Legends
Mario Andretti, the mere mention of his name conjures up an image of speed just as the proverbial sarcasm "Who do you think you are Mario Andretti ?" has been heard from police officers to back seat drivers. The Microsoft Works spell checker knows who he is. Even people with only a hazy awareness of the sport of motor racing recognize Andretti as the very essence of the professional race car driver. A driver who has won on everything with four wheels.
Alberto Ascari enjoyed racing at the front especially while crossing the finish line. In 1952 he won every Grand Prix race that he entered and claimed his first World Championship. In 1953 he had a second title, during his career he was only driver who could compete with Fangio on the same level until Stirling Moss. Ascari was loved by the Italian fans and by many of his rivals, including his dear friend and mentor "Gigi" Villoresi.
Black Jack he was called for his often dour expressions. Jack Brabham won three World Championships, two for Cooper where he led the push to rear-engined cars, and the last driving a car of his own manufacture. In has last season he lost a spectacular Monaco Grand Prix to Jochen Rindt but the fact that he was competitive even at the age of 43 in a young man's sport only adds to his legacy.
Rudolf Caracciola, known as "Ringmeister", for his mastery of Nurburgring. He was also especially adept when the conditions turned to rain. His career spanned four decades and many of his old racing trophies are on display at the Indianapolis Speedway.
Colin Chapman was the acknowledged master among F1 constructors at getting the most number victories out of the least amount of aluminum, steel, plastic and carbon-fibre. If his cars did not always inspire his drivers with confidence, they did know that when he got it right they could be unbeatable. As a result he ranks second only to Ferrari in the pantheon of great race car builders.
Jimmy Clark and the Lotus of Colin Chapman were an unbeatable pair. In fact if he didn't breakdown you would most likely find him in the winners circle. He took Indianapolis by storm and won on his third attempt. Considered the most naturally talented driver of all time his career was cut short when he was killed in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim.
Juan-Manuel Fangio "The Master" won more World Championships than any man. He was as close to perfection as any mortal could be. Once passing rivals Collins and Hawthorne by "straightening out" a series of curves at full speed.
Enzo Ferrari the founder of the company that bears his name died in 1988 at the age of 90 but his legend lives on. Other marquees have their fans yet only one team has what could be called disciples. A team that has not won a World Championship for eighteen years yet exerts a mystical hold on the hearts of a nation. This is a nation without boundaries, their citizens are known as the Tifosi, their flag the Prancing Horse.
The first of the famous trio of great Brazilian drivers Emerson Fittipaldi became the youngest World Champion at the age of 25 driving for Lotus. Later winning another title for McLaren before moving to his own team, Copersucar. This underfunded team led to personal bankruptcy and eventual retirement from Formula One. His second career as an Indianapolis winner returned the lustre to his reputation.
Graham Hill the father of World Champion Damon was my boyhood hero. He epitomized how a race driver should act and look. The only man to win Indianapolis, Le Mans and the F1 World Championship. The 5-Time winner of Monte Carlo drove during what many consider the golden years of F1 against such legends as Clark, Brabham, Surtees, and Gurney.
Vittorio Jano's P3 dominated the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in 1925 after the local favorite, the Delage team, had retired all of their cars. With the race now an Alfa-Romeo parade the fans began to make their displeasure known and Jano in response ordered his cars to pit. While they were being refueled the cars were cleaned and buffed. During this pitstop he had a table placed in full view, whereupon he imperiously ate lunch, deaf to the howls of the spectators. The cars rejoined the race and won with ease.
Out of all of the billions of words written and spoken about Grand Prix, probably no one has ever heard or read: "You know so-and-so? He reminds me of Niki Lauda." Unimpressive in appearance even before his Nurburgring accident, Lauda nevertheless has a force of personality and Teutonic strength of will that in the '70s and '80s carried him to three Formula 1 championships spread over two careers, and success in the airline business. In the process he, more than any other Grand Prix driver, carved out his own personal niche in the history of sport.
Stirling Moss will always be known as the greatest driver never to have won the World Championship. But if the measure of a man is more than just honors but the respect in which he was held by his peers then he was a champion many times over. I will never forget my introduction to this man through his exploits during the 1955 Mille Miglia with Denis Jenkinson.
Alfred Neubauer the former race car driver for Austro-Daimler had his wife once tell him that he drove like "a night watchman.." Whether this caused him, when he became a team manager for Mercedes, to exact any revenge on his drivers is unknown! What is known is that this legendary figure was responsible for more innovations, along with some "crack-pot" ideas than any team manager in the history of the sport.
Tazio Nuvolari's legend is full of exploits of daring and almost unbelievable personal courage and will to win. He would continuously beat better equipped rivals and come back from numerous injuries only to compete in bandages. In his entire career Tazio Nuvolari won almost two hundred major races and only came in second 17 times.
Ronnie Peterson or SuperSwede as he was called was a hopeless development driver. That being said his unworldly car control was a sight to behold. The image of Peterson coming through Woodcote absolutely on the limit with tires squealing and using just enough opposite lock and throttle to control his car has been described countless times. The people who paid witness knew that they were seeing something magical.
The middle driver in the trio of great Brazilian Champions Nelson Piquet built a reputation on guile and cunning often beating seemingly more spectacular drivers. One of four championship winning drivers including Senna, Prost and Mansell who dominated Formula 1 in the 80's and early 90's. The results amounted to three World Championships and 23 wins and a place in the Grand Prix Hall of Fame.
Alain Prost "The Professor" won 4 World Championships but because he could be so calculating people tended to overlook his outright speed. When partnered with Niki Lauda his lap times left the Austrian in his exhaust. Prost won more races than any other driver yet he was criticized for quitting a race because he thought the conditions were too dangerous.
Jochen Rindt dominated Formula 2 but the top rung of motor sport was another story. Determined to win the World Championship he joined Lotus with some misgivings. He knew that Lotus would be quick but felt that the cars were too fragile. In 1970 driving an old Lotus 49 he drove in one of the most stirring finishes in modern Grand Prix history when he caught three-time World Champion Jack Brabham at the Monaco Grand Prix on the last corner of the race and claimed the checkered flag.
Bernd Rosemeyer's infectious personality made him a hero to the German people. His victory in the mist-shrouded Eifelrennen made him a legend. The young man from Lower Saxony in the words of Cyril Posthumas "... shot meteor-like across the motor racing firmament, driving three short but shattering seasons before his light went out ..."
Michael Schumacher "The German" in his short time in Formula One already has made a legend for himself. His 2 World Championships, wins with inferior equipment and his ability to destroy teammates with his raw speed force his inclusion onto this list with the majority of his career still in front of him.
This was written and said late 90's. Since then he have snatched almost all records within the sport of Formula One. With his retirement after the 2006 season and 11 years with Ferrari, he is the most winning driver ever - the books of history now writes Michael Schumacher as 7 times World Champion!
Ayrton Senna the greatest driver I ever saw was according to Stirling Moss "...the only driver who could be spoken of in the same breath as Fangio and Clark. The mere sight of his yellow helmet in a drivers mirror would raise any drivers pulse. His battles against Prost reminded one of the famous epic battles between Frazer and Ali with neither side giving quarter.
Jackie Stewart was the first modern driver who spoke of the need for greater safety. Until he arrived on the scene race car drivers were not well paid. Beyond this he was fast, especially at the start of the race where he would roar off into the distance and demoralize all of his opposition.
When motorcycle legend John “Big John” Surtees switched to cars, full time in 1960 making his Formula 1 debut racing for Lotus in the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. He made an immediate impact with a second place finish in only his second Formula One race at the 1960 British Grand Prix and a pole position at his third race in the 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix. After spending the 1961 season with the Cooper racing team and the 1962 season with the Lola team, he moved to Ferrari in 1963 and won the world championship for the Italian team in 1964.
Surtees parted company with Ferrari during the 1966 season after winning the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, citing excessive pressure as a factor, leaving Jack Brabham to take the Drivers’ Championship. In 1967, he joined Honda’s Formula 1 team. He stayed with the Japanese team for 1968 before switching to BRM.
In 1970, he formed his own race team, Surtees Racing Organization and spent nine seasons competing in Formula 5000, Formula 2 and Formula 1 as a constructor. He retired from competition in 1972.
In 1996, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The FIM honored him as a Grand Prix “Legend” in 2003.
Achille Varzi was as elegant in the way that he dressed as he was in the way that he drove. His name will forever be entwined with that of his great rival Tazio Nuvolari. Fierce competitors on the track they were friends off of it, yet except for a brief period early in their careers no team was large enough to hold these two great champions.
Gilles Villeneuve spent the majority of his stint in Formula 1 with Ferrari. He was without question one of the two or three most popular drivers ever to work for Il Commendatore. His trademark was speed. He was absolutely uncompromising when it came to driving fast. Wet or dry, good car or bad, tough track or easy, for Villeneuve there was no excuse for not going as fast as (and sometimes faster than) possible.
Jean-Pierre Wimille's rise to greatness was interrupted by the start of World War II but at its conclusion it was he who was considered above all. Austere, rather aloof, and often withdrawn his peak years before his untimely death, practicing for the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, occurred while the attention of the world was on other matters. He had many admirers including a driver from Argentina by the name of Juan-Manuel Fangio.
