A celebration of every F1 World Champion since 1950

Transcription

1 c h a m p i o n s F r o m F a r i n a t o V e t t e l A celebration of every F1 World Champion since 1950 In association with

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3 T H E M O S T E X C L U S I V E C L U B I N R A C I N G Olympians chase gold medals, footballers dream of World Cups, in golf and tennis they re judged by the number of majors they can win. In motor racing, the Formula 1 World Championship is the holy grail, the accolade that fires the imagination of every kid who sits in a kart. To win a Grand Prix is special. But to string a half-dozen together, outscoring your rivals over the course of a gruelling nine-month season and ending the year on top of the world that s the ultimate satisfaction in the sport of speed. It was 61 years ago that the F1 World Championship was created, as a means of crowning the greatest driver of each given year. In 1950 Alfa Romeo held the sport of Grand Prix racing in an iron grip and it was tough, ruthless Giuseppe Farina who would become the first. Since Farina, just 31 others have joined racing s most exclusive club, the latest also happening to be the youngest: Sebastian Vettel. In this special supplement, produced in association with Casio Edifice watches, we honour the World Champions, and for each of them we offer the unique and authoritative perspective of our renowned editor-in-chief, Nigel Roebuck. There are great men who are not in this club who should be Stirling Moss, Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson to name but three but such are the injustices and quirks of fate thrown up by sport. Even as we celebrate the World Champions, we acknowledge that titles and achievements don t necessarily define greatness. But in the intensely competitive world of modern F1 the accolade of World Champion has come to mean more than it has ever done. We are in the middle of a great era, where the most gifted drivers on the grid sit comfortably with the most celebrated names from the past. Vettel is one of those men, and as we prepare for another season climax he looks certain to join that even more exclusive club: the men with multiple titles. This champion s story has only just begun. Damien Smith, Editor c o n t e n t s Casio and Red Bull Racing have formed a strong working relationship, with the Edifice timepiece playing a star role Giuseppe farina juan manuel fangio alberto ascari mike hawthorn jack brabham phil hill graham hill jim clark john surtees denis hulme jackie stewart jochen rindt emerson fittipaldi niki lauda james hunt mario andretti jody scheckter alan jones nelson piquet keke rosberg Alain prost ayrton senna nigel mansell michael schumacher damon hill jacques villeneuve mika hakkinen fernando alonso kimi raikkonen lewis hamilton jenson button sebastian vettel w o r l d c h a m p i o n s f a c t s a n d f i g u r e s Giuseppe Farina Grand Prix starts: 33 Wins: 5 Pole positions: 5 Fastest laps: 5 Teams: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari Alberto Ascari Grand Prix starts: 31 Wins: 13 Pole positions: 14 Fastest laps: 13 Teams: Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia Juan Manuel Fangio Grand Prix starts: 51 Wins: 24 Pole positions: 29 Fastest laps: 23 Teams: Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes- Benz, Ferrari Mike Hawthorn Grand Prix starts: 45 Wins: 3 Pole positions: 4 Fastest laps: 6 Teams: Cooper (privateer), Ferrari, Vanwall, BRM, Maserati (privateer) Phil Hill Grand Prix starts: 48 Wins: 3 Pole positions: 6 Fastest laps: 6 Teams: Joakim Bonnier, Ferrari, ATS, Filipinetti, Cooper, Anglo American Racers John Surtees Grand Prix starts: 111 Wins: 6 Pole positions: 8 Fastest laps: 11 Teams: Lotus, Yeoman Cooper, Bowmaker Lola, Ferrari, Cooper, Honda, BRM, Surtees Jim Clark Grand Prix starts: 72 Wins: 25 Pole positions: 33 Fastest laps: 28 Teams: Lotus Jack Brabham Grand Prix starts: 126 Wins: 14 Pole positions: 13 Fastest laps: 12 Teams: Cooper, Walker, Brabham Denis Hulme Grand Prix starts: 112 Wins: 8 Pole positions: 1 Fastest laps: 9 Teams: Brabham, McLaren Graham Hill Grand Prix starts: 176 Wins: 14 Pole positions: 13 Fastest laps: 10 Teams: Lotus, BRM, Brabham, Walker, Embassy Hill Jochen Rindt Grand Prix starts: 60 Wins: 6 Pole positions: 10 Fastest laps: 3 Teams: Walker, Cooper, Brabham, Lotus Jackie Stewart Grand Prix starts: 99 Wins: 27 Pole positions: 17 Fastest laps: 15 Teams: BRM, Matra, Tyrrell Emerson Fittipaldi Grand Prix starts: 144 Wins: 14 Pole positions: 6 Fastest laps: 6 Teams: Lotus, McLaren, Fittipaldi James Hunt Grand Prix starts: 92 Wins: 10 Pole positions: 14 Fastest laps: 8 Teams: Hesketh, McLaren, Wolf Mario Andretti Grand Prix starts: 128 Wins: 12 Pole positions: 18 Fastest laps: 10 Teams: Lotus, March, Ferrari, Parnelli Jody Scheckter Grand Prix starts: 112 Wins: 10 Pole positions: 3 Fastest laps: 5 Teams: McLaren, Tyrrell, Wolf, Ferrari Alan Jones Grand Prix starts: 116 Wins: 12 Pole positions: 6 Fastest laps: 13 Teams: Hesketh, Hill, Surtees, Shadow, Williams, Haas Keke Rosberg Grand Prix starts: 114 Wins: 5 Pole positions: 5 Fastest laps: 3 Teams: Theodore, ATS, Wolf, Fittipaldi, Williams, McLaren Niki Lauda Grand Prix starts: 171 Wins: 25 Pole positions: 24 Fastest laps: 24 Teams: March, BRM, Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren Nelson Piquet Grand Prix starts: 204 Wins: 23 Pole positions: 24 Fastest laps: 23 Teams: Ensign, McLaren (privateer), Brabham, Williams, Lotus, Benetton Ayrton Senna Grand Prix starts: 161 Wins: 41 Pole positions: 65 Fastest laps: 19 Teams: Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams Nigel Mansell Grand Prix starts: 187 Wins: 31 Pole positions: 32 Fastest laps: 30 Teams: Lotus, Williams, Ferrari, McLaren Alain Prost Grand Prix starts: 200 Wins: 51 Pole positions: 33 Fastest laps: 41 Teams: McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, Williams Damon Hill Grand Prix starts: 116 Wins: 22 Pole positions: 20 Fastest laps: 19 Teams: Brabham, Williams, Arrows, Jordan Jacques Villeneuve Grand Prix starts: 163 Wins: 11 Pole positions: 13 Fastest laps: 9 Teams: Williams, BAR, Renault, Sauber, BMW Sauber A special supplement to Motor Sport in association with Casio. Produced by Motor Sport, 38 Chelsea Wharf, 15 Lots Road, London SW10 0QJ. Tel: editorial@motorsportmagazine.co.uk Editor Damien Smith, Deputy editor Gordon Cruickshank, Art Editor Damon Cogman, Chief Sub-editor Gillian Rodgers, Publisher Dafina Keys, Publishing Controller Jennifer Carruth, Commercial Director Isabelle Hartley-Nias Images by LAT Photographic. Printed by Precision Colour Printing, Shropshire. Motor Sport Not to be sold separately Mika Hakkinen Grand Prix starts: 128 Wins: 14 Pole positions: 21 Fastest laps: 13 Teams: Lotus, McLaren Michael Schumacher (still competing) Grand Prix starts: 280 Wins: 91 Pole positions: 68 Fastest laps: 76 Teams: Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz Fernando Alonso (still competing) Grand Prix starts: 170 Wins: 27 Pole positions: 20 Fastest laps: 19 Teams: Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen Grand Prix starts: 156 Wins: 18 Pole positions: 16 Fastest laps: 35 Teams: Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari Lewis Hamilton (still competing) Grand Prix starts: 83 Wins: 16 Pole positions: 18 Fastest laps: 10 Teams: McLaren Jenson Button (still competing) Grand Prix starts: 201 Wins: 11 Pole positions: 7 Fastest laps: 4 Teams: Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn, McLaren Sebastian Vettel (still competing) Grand Prix starts: 74 Wins: 17 Pole positions: 24 Fastest laps: 7 Teams: Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher and Button have 12 World Championships between them All information correct as of 2011 Belgian Grand Prix

4 e d i f i c e E Q W - M D B - 1 S P E E D A N D I N T E L L I G E N C E A d va n c e d T e c h n o l o g y, d y n a m i c d e s i g n his year Casio has renewed its partnership with the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team with sponsorship more prominent than ever, ensuring that the world-leading electronics company makes the most of its partnership with the World Championship-winning team. As part of the partnership, which began in 2009, the Casio logo is displayed on the nose of the multi-racewinning RB7 F1 car and also appears on the racesuits of drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But in addition to the sponsorship, Casio has worked closely with Red Bull Racing to release special collaborative watch models to enhance the Edifice brand. The partnership is a perfect marriage. The world of F1 is obsessed by efficiency and functionality nothing is designed and built into a racing car if it doesn t serve a purpose, and performance is measured in the only way motor racing people understand: on the clock. Adrian Newey, widely regarded in F1 circles as the sport s great technical genius, has spent over 20 years refining the aerodynamics of Grand Prix cars to perfection. The RB7 is the latest evolution of his design philosophy, blending the quest for greater levels of aerodynamic downforce with a neat packaging solution that allows the team to make the most of F1 s tight technical regulations, which includes the use of power-boosting Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) this year. The ethos of the highest performance contained within the strongest of technical Inspired by motor racing and its partnership with the Red Bull Racing F1 team, Casio presents the new EQW-M1100DB-1, the first watch in its collection to be equipped with a 1/1000sec stopwatch. With its eye-catching dial in 3D design, which displays various timing functions in parallel, this solar-powered radio-controlled watch gives the impression of motor sports energy and speed. The upper black level of the dial features integrated cut-out sections to provide a free view of the richlycontrasted design on the lower level. The multi-dimensional appearance subtly captures the active and functional character of the Edifice brand. The two disk-shaped indicators, each positioned within a small circular dial, are designed to look like car brake discs and have automotive inspiration. The recessed casing ring features the most important city abbreviations for the integrated world time function. Body and wristband are made of solid stainless steel and the bezel is ionised black using a complex process. The technical highlight of the EQW-M1100DB-1 chronograph is the integrated stopwatch. It displays elapsed time with an intelligent combination of second hand and motorised disk-shaped indicators. This indicator at the nine o clock position rotates forwards and backwards and, when the stopwatch is in use, alternates between displaying the 1/1000sec value and the 1/100sec value. The second hand indicates the 1/10sec value. The EQW-M1100DB-1 can receive standard radio waves from six transmitters around the world two in Japan and one each in Germany, the UK, the US and China. With the new Edifice, it is not just motor sport fans who will experience the perfect feeling of the chase for the 1/1000sec that can often be decisive in a race. m a i n f e at u r e s Multi-band 6 radio controlled A built-in radio signal receiver ensures that the exact time is displayed across Europe, the US, Japan and China Solar Power A solar cell provides power for operation World Time Displays the current time in major cities and specific areas around the world Countdown timer Countdown range: one second to 24 hours, a stopwatch that counts backwards: when 0 minutes and Available at Goldsmiths and selected independent jewellers 0 seconds is reached, the timer emits a 10-second signal tone Stopwatch Elapsed time, split time and final time are measured with 1/1000sec accuracy. The watch can measure times of up to 24 hours Daily Alarm An acoustic signal goes off daily at a set time Water resistant 10 Bar water resistance means that the module is also suitable for swimming or snorkelling, 100m/10 Bar 6 7

5 packaging is mirrored by Casio s approach to its Edifice range, a point Newey himself has recognised. There are a lot of parallels between Casio watches and F1, he says. Aesthetics, reliability, accuracy and functionality. All are important in racing too. Newey is famous for his traditional approach to racing car design and engineering. In a sport that relies heavily on advanced computer technology, he still prefers a sketch pad and pencil to form ideas. And unlike many of his contemporaries, Newey still works with a traditional drawing board in his office at Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes. That traditional approach is reflected in Newey s day-to-day use of his Casio Edifice at the race track. I started working in motor sport when electronic timing wasn t de rigueur and I still do some hand timing myself today, he smiles. I ll time a pitstop or a gap between cars as it means I get the information before it comes up on the timing screens. The Casio Edifice fits the bill perfectly because it s accurate, intuitive and looks good. Like the cars they build and race, motor f 1 w o r l d c h a m p i o n s racing people expect high levels of practical, useable performance in every aspect of their lives. Take Mark Webber, who has been wearing a Casio Edifice since I like watches that are functional, he says. I want to put on a watch in the morning and not take it off until the evening, irrespective of what I m doing during the day. Time is important and I want it with me whatever I m doing. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner speaks of a stronger cooperative relationship between his team and Casio during this third year of the partnership. For both companies, the foundations of technical excellence in their respective fields have been established. Now they are reaping the dividends. Like the F1 team, Casio Edifice chronographs have evolved in the pursuit of speed. A cool metal body with confident texturing, and a striking face design with superior visibility, ensures the perfect marriage of styling and functionality. No wonder Adrian Newey approves. Both Adrian Newey (left) and Christian Horner appreciate the shared qualities of Casio and the F1 title-winning Red Bull team e d i f i c e E Q W - A R B - 1 A This promises to keep those functional motor racing people happy and no wonder. The watch is a result of the promised collaboration between Red Bull Racing and Casio, as the F1 team brings its high performance demands to the Edifice range. Casio presents a Limited Edition dual-layer chronograph that reaches new evolutionary heights with the addition of the company s innovative Smart Access feature for improved stopwatch control and multi-function operation. The watch deserves its place on the top step of the podium, offering easy control of its many functions with an electronic crown and handy operation buttons. It presents dynamic expressions with a dual-layer face featuring a prominent disk indicator and that famous Red Bull Racing logo. Whether you re in Europe, the US or Japan, or the outer reaches of Canada, Central America or China the watch will show you the correct time by receiving the relevant signal. In many countries it also sets itself automatically to summer and winter time. Another special feature is the automatic hand adjustment function that checks the home position of the hands every hour and corrects it if necessary. Tough, scratchresistant mineral glass protects the watch against unsightly damage, and the watch is encased within tough, durable and elegant stainless steel. It also comes with its own special presentation stand and giftbox. m a i n f e at u r e s Solar Power A solar cell provides power for operation Radio controlled A built-in radio signal receiver ensures that the exact time is displayed across Europe, the US, Japan and China World Time Displays the current time in major cities and specific areas around the world Stopwatch The elapsed time is measured within 1/20sec accuracy. The watch can measure times of up to one hour Timer For fans of precision, the countdown timers help you to remember Available at Goldsmiths and selected independent jewellers specific or recurring events by giving off an audible signal at a preset time. The time can be set to the nearest minute and up to one hour in advance Daily alarm It reminds you of events that recur every day by emitting an audible signal at the set time. In addition, an adjustable alarm alerts you when every full hour has elapsed Automatic calendar Once set, the automatic calendar always displays the correct date Water resistant 10 Bar water resistance means the module is also suitable for swimming or snorkelling, 100m/10 Bar s m a r t a c c e s s Smart Access This drive system with its superior utility permits easier, more sensitive operation of multiple functions by combining independent hand movement, made possible by the new fivemotor layout, with electronic crown-controlled switching Electronic Crown Switch The screw-locking electronic crown controls various operations with simplified actions D U A L - L A Y E R D I A L STOP RUN SPLIT Large disk indicator A disk indicator installed in the cut-out between the upper and lower dials rotates to permit quick confirmation of the current mode Signal display inspired by the F1 starter signal Red, blue or black signals indicate the stopwatch s current status, in the STOP, RUN or SPLIT mode Lap mode button Pressing the button in any mode switches to the stopwatch lap measurement mode Aluminium bezel The aluminium bezel radiates a vivid alumite glow 8 9

6 32 The glorious f 1 w o r l d c h a m p i o n s That s the number of members in Formula 1 s most exclusive club. Nigel Roebuck heralds the roll of honour every World Champion since it all began, way back in 1950 giuseppe Ascari, Ferrari s first World Champion, concluded his 1952 winning streak on home soil at Monza 50 A man of ice. Farina was a great racing driver and a consummate stylist Stirling Moss noted his reclined, straight arm posture in the car, thought it looked good, and copied it but his patrician background carried over into every aspect of his life. By turns charming and aloof out of the car, he was singularly ruthless within it, and would simply barge slower cars out of the way, as with the ERA of Marcel Lehoux at the Deauville Grand Prix in 1936: Lehoux was killed. Fangio described his Alfa Romeo team-mate as loco, but there was never any doubt about the talent of the sport s first World Champion. juan manuel Moss never World Champion, but considered by many still to be the best has always maintained that Fangio stands alone, perhaps in part because the man was as great as the driver. In his late thirties before he came to Europe, he raced in 51 Grandes Epreuves and won 24 of them, a strike rate forever unapproached. There were five World Championships, the last of them won at 46. Out of the car Juan Manuel was courteous, gentle, serene, the sport s finest natural ambassador; in it he could do things beyond imagining, and even now his name resonates in motor racing like perhaps no other. alberto In June 1952 Ascari won for Ferrari at Spa, and in June 1953 he did it again. In the course of those 12 months no one else won a World Championship Grand Prix. Worshipped in Italy, he was a supreme racing driver, believed by many to be faster even than Fangio. Genial, kindly and intensely superstitious, he was one of those who made it look simple, like Jim Clark at his most impressive when playing the hare, leading from the start and vanishing into the distance. Ascari was killed at Monza in 1955 doing an impromptu test of a Ferrari sports car on a Thursday morning. To this day the accident remains unexplained. mike Ferociously fast on his day, Hawthorn became Britain s first World Champion in He was the crystallization of a type, the English sportsman of the 50s. Had he been born a few years earlier one could picture him flying a battered Lancaster back to base, then heading for the bar, ordering a pint, shrugging the whole thing off. Never in the best of health, Hawthorn was inconsistent, but in the mood could run with anyone. After the death of his friend and team-mate Peter Collins he duly won the title with Ferrari, but his taste for racing was gone. Three months after announcing his retirement he died in a road accident

7 phil jack 61 It is doubtful that anyone more intelligent ever sat in a racing car. Hill used to say that, given his time over again, he would never be a racing driver, but in a perilous era he won the World Championship, and the Le Mans 24 Hours three times, as well as countless other races and never once was he hurt. No one can reasonably ask more than that. Introspective and edgy before a race, Phil would pace up and down, lighting one cigarette after another, but once in the car his style was easy and composed. Like Brooks or Ickx, he excelled at unyielding circuits. A wonderfully laconic raconteur, he died in BRM P57 steps out of line as Hill races to third place at East London, South Africa in 1963, a year after he d taken his first title graham He s a Graham Hill was for years a catchphrase to describe a driver whose success apparently owed more to determination than to natural ability. Perhaps there was something in that, but if Hill worked at it, his courage and unwillingness ever to give in often shamed those of greater gift. He could be charming, he could be obnoxious, but his strength of will as when he held Lotus together in the aftermath of Clark s loss was beyond doubt. World Champion twice, Graham continued long past his best, simply because he loved to drive. Together with five members of his team, he died in a light aircraft accident in Brabham was never a man to capture the public imagination. Quiet and undemonstrative, he rarely used two words where one would do, and never became worldly. One of the first drivers to fly his own aeroplane to races, he would take steaks out from England with him, wary of foreign food. Curiously underrated even now, though, Black Jack was a doughty competitor. His style shoulders hunched, head down may not have been elegant but in full cry he was a mighty impressive sight. There were two World Championships with Cooper and a third in a car bearing his own name. No one else has done that jim Following Clark s death in 1968, Chris Amon eloquently summed up the feelings of the drivers: Beyond the grief there was also a fear which we all felt. If it could happen to Jimmy, what chance did the rest of us have? It seemed we d lost our leader And so he was, succeeding Moss. A shy man, he chewed his nails, like Prost, but in the car was totally at peace, the best of his time perhaps of any time. Twice World Champion, Jimmy won 25 of his 72 Grands Prix, but what tells most about him, perhaps, is that only once did he finish second. As Jackie Stewart has said, he never knew how good he was.

8 Monaco master: JYS on his way to the second of three wins in the Principality, this time in Tyrrell 003 in May 1971 jackie john 64 Surtees is and will assuredly remain the only man ever to win World Championships on both two wheels and four. Unusually brave, and possessed of phenomenal natural balance, he made the transition with barely a break in stride: in 1960 he dominated TT week and within a month drove to second place in the British Grand Prix. John never learned diplomacy, in the sense that old-fashioned qualities like adherence to principle still counted with him, but if he never fitted in as comfortably as in the less precious motorcycle world he was a racer of the purest kind, exactly the man to excel at Spa in the wet. 67 denis Outwardly the most pragmatic and laid-back World Champion of all, Hulme s approach to life was always a matter of taking the simplest route. As one who disliked uncertainties, he would stay in Holiday Inns whenever possible: they were all exactly the same, he would say, and that was what he liked about them. Similarly he had everything weighed up at a race track. You could have got spectacular odds on Denny, a virtual rookie, for the World Championship in 1967, but he won twice, finished well everywhere and was never to be discounted. He died of a heart attack in 1993 while competing at Bathurst. From the start it was evident that Stewart was a winner. Not only was he instantly successful in terms of results, there was something about him, his whole being, which radiated confidence. He competed at a dangerous time, yet even as he fought against considerable opposition for improved safety it in no way hampered domination at the Nürburgring in appalling weather. Unquestionably among the greatest, JYS had a resolutely intelligent approach to the job, blending a fierce desire to succeed with an even stronger wish to survive. Supremely quick, always rational, always in control jochen 70 What do we remember of Rindt? The mesmeric car control, the deep, clipped voice, the boxer s nose, tousled hair and the huge swell of sound from the stands that greeted his approach on one of the great days. In every era there should be someone like this. Sometimes arrogant, he wasn t for everyone, yet he had about him, too, a vulnerability and through his last summer worried that everything was going almost too well. Killed during qualifying at Monza in 1970, sadly he never knew the World Championship was his, but those who saw him remember Jochen chiefly for this: he made them catch their breath.

9 Fittipaldi s Lotus leads the charge from Hulme and chief rival Stewart at the start of the 1972 South African GP emerson niki 76 james As a racer, Hunt was of the instinctive kind and never one to work at it very much. It was the same with squash, in which he was also highly gifted: put him on a court and he gave everything. In the car James s natural ability was high, his audacity considerable, his racing brain unusually sharp. But if he could be blindingly quick and sometimes inspired, he was not, by his own admission, the man you needed when things were going badly. If he overtly savoured life s pleasures, beneath there was also a quieter, kinder man, much missed since his death from a heart attack at only 45. mario Fittipaldi burst onto the scene in 1970, winning at Watkins Glen, only his fourth Grand Prix, and restoring some morale to a Lotus team shattered by the loss of Rindt. Establishing himself as Jackie Stewart s major rival, he won the World Championship twice, and there was no doubting his prodigious natural ability. In 1976 Emerson decided for reasons of loyalty rather than common sense to leave McLaren for the family team run by his brother. It was predictably a disaster, and as his good humour suffered so also his driving career wilted to nothing. Another gloriously successful one, happily, awaited in Indycars Given the Last Rites on the night of the 1976 German Grand Prix, in which he was dreadfully burned, Lauda finished fourth at Monza only six weeks later, and it remains the most courageous achievement ever seen in motor racing. If this was Lauda at his most pragmatic there was a World Championship still on offer for everyone else the emotion was overwhelming. After winning a couple of titles for Ferrari Niki retired for a year or two, then came back, now with McLaren, and became World Champion again. Irreverent, blunt and funny, Lauda won many races on pure speed, many more on intelligence. The racer s racer. Having won in every sphere of motor sport in the US, Andretti had his first touch with F1 at Watkins Glen in 1968 and took pole position. Although it would be many years before he committed to it, put it on the front burner, he then worked more successfully with Colin Chapman than any man since Clark. Expert at setting a car up, he was always smooth and quick if occasionally prey to the mistakes of a supreme opportunist. World Champion in 1978, Mario was a natural showman with a gift for one-liners, as adept at a press conference as he was on the race track

10 Monza 87: eventual winner Piquet gets his FW11B sideways at the Parabolica passing Ivan Capelli s March jody nelson 79 alan Very much the enfant terrible of Formula 1 in 1973, his first season, Scheckter was undoubtedly in over his head for a while. But three years of working with Ken Tyrrell changed all that, and if he remained a contender for the rest of his career, he carefully balanced risk and reward. There was always a wry humour beneath the taciturn exterior, but Jody would admit that, like Stewart, his overriding priority was to keep alive. The World Championship was always important, though, and he moved to Ferrari to win it, had one more season in a now uncompetitive car and departed without a backward glance Piquet, while not on the level of Prost or Senna, nevertheless had tremendous natural talent as well as a very clever racing brain, and history possibly underrates him. He was at his happiest save financially during the Brabham years, where the mechanics worshipped him and the quest to help him to the World Championship was an unusually personal one. After winning two titles there he got another at Williams, where he combated Nigel Mansell s greater pace with guile and, some would say, a measure of deviousness. A sly sense of humour went down well with some rivals, rather less so with others. 80 In his time Jones was the hard man of Formula 1, a ferocious competitor who used words of one syllable and was gloriously immune to political correctness. He found himself at Williams at exactly the right time, with Frank and Patrick as contemporaries, all of them embarking on a great adventure, an assault against the traditional grandees. You upset Alan at your peril, as team-mate Carlos Reutemann discovered, but if you got him in the right frame of mind and gave him a car as good as the FW07 he could be devastating. In 1980 the World Championship was almost a foregone conclusion. keke Rosberg likes to call himself the most underpaid World Champion in history, and it s a fact that in 1982 Williams had no need to pay Keke much. Following the retirement of Jones, Frank was providing his new driver with a competitive car for the first time, and that was enough. Rosberg had long been a cork bursting to get out of the bottle and he drove the wheels off the FW08, winning the title a year after being out of work. Not your standard Williams driver a cigarette was never long out of his hand Keke was a perfect fit for the team, fearsomely quick, a no-nonsense racer who just got on with it

11 alain More than any other in history, perhaps, Prost was the man who made it look easy. Quite uncannily smooth, deceptively quick, he could fight with anyone Senna included when he had to, but always favoured grey cells over red mist, which is perhaps why some underestimated him. A believer in Fangio s dictum that the aim was always to win at the slowest possible speed, Alain was without equal in the art of setting up a car. But his sense of sportsmanship did not always serve him well, as he found in the late seasons with McLaren. Highly intelligent, always droll, he is among the very greatest the sport has known. ayrton Tunnel vision: intense Senna won at Monaco an amazing six times. Here he is in McLaren MP4-5 in A flawed genius, yes, but a genius indisputably. Senna was devastatingly quick and impassioned, and much of his motivation came from beating Prost, his greatest rival and therefore his nemesis. Demonstrably the fastest of his time, Ayrton would do literally anything to win, and some thought him obsessed to an unhealthy degree. If his on-track behaviour sometimes bordered on the homicidal, there are many who think Senna the out-and-out best there has ever been, and the sight of him particularly on a qualifying lap can never be forgotten. He was killed at Imola on May Day of nigel A curious fellow, Mansell, a one-off. No matter how many battles he fought, how many races he won, how many fans adored him, still he invariably gave the impression that he was undervalued, that the world had it in for him. Hugely brave in the car, so it was not easy to understand his preoccupation with aches and pains out of it. Fundamentally a good man, he saw demons everywhere, some imagined, some not. But when Nigel was on one of his charges very few could cope with him, because very few were as quick or committed and forever he will stand as one of the greatest racers the sport has known. 21

12 michael As close to a driving machine as the sport has known, Schumacher dominated a generation like none before him. True, he didn t save Mika Häkkinen have the greatest opposition, and much of the time had incomparably the best car, but he was like a motor racing Bradman and the results simply flowed and flowed: it s unlikely anyone will ever win more than 91 races and seven World Championships. For many, though, there is a reluctance to bracket Michael with the very best, not because of his lacklustre return after retirement, but because of the unacceptable strokes he would pull on the race track. The antithesis of Fangio. 96 damon Very much his father s son in the sense that while he perhaps lacked the God-given ability of some of his contemporaries, Damon into his thirties before he made it to Formula 1 also inherited Graham s fortitude, never more clearly shown than in the weeks following the death of team-mate Senna. If there were times when he fell short of Williams expectations, so there were days most notably in the rains of Suzuka in 1994 when he greatly exceeded them. A good and decent human being with a lovely dry sense of humour, Hill s World Championship won deservedly in 1996 was celebrated by one and all. jacques 97 The great maverick of recent times, Villeneuve arrived in F1 by way of Indycars, took pole position at his first Grand Prix and would have won it if his engine had allowed. It was a startling debut by any standards, and over the next two years Jacques won many races and a World Championship. Being the son of the sainted Gilles cannot have been easy, and the quirky Jacques baggy overalls, dyed hair, would-be musician for a long time resented comparisons. But if he lacked his father s genius and perhaps geniality he, too, was very much a character: unerringly honest, cowed by no one. Spain 2004: 75th of a record 91 GP wins for dominant Schumacher. At Ferrari, he was relentless 22 23

13 fernando A tough cookie, as Niki Lauda says, but not without a sense of fun. By the time of Schumacher s original retirement, in 2006, Alonso was already twice a World Champion, already the best. Utterly single-minded about his job, and with little taste for fame and bling, Fernando is a driver of the old school hard and brave in the way he races but never underhand. After the brief glitch with McLaren he ultimately settled into life with Ferrari as if born to it, a natural team leader who never moans not even when a bad strategy call costs him a title. The most complete driver of the moment, relentlessly on it every lap. Alonso took seven wins to become Spain s first World Champion in 2005; he then repeated that tally in 06 mika kimi Hakkinen was the out-and-out fastest of his generation. A quiet man who let his driving do the talking, over time he learned to say even less. It wasn t that he became unfriendly or distant, more that he was increasingly wary, wishing to avoid public controversy. At McLaren they loved that about him. When Schumacher tried ruthlessly to edge him off the road at Spa in 2000, he said his piece face to face, then came to the press conference: It wasn t a pleasant moment, he said, well aware that these things can build feuds. Mika was always at his absolute best when the pressure was really on: undoubtedly a great racing driver. Enigmatic doesn t make a start on it, nor insouciant. Did anyone ever really know what Räikkonen was thinking? Outwardly, at least, he seemed to care nothing about anything, and said less My God, Kimi makes Häkkinen sound like Jerry Lewis! as Flavio Briatore memorably said. In the McLaren days he sometimes was touched by genius, sometimes phoned his races over. Staggeringly fast when the mood was on him, he moved to Ferrari, curiously untouched by all that should have meant. Unquestionably great on his day, Räikkonen was too rarely the driver he could and should have been

14 lewis Vettel got his 2011 title defence off to a great start by winning six of the first eight races sebastian 08 Probably the best prepared debutant in the history of Formula 1, with thousands of testing miles behind him, the profoundly talented Hamilton arrived on the scene like a meteor, equipped with the best car and the devotion of a team which had raised him from a boy. Paired with Alonso, Lewis had nothing to lose if Fernando beat him it was to be expected, but if he beat Fernando There were no distractions then, simply a name to make, and his driving was consistently sublime. The World Championship was won the next year, but since then life has become more complicated, peace of mind more difficult to find. Once in a while a prodigy comes along, and Vettel is one such. To take a Toro Rosso to pole position in the rain at Monza was one thing, then to dominate the race quite another. Sebastian in a Red Bull can make the winning of a Grand Prix look simple in the way that Ascari, Clark or Schumacher did: a matter of night following day. Through his spectacular climb he has kept his modest ways save the irritating jabbing of the 1 finger at the cameras but behind the schoolboy grin is a man every bit as driven as the great ones from the past. There is still some fallibility under pressure but frequently there is no pressure. 10 jenson If Hamilton s favourite driver is Senna, Button s is Prost and if you didn t know that, you could make an educated guess. Jenson doesn t have Lewis s absolute speed, and knows it, just as Alain did with Ayrton. What he does have, though, is many of his hero s best attributes: for one thing a silky driving style, kind to car and particularly tyres; for another, an ability to drive and think at the same time, to make decisions which would not so much as occur to others. After endless frustrating years with Honda, Button has lately had cars worthy of him, and can cope maturely with the odd bad weekend

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