PLUS: Senna's 10 greatest Formula 1 races A combination of natural speed and restless ambition gave Senna an edge rarely seen. His three titles give a sense of what could have been had he not died at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. His depth of commitment to a lap and his constant desire to push the boundaries for more has meant that Senna has a special place in the hearts of many motorsport fans. One of motorsport's most legendary figures, Ayrton Senna remains the benchmark for raw talent and charisma. Prost remained at the top of his game until his retirement, taking his fourth and final title for Williams at 38 years old. In 1987 he beat Jackie Stewart's record of 27 wins and a year later McLaren won 15 out of 16 races across the season, which is testament to both Prost and Senna's skill. Race of my life: Prost on the 1990 Mexican GP His secret weapon was brainpower, as well as speed, and he possessed a natural precision in his driving that allowed Prost to become France's first world champion in 1985. It was Alain Prost's meticulous style that allowed him to go up against Ayrton Senna – the bitter feud that he is best remembered for. First race: 1980 Argentinian Grand Prix.Podium: Second placed Elio De Angelis, Lotus, race winner Alain Prost, McLaren, third placed Thierry Boutsen, Arrows Read more about Sebastian Vettel's top 10 wins here. Despite that he was still widely regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid until his retirement at the end of the 2022 season, and his list of records is likely to stand for many more seasons. He went from nine consecutive wins in the final nine races of the 2013 season to not winning a single race until 2015, and since that 2013 season he’s ‘only’ taken 14 wins. Unfortunately for Vettel the regulation changes in 2014 didn’t suit Red Bull (or him), and the team quickly fell back through the pack. He also secured the records for most podium finishes in a season, most wins in a season, most pole positions in a season, most laps led in a season, most consecutive wins, most consecutive grand slams, and most wins from pole position in a season. Over the next four years he became the face of F1, winning four consecutive championships and becoming the youngest world champion in the process (taking the accolade from Lewis Hamilton). Vettel’s F1 career started in 2007 and, in his first three years, he took nine podiums and five wins, though this was nothing on what was to come. While his form in Formula 1 slowed towards the end of his career, there was a time when Sebastian Vettel was virtually unbeatable. First race: 2007 United States Grand Prix.Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images 3. See our top 10 Schumacher victories here. However, his 91 wins, 155 podiums and 68 pole positions still put him high up in any statistical analysis. His second stint in F1 wasn’t as successful as his first, yielding a single podium to add to his collection. What followed in the next five years were five world titles, 48 wins, and a record book that had Michael Schumacher’s name in almost every field. He joined the team in 1996 and, after some highs and lows in the following years, the combination struck gold in 2000. While he took two titles with Benetton, he’s far more well-known for his time with Ferrari. He was, until the rise of Hamilton, the face of domination in Formula 1: seven titles (five of them consecutive), a seemingly insurmountable number of wins, unrelenting competitiveness – Schumacher changed the game in F1 with his combination of dedication, passion, and, of course, raw talent. When considering the best F1 driver, Michael Schumacher immediately springs to mind. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2004 celebrates with the Ferrari team after winning his 7th world championship with Jean Todt and Ross Brawn Read more about Hamilton's first 100 wins here. While he missed becoming champion in his first season by a single point, he became the (then) youngest world champion the following year. Fourteen years later he’s secured six more titles, and is hunting for an eighth. Hamilton holds many of Formula 1’s records and, with a contract that runs to the end of 2023, he looks to be able to push even further ahead on many of them. The Brit has taken wins in 30 different countries, won a race in almost every season he’s competed in, and is currently tied on world championships with Michael Schumacher, having narrowly missed out on taking an eighth world title in 2021 to Max Verstappen. In terms of career wins and total career points, Lewis Hamilton is the best Formula 1 driver to have ever graced a circuit. Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images 1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
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