Best British F1 drivers... Your view
Lewis Hamilton may not have enjoyed the greatest of seasons, but his debut campaign proved, for our F1 expert at least, that he was worthy of a place in our top ten British drivers of all time.
But where does he slot in? You can find that out and the rest of the top ten by clicking here.
Now we don't expect you to agree with this top ten. In fact, we actively encourage your dissenting voices - but please keep your feedback polite! Use the boxes below to send in your own views.
For me the most complete driver would have to be Damon Hill on and off the track he impressed under sometimes grave or high pressure situations.
Posted by: Bruce | 11 September 2008 at 16:14
Re-reading your list some of the names are "arguable" as wwhther they should be there or not, but one name missing from the list deserves our respect at least, Derek Bell. Derek never made it in F1, but in Sports Car driving I would put him second only to Stirling Moss.
Posted by: Brian Wylie | 07 September 2008 at 13:16
To have Lewis Hamilton in the top ten is crazy! He is a great racing driver, but has only been racing in formula 1 for 18 months. He has won a few races (also made some very big mistakes) but how does that make him a one of the top ten greatest british drivers!?!
Posted by: | 31 August 2008 at 17:05
For me the greatest driver is lewis hamilton i have watched the likes of mansell and hill and can not deny they were very good on there day. Lewis is a class apart the only drivers i can compare lewis to are arton senna and michael schumacher and beleive lewis well take there records along the way to becoming the best driver ever to step inside a car.my top ten would be 1.hamilton,2.clark,3.d.hill,4.moss,5.mansell,6.stewart,7.hunt,8.brundle,9.button,10.herburt
Posted by: paul o'connor | 30 August 2008 at 17:05
The problem with "Best Ever" lists is that people tend to pick the drivers of the era they belong to. On your number 1. I followed Moss's career from when he started and always believed there was no one to touch him although Clark came close. The man who saw them all, and employed most of the very best, Enzo Ferrari, was asked who he thought was the best driver he ever saw. He named two equal, Nuvolari, not even mentioned here, and Stirling Moss. I don't think you can get a better recommendation than that. Moss had his career (and almost life) ending crash in 1962. Ferrari had offered to build him a car for the next season. I always wonder how he would have done. Moss never won the F1 Championship but he didn't have to, all his rivals knew who was the best. Amazingly, he is still as enthusiastic as ever although he must be eighty.
Posted by: Brian Wylie | 18 August 2008 at 20:46
I agree that Moss is the number 1 as he could dive anything He did the Melia - Melia at almost 100 mph
His was a Natural skill as Hamilton shows now
Clark was equal to Moss as a natural as he also drove all sorts of cars
No one mentions Mike Hawthorn but he was a wold champion and as Moss drove underpowered cars to spectacular wins
Posted by: Bob Smithies | 02 August 2008 at 21:19
Stewart and Clark should be joint number 1. These drivers competed together in the same era and were very evenly matched. Clarks untimely death allowed Stewart to dominate the late sixties and early seventies. This was at a time when the majority of the grid used the same engine and gearbox. Naturally, the cream rose to the top.
Moss would occupy third for me, Mansell fourth, Hill junior fifth, Hill senior sixth, Surtees seventh, Mike Hawthorn eighth, Hunt ninth and Brooks tenth. I truly believe that Hamilton will take his place in this pantheon, but at the moment, he needs to demonstrate that he can win a world title. You can't leave out the first British title winner, Hawthorn has to be there. Mike Hailwood also deserves a mention.
Posted by: Pontyslot | 18 July 2008 at 16:26
Clark should be top and Stewart second results speak for themslves, in the time when the circuts were demanding and took real driver skill in cars that were not controled by anything other than skill not electronics and a bank of tech's in the pits .Hamilton has potential but is very new and unproven in relation to his peers.
Posted by: Gordon | 13 July 2008 at 14:20
You cannot compare drivers from different eras, but you can compare them with the other drivers around them. For any driver to be successful he needs a good car and a good team and a bit of luck. Hamilton has got talent and he's in a top team. This years he's better than his team mate, last year he was as good as or better than his team mate and he was a double world champion! Hamilton won races in his first year and there aren't that many drivers who do that especially when the current world champion is in the other car. Last year at Monaco Hamilton was all over Alonso, but team orders meant he couldn't go for the win. Hamilton has a lot to prove, but he has that determination and drive that we saw in the young Senna & Schumacher.
Posted by: steve | 07 July 2008 at 18:18
Hamilton's drive was the best I've seen since Senna in 1993. He's right up there. Hope he shut a few of you up. The kid's a legend in the making.
Posted by: Yoland | 07 July 2008 at 08:57
Lay off Hamilton he was fantastic today at silverstone and has a real chance of winning this year. I say watch this space-legend in the making!
Posted by: DC | 06 July 2008 at 23:43
One word describes hamilton:-
T.W.A.T.
He is rude, aragent and obnoxious to the extreme! The sooner the Uk public concentrate on Button again the better!!!
Just need to get away from Honda to somewhere more respectable!!!
T.W.A.T.
Posted by: sIMON | 06 July 2008 at 18:51
Jim clark should be top of the list, followed by Jackie Stewart. How did Mike Hawthorn not make the list? he was the first British F1 world champion after all. Lewis Hamilton could possibly become the greatest ever british driver, but he's too high up the list at this stage of his career
Posted by: steve | 06 July 2008 at 18:02
Jim clark should be top of the list, followed by Jackie Stewart. How did Mike Hawthorn not make the list? he was the first British F1 world champion after all. Lewis Hamilton could possibly become the greatest ever british driver, but he's too high up the list at this stage of his career
Posted by: steve | 06 July 2008 at 18:00
HOW CAN YOU NOT PUT COULTHARD IN THE TOP TEN. HE WENT TOE TO TOE WITH SCHUMACHER FOR YEARS AND I WOULD BET THAT HE WOULD HAVE HELD ON FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR HAD HE BEEN IN HAMILTONS POSITION. BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE NOW HAMILTON FLUKED LAST SEASON AND HELL NEVER WIN A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Posted by: RONAN BRIDGEMORE | 06 July 2008 at 10:12
Hamilton will blitz to victory in the rain to take his rightful place in the top ten, well if he can make up that second a lap on his team-mate!!
Posted by: Lewis | 06 July 2008 at 07:37
HAMILTON WLD MAKE ME TOP TEN NO PROBS. LAY OFF THE KID. HES A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.
Posted by: JC | 05 July 2008 at 22:04
After Hamilton's woeful showing in qualifying - what on earth was he doing on that penultimate lap - he'd not make my top 20 British drivers. What about Messrs Brundle, Blundell and Herbert if they'd all been given the right machinery?
Posted by: Keith | 05 July 2008 at 15:15
Stirling Moss tops the list no question. The greatest driver there's ever been behind Senna and Fangio in my opinion. And a true gent to boot.
Posted by: Alex Walsmley | 05 July 2008 at 11:28
Top five for me would be:
1. Clark
2. Stewart
3. Moss ('cos he never won a world title)
4. Surtees
5. Mansell
Posted by: Pranav | 05 July 2008 at 08:00
He has his critics but DC"s worth a shout in among that lot. He's driven a lot of good races and gone about his business despite the stick. Thicker skinned and more of a pro than Hamilton.
Posted by: Jeremy, Lincoln | 05 July 2008 at 07:58
hamilton's worth his spot there, not sure about damon hill. never thought he was all that. moss right up at numero uno for me with Clark just behind. don't know a lot about tony brooks so can't judge on him. he's the only lad that wldn't make my top ten.
Posted by: Tom G | 04 July 2008 at 22:01
Please don't ruin your racing tradition putting hamilton on the list. I mean you have Clark, Moss, The Hills, Hunt, Mansel, Stewart etc and + other great brits that have never won the title but had heart and integrity (Brundle, Blundel...few of the names that I remember). Now who is this hamilton?!? It's a shame that the brits put all their hopes on this guy, he has no integrity not alone driving skills to be world champion... I'm sure Davidson is much better than him (given the chance)
Posted by: Nick | 04 July 2008 at 03:54
I have a great admiration for British motorsport and it's driver legends (being a great fan of Damon Hill in my days), but I just can't understand the admiration and mania for Hamilton. I mean he is a driver with 20+ Gp's where he proved nothing except that he can be a big loser and lose big time...yet again you look upon him as he is a god. Think that Jenson is much much better than him. I just don't get the "hamilton" mania...sorry!!!
Posted by: Pavle | 04 July 2008 at 03:35
List is ok by me,except top 2 wrong way round,clark could drive anything faster than anybody else,while never on the limit and so smooth,I count myself priviledged to have seen him race.
Posted by: Kim Masters | 03 July 2008 at 21:47