Who is best: Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher or recently crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen? And why do we fixate on such comparisons? Is it even possible to make them? It’s like comparing The Beatles to Taylor Swift—you can make a compelling case for both, but what’s the point?
Well, it’s been forum and social-media talk for years, an eternal pastime for Formula 1 fans around the world to debate. A mix of passion, nostalgia, and opinion drives it, but unlike the simple subjectivity of music taste, in F1 we have cold hard data at our disposal (albeit measured in different machinery). Back in the day, drivers wrestled death traps around circuits lined with hay bales. Today, they have halo devices, endless sim training, and mountains of digital feedback to pore over.
I got to thinking about this after the Top Gear Awards when I had the privilege of interviewing Gordon Murray on stage. I am delighted to say he was full of all the charisma and character for which he is known and loved, and when I asked him what he made of modern F1, he said (with a mischievous smile) that he was just happy he worked in the sport in the era he did. He hailed the talent required to race in Monaco back in the day, given it required “3,000 gear changes in an hour and three quarters.”
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These days, he said with his tongue very firmly in cheek, you just have to “point the car at the corner, really.” He went on to give the modern crop of drivers credit, explaining that in his day, the front to the back of the grid was spread over six or seven seconds, whereas now they are separated by mere tenths.
The stopwatch never lies, and it offers us a treasure trove of stats. Wins, poles, fastest laps, average speed through Eau Rouge in a wet practice session—there is a number for everything and every driver. Hamilton has the most wins. Schumacher had that aura of invincibility. Fangio built a legacy based on an incredible win rate of 46%. Stats lend weight to your case for who’s best, but the secret ingredient is context. Fangio drove at a time when the grids were smaller and retirements commonplace. By contrast, Hamilton’s record-breaking 105 wins (so far) came in an era of rock-solid reliability.
Rose-tinted glasses play a huge part in all this. Like our friend Gordon, who doesn’t love to reminisce about the good old days? For older fans, comparing F1 legends is a way to relive the sport’s most iconic moments, and remind the young whippersnappers that they never had it so good.
There is of course no definitive answer. These debates never end with a handshake or mutual understanding; instead, you get countless memes, insults, and endless banter. Me? I’ll go with Hamilton given that I’ve been lucky enough to witness many of his victories firsthand, but with one caveat: My opinion may change if Max gets more drives like Brazil 2024 under his belt.
Disagree? Thought you might. See you in the comments section.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
