Formula One: Who is the greatest driver of all-time?

Juan Manuel Fangio

Juan Manuel Fangio didn’t have a very long career in Formula One, driving in only 51 races. But it’s what he did in those 51 races that puts him in the conversation as perhaps the greatest Formula One driver of all-time.

In 51 career Formula One races, Fangio retired in 10 of them, giving him 41 races that he was actually able to finish. Of those 41 races, he won 24 of them, giving him a 58.54% win percentage in races that he finished and a 47.06% win percentage in races he competed in, both percentages of which are all-time Formula One records — by far.

Fangio only drove in Formula One as a full-time driver for seven seasons. In those seven seasons, however, he never finished lower than 2nd place in the championship standings, and he ended up as a five-time champion of the sport. To this day, he is one of only three drivers who have won the title in four straight seasons, as he won four straight titles in his final four full-time seasons in the sport.

Despite the fact that he drove in Formula One for just seven full-time seasons, he trails only Michael Schumacher on the all-time championships list with five titles to Schumacher’s seven. Also, even though he only drove in 51 career races, he still ranks just outside the top 10 in career victories in 11th as well. During his time in the sport, no one was better than Juan Manuel Fangio, and you could certainly make the case that he is the best driver ever.