Who is Ferrari's greatest driver?

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Who is Ferrari's greatest driver?

Ferrari has had its share of talent over 70 seasons in F1

Ewan Gale

Sunday 13 September 2020 13:30

Ferrari celebrates its 1,000th race in Formula 1 at this weekend's Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello.

As the only team to have taken part in all 70 seasons of the F1 world championship to date, they have given seats to some incredibly talented drivers over the years.

So with that in mind, we at GPFans have tried to come up with a list of the 10 greatest drivers Ferrari have had during its time in the sport.

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You may notice, first up, that there is no Sebastian Vettel. It was a long and hard debate as to whether he should make this list, but in the end, we felt he had made just too many mistakes during his time with the team, and would likely come in at 11.

10. Jacky Ickx

Ickx was like a Swiss army knife - versatile. A Belgian saloon car champion, fast in the wet, fast on two wheels and faster on four. Ickx was the closest rival to Jochen Rindt during the Austrian's championship-winning season, with a memorable battle at Hockenheim illustrating how close the pair were in 1970. With six wins from 54 races at Ferrari, he just makes the list.

9. José Froilán González

Gonzalez earns his spot in the top 10 purely because he was the first Ferrari driver to win a race in F1, making him one of the sport's most iconic characters. Although he only notched two victories for the team, his display at Silverstone in 1951 to end Alfa Romeo's dominance of the sport - beating Juan Manuel Fangio by 51 seconds - was glorious.

8. Fernando Alonso

Alonso could never quite clinch that elusive third title during his tenure with Ferrari. He missed out in 2010 and 2012 by the narrowest of margins to Sebastian Vettel. Nevertheless, he regularly outperformed a pretty poor car throughout his time at the team, especially with the introduction of the V6-hybrid engines. Eleven wins in a car that was never the fastest were quite an achievement.

7. Alain Prost

Prost only spent two seasons at Ferrari before being booted out at the end of the 1991 season. 'The Professor' scored five victories during his time at Maranello and in 1990 only missed out on the title due to the infamous coming together with nemesis Ayrton Senna at Suzuka. No wins followed for Prost in '91 and an insult directed at the car was enough to see him jettisoned.

6. John Surtees

Surtees is, perhaps, one of the most complete and most influential characters in motorsport. The only man to win world championships on two wheels and four, he completed the feat in a Ferrari. By racking up podiums consistently and securing two wins - one at Monza - he edged out Graham Hill and Jim Clark to etch his name into history.

5. Juan Manuel Fangio

I know what you are thinking. Fifth? Well, he only joined Ferrari because there was a seat available following Mercedes' departure. He didn't really want to be there, but there was no space at Maserati. However, even in his waning years, Fangio managed to secure three victories en route to the title, but the marriage was never settled.

4. Gilles Villeneuve

If Zolder 1982 had never happened, there is every chance Gilles Villeneuve would have topped this list. He wasn't provided with a classic, all-conquering Ferrari during his time. Yet he constantly outperformed talented team-mate Didier Pironi, and moments like his Dijon battle with Rene Arnoux, or his lap with a puncture at Zandvoort typified Villeneuve. Six wins undersells the Canadian. A great loss.

3. Niki Lauda

Lauda has a story that rivals even Ferrari's own. After taking the title in 1975 - Ferrari's first since Surtees - the Austrian was on course to add a second before his horrific accident at the Nürburgring. Somehow, he returned at Monza just over a month later and managed to take the title battle down to the wire. After losing out, he showed he hadn't lost his edge with three wins and a championship in 1977.

2. Michael Schumacher

Schumacher and Ferrari are synonymous. Five successive titles between 2000 and 2004, 72 wins in 174 races - the partnership was immense. His first victory for the Scuderia in Spain in 1996 was one of the all-time greats. Frankly, the only reason he does not take the top spot here is due to his misdemeanours - parking in Monaco during qualifying and Jerez '97 - that taint his time there slightly. Nevertheless, Schumacher is rightly one of the greats.

1. Alberto Ascari

Ascari, Ferrari's first champion, and Italy's last. He dominated the sport in 1952 and 1953 en route to his title, and he still holds the record for most consecutive victories (alongside Vettel) with nine. He raced the first Ferrari built in 1940, returning to the team to win the F1 title over a decade later, going on to score a win every two races.

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