Karun Chandhok bypasses Hamilton, Schumacher and Senna as he opts for historic pick as F1 GOAT

F1 legends

Chandhok bypasses MASSIVE names as he opts for historic pick as F1 GOAT

Karun Chandhok went way back into the annals to name F1's best ever driver

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 8 April 2023 09:54

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Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok has named a surprise man as the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever seen, bypassing 'normal' names like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton to go deeper into the sport's history.

The former Lotus and HRT driver called two-time F1 world champion Jim Clark the best driver the sport had seen, citing his unbelievable year in 1965.

Chandhok posted the hot take on his Twitter account on the 55th anniversary of Clark's untimely death, which occurred after a horrific crash at the Hockenheimring.

"The greatest driver that F1 ever had..." Chandhok posted.

"His 1965 season is yet unparalleled in this sport - F1 World Champion, Indy 500 winner, Tasman Cup champion, French F2 champion plus numerous saloon car and Sportscar wins in a single year."

Of his time

At the time of his death, at the age of just 32, Clark had won more Grands Prix than any other driver (25) and looked well set to add to that number.

The greatest driver that F1 ever had….

His 1965 season is yet unparalleled in this sport - F1 World Champion, Indy 500 winner, Tasman Cup champion, French F2 champion plus numerous saloon car and Sportscar wins in a single year ???? https://t.co/ZTLJUen9su
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) April 7, 2023

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In 1968, the year he passed away, the F1 championship was won by his Lotus teammate Graham Hill, indicating that Clark would have had the car to match his talent in that season, and probably many more after.

The Scotsman still holds a handful of all-time records in the sport – mostly from his two world championship seasons – including the record for leading the most laps in a single season. His first world title in 1963 saw him leading well over 2/3 of the laps in the whole campaign (71.47% to be exact), a record which stands to this day.

'Who is the GOAT?' is a thorny question without a real answer in Formula 1, thanks to all the external factors which limit teams and drivers season by season – but it's impossible to argue that Clark shouldn't be in the conversation.