Who had the Greatest Formula 1 PRIME of All Time?

[@TommoMcCluskey]

And as always, take a butch at the Mystery F1 KZbinr link! 🙌 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpKUm2uLpZanh8U

[@subhasgram]

if you criticize someone that means you like/love that person the most..you definately want to see that person to improve on and stay at best position

[@subhasgram]

Mika was first driver whom I saw winning a race on TV.. Monaco 1998

[@Firashelou]

you mean who has the best car and less skills, of course hamilton ! and all the others were great drivers and personality !

[@allenangels]

stop making these long ass videos. no one has time for these.

[@Firebolt1729]

@@allenangels Why are you here?

[@bluengold3443]

Mahaveer. Already having the best prime despite not being in f1 yet

[@notnathan1780]

Fax

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Icon

[@lordmahaveer6307]

Yeeees!

[@ReD_738]

Goat of f1 in my opinion

[@maxm3757]

Man was so good he didn’t need to go to f1 to prove it

[@antheusmain]

Jim Clark. He was literally unbeatable between 1963-1968. Even Fangio and Senna claimed so. He finished second only once and most of his low place finishes were due to mechanical failures. If Jimmy was first, chances were he'd stay there if anything went smoothly. He won races with a huge gap to second place and his car parts lasted more races than his fellow competitors despite being pushed to the limit. He could even drive the car with multiple problems and still outperform other drivers. He still has the record for most grand slams. And let's not forget he won the Indianapolis 500 and won multiple sports car and open wheeler races. Only one can imagine what would have happened if that horrible day in Hockenheim did not occur. For me, Clark was the best.

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Man like Jim 🙌

[@cameronarchibald5619]

@@TommoMcCluskey Scotland stays on top as per tommo

[@cipher-6.66]

Clark was the ultimate racing driver, can't argue with that.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

The closest I could ever say to an actual greatest of all time.

[@JWONG-pu8ky]

Looks like you watch the grand tour tribute, nice tribute tho

[@SamuelSantos_]

I would say Jim Clark, in 1965 he won every single race that he finished. Alberto Ascari is worth a mention too. He won back-to-back titles in the early 50s before his death and has the highest ever win % in a season.

[@lionheart650]

No rules??? Fast car???

[@deaconabbs8700]

True that. His time was cut way too short

[@ace3146]

@@lionheart650 he has the biggest winning ratio of any driver and in my opinion the best that lived

[@hooligan1017]

Lion Heart He won a race in 1963 with a broken car ….. by 5 minutes ….. in the pouring rain ….. and lapped the entire field that’s not “fast car” that’s being one of if not the greatest racing driver in history

[@eggselent9814]

@@lionheart650 Not really. His team mates didn't win a race from 1962 to 1967

[@YoyoZee]

Always gonna give a shout to Lauda. Had the most godly ability to extract the last thousandth possible out of every car he drove, one of the most gifted drivers in terms of understanding of a car.

[@loseweightusingketo]

Yep, like Alonso on steroids.

[@Firebolt1729]

Prost was better though

[@TommoMcCluskey]

The man was practically an engineer

[@leonardocapponi1268]

Absolutely, Lauda is in my personal top 5, even top 3 imo

[@louiexenos2600]

If laudas up there I think hunt is also very overlooked too ngl

[@commanderlewisskipperton8721]

My vote has to go to Seb Vettel. He achieved so much in just four years, breaking and setting so many records, some of which are unlikely to ever be beaten. Truly one of the all-time greats of F1.

[@Firebolt1729]

2013 Singapore sums up Prime Vettel.

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Sure his car was great, but he pulled out the performances again and again and again. That ain't easy.

[@karleklof2049]

@@TommoMcCluskey a fun statistic that proves how insane seb was. In 2013 the rb9 was on avarage 0.297 s faster than the rest of the field. The 2012 McLaren had a bigger pace advantage to the field than the rb9 Mercedes 2014-2016 And 2020 had a pace advantage of over a second to the field yet Hamilton never got close to any of Sebs records

[@joenixon8745]

@@karleklof2049 also looking at teammate performance highlights this, with Webber not winning a single race in 2013 compared to Rosberg being very close to Hamilton and eventually beating him in 2016

[@rishitmurarka]

@@TommoMcCluskey he didn't have the quickest car in 2011 after the summer break, 2010 is debatable, 2012 mclaren was faster and had the quickest car only in 2013.

[@nitinmaheshwari40]

post break 2012 to the end of 13 was god like from Vettel, literally schooling the entire grid. Thankfully, it didn't last very long or hate towards him would have made hate towards LH44 in hybrid era look like a kid.

[@TommoMcCluskey]

I mean he was definitely getting a lot of stick after 2013. If Twitter was a thing back then, I reckon it wouldn't have been far off. 😬

[@FayyaazAhmed]

@@TommoMcCluskey it was and he got a lot of stick

[@winter3040]

But you need to remember that 2013 Redbull was imposibble to beat

[@Cheetah181]

@@winter3040 look at webber

[@BlissifiedHH]

@@FayyaazAhmed i think he meant more if twitter was how it is now

[@KayJblue]

Clark and Vettel have to be it. Schumacher and Hamilton of course have more consecutive championships but I don’t think they ever showed the amount of dominance Seb and Jim did.

[@Firebolt1729]

Schumacher in 2004 and 2002?

[@hozhuofeng9877]

Seb and Michael actually had similar dominance in 2013 and 2002 respectively Seb almost had a 100% podium finish in 2013,only one dnf and a 4th place,13 wins out of 19 races Michael of course 100% podium finish,13 wins out of 18 races

[@srxt6758]

Schumacher dominated with Benettons in 1994 and 1995. 8 wins in 1994 in 14 races he participated not including the win at Spa otherwise it would have been 9 wins out of 14. In 1995 9 victories and he almost doubled Damon Hill's points who was runner up. He would have more championship had he not went to Ferrari in mid 90s when they were struggling. Still when JV, Damon Hill and Hakkinen were winning titles he pretty much challenged them all the time in inferior cars until he finally got his big break in 2000. Schumacher was always 100% on it I would say his prime was 1994-2004.

[@grimm6jack]

@@srxt6758 Pretty damn much. Schumacher was the best driver for 10 whole seasons in a row.

[@Fred_the_1996]

I would say Alonso's 2 primes were the stuff, he dethroned Michael F*cking Schumacher, and then he fought for titles twice in a subpar car

[@Warrior-ol3iy]

tommo blink twice if your being held at gunpoint by square space 😳

[@shadyyy7490]

Why is everyone forgetting about Ascari? He dominated during his 2 championships and was the only one able to beat Fangio. If he were to survive that crash in Monza there is no way Fangio would have that many championships imo. They had the first great rivalry in the sport's history and were also good friends Edit: He also holds the record for the highest percentage of race wins in a single season (75%), he is second for the number of consecutive wins, and close to the top of many more records. He and Jim Clark are the knly two drivers in F1 history to score all points available in a single season as well

[@Firebolt1729]

Glad to see someone mention Ascari! Doesn’t get talked about enough.

[@Oblivion9873]

Because ascari won in formula 2 regs not formula 1. Its not that impressive

[@ezrabarker5173]

Ferrari was the only serious team in the championship for those two years and Fangio did not race in them either

[@Roguescienceguy]

That wasn't formula one. Okey technically it was but we all know it wasn't.

[@johnbestavros6915]

@@ezrabarker5173 the problem is that pretty much everyone at the time agreed that if Alfa Romeo had stayed in F1 in 1952, they'd be a lame duck team with an outdated chassis and virtually wafer thin funds to design a new car, so even if Alfa Romeo didn't leave, the expectation was for Ferrari to walk it against them. So Ascari was gonna be a world champion with or without "serious competition" one way or another. What makes him legendary is just how untouchable he was relative to the other drivers who drove the cars that he had, including world champions like Farina. And in 1953 Ascari would go on to win a world title against "serious competition," since Fangio returned with Maserati and were extremely fast and competitive (as several races that year showed).

[@JJ2004]

For me he is not even in my top 10 of the history, but I must say... Sebastian Vettel. The most pole positions in one season (2011), the most wins in one season, the most wins in a row in the history (9) and even more... No one was such succesfull and unbeatable in his Prime like Seb.

[@nexusvitel1129]

That just means he had the best car

[@saiyerugara9038]

I think Sebastian Vettel is #7 or 8 in history. Only Schumacher; Hamilton; Fangio; Senna; Stewart and Prost are better imo in no specific order by the way. Clark and Seb tie for the 7th spot tbh.

[@kamilex5]

@@nexusvitel1129 Schumacher, Hamilton also had the best cars by miles eg. 2014 Hamilton, 2004 Schumacher

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@saiyerugara9038 Eve Fangio, Senna, Prost and Stewart rated, Clarke as being the best in his prime, how is he only 8th?

[@saiyerugara9038]

@@F1ll1nTh3Blanks I was speaking about full careers not just primes and I probably have to take points away from careers that end posthumously tbh. When you don't have a full career, it's hard to properly scale where you should be. Perhaps if we go all motorsports, Clark is a candidate to be higher up but this is Formula 1 only.

[@micahkiyimba8641]

It is Vettel. He was inevitable in that RB car.2010-13 Seb was a god. Senna 90-93 was a god too. But many people have forgotten how Seb was there ALL the time. He got pole and was gone after lap 1 and you never saw him until he did that famous #1 sign after the race. He had the best car, but even in the best car Hamilton has never been as dominant as Vettel was. 9 wins in a row is insane and something Hamilton in a Mercedes has come close to..not even Schumacher got close to 9 in a row. That is a CRAZY prime right there

[@milanb6834]

idk, he had a fucking insane car and still almost got beaten by fernando twice in a much worse car.

[@thie9781]

@@milanb6834 There are much more factors to a season than just the car. And even with the car it's more than just about speed. To make this all about just speed is pretty dull, especially when you consider that the RB8 was probably the worst car in this 4 year span in terms of relative performance to the rest of the grid

[@milanb6834]

@@thie9781 are u dumb?,red bull was by far the best car in all 4 years. also yea there are much more factors to it, for example the drivers performance, which is why alonso and vettel were close. alonso performed better in a worse car, vettel performed worse in a better car. its simple logic really

[@adve9373]

@@milanb6834 man said the red bull was the best in 2010 and 2012 wtf watch the seasons again. Also Hamilton was in the fastest car in 2012 and was 88 points behind alonso. By your logic hamilton must be shit

[@thie9781]

@@milanb6834 man i love arguing on youtube, being asked if i'm dumb by people who can't read. I said worst of the 4 cars in terms of RELATIVE PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO REST OF THE GRID. In no way does that say that caf was slow, just that every other rb car in that time was faster compared to the competition in said year. Also keep in mind that the mclaren in 2012 was faster in a decent amount of races

[@simbarocksone]

For me it’s got to be Vettel. Out of the 4 title wins he won he was dominant in 2 of them. (2011 and 2013) 2011 doesn’t get talked about enough because he was easily the fastest driver that year, came in clutch on the second half of 2012 season and floored the field in 2013. Vettel was an amazing driver in his prime because there we many times where he was simply untouchable.

[@maroc-al-helmidi]

The best prime I’ve witnessed myself was Seb, but 2002/2004 Schumi, 2005 Kimi, 2008 Massa, 90-92 Senna were up there

[@cipher-6.66]

2008 Massa is seriously underated.

[@Firebolt1729]

Really? Yes he was really great in 2008, but was gifted two wins in Spa and France, and don't forget Silverstone, Australia Malaysia

[@cipher-6.66]

@@Firebolt1729 spa was not gifter, was a clear penalty for lewis. And don't forget Massa was extremely unlucky in 2008 with reliability. 2008 Hungary was a monster driver but suffered a blow engine with just three laps to go.

[@eggselent9814]

Clark is seriously underrated

[@juventinos81]

2002/2004 schumi was not in his prime.his prime was with benneton and early ferrari years.i think after the 2001 season the car became too good and he didnt have to drive on the limit like he did in previous years.

[@NightSkyTakeru]

Just perfect for my dinner time and tbh it's gonna be Sebastian Vettel when he was in RB like from 2010 to 13 he was a monster even though he had some bad luck

[@lightning5029]

I’d say Vettel had the best prime 2008-2013 was pretty amazing. This is coming from a Ham fan 😅

[@matyasfarago]

That was the Red Bull.

[@UnknOwnParad0x]

@@matyasfarago yes the car was good, but you need good hands to steer it to victory, it doesn’t have an autopilot setting, and Vettel was the best choice, eg monza 2008

[@Bilalx1905]

@@matyasfarago yeah yeah and all of schumis and hams title were Ferrari and Mercedes

[@TommoMcCluskey]

08 - 13 was a pretty perfect career.

[@ilyes-tothgellert1499]

@@matyasfarago Magyar létedre elég nagy f@szságot írtál.

[@beltranmartinez7558]

Alonso´s prime from 2005 to 2021 was pretty good in my opinion

[@dukcy7450]

except 2015 mclaren, no explanation needed

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@dukcy7450 that car is just...ugh...it was told to have a good chassis but a shitters engine

[@FCB001]

@@dukcy7450 GP2 engine, not his fault

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@FCB001 yup. Man prove he still have all his talent at the age of 40.

[@saiyerugara9038]

@@FCB001 Hmmmm... I think Jenson was slightly better that year but anyway...

[@sensemmosta8019]

For me Kimi Räikkönen's 2003-2007. He was the miles ahead of anyone in speed and racecraft. If only he had a reliable car under him, he'd have at least a 3 WDC:s. He was undebatably the best driver of 2000s.

[@bizzlorange9292]

He was if you don’t count the german in red at that timew

[@TommoMcCluskey]

McLaren Kimi is one of my favourite drivers of all time, no doubt.

[@thatayrellguy3023]

That 2005....man would beat Alonso if he had a reliable...Adrian Newey had way too much idea....

[@isaacm2374]

In 2007 Kimi was still great but the McLaren team threw away the championship. Lewis and Fernando were favourite to win it and led most of the championship.

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@isaacm2374 plus the scandal with Mclaren...

[@tvhsongo]

the main reason people think vettel's prime is better than LH's is because it was a flash of brilliance he faded after that but lewis has kept it up his whole career

[@davegrohlthecinnamonroll4495]

Niki is by far my favourite driver of all time. The sheer will power, resilience and grace he displayed right up until the end of his life will forever astound me. Danke Niki 🕊❤️

[@aliisamartikainen4837]

Since 2008 Sebastian Vettel has been on the podium at least once every season. He managed to get into the points on his first race (BMW 2007) and ended P4 that same season (Chinese GP 2007 with Toro Rosso)

[@ImInLoveWithBulla]

The mustache actually gave Mansell an advantage. The hair acted in the same way as all the complicated little bits on the bargeboard or wing endplates, managing vortices and reversing polarities and proactively utilizing new paradigms, and so on.

[@PaulMcClennon282]

Underrated comment made my day

[@mariolis]

24:10 But both Lewis and Max in the Haas and let them race there I think they will still be incredibly close in terms of pace , and will still find a way to crash into one another more than once in their fight for P19 in the championship

[@xingincool9672]

Well idk they say the Merc car is the easiest to drive...look at Gorge. Redbull and Hass have the worst cars when it comes to driving ability, I don't remember where I read that

[@PaDDy7389]

During Kimi's part, I was initially surprised that no one mentioned the 2003 season until Tommo finally did. In the end, Schumacher and Räikkönen were separated by only two points and with Montoya even a third driver had a chance for the title until the penultimate race. The fact that three drivers from three different teams fought for the crown at such a high level makes the 2003 season the best F1 season I've seen in my life, closely followed by the 2010 season.

[@adammahmoud3440]

To me, its fangio, absolutely dominant that bloke, if we had a driver with that much talent compared to the rest of the grid it would be like having 19 mazepins and 1 Hamilton

[@AJ_Decosta]

for me it has to be seb. the guy was literally unbeatable at times. got nearly 50% of pole positions during his 4 consecutive world championships, including most poles in a season, most wins in a season, most consecutive wins, youngest single, double, triple and quadruple champion. also had great seasons in 2008, 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2018

[@aboredperson4202]

Generally agree with everything. Except 2009 and 2018 he made a number of errors that could have cost him the championship

[@AJ_Decosta]

@@aboredperson4202 true but he had 4 dnf’s in 2009, first one in australia was his fault, then the race where the weather was awful and he spun and i think they other 2 were mechanical issues. ( i may be wrong about that thou) yeah 2018 he made a fair few mistakes

[@aboredperson4202]

@@AJ_Decosta yeah true in 2009 he was still pretty good. but 2018 still pains me to this day. It began the slide of Vettel from being considered one in the GOAT conversation to the level just below.

[@AJ_Decosta]

@@aboredperson4202 but we had the privilege of watching prime seb :)

[@aboredperson4202]

@@AJ_Decosta yeah its just a shame I was so young. My first memory of a race was when he and Mark crashed in 2010, My first full race I watched was a race he won and the first full season I actively watched on my own accord was 2012.

[@harish1105]

Senna had 26 pole positions in 32 races in 88-89 while his teammate was a fellow top 10 GOAT, Alain Prost. Seb's prime was great too in 2011-13, but he didn't have the same calibre of teammate in Webber. Hamilton's prime from 2014-20 had 3 seasons with a genuinely good competitor in the same car in 14-15 and people forget Seb pushed Hamilton in the first half of 17 and 18. But the top 2 primes were easily Schumacher and Clark.

[@avinashanish3350]

24:13 Mick getting into Q2 in a Haas: Am I a joke to you

[@timwattrus7886]

Mick > Lewis confirmed 😱

[@JesusChrist-mg3nt]

Mick is clearly the best driver in F1 history

[@antoniozavaldski]

Well he _is_ a Schumacher.

[@TheEmolano]

Piquet is the best example of how having a good PR team can shape the image of someone(he is the absurd proof). Also don't help that he was Senna's countryman.

[@eggselent9814]

And that he and Mansell hated each other

[@TheEmolano]

@@eggselent9814 I'm sure very few people din't hate him

[@eggselent9814]

@@TheEmolano Not really true. He and people like Prost got along very well. And if i am not wrong, his mechanics always liked him and the Williams crew liked him much more than they did Mansell

[@ia303]

The problem with including Lewis in this list is that his prime hasn't finished, and we're currently living through it. Vettel was hated during his prime years just as Lewis is now, and if we asked F1 fans this question then, no one would say Seb's prime was the best. I think it's the same thing with Lewis now. When his form drops / he retires, I think a lot of people will view him very differently as a driver to how they do now. Lewis has been in the sport since 2007 and has only really had 2 'bad' seasons, 2011 and 2016, and those seasons weren't even that bad. 2011 - 1 pole position, 3 wins (in a season with a dominant Adrian Newey rocket ship at RB). 2016 - 12 pole positions, 10 wins. Maybe the most consistent driver of all time?

[@andrewcharlton4053]

The Vettel era became dominated by the 'it's just the car' discussion. We've seen it a little bit with Lewis, most notably this year.

[@Flay293]

İn 2011, he got the only non-RB pole that season. 2016 wasn't even a bad season from him İMO.

[@nikolasnavarro4161]

Man, people hating Lewis is as ridiculous as it gets, honestly... Like, I get it, I'm also tired of watching him win everything. But his achievements in this sport are so absurdly significant that it's just impossible to actively hate on the guy.

[@davicee.]

2011 was horrible.

[@chrismdb5686]

The dumb stuff Lewis says on social media really doesn't help him keep people on his side. Not saying it's warranted, but it's a really easy way to rile people up.

[@akshayaman750]

The one and only Jim Clark...he was way before our times but having read so much about him, it feels he was a phenomenonal talent ..achived so much outside F1 too..greatness can't and should not be measured only in terms of titles and stats.

[@benparry4451]

I've only watched f1 since 2010 so I can only really compare vettel and hamilton. I think vettel had a better prime with how dominant he was even when ferrari and mclaren were close to red bull but hamilton is better overall

[@brendanwalker7283]

It has to be seb. The word dominance or unbeatable literally means to not lose, and to win 9 races in a row is the essence of just that which no other driver has ever done. Not only the speed, but to not break the car, a testament to his ability in both speed but also driving as a whole. His teammate didn’t come 2nd in every single race so the “best car by far” thing is out the window. Seb at red bull for those 4 years is the furthest gap in performance between 1st and 2nd in that specific era than anything else. Not points per se, but performance. In a career, it has got to be Schumacher. Lewis wins an 8th and he goes past him, but as it stands with 2 races left this season it’s MSC. Not in the fastest car, still winning titles. He chose to go to a lesser team, because he wanted to challenge himself. If he stayed at the best team for 9 years like Lewis has done then he would’ve won 9 titles in a row. Yes he made Ferrari the best team, but that took what, 4 years. 4 titles he lost out on due to his character. Lewis’ jump to Mercedes from mclaren is comparible yes, but surely moving from Mercedes around 2017 would’ve then be the same, but Lewis stayed at the best team. Probably a smart decision if he wants to win titles, but it’s that “easy way out” I guess that puts Lewis behind MSC for now. I mean, best drivers get the best cars, sure, but MSC was the best driver and was winning even not in the best car at times, sooooo surely 2 drivers who win the same are equal, but the one with the shitter car was the better driver, so MSC.

[@michaelsanderson9562]

I’d say Seb personally as he was phenomenal in the blown diffuser V8’s, but had Senna been able to finish his career I think it could’ve been another story. I think he would’ve won every title between ‘94 and ‘97 with how good those Williams cars were and then potentially more depending on where he went after that

[@hepulipoika49]

Great video and interesting points! I must say about Häkkinen that what for me makes his championships better is the fact that he almost died at Adelaide in '95. If there weren't those doctors who saved him, we would have missed a lot. To come from that to let alone win races but to win 2 titles and compete against Michael is something spectacular.

[@msapnetead3140]

Gotta be Vettel hasn't it, highest of the highs but also the lowest of the lows. Rollercoaster of a career.

[@DiegoRYT]

He is becoming Alonso in terms of bad decisions for the career post-prime....of course Alonso always kept the fire..probably a lot stronger mentally even when it's not his day...

[@raulmahendran2903]

@@DiegoRYT don’t understand how moving to Ferrari was a bad decision and then to Aston Martin where the project looks really promising with all the hires their making

[@keith8225]

@@raulmahendran2903 hindsight is 20/20

[@Franceee___]

@@raulmahendran2903 yeah man rlly promising

[@no1washerezz]

@@raulmahendran2903 maybe he shouldnt have lost to leclerc

[@portfoliodigitaldavidfcrespo]

Fernando Alonso's prime is maybe the longest in F1 history. We can agree it started in 2005, and it only ended in 2015 because of McLaren, but even so in 16 and 18 he was a top 3 driver in the world

[@hectorligerosantos1609]

It hasn't ended yet

[@kalyanpm6803]

Never reached the stellar heights of Schumi, Vettel or Hamilton though. 2007 was his chance to put that McLaren in places, but he wasn't able to outshine Hamilton, letting Kimi sneak through. I reckon if Alonso convincingly beat Lewis in 2007, he'd have been right up there in this conversation

[@hectorligerosantos1609]

@@kalyanpm6803all three drivers have had at some point cars half a second faster than the rest. In my opinion neither Hamilton or Vettel have been far superior than the rest of the grid when they didn't had the best car by far. Schumi had an inferior Ferrari on the 90s vs the Williams Cars and almost won twice (yes, there was some controversy). He also won 2003 in a year where Ferrari didn't update the car until the end of the season. Alonso has only had the best car in 2005-2007, first two years won it, the last one was full of bullshit in McLaren. But since 2010 Fernando has been the brightest driver on the grid, with 2012 being a complete showing of his skills keeping the fight for the title on with a car half a second slower than the RB and McLaren. Even with Honda, the very few times the car wasn’t half bad he gave results (thrashed Button in 16 and Vandoorne the two following years). Hamilton and Vettel (especially the last one) have not shined when the car wasn’t very competitive. For me the drivers who are in the league of their own are Senna, Prost, Michael, Fernando and Lewis.

[@kalyanpm6803]

@@hectorligerosantos1609 The thing is, either you're making excuses for Alonso (like 2007, naming it McLaren bullshit) or projecting your opinions as hard facts. There's no way Alonso belongs with the greats with the way it went. Your entire argument is based on 'what-ifs'.

[@hectorligerosantos1609]

@@kalyanpm6803 and why doesn't he belong in that category? And I haven't named a single what-if in my comments.

[@federicotrivellone6543]

My vote must go to schumi, as you said he brought a down fallen Ferrari to an absolute streak, and helped so much Mercedes in building the absolute monster it was during the first turbo hybrid era. Not to mention his pole in Monaco while driving with one hand and adjusting the brakes’ balance with the other one. Absolute legend.

[@babakwhatever6922]

What about Lauda?(little disclaimer if I messed up the years I'm sorry) I think most people are underestimating his Titlereign that he had. I mean he had numerous wins. He won WDC in 1974. After that the great tilte fight betwen him and Hunt.After that his second WDC win in 1976 And not to mention after a two year break his wonderful comeback in 1984 with mclaren which gave him yet another WDC win. He managed to win in times where we saw a very competitive Grid with the prime example being the 80's where he shared the grid with Alan Prost an Ayrton Senna and STILL won a WDC. In my eyes he was Phenominal and will be remembered till this day R.I.P Lauda from one austrian to another

[@tomm1413]

The way he came back after that huge crash on the Nordschleife, I mean he could have died on that day and still almost won the championship that year. The way he transformed his Ferrari from an absolute dog to one of the best of that season, just baffling his engineers who didn't understand what he was doing also just blows my mind. And of course the influence he had on the career of Lewis Hamilton. Would Lewis have made to move to Mercedes without Niki? Would Lewis have been a 7 (maybe 8 after this season) time world champion? I don't think so tbh... This has nothing to do with his prime, but I just can't help but mention it R.I.P. Niki...

[@babakwhatever6922]

@@tomm1413 I could not have said it better and I absolutely agree

[@davidbarker9068]

Vettle dominance during his 4 World championships he won, is top of the tree for me. You knew he was going to win the race on Sunday, even before FP1 had started on the Friday. Utter dominance

[@tylerplayzz8697]

27:30 Max Verstappen seems to have a very high chance of breaking Seb's record of 9 straight wins this year with the RB19

[@basedanarchygameplay181]

He did

[@guilhermebotelho8691]

I really miss a mention to Piquet there. Even though he wasn't like many of the others, he clinched 2 titles in a team that wasn't clearly the best.

[@titan_fx]

Hamilton outscored even Red Bull (a team mind you) in 2020 is just mind-blowing. Probably my pick. Yeah everyone called "it's the car", "it's the car". Well, you do need a good car to win the championship. Are you really think even Senna himself would won a championship with that Haas?

[@shauna3865]

I think it’s crazy that he said Lewis would not take that Haas out of Q1, but didn’t Mick do that in Turkey? If Mick can do that, I’m pretty confident Lewis could do at least Q3. I know the Haas is terrible, but Lewis can get the most out of his cars.

[@rufled8581]

2013 Seb outscored the 2nd best team (Merc) and with a higher margin than Lewis' 2020, and the RB9 wasn't even close to dominant, I mean, 10 poles while Merc had 8, and a margin of probably only 0.3s to the field compared to W11's 0.8s + margins, 9 wins in a row and a tie for the most wins in a season (13) by him and Michael. Not to mention Albon didn't do good in 2020. Not to take away anything from Lewis, incredible driver.

[@shauna3865]

@@rufled8581 you mean Seb the same driver who has not won a race from less than 3rd place on the grid, which kinda cements him more of the driver that has to have the fastest car capable of being on pole in order for him to win, that Seb? Yea, we can go back and fourth trading meaningless stats all day, but honestly this segment is more about “in your opinion”. This debate will continue into infinity. No one will agree. Not to take anything from Seb though, he was good in his prime. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@niweshlekhak9646]

@@shauna3865 Lmao Prime Seb would fly off into the distance generate 30 secs gap from 2nd place and come into the pits to put new soft tyres on, just to set the fastest lap.

[@aravs8531]

@Tommo I'm soo happy you included my comment in your video....this surely made my week...Thanks a ton man!! My fav youtuber! You rock!!

[@everraydymotorsport8902]

I'd say it's a close one between Lewis & Fernando. Both drivers were basically always in their prime, though they had "off" years (2011/16 for Lewis), (2007 for Fernando). I wish we could have a rematch between the 2 modern day titans of our sport in equal machinery...

[@iLeetjeeh]

The sad thing about Lewis (and why not many people give him the respect he deserves I guess) is that his 7 titles came with such non-memorable races?? You never noticed anything he did because he just put it on pole and then drove off with 20sec difference. It's just so forgettable.

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@iLeetjeeh people hate someone who always dominate. Thats why. I think if we go back to his Mclaren days,Hamilton prolly the most lived driver and Sebastian is the most hated back then. People hate the lne who dominate

[@iLeetjeeh]

@@thatayrellguy3023 It's not so much hate as it is the dominance of Mercedes. It takes away from the driver. You saw it with Russell stepping into Hamilton's car. Without any experience he was fighting for the win and probably should have won the race. The fact that happened isn't in Hamilton's favour. It shows that the car plays a huge role in Hamilton's dominance. I think any of the top drivers (Vettel, Verstappen, Ricciardi, Raikonnen) would have won multiple championships with that Mercedes.

[@rumbling3991]

@@thatayrellguy3023 not really , i just hate when someone wins without pouring their 110% in

[@psalmco2425]

@@iLeetjeeh to be fair there were plenty of memorable races, just more non memorable ones bcuz of the merc dominance, 2017 and 2018 were pretty exciting especially the 1st half of the seasons lol, and don't forget all the races he shouldn't have won but still did like Turkey last year in the wet, and all of his amazing mclaren races, especially when dealing with reliability issues from 2010-2012 and having a somewhat crap car in 2009 and not to forget his legendary rookie year and dramatic 1st title in 2008. I think having 102 wins just makes it seem like he doesn't have a lot of exciting wins when he kinda does.

[@sethbrookes4998]

I'd have to go with Stewart, such a great guy too. Met him at Goodwood this year, and he made an effort to sign things or talk to as many people as possible (despite his security guy trying to pull him away). The part that stuck with me was that in the crowd there was a woman in a wheelchair and he instantly made sure to talk to her first.

[@Dwh-h]

I feel that Piquet is never in the conversation as he was often seen as the villain of his era. I also believe that the Piquet name has kind of been dragged through the mud with respect to crash gate. If you mention Piquet in F1, crash gate comes to my mind way before the 3x world championships

[@Firebolt1729]

Imagine if social media existed during Piquet’s time lol

[@eggselent9814]

That's because the British Media, which controls F1 hates him. He was Mansell's biggest rival and the British media loooooooooved Mansell and still does today

[@srxt6758]

@@eggselent9814 they were reluctant to Prost aswell back in the day. 1990 when Prost and Mansell were in Ferrari together Prost dominated him and almost doubled his points. It was so bad Nigel wanted to retire from F1 all together. Prost broke him. First excuse was that Prost was playing politics in the team and Nigel wasnt getting the same equipment but when it was found out Nigel was the one trying to play a politician they turned the story into Nigel being to big and heavy to fit in a ferrari car which made him slower. Bs claim considering Nigel was in Ferrari before Alain and already had the car tailor made for him. Prost came and beat Nigel in his own car and on his own land and himself and Brit press didnt like it one bit.

[@eggselent9814]

@@srxt6758 Typical british media then.

[@aritra1935]

In terms of the greatest prime ever, 100% Alonso’s 2012 season, the things he did with that car will never be seen again, he almost drove a tractor to a world championship, what he did that season was simply incredible

[@alsa4real]

Was it a tractor tho

[@2secondslater]

Agreed

[@aritra1935]

@@alsa4real his car was on average over a 1 second off the quali pace in 2012, the car had decent race pace, but it shouldn’t have been near the title

[@ia303]

the only people who say the Ferrari F2012 was a tractor either didn't actually watch the 2012 season or are Alonso fanboys and thus should be taken as seriously as we take Max or Lewis fanboys - zero.

[@thatayrellguy3023]

that Ferrari 2012 aint a tractor tbh. Sure it dont have a good quali oace but a good race pace and also a way too good reliability. And Ferrari put all upgrade it have that year on Alonso.

[@FayyaazAhmed]

Vettel has a strong shout. end of 2013 those 9 consecutive wins is the greatest run in F1 history. The dominance was nauseating and nothing like merc dominance now.

[@thatayrellguy3023]

Vettel for me. Man dominate in a team that was a midfield when he join. And man make the team have all pride it have today. And have been competing for title in his first season for Red Bull and win 4 out of 5 Title Contending years. And you know he is THAT good when The current F1 champion Lewis Hamiltom himself said that "Vettel's dominance could bore the fans". Even during his Ferrari days,Mercedes even wanted him for 2017 drive. But rejecting because of a Ferrari name. Man have the most unique driving style and the most passion for the sport. People will said he throw away 2018 title with the best car while people forgot that SF71-H lost its original pace after Monza that year. And Mercedes upgrade's is exactly what Hamilton wanted and Mercedes make the most out of it. Ferrari just give up on Vettel after 2018 and just go om with Leclerc project. For me personally,put everyone in like a equal car. And Vettel would be the fastest.

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

i mean it was a front runner in 2009 lol rule changes ment he got a winning car. but he was wow in 2011-2013 tbh 2010 was one of the best fights tbh 5 drivers all year long

[@askeladden450]

I am concerned not seeing Kimi on the thumbnail

[@thatayrellguy3023]

I think maybe because during Kimi's prime,man never dominated a season. Everytime he have a good car. The other team would have a better car. And man won a champipnship by just 1 point...i think thats the reason

[@askeladden450]

@@thatayrellguy3023 For me that is what made his 2004-2007 years so great. Never had the best car, but still fought for multiple championships. Heck, his car wasn't anywhere near the top car in any of those years. And don't forget his awful luck. Personally, prime Kimi was the only driver for me who I can compare with Senna in terms of pure pace. It's a pity his prime didn't last very long. He just lost interest in winning championships after 2007 (ig he doesn't like attention).

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@askeladden450 man...his prime really peak in 2005 lets be honest. Thr car is everything but unreliable af....for me. He is after Senna the most underachieve driver in the history of F1. Its not that he dont want to fight anymore. Man just didnt used as a no.1 driver anymore. Since returning to Ferrari,man is no.2

[@Sfcfan120]

Because he's overrated

[@thatayrellguy3023]

@@Sfcfan120 nah.no chance in hell he is overrated

[@victorliang3898]

Prost has NEVER lost to any teammate (5 WDCs) under today's scoring system 2x - John Watson 1980 (+24 points), 1985 (+6 points) 2x - Rene Arnoux 1981 (+74 points), 1982 (+34 points) 1x - Eddie Cheever 1983 (+102 points) 2x - Niki Lauda 1984 (+3.5 points), 1985 (+162 points) 1x - Keke Rosberg 1986 (+147 points) 1x - Stefan Johansson 1987 (+29 points) 2x - Ayrton Senna 1988 (+31 points), 1989 (+73 points) 1x - Nigel Mansell 1990 (+108 points) 1x - Jean Alesi 1991 (+32 points) 1x - Damon Hill 1993 (+69 points)

[@Mototerminator]

thats actually a goat convo

[@Firebolt1729]

Call me crazy, but I think Prost is underrated

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Damn

[@SamuelSantos_]

Not to mention that Alain Prost had a lot of very good teammates, including 5 world champions.

[@TheEmolano]

Sometimes I wish the old scoring system came back. We're losing great battles ahead, but gaining at the midfield.

[@joshuateixeira2709]

Why did Adam say 92 and 94 were some of Senna's best years? Senna only got 3 wins in 92 and he did poorly in 94 compared to Schumacher before he tragically passed away. His best seasons were 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 He consistently got on the Podiums during those 5 years and when ever he had a DNF, they were usually not his fault because it was a problem with the car. Senna showed how amazing of a driver he was during those 5 seasons, especially at Monaco. As usual, another great video by Tommo.

[@marejov83]

For me Prost is the best of all time.. I've watched every race since 1980. And Prost was just different. And just the fact that he outscored brilliant driver like Senna both seasons in the same car is amazing. And next season took the championship to the wire in that Ferrari. And teammates he had? Lauda, Rosberg, Senna, Mansell... All world champions.. He outperformed everyone (Lauda won that championship by half a point but I think Prost was better that season too). Such a smooth and smart driver.. Knew his car and saved machinery and tires in every race.

[@aidanmagee2269]

I could be be misunderstanding you but senna outscored prost in 88 and then vice versa in 89, doesn’t take anything away from your point though, Prost was amazing

[@aidanmagee2269]

Nevermind I see what you mean

[@marejov83]

@@aidanmagee2269 I'm not taking away Senna's title. Those were the rules. I was just saying that Prost had more points overall. And as Senna is, I think, GOAT for most people. It is an astonishing achievement for Prost.

[@steez8902]

They didn’t have the same car in 89 if you know what I mean.. he had the most reliable one and finished more races. That’s how he won 89

[@marejov83]

@@steez8902 And you don't think Senna's driving style was the reason he didn't finish some of his races? Senna was faster, but never better driver.

[@Sion-dq6xo]

@Tommo If you are talking about Formula one, you need to remember the people who design and make the cars. Gordon Murray MP4/4 highest percentage win rate over a season and the BT46B with a 100% win rate (though it only competed in one race). The MP4/4 is the greatest car of all time and was one massive prime. He then came off his F1 career to make one of, if not the best road cars of all time the McLaren F1!

[@justamanchimp]

I agree with the support towards Kimi. I personally rate him as one of the best along side Schumacher, Alonso, Hamilton etc. It's just his career didn't quite pan out the same in terms of legacy because at the end of the day, he didn't win. We all know why. I would say it's a shame that he doesn't get the recognition from casual fans, or even from the more seasoned fans, but I don't think Kimi himself actually cares a whole lot so I don't feel too bad and actually, I just respect him even more because he isn't a sucker and realises the reality of F1.

[@Sfishh]

In Beyond the Grid he said that he has no regrets since he did the best he could back in 2003 and 2005.

[@girijathesaviour9290]

But you do have to agree that there was a drop in his motivation levels after he won the world championship

[@justamanchimp]

​@@girijathesaviour9290 ​Yeah it's true. I personally think he just got disillusioned with what winning meant in F1. I think he stopped caring because he realised the ultimate truth of how trivial winning in F1 actually is, you know, when you factor in all the uncontrollable variables that determine whether you win or not. I think he detached himself from the whole thing and just did it because he loved racing, not necessarily to be the best. This in some ways is why he's even more of a champion in my eyes. He has a strength to detach himself from a sport that has huge temptations, the most prestige privilege probably in human history. He really does just see it for what it actually is instead of what most people see it as. And even with that said though, talent wise, he is undoubtedly one of the best in F1 history in my opinion.

[@girijathesaviour9290]

@@justamanchimp You are spot on about him detaching himself from this big F1 bubble, something Alonso referred to recently. He was honest in saying he only enjoys the racing aspect of F1 not any of the other bs. You should hear his pre race interview today and it encapsulates his whole F1 career. Kimi is a natural talent. I don't think he spends a lot of time doing simulators or track walks which is why he used to struggle during quali and would only get better as the weekend progressed. His race pace is second to none something Grosjean recently admitted in a podcast he did with Rosberg.

[@justamanchimp]

@@girijathesaviour9290 Yeah I recall Alonso talking about this, maybe the F1 podcast? And yes exactly! He was just phenomenal from his first F1 race, even prior to that going from the stories. Just naturally he's one of the best and then you factor in who his is, what he stands for, his character, he's an absolute legend. It's a shame people don't really realise this.

[@andyelliott8027]

There were 26 Grands Prix during Jim Clark's career during which he had no problems, (car failures or malfunctions, crashes etc). He won 25 of those and finished 2nd in the other one ( 96.15 % win ratio). He started 72 Grands Prix and retired from 29 of those, ( reliability was not good in those days). Of the 43 GP's he completed he won 25 and was 2nd or 3rd in 8 more. He started from the front row in 66.7% of his races and won 58.14 % of the races he finished. He was on the podium in 76.74 % of the races he finished. He also won the British Touring Car Championship and the Indianapolis 500, he would have won the British Rally too but for a late accident.

[@vatsaldvora]

Commenting without watching: Sebastian Vettel has to be the answer.

[@tesseract_uk]

in his first year in F1 kimi’s traction control broke at monaco. the team got the car working passively although it was still sketchy. Kimi went out many laps down and just blasted around setting the 5th fastest lap time of the day. probably the purest driving skill F1 has seen in decades

[@How23497]

I don't think Lewis really belongs here, considering he's arguably still at the top of his game and never hasn't been ever since he joined McLaren in '07, the fact he lost that championship by 1 point in his rookie season proves that. And he's only improved season by season ever since, I remember after watching Singapore 2018 and thinking "surely he can't be better than this" and yet he's reached another level.

[@elmurcis1]

Me 4-5 yrs ago. Great shape, excellent mindset, in late 20's, battling McLaren and Ferrari in 1999 with my yellow Jordan.

[@Warbler-Productions]

Lewis is still in his prime, even if he doesn’t win the title this year, there’s still at least 2 more years for him to get record breaking title number 8, Max is just now hitting his prime and, like the other young drivers on the current grid, could easily go on to win multiple titles, but it all depends on how well all of the teams handle the new rules and car design principles. I’d love to see George over Lando begin their title fights next year, but until we see the new cars no one will know who is likely to win.

[@deezelkane]

Max is hitting his prime ?? He is a long way off considering he is still willing to crash into Lewis instead of yielding a position to secure points

[@vandalsgarage]

Nobody runs an opponent off the track like Hamilton, especially when a podium position is in play. He's done it throughout his F1 career.

[@kevinqi7992]

@@vandalsgarage yeah man, just look at imola, Spain, Monza, Jeddah, Brazil...wait, that's verstappen

[@gold9994]

@@deezelkane i think Max has a deep grudge against Hamilton for the Silverstone incident. I guarantee that if the Silverstone incident didn't happen, most of these reckless move won't happen.

[@deezelkane]

@@gold9994 mate are you new ??? Max has been driving like a maniac since he got to formula 1. His desperation in the last 4 races really showed you he hasn’t changed at all. That is his driving style. He won’t change. The Dutch grosjean, I like to call him

[@sandychristie9712]

Even though he didn't win the title in 89 (in controversial circunstances) , the sheer dominance of senna at mclaren from 88-91 is hard to beat

[@lukewood2662]

Not controversial. He got robbed by Prost and the FIA director at the time. Then he got back at them two the next year. Legend.

[@kalpesh_p]

Fantastic video. All the drivers mentioned here are great however I agree with your top 3 - Clark, Schumacher & Vettel in no particular order were slightly above the rest in their prime.

[@aboredperson4202]

I'd argue Hamilton in 2018 was fucken amazing. And Ascari was also brilliant from 1952-1953.

[@sportsnerd100]

I mean Ascari’s title winning seasons were pretty remarkable.i always show respect for the pioneers of the sport, and Fangio has statistically the best win percentage ever. Vettel in 2013 was simply another level though

[@mgers75]

You cant even calculate when Lewis' prime began and when it ended cause he was unbelievable from season 1 till current

[@eggselent9814]

After 2014. Before that he simply wasn't consistent enough

[@finnoone12]

Seb Vettel in that RB car with the most competitive years in formula one for him to completely dominate is just so impressive

[@nikospud860]

So I am going to throw someone else into the mix that went unmentioned throughout the video despite being the first multi time worl champ, Alberto Ascari. Tommo said that Fangio was the first to dominate, well of the 18 races in the 52 and 53 seasons Ascari won 11 of those races. Now that doesnt sound impressive till you see that he didnt even race at 4 of those, meaning over the course of 2 seasons he had a win rate of 78% Do I necessarilly think he is in my top of the lists, probably not, while he was supreme his time on top was only 2 years but I still think his name deserves a mention. For me top 3 are Clark for his absolute peak being the highest, Schumacher for his longevity and probably Lewis just over Seb as I think that while Seb was dominant in 2013 there wasn't the sheer appetite for a title race that we have seen going into this year. I will say it is close between them though

[@LiamTalksMotorsport]

I was going to say Jim Clark but someone beat me to it! He was one of F1’s best and yet unluckiest drivers, had the reliability of a delivery man with a broken leg!

[@DidierPeroni]

in my era, it has to be Lewis and Fernando. regardless of the car, they always delivered

[@mattspeed4685]

Niki Lauda prime was godly!He won in 75,77 and 84 should have won in 76 if not for crash and won in 84 in a competition with piquet,Prost and Mansell Godly!

[@ruiz24_]

I think Fernando's had an amazing prime but never in a championship winning car. And I'm not saying this as a Spanish fan, but as an objective person. Even my ex thought so xd Edit: I'm not talking about 2005/2006, I meant his prime was in his Ferrari years, and also his experience nowadays is a big factor, se said: "Now I could beat myself in 2005 on one hand". Experience is almost everything

[@k.k.t9597]

greatest driver pairings next, please.

[@gamingflixx]

Hamilton, Schumacher and Alonso as equals for me.

[@Abhisat_mlg]

I haven't had the pleasure to see Sir Jim Clark, but from the stats have read and the way I have seen other people talk about him, its probably a great shout to say Jim Clark. Let's not forget, Jackie Stewart called I'm the best driver he'd ever seen, and that's saying something

[@72kayani]

Put 05 06 Kimi in the same car as Alonso he would have both titles without a doubt. Dude had qualy pace for the race and his smarts were unmatched amongst drivers

[@mediateattic5431]

Underrated primes: Clark, Alan Jones, ascari, rindt, prost, piquet, brabham, niki

[@mrbungle3310]

Kimi at his best was a beast, Schumacher is the most perfect driver,Alonso is the best overall and fastest,Clark the best

[@grimm6jack]

Alonso is a slightly nerfed Schumacher... In terms of speed he isn't faster than Michael, Hamilton, Vettel and Senna on their prime. But in terms of the entire driver package? He is probably the closest to Schumacher. Consistency, speed, racing craft... He had it all and for many, many year, even now after a 2 year break at 40 years old he's still delivering.

[@lorenzolinser9644]

I really liked this type of video and I have to say what I love most about your videos is that you can watch it because you really put a lot of effort into the grafisch and stuff, but you can also just listen to it like a podcast. Keep going, love your content!

[@jok3r165]

For me, the answer depends on the metric you're comparing them on. If we go by the "intensity", then it has to be Vettel, but if we compare them by longevity, it has to be Hamilton, because the man was never really not in his prime since he joined F1, maybe even before that.

[@loseweightusingketo]

Crazy how the guy finished p2 in 2007, and is p2 in 2021. 7 titles in between, that's 14 years.. FOURTEEN!

[@9BigD6]

Hamilton's longevity is tarnished by the fact Button outscored them when they were teammates and that he lost a title to Rosberg

[@kj48tiger]

@@9BigD6 Button beat Hamilton once out of three years when Hamilton had personal problems and Rosberg was literally gifted that 2016 title. If anything looking back you realise that Hamilton was paired with strong teammates for more than 60% of his career which if anything adds to his legacy. (If you watched f1 you would know that both Rosberg and Button werent close to Hamiltons level but had external factors helping them to challenge him)

[@carlknudsen801]

i have to say jochen rindt in 1970. He competed in nine races winning five, retiring in 3 and only had one race where he had a bad placing. he then died in the practice of the tenth race but had such a great point margin that no one could get to him over the next four races. he also battled against, Denny Hulme, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Emerson Fittipaldi (who granted didn't compete in every race) his 1969 season he only finished 4 out of 11 races and got fourth in the wdc

[@stuartsmith5308]

Jim Clark, during an F1 season would drive many other races in other Formulas and win their too.

[@AaryanPrakash]

29:00 Let's do this right now Du Bist Weltmeister Get in there Lewis Anything with Brad and Lance Pierre and his engineer screaming Valtteri it's James 🥲 Box and Pit confirm Max (not the best, just satisfying)

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Montoya swearing at Spa was a banger

[@Nashley12331]

Most important race of the season. For good, for bad, in racing terms or off the track.

[@Hertzhaikya]

I think Sebastian's prime time was a hard fought one unlike others.

[@george._mav]

Behave man. He drove an illegal car on the grid with full traction control. Guys a wasteman

[@Hertzhaikya]

@@george._mav yup and Hamilton drove a back marker in 2020.

[@george._mav]

@@Hertzhaikya hamilton won 7 titles fair and square with two different teams. Also won a gp every season. What did seb do when he had more competitive team mates? (ricciardo 2014 and leclerc 2019/20) he ran away. Coward. Fraudulent 4 time world champion

[@Hertzhaikya]

@@george._mav its James please hold your feelings.

[@Firebolt1729]

@@george._mav why did you change your name from Michael Schumacher to this?

[@Arirezz]

I think something most people are leaving out is the level of competition in Vettels run 2012: Alonso Raikkonen Hamilton Button Webber Massa Schumacher Rosberg It's not like he was up against a bunch of nobodies...

[@geardownaviation]

Gilles Villeneuve, hands down for me. That Ferrari the first couple years of his career was horrible, and he drove it like a beast. Sucks that he died before he could claim his almost certain first world title. That battle during the French GP (don’t remember which year) tells you everything you need to know about him and his driving style. Quality driver.

[@eggselent9814]

Problem is: He was too aggressive. Same with Senna.

[@geardownaviation]

@@eggselent9814 could be too aggressive sometimes for sure, ultimately resulted in his death I believe. But sometimes that aggressiveness was incredible to watch and produced incredible battles. But you’re definitely right, Gilles reminded me a lot of Senna.

[@jeevesosiris]

Markus Winkelhock. Led every race he ever competed in. Master in the rain too.

[@davy_657]

Me before even watching the video: "Alonso without a doubt"

[@vausgsushh6137]

wdym the rookie hasnt even reached his prime yet

[@burgadahz17]

​@@vausgsushh6137 xd

[@frost7747]

I guess no one mentioned him but one lf the greatest primes in my opinion was Niki Lauda 1975-77 would have three world titles in a row if it wasnt for the crash and was the dominant driver in an era surrounded with other greats like James Hunt

[@xingincool9672]

Hamilton! A black man, who was constantly being pushed back by the FIA wanting a Brazilian and another German to win yet he did it with class, he then got to Mercedes and wiped the floor with Vettel and Rosberg. That last race was taken away from the King by the Mafia but he will rise again, the goat! He will be the greatest of all time and he's also the cleanest driver!!!!

[@burgadahz17]

Ok bro.

[@gregd806]

2002-2004 Schummacher was amazingly dominant, even out of him 94-2004 years. He was rolling over everyone in 2002 and 2004. 2003 was closer than 2002 and 2004, but he still excelled, and found a way to win. Again, 2002, he podiumed the whole season, and 2004.... He demolished the Field. And yes he was controversial, but he was amazing, and actually wrecked some of his competitors, but so did Senna... And he knew how to extract all he could out any car you put him in. So that's my Submission for Great primes.

[@emp.splash]

Arguably, Hamilton was in his prime his entire career. Numbers speak for themselves, even when he had subpar machinery.

[@TheTororist]

been in his prime since f3

[@Brenooliveira072]

Even on his bad seasons like 2011, Hamilton was still insanely fast. Sometimes he lacked consistency, but the speed of an all time great was always there.

[@erwinr9328]

Lewis made so many mistakes when he was younger. The mistakes people make in the junior teams except lewis already had a whole topteam behind him even ditching fernando for a rookie🤣

[@Brenooliveira072]

@@erwinr9328 Every young driver makes mistakes, but when they are on a top team right off the bat they suffer more for being on the spotlight. The same thing happened to Max, as he was called "Crashtappen" by almost everyone back in 2017-18.

[@How23497]

@@Brenooliveira072 verstappen was at TR for 1 and a half years before moving to RB though

[@mohvelitohveli9310]

You have to give Mika more credit for the '99 season. He had really bad luck all seasons and had 5 retirements, while Irvine only 1. Mika was on pole 11 times out of the 16 races. He was on the podium 10 times of the 11 races he finished.

[@srxt6758]

Him crashing out of the lead at Imola and crashing with Coulthard twice wasnt bad luck but just dumb mistakes. I always viewed Mika very highly but rewatching the races I realised he was just a fast driver in a very fast car. He got beaten by Coulthard in 1997 and it needed 6 yrs for him to win his first race and even the first win was a gift from Williams because JV had more than enough pace to win. Undoubtably Schumis greatest rival that could show him teeth and some of the overtakes he pulled were amazing but again he had the car much quicker than the rest to be able to do it. I think he had like 10 poles or something in 1998 that Mclaren was poleing 1 sec ahead on some tracks and Schumacher still brought the championship to the final race and would have won it had it not been for Spa incident earlier in the year. And again almost losing to Irvine doesnt do him favors it would have been embarrasing to lose to a dude whos pre-race prep is putting rubber on his shaft.

[@mohvelitohveli9310]

@@srxt6758 yeah that imola crash was a stupid mistake but that accident with Coulthard in Austria was Coulthard's fault. And Mika still managed to go from last place to 3rd. Idk what other crash you are talking about? Isnt every champion a fast driver in a fast car more or less.

[@mattp98z81]

no doubt 2013 Vettel

[@TheRealVranesh]

For me it’s Schumi… growing up, I’m late 90s, non of my friends knew a thing about f1. Early 2000s, everyone knew Schumi… he was so famous that his name was synonymous with speed.

[@vachangiriyapur6224]

If we're being honest, this debate wouldn't have existed if it weren't for Sebastian Vettel

[@thiagocalfatcgo]

220% Brazilian bias here: Senna is the Goat for me. On top of being a beast on track, never seen anyone do anything he did in the rain. He was also one of the most holessome person to have ever driven in F1 Unfortunately he was taken from us too soon, one of my biggest regrets is that I never got to see him driving live since I was born in '99

[@3namesjames]

Schumacher was the standard by which we measure other drivers' greatness

[@TommoMcCluskey]

That says a lot

[@stupidassol]

Could not have said any better said everyone!

[@SIDYfe4r]

Late to this video, but would've maybe mentioned Ascari. Too hard to tell what could've been as it's very early in F1 and ended too soon, but 1952 was literally untouchable in those 6(7-1953) consecutive races and still holds the records achieved during that time to this day.