3Jim ClarkJust look at statistics and the amount of different racing styles he won, he was the greatest, no doubt, should be number 1 on this list.
In the words of Colin Chapman himself 'He will always be the best. I'm sure in time someone else will come along and everyone will hail him as the greatest ever. But not for me, there will never be another in Jimmy's class.'
Whatched Jim on unofficial testing the new Lotus Thirty at Brands with Colin Chapman, and when he died I cried and virtualy stopped motor racing there and then, he was my hero and I rate him above Fangio and Nuvolarie, as Betty Hill said, he was infuriating in as much as he would get in any car and go seconds faster than anyone else, take him into any era or car and he would be the quickest, ask the Yanks.
In my opinion, the best of the best! Look how he outperformed in the 1967 italian grand prix when he was a lap down and caught the lead! Extraordinairy! David n. Tenneson4Juan Manuel Fangio
I had the privilege of seeing the maestro that was Juan Manual Fangio race at Silverstone, the best driver ever!
11 more points would have made him 7 time world champion,4 in 1950 and 7 in 1953
He is the best of all time. His records, % winning, poles, charisma, the respect he commanded from his peers, plus he survived the extremely dangerous times of racing in the 50s...
The original postwar Grand prix super star in the days when they raced on 10-mile long road courses with spectators as guardrails no seatbelts and high revving cars that had a tenancy to break in spectacular ways. Also a communist5Lewis HamiltonLewis Hamilton is a British racing driver who races in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Petronas. A five-time Formula One World Champion, he is often considered the best driver of his generation and widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. He won his first World Championship ...read more.
As any sport progresses the talent pool increases as well as each teams technology. Sienna and Schumacher were incredible. I just think Lewis is a class by himself when you look at the level of competition he exists in.
We all know that it is only his skin color that has him this low. Top 3 for sure His record speaks for itself
No doubt one of the best that deserves to be in the pool of Senna and Schumacher
He should be at the top or at least top 3. his skin color is why he is lower in this list.6Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso is a Spanish racing driver and former Formula One racing driver. He is a two-time Formula One World Champion, and is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport.
The only thing he needs to do to achieve the triple crown of motorsport is to win the Indy 500 and he's working hard for it. If you listen to the commentators, they described him as looking stressful.
2 time F1 world Champion
Le mans winner
Daytona 24 hour racing winner
What else needs to be said. Alonso not only has reached the pinnacle of motor racing in F1 but has also proved himself in endurance racing and led the Indy 500 until his engine let him down. Absolute GOAT
Great Spanish driver who finally broke Michael Schumacher's grip in the world championship. Drove for Michael's alma mater Benetton when Renault reentered F-1 (Michael's star began to fade after Ross Brawn left for BMW)
The Best all time driver7Alain Prost
The 'professor' loved watching him and Senna battle in the late 80's then Prost was at Ferrari (unfortunally Ferrari's v-12 and new semi automatic gearbox were unreliable) Things got better when Prost joined Senna at McLaren Honda (very reliable Honda v-10) and mix a little Williams Renault with hothead Nigel Mansell added to the fun. A calculating and methodical driver who could get the best out of his car, a smoother driver than Schumacher or senna. The best driver of the 80's early 90's. Later bought the Liger team renamed it Prost GP and had some success as an ownere with Oliver Panis as his driver.
Should be at least in 4th place8Sebastian VettelSebastian Vettel is a German racing driver currently driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is a four-time Formula One World Champion, having won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing.
To me, Seb is the best. He not only kills it on race day, but in my opinion is one of the greatest of all time over a single lap. He has been overshadowed by Hamilton in recent years, but I feel if you were to put Seb into one of those Silver Arrows, he'd be destroying Lewis.
Wonderful driving skill and keep going. Given him with a good car performance, Seb will fly all season!
Amazing driver. Pulled off spectacular drives and even a win in Toro Rosso and managed to bounce back after a terrible 2014 season by at times beating the much faster Mercedes on pure pace, only driver to do that on sheer pace in the v6 era
Just look at brazil 20129Dale Earnhardt Sr.Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr., known professionally as Dale Earnhardt, was an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR.
Have you ever seen a f1 driver clean his own windshield? While driving!
'The Intimidator' is one of the most hardest guys you could ever race. He didn't let you by easily. He and Jeff Gordon had one of Racings best rivalries. He had 7 Championships and 76 wins, and may have gotten further had he not died in 2001.
He was the best even after his death the number got carried to keivn harvert and he won the first race with it
Who ever made this list is crazy dale sr was way better then gordan10Jean Alesi
Some flashes of brilliance in his time in F-1, never seemed to get a ride with a first tier team that was on par with his talents had one of the longest F-1 careers and the longest winless streak. I remember him for his time at Jordan GP an newer team if it just had the money and an works engine package could have given the big three teams a run for their money
The Contenders
11Jeff GordonJeffery Michael Gordon is an American former professional stock car racing driver, currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR, and a top executive for Hendrick Motorsports.Will always be the best driver in my eyes. Wish they never changed the format he would have had way more championships.
Perhaps more car control than any other stock car driver. His intensity and passion made him a joy to watch. A victim of constantly changing rules and gimmicky championship formats in the later half of his career kept him from more titles. All you can look at is the wins. 94 ain't too shabby!
The most skilled driver ever. He is also one of NASCAR's gentlemen drivers. He is the most successful in modern era, with 88 wins, 4 championships, and 3 Daytona 500's. He is also a very underrated driver. Could have been ranked higher if he could just get that 5th Championship.
Hands down the most skilled driver ever. And one of racings gentlemen drivers. With 88 wins and 4 Championships and 3 Daytona 500 wins in NASCAR, he's not slowing down.12Sebastian Loeb
The only reason FIA denied his F1 Super License was that they didn't want him to dominate F1 too. There was really no compelling reason to do so other than politics and money.
Dominant, in probably the most difficult of all racing formats. One of the most amazing drivers of all time.
Well... just look at the stats. Nobody has the same. Schumi's pretty much a wussy compared to him
Only 3 words 'Simply the Best'13A. J. Foyt
The only thing he didn't win, practically, was Formula One World Championship, which he never even tried. Perhaps he lost interest after winning his first and only le Mans? How he isn't in the top five is beyond me.
Foyt should be in the top 5, not outside the top 10.
Should be in top three of all time
4 Indy 500- 1 Daytona 500- 1 24 hrs at Le Mans. That says it all14Mario Andretti
This is a sham. The voters were either ignorant of history or biased. Look at the complete record of each. What this driver accomplished will never be done again. Sad social and historical knowledge.
Over 109 wins on a major circuit. he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, he has also won 4 Indy car championships
How is this guy number 14. Since Mario has won an Indy car race in 4 different decades the voters must be very young.
I don't understand how Mario is ranked at 14th, should definitely be in the top 5.
If this was greatest F1 driver, or NASCAR driver, or Sports Car Driver, there are some who could outrank Mario. But the fact of the matter is, Mario won in everything he ever drove. Formula1 (world champ), IndyCar (500 winner & champion), Sports Cars, Dirt Cars, NASCAR, hell, he even won the Pikes Peak hill climb. He won on ovals, road courses, dirt, gravel, street courses -- every doggone thing. No one else on this list can claim that.15Ken Miles
Ken Miles should be on the list. One of the greatest drivers ever and shafted by corporate USA. - BiffJones
I know he died too soon, bud god damn, if he was exactly the same as in the movie 'Ford vs Ferrari', he should be there. He was the one, who beat Ferrari.
Unsung hero. True winner of the Triple Crown. Victim of Ford propaganda greed.
Wasn't known enough, needed longer to prove how good he was16Tom Kristensen
With 9 winnings and several podiums By far the most winning 24h Le Mans driver in history
He is Le Mans! He is the best endurance driver ever!
The best
The King18Colin McRae
Colin is by far the best Car Driver the World has ever seen! Forget the rest... to drive a car in no controlled conditions... all types of terrain... He is number 1...
A true racing hero and a true champion on and off the track
Best rally driver of all time
Better than ken block for sure19Tazio Nuvolari
Dominant driver in his time. The golden age of motor-racing.
He should be number 1 of all time.
18? Research the guy. 18th no way!
Surely one of the top 3. Nuvolari, Fangio, Clark.20Gilles Villeneuve
Too much a gentleman, he could have won instead of being second in the championship.
Pure, raw talent and respect for his sport, like no one else has ever shown!
'Why do we bother? He's different from the rest of us. On a separate level'.'
Not of this world in his pure ability21Jimmie JohnsonJimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American professional stock car racing driver and a six-time champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Jimmie is incredible, he has 6 championships to his name and 2 Daytona 500 wins also. He went from pretty much the back of the field after a spin to finish a fighting third place. He could very well have 10 championships at this rate. Anything is possible...
Jimmie has 7 titles, 80 wins and he's only halfway through his career. I wouldn't be surprised if I got 106 wins and 10 titles. He is always calm on the radio, and he's always finding new ways. He should easily be 1-3.
This should be number 4 best racer ever!
#14? You kidding? He already passed Dale Sr. Should be #2 behind Petty.22Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss Should be one of the top four along with Ascari, Clarke and Fangio
Surely one of the very best.23Juan Pablo Montoya
I'm no fair weather fan. JPM is my driver! Been following him since his first lap in Nascar. His son is following in his footsteps. Great dad!
The best overtaker of all time. Had more natural talent than anyone in F1 other than Senna. Still proves he can beat the best in the world at over 40 years of age in ROC. More balls than anyone I've seen race.
IndyCar Race Victories 12 (10 CART), 2 Indianapolis 500 wins, IndyCar Championships 1 (CART, 1999), Formula One Race Victories 7, 24 Hours of Daytona Winner, Grand Prix of Monaco Winner, Grand Prix of Long Beach Winner, Italian Grand Prix Winner, NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Equals Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney by winning races in Indy cars, Formula One cars and NASCAR Cup cars.
Has won in more competitions than any pther driver in the world24Tony StewartAnthony Wayne 'Tony' Stewart, nicknamed Smoke, is an American former professional stock car racing driver and is currently a NASCAR team owner.
Should be much higher on this list personally I believe somewhere between 8th and 10th he was the first USAC triple crown winner and is still the only person to win both an Indy car title and a cup title but unfortunately people don't recognize pure driving skill when it comes to this list because if they did Foyt would be 1st
Only driver to win championships in both NASCAR and IndyCar. Saw him win in person in a car that did not have the speed that any of the other cars had (Sonoma 2016). Also very successful in sprint cars
Goat
Nobody else has ever won in as much as Tony has. Karts, Sprints, midgets, Indy, NASCAR, Tony has dominated it all. I don’t know why he’s not a top 5 pick. Only driver EVER to win Indy car and NASCAR championships. Will never be duplicated. His 2011 title run was something absolutely special. Tony is the GOAT.25Peter Brock
Peter brocks one of the most influential touring car racers of all time in my opinion
I went to Bathurst in 1987 and in the rain I have never seen driving like it. Brock beat the worlds best drivers that day.
A legend in the wet and one that was at one with a car that had no down force causing a car to constantly four wheel drift under full throttle. No one else ever has won a race like Bathurst, the best track world wide before it was tamed by 6 laps.
Legend of Australian Motorsport26Walter Röhrl
Best Rally driver of all time.
Dominated in his time.
Best driver off the Ahold universe27Tanner Foust
He my favorite drifter/rally racer he should be way higher on the list he can drift better than other top drifters
Almost drifted a city bus
Tanner should be much higher
He's simply the best28Jenson Button
He can be added in the list of top 5
Just good29Mark Donohue
Dominated the American Trans Am series, winning titles for Chevrolet in the Camaro twice and for American Motors Company in the Javelin. Winner of the 1972 Indianapolis 500. Dominate the Canadian American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) series in the Porsche 917/30.30Graham Hill
One of the best British drivers ever. And I believe the only father and son (Damon Hill) to have been F-1 world champions
A 2-Time F1 World Champion and the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport. (Indy, Monaco and Le Mans. )31Carroll Shelby
If not for his heart condition, he would be remembered more for his accomplishments behind the wheel instead of the fabulous cars he built.
Changed auto racing forever.
I agree. Without him, modern racing wouldn't exist. - MattAffterburner
One of the greatest race car driver and builder33Jacky Ickx
He has won 8 races in F1 and came 2nd in the championship twice, 6 times the 24 hours of Le Mans, 1 time the Bathurst 1000 and the Dakar rally. What else to say...34Jackie Stewart
One of the most dominant racers of his (or any) time, the Flying Scot also saved the lives of many drivers through his activism to add safety features to the sport. Twenty-seven of his 99 Formula One starts were wins, a record that stood for fourteen years.
The thinker the36Stefan Bellof
Know for driving the 'fastest' car in the world on nurburgring with an unbeaten time of 6:11.13
Holds the all-time lap record at Nurburgring's Nordschleife, podium at Monaco in the only non-turbo car on the grid(and was catching 1st), and the 1984 WSC Champion to name a few accomplishments.37Al Unser
This guy is one of only 4 people to win the Indy 500 4 times,
Only 3 won
it 4 times39Ronnie Peterson
One of Sweden's best drivers, he deserves a place on this list.41Antoine L'Estage
In the last 15 years he's won the Canadian Rally Championship 10 times, and finished 2nd on four occasions.That's how you dominate a sport.43Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart
I guess all the formula one people can't look past the tarmac to see the best racers ever, Ivan Stewart & Colin Mcrea. Also Block and Faust are of their likeness of today. Let's see the F1 boy's race, snow, ice, mud, gravel, bad tarmac, dirt, sand, hail, water hazard's and do all those extreme sport extras.45Alessandro Islam
6 times go-karting champion
47John Buffum
49Dan WheldonIndy car champion perhaps. Not world champion
What a driver he was! Won 2 Indy 500s and the 2005 world champion. Sadly he is not with us anymore.
R.I.P Dan50Kevin Harvick
Performed very good for years at the declining RCR before getting to show what he is truly made of at Stewart-Haas competing for wins and finishing up front pretty much every race since that change winning 1 title so far and finishing 2nd the other time by 1 point.
Related Lists
Best Monster Jam Racing DriversTop 10 Terms Used in Auto RacingTop Ten Fastest Auto Racing SportsTop 10 Best Racing GamesTop 10 Open World Racing Games
List Stats
Top Remixes
1. Ayrton Senna
2. Michael Schumacher
3. Juan Manuel Fangio
HarCher
Error Reporting
See a factual error in these listings? Report it here.
