Formula One has been the most popular, the most attractive, and the fastest auto race series since it was established in 1950. It has been almost seven decades, and this motorsport has yielded a number of talented drivers. Some of them have managed to win up to five Drivers' championships so far, whereas one has acquired seven titles during his career.
This job is very exciting, but the thing is that sometimes your chances to succeed without risking your health or even life are about the same as when you're playing at a casino for real money. Given the nature of this sport, it comes as no surprise that numerous people out there are so passionate about it. This article is about to give you a more detailed insight into the top five Formula One drivers than you could obtain from watching the races.
5. Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One driver who has been active since 2007 when he participated in the United States Grand Prix. He has won four Drivers' championships so far, which has earned him a spot on this list. The first race he has ever won was the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
Sebastian Vettel has been showing interest and talent for racing ever since early childhood. He participated in karts series in 1995, when he was only eight years old. From that point on, the career of this Formula One champion has been gradually ascending. Numerous opportunities he was given in between his first moments on racing tracks and the present day have led him down the path of success.
4. Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost is a retired Formula One Drivers' champion. Just like the previous one, he won the championship four times. However, due to the age difference between the two of them, Alain Prost's winnings happened years before the ones of Sebastian Vettel. The first Formula One race he ever participated in was the Argentine Grand Prix of 1980.
Even though Alain Prost has not been active for over two decades, his name is still among the most prominent names in the history of Formula One. During his teenage years, Alain Prost engaged in karting and even won a few championships at the time, which is another similarity between him and Vettel. His career as a Formula One driver began when he was 25 and lasted until the Australian Grand Prix of 1993.
3. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British driver who has won five Drivers' championships since the beginning of his career in 2007 when he participated in the Australian Grand Prix. Two of those winnings happened in the last two years. Being the second youngest on our list, Lewis Hamilton is considered to be the best driver of the new generation. He has certainly had a great impact on the sport.
Lewis Hamilton began his racing career as a child, at the age of eight, by engaging in karting. He gained skill and success rather quickly, which led him straight to the McLaren team boss. Being such a talented driver, Lewis Hamilton managed to win his first Drivers' championships at the age of only 23. The last two seasons were the most memorable moments of his.
2. Juan Manuel Fangio
Late Juan Manuel Fangio, in spite of being deceased for over twenty years, still holds the high second place on the list of the best Formula One drivers ever. His career started in 1950 when he participated in the British Grand Prix for the first time. From that moment until the end of his career he won the title of the best Driver five times.
The starting point of Fangio's career as a driver were the local driving events in Argentina in 1934. By the time he began driving Formula One cars he was already over forty years old. Despite his age, he managed to leave behind the most successful drivers of the era. By obtaining five titles, he set the new record and managed to hold it until the number one from the list broke it.
1. Michael Schumacher
The title of the absolute best Formula One driver of all time belongs to Michael Schumacher, along with an outstanding number of seven Formula One World Championship winnings. The famous driver, whose name sounds familiar even to children, has been retired since his skiing accident in 2013. Nevertheless, he still holds the record of seven titles.
Schumacher's career began in 1982, a year before he got his German driver's license, and a year after he obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12. The beginning of his career was also the beginning of his sequence of winnings. Less than ten years later, he participated in his first ever Formula One race, the Belgian Grand Prix of 1991. Nowadays, years following his retirement, Michael Schumacher remains the symbol of Formula One.
The Race to Glory
All the names on the list you have just read have left a permanent mark on the history of motorsports. Everyone who has ever taken an interest in Formula One, professionally or as a spectator, has heard of these names. People from the list have not only shaped motorsports into what they are today, but they have had an impact on the entire world of sports in general. They have inspired many other talented people and left a legacy that will outlive them.
