Greatest F1 drives of all time

[dialtone]

For obvious reasons...

I'll put my candidate:

Schumacher Barcelona 1996, extended highlights here:


Qualified 3rd at +0.9s in a Ferrari that later would become a B spec, since everyone started using high noses but Ferrari was late on that. The race was a complete downpour on full wets of the kind that we wouldn't race with today. And another thing that didn't happen that often back then was safety cars. Eventually only 6 cars finished the race, everyone else basically spun off or broke their cars.

That Ferrari wasn't just a bad car in its own right, the Williams that year was absolutely one of the most dominant cars of all time winning 12 of 16 races with 6 1-2 finishes. Aside from the italian GP, if at least 1 Williams finished, there would be one on the podium.

Eddie Irvine, Schumacher team mate, finished the season 11th in the WDC with a slew of retirements, and even when he finished it was bad.

Schumacher had a clutch issue on start that made him lose 3 places, making him 6th before T1.
Race progressed with Michael lapping up to 4s/lap faster than the 3 following him (Villeneuve, Berger and Alesi).

Lapped everyone except the podium finishers who anyway got gapped 45s from Michael.

To me this is easily in the top 2-3 drives of all time.

[PapayaFan481]

Senna, Donnington 1993

Hamilton Silverstone 2008

Verstappen Brazil 2024

There will be others, but I'm fairly sure most will involve a bit of precipitation

[CMSMJ1]

Hungary 1989 - Mansell from 14th IIRC in the beautiful Ferrari

Didn't need any safety cars, red flags, free tyre stops or other calamitous issues* to deliver a win from the back of the grid at a track that most saw as impossible to overtake in a car that was not the best.

Kimi Japan 2005 - from the back, post typhoon qualli (it was that one, right?) and last lap overtake. no free tyre stops etc etc

Frentzen - GBR 2003 - In the shitbox Arrows and incelement weather - he was flying til the car died.

Montoya..Brazil 2001 - how to introduce yourself to the world stage

Alonso 2003 Hungary - another impressive win

Fisi Brazil 2003 - A similar race to this one (should have been Kimi though) (all you younger watchers - it's worth your time to go and watch some of these races btw. there's nowt new under the sun

MAx was excellent in this 2024 Brazil race - but without the VSC/SC, Red FLags, free tyres etc - He was 'probably' not going to deliver that performance. Once he had the chance though - he took it. It was a race of two halves though - and the first half was decent, but never "the best ever!!!one!!11!"



* I know, I know - but the hyperbole machine needs to take into account such bonus winning events when comparisons are made

[dren]

Button's 2011 Canadian GP victory. It may not have been a dominant victory, but it was a great clusterfook of a win.

[Sieper]

Look, this was a great race, also due to the enormous pressure being put on Max via several channels, but to me, the 16 drive was more remarkable. This was still a very measured drive. But, I will never forget this weekend. For me, it was one of those races.

Edit, Max said himself this was harder to do than his 16 race here. Who am I to doubt him, that race was more spectacular (to me) but they were on fullwets when Max blitzed the field and there were more lines possible.

[dialtone]

Hungary 1989 - Mansell from 14th IIRC in the beautiful Ferrari

Didn't need any safety cars, red flags, free tyre stops or other calamitous issues* to deliver a win from the back of the grid at a track that most saw as impossible to overtake in a car that was not the best.

Mansell himself refers to that race as maybe the best of his life.

[Tvetovnato]

Kimi in Japan 2005 was incredible. To take that many positions without DRS on a track like that is really something, no matter the car advantage. Fisi of course enabled it with one of the worst defences ever, but still amazing.

Alonso in Hungary 2006 was also spectacular. Shame he didn’t get to enjoy that one in the end, even though a die-hard Schumacher fan back then was happy at the time. But that really stood out as well.

[Sieper]

Kimi in Japan 2005 was incredible. To take that many positions without DRS on a track like that is really something, no matter the car advantage. Fisi of course enabled it with one of the worst defences ever, but still amazing.

Alonso in Hungary 2006 was also spectacular. Shame he didn’t get to enjoy that one in the end, even though a die-hard Schumacher fan back then was happy at the time. But that really stood out as well.

This is a good point. For many off us it is only natural to be a fan of a driver and that does affect your outlook. But when your appetite changes so does your viewpoint sometimes. Really interesting to read how this feels for others.

[Silent Storm]

Japan 2005, Belgium 2009 and 22, Hungary 2022, Brazil 2021 and 2024

[TimW]

Verstappen Malaysia 2001