villeneuve was over 9.5 seconds quicker.

A horrific accident in qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix ultimately claimed Villeneuve's life. Speaking at his funeral Scheckter said: "I will miss Gilles for two reasons. First, he was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. Second, he was the most genuine man I have ever known."

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F1's greatest drivers:

09 FERNANDO ALONSO

SPAIN

The Michael Schumacher juggernaut was unstoppable in the first part of the 2000s, but it was brought to a halt by Spain's first world champion in 2005.

After being groomed for greatness by Flavio Briatore, he took his maiden pole and victory in his first year as a Renault race driver in 2003. When the team hit the jackpot with its 2005 and 2006 cars, it was Alonso who seized the initiative to take two titles.

Despite the unquestionable determination and pure speed, Alonso is far from perfect - witness an explosive season on and off the track at McLaren in 2007.

But after returning to an ailing Renault team he had them back to winning ways by the end of 2008. His last season with the French squad was a write-off due to a dud car, but Ferrari beckons for 2010.

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F1's greatest drivers:

08 STIRLING MOSS

GREAT BRITAIN

If this list was for the greatest all-round racing driver, there'd be a strong case for putting Stirling Moss right at the top. Success in sportscars, touring cars and rallying underlined the breadth of his talent.

And he was great enough in F1 to be high up here too. Having learned his craft alongside Juan Manuel Fangio at Mercedes-Benz in 1955, Moss increasingly became the great Argentinian's main rival. After Fangio retired, Moss took over the mantle of the best driver in the world until his Goodwood crash in 1962.

Among his 16 GP wins were some of the greatest F1 victories: beating Fangio by over three minutes at Pescara in 1957; winning the '58 Argentinian GP in a two-litre Cooper; defeating the otherwise dominant 1961 Ferraris at Monaco and the Nurburgring in a privateer Lotus.

Moss may never have won the world championship, but his peers used him as benchmark by which they judged their own performances. Enough said.

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F1's greatest drivers:

07 NIKI LAUDA

AUSTRIA

The Austrian was regarded as a no-mark when he bought his way into Formula 1 with March after an average career in F3 and F2, but some eye-catching performances with BRM in 1973 earned him a surprise move to Ferrari.

A Ferrari driver hadn't won the world championship since 1964 (sound familiar, Schumacher fans?) and the Austrian helped to galvanise the team into fulfilling its potential. After one season, he had displaced Clay Regazzoni as team leader and comfortably won the 1975 world championship.

He'd have won three-in-a-row but for his near-fatal accident at the Nurburgring in 1976, but despite winning the 1977 title left Ferrari for Brabham, partly because of what he felt was the team not backing him as lead driver when he returned from injury.

After retiring in 1979, his four-year return with McLaren resulted in the 1984 world championship and rounded out one of the most remarkable careers in F1.

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F1's greatest drivers:

06 JACKIE STEWART

GREAT BRITAIN

Jackie Stewart was one of those drivers who was so smooth, so precise, that he didn't look quick unless you had a stopwatch in your hand.

But Stewart wasn't only about speed. The 1969, 1971 and 1973 world champion is the man who set the template for his era. Always thinking, among his 27 wins are myriad examples of how he out-thought the opposition. His last lap win at Monza in 1969 is the stuff of legend and was the result of a decision to run a long fourth gear for the run to the line. But he was also an inspired virtuoso, as his incredible win in the wet at the 1968 German Grand Prix proved.

His relationship with Ken Tyrrell was the most important one in his career. He won the championship for him in Matra and then Tyrrell machinery, and even managed to drag a race win out of an only reasonable March chassis in 1970.

His crusade to improve safety standards only adds to the living legend that is Sir Jackie Stewart.

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F1's greatest drivers:

05 JIM CLARK

GREAT BRITAIN

Perhaps the greatest natural talent ever seen in Formula 1. Clark didn't seem to understand why he was fast, but destroyed top fields time and again.

He formed a remarkable relationship with boss Colin Chapman, meaning he often had the fastest car. So equipped, Clark dominated and would have won more than two titles had it not been for poor reliability.

In less competitive machinery, Clark showed he could fight against the odds. His battle with a two-litre Lotus against the three-litre Brabhams at the 1966 Dutch GP went unrewarded, but he did take victory with the unfancied H16 BRM engine in the US GP that year.

The Lotus 49 and Clark made for an awesome combination and the 1968 title would surely have fallen to the Scot had he not been killed at Hockenheim in a Formula 2 race.

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F1's greatest drivers:

04 ALAIN PROST

FRANCE

They called him 'le professeur'. Silky smooth, fiercley intelligent and with four world titles on his CV, it was a well-deserved nickname

Prost learned how to win races with unreliable Renault from 1981-1983, but it was losing to McLaren team-mate Niki Lauda in 1984 that taught him that you also needed guile to win a title. Back-to-back crowns followed.

But it was Prost's battles with Ayrton Senna, who joined McLaren in 1988, that defined his career. Their relationship hit rock bottom at Suzuka in 1989, where a collision between the two gave Prost to take his third world title. A year later, with Prost now at Ferrari, it happened again, this time with Senna clinching the crown.

After falling out with Ferrari, Prost took a year out before returning for one more year with Williams in 1993. Needless to say, he won the title.

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F1's greatest drivers:

03 JUAN MANUEL FANGIO

ARGENTINA

The first true great of the world championship F1 era, 'El Maestro' took five titles and won 47 per cent of the grands prix he started.

It's true that Fangio often got himself into the best cars - he drove for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari - but he was a key part in making them look that good. He won titles with all.

Revered by his peers, Fangio often seemed to win without having to push himself to the limit, such was his advantage over the rest. The most famous exception - his comeback drive to win the 1957 German GP on the fearsome Nurburgring, in which he broke the lap record numerous times - is often cited as the greatest grand prix drive in history.

Fangio's record - at a time when racing was brutally dangerous - marks him as one of the all-time greats, remarkably all achieved when the Argentinean was in his 40s.

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F1's greatest drivers:

02 MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

GERMANY

Statistically the most successful driver in F1 history, Michael Schumacher utterly dominated the sport in the early part of this decade.

Famed for his relentless pace and supreme ability to pump in quick times at crucial moments in races, Schumacher can make a case to be called the most complete F1 driver ever.

Sometimes controversial and always uncompromising, Schumacher, like most champions, had great desire, speed and racecraft. But his work ethic, supreme fitness and ability to galvanise teams around him were the qualities that really made him stand out.

After taking his first two world titles with Benetton in 1994 and '95, Schumacher took key personnel with him to Ferrari and hauled F1's most successful team out of a serious slump. With Schumacher on board, Maranello enjoyed unprecedented success. The German scored 72 grand prix wins and five consecutive drivers titles from 2000-2004.

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F1's greatest drivers:

01 AYRTON SENNA

BRAZIL

Arguably faster than any other driver of his era, as his 41 grand prix wins and three world titles proved, Senna also had a ruthless streak like no other.

Prior to his death at Imola in 1994, his incredible skill was showcased with some sensational wins, like his record six at Monaco and the famous displays of wet weather virtuosity at Estoril and Donington Park.

He will be remembered as much for his colliding with arch-rival Alain Prost - a man with whom he shared a mutual contempt after a McLaren team orders argument at Imola in '89 - at Suzuka title deciders in two successive years as for anything else.

He was a man who simply had so much self-belief that he could not fathom the idea of being beaten. It was the key to his greatness and his biggest flaw. Genius or thug? The debate will run and run. Not so the argument about his claim to be the greatest.

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'Schumacher is not a traitor'

Ferrari supporters may not be pleased that former fan favourite Michael Schumacher has joined Mercedes, but Piero Ferrari insits the German is by no means a traitor.

Piero, the only living son of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, admits he was disappointed to see Schumacher sign with another team, but that the man who helped the Scudera to five World Championships should not be ostracised.

"There has been talk of treason, I would not use that word, but I can not deny that we felt ill about the choice made, we should remember that Schumacher gave a lot, but also received a lot of Ferrari," the 65-year-old told reporters.

The Ferrari vice-president went on to relate a story his father told him regarding drivers: "He always said that we must never take love for pilots, because they are either killed or going to run for other teams, we must always treat them as employees, though very important."

Despite Schumacher's defection, Piero said that Ferrai would not look to distance themselves from the 40-year-old.

"The square in front of the Fiorano track will bear his name and I personally will not remove his picture on the wall of my office," he explained.

The Italian reamains confident that current Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will be able to overcome the challenge of Schumacher.

"We've signed Alonso, who has challenged and beaten Michael. We also have Massa, who took over from Schumacher and has grown a lot.

"I am convinced we have been able to build a good car, better than that of 2009. We will not lose the title because of the drivers," he insisted.

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Vettel thinks Schumacher hype will fade

Sebastian Vettel thinks the novelty of Michael Schumacher's return will wear off by the time the season starts, and that his presence on the grid will soon feel routine again.

Red Bull driver Vettel, who has been dubbed Schumacher's successor in their German homeland, welcomed his compatriot's comeback and said he understood why it had created such a buzz.

"His return is good for F1," Vettel told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Now this is obviously the main point of conversation, and the entire world is talking about it.

"But I think that once the engines start again and the season begins, there will certainly be more important things to focus on."

Vettel reckons Schumacher's dedication to fitness will negate any potential disadvantage from his age. The seven times champion will be 41 by the time the 2010 season starts.

"From this point of view it certainly won't be easy for him," Vettel said of Schumacher's age.

"But if you look at him, he really is still in great shape. He's always been active. Naturally a lot will depend on the car's performance. Let's wait at least until the Bahrain GP to understand what will happen."

He is intrigued to see how Schumacher compares to his 24-year-old Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

"It will be very interesting, starting from the big age difference between Michael and Nico," said Vettel. "Schumi brings a lot of experience, which the team will be able to take advantage of hugely."

Although the pair are friends, Vettel insisted he had no inkling that Schumacher was planning to return to F1.

"No one seriously believed that," he said. "A few weeks ago we were together in Kerpen to race karts, and I teased him a bit, but he really didn't want to say anything. Last summer, when his return was ruled out because of his neck problems, it looked all over."

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Wirth says Glock a huge asset to Virgin

Virgin Racing technical director Nick Wirth says he regards Timo Glock's faith in the team as a major endorsement of its potential.

Former Toyota driver Glock made an early decision to join the new squad rather than chasing vacancies with established teams.

Wirth said signing an experienced driver had always been a priority for him, having seen the positive effect that David Brabham had on the Acura sportscar project, in which Wirth Research designed the LMP cars.

"The day Timo signed I nearly burst into tears, I couldn't believe it," said Wirth.

"I stuck my whole company's reputation and our contract on the line at one particular moment during the Acura programme to get David Brabham to drive the car, because David was one of my F1 drivers [at Simtek], and I know as an engineer how critical it is to have a lead driver with lots of experience and who is someone you can trust, and who is quick and all the other bits and pieces.

"I said to management, I hope we're not forced to get two young, inexperienced drivers who help the finance by bringing budget.

"And when Timo came along, quite late on in the process, on his way to look at another Formula 1 team, and we spent three hours together and he saw the process, he understood this digital [design] process because he's got friends who drive my Acuras.

"So he phones them up and says 'what's this nutter like, is he any good?', and they told him whatever, and he just flew back with his manager and said 'we're going to do this'.

"I was just literally over the moon, because Timo to me represents all that I wanted - someone who has driven the slick tyres, he has two years' experience, he's a GP2 champion and he's so young, and so grounded."

Virgin has signed former Renault test driver and GP2 frontrunner Lucas di Grassi as Glock's team-mate, a choice that Wirth is also very happy with.

"We've got a lot of engineers from Renault who have joined us," he said. "Lucas has been a test driver there for two years. They were super-enthusiastic about Lucas's testing ability, feedback and skill."

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Schumacher ‘convinced’ title bid is on

Michael Schumacher is “convinced” he will challenge for the world title when he makes his Formula 1 comeback next season.

After weeks of mounting speculation, the sport’s most successful driver of all time confirmed on Wednesday that he will return to the cockpit with reigning champion team Mercedes GP in 2010.

And despite having been on the sidelines for three years following his retirement in 2006, Schumacher has already set his sights on an eighth title.

“Mercedes GP represents a new challenge for me both in a sporting and a personal context,” he said.

“I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula 1 world championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track.”

Schumacher added that he was delighted to be renewing his association both with Ross Brawn – who guided him to all seven of his titles at Benetton and Ferrari – and with Mercedes, with which he raced in sports cars and DTM before graduating to F1 in 1991.

“It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme,” he said.

“For me, this partnership closes the circle.

“Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula 1 career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star.”

Schumacher will be aiming to emulate the likes of Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, who both retired from F1 only to return and win a further title apiece (in 1984 and 1993 respectively).

[OZCUBAN]

Once again some excellent posting,and it took me on a sentimental journey to the past

well done mate

Cheers Oz