Who is Ferrari's greatest driver?
Who is Ferrari's greatest driver?
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.
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.
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.
Before you go...
Verstappen "would never say" if he was struggling mentally
Perez to leave Racing Point, Vettel now almost certain to sign
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Former F1 chief hits out at Hamilton 'EXCUSES'
- 1 hour ago
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
- 2 hours ago
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
- 3 hours ago
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
- Today 10:57
Hamilton struggles pinned on Mercedes by team's OWN driver
- Today 09:57
Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses
- Today 09:12
Related news
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
F1 team 'set to announce MEGA signing' in major Red Bull challenge
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
Fierce Hamilton F1 rival raises timing issue for Ferrari move
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860