His next championship came in an almost equally dominant 1965 season, in which he won six of the opening seven races. He won seven of the ten races that year, a win record that wouldn’t be matched until Alain Prost took seven wins in 1984. His first drivers’ championship came in a sensational 1963 season. Despite finishing fifth, Clark admitted he was driving “scared stiff” the entire race. Later that year, he returned for the Belgian Grand Prix in a race where Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey lost their lives. Later, he made his F1 debut for Lotus mid-way through the 1960 season in Zandvoort at the Dutch Grand Prix. With the same number of wins as Lauda, we simply couldn’t leave Jim Clark – the greatest driver of his time – off the list! He began racing in 1960, having cut his teeth in local rallies and hill climbs around Scotland. Jim Clark celebrates after winning in Belgium. He would stay involved in Formula 1, and was a key figure in the modern Mercedes Formula 1 team. Lauda’s third championship came a decade after his Formula 1 debut, as he pipped McLaren teammate Alain Prost to first by half a point – the finest margin in history. Lauda went on to win the championship the following year for good measure. Come the season’s end, he finished a single point behind title winner Hunt. He missed only two races and returned to the grid in Italy, where he took 4 th. But during the German Grand Prix, Lauda suffered life-threatening injuries that looked almost certain to end his life, let alone his racing career.īut Lauda bounced back. Lauda had another incredible start to the season with six wins and nine podiums in 10 races. In ’76, his rivalry with James Hunt came to the forefront. With an incredible Ferrari 312, he took the title with an impressive five wins. Taking 2 nd place in the opening race, and scoring his maiden win three races later, Lauda went about establishing himself as one of the best.Īnd that’s exactly what he did in 1975, with his first world championship. They put their faith in Lauda’s talent, and he returned the favour. His talent was quickly recognised by a fledgling Ferrari which was looking to bounce back from a podium-less 1973 season. The following year, he was promoted to F1 and raced for March. He took out a £30,000 loan to buy his way into a Formula 2 team, and it was a gamble that soon paid off. While he came from a wealthy background – as many who could afford to race cars are – his family didn’t approve of his hobby. Niki Lauda is without a doubt one of the most inspirational drivers to grace the grid. 10 (+1) greatest Formula 1 drivers Niki Lauda climbs into a Mercedes W196 Grand Prix car as driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. Whether it’s their character off-track, talent in the car, or epic rivalries, a select number of drivers cement their place in the history books.įrom Niki Lauda and Jim Clark’s 25 victories a piece, to Lewis Hamilton’s 103, here are the 10 – well, 11 – greatest Formula 1 drivers to grace the grid, organised by number of races won. However, very few become true Formula 1 legends. Only a small minority achieve that feat, while even fewer will reach the exclusive World Champion club. Touring the world racing for glory in front of millions and winning races is every driver’s dream. As of 2023, there have been 774 Formula 1 racing drivers.
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