5 Greatest English Racers Of All Time In F1 History
England, the powerful, dominant nation in all areas of life, has been so dominant in the field of motorsports too.
It is also a fact that they are one of the forefathers of this sport and have contributed a lot.
And F1 is no exception, where various racers and trams from England have left their mark over the years. These include some of the greatest drivers of all time, including Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Stewart, and teams like Williams, Aston Martin, and McLaren.
In this article, we are going to discuss the 5 greatest English racers of all time in F1 history:
1. Sir Lewis Hamilton
Wins total: 103
Commences: 310
Poles: 103
Top lap times: 61
Titles: 7
Arguably one of the greatest F1 racers of all time, Hamilton is inscribed throughout the championship’s history book thanks to his dominance with Mercedes. He is statistically the best Formula One driver from the British Isles of all time.
Hamilton is tied with Schumacher on seven championship victories, meaning he has a very genuine chance of breaking the record for both pole positions and victories in Formula One history, which stands at 103.
2. Sir Jackie Stewart
Race Wins: 27
Total Starts: 99
Poles: 17
Fastest laps gained: 15
Championship Titles: 3
Stewart was a three-time world champion and an iconic figure in Formula One during the late 1960s and early 1970s. His record has maintained him at the top of the list of the finest drivers in history for nearly fifty years.
Star of Formula Three, Stewart signed with BRM for his F1 debut in 1965. He defeated teammate Hill to win the Italian GP after taking home the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.
3. Nigel Mansell –
Championship Title-1
Race Wins: 31
Race Start: 187
Total poles: 32
Fastest laps: 30
Mansell is likely to remain at the top of most people’s lists of the best British Formula One drivers due to his exuberance and racing style. He also held the top spot in terms of Grand Prix wins until Hamilton began his era of dominance.
Mansell’s career took off when he joined Williams in 1985, but he had already shown glimpses of talent and a great deal of dedication during his early Lotus F1 days. Before emerging as a strong title candidate the following year, he won his maiden Formula One race at Brands Hatch. He had more victories than anyone else, but when his left rear tire blew out in the Adelaide Grand Final, it was heartbreaking and cruel to have the trophy taken away from him just as he was about to win it.
4. Damon Hill
Career Wins: 22
Total Race Starts: 115
Pole position accumulated: 20
Fastest laps taken: 19
Championship Titles: 1
After a poor start in Formula One with Brabham folding in 1992, Hill was a relative late bloomer who was called up to the Williams team after Nigel Mansell left for IndyCar. That year, Hill was also serving as Williams’ test driver. Hill performed admirably throughout the 1993 season and really made his breakthrough with a hat-trick of victories in Hungary, Belgium, and Italy—this despite having former Formula One World Champion Alain Prost as his teammate.
5. Jim Clark
Total race wins: 25
Race Starts: 72
No. of Poles: 33
Fastest laps: 28
World Championship Titles: 2
Clark’s special relationship with team manager Colin Chapman, which resulted in two F1 world drivers’ titles and 25 grand prix victories, began after he made his Lotus squad debut in the 1960 Dutch GP.
Two of the most dominant F1 seasons are still 1963 and 1965. Clark led an incredible 71% of laps during the season, en route to winning his first world championship.
These are just five of the many great English drivers that F1 has seen over the decades. There are also superb young English talents coming into Formula 1, like Lando Norris and George Russell. So, they can be like these all-time greats too; better take a look at them.
