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

By Asher Fair | Nov 8, 2017

SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 25: Michael Schumacher of Germany and Mercedes GP leads from Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and McLaren before crashing out during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 25, 2011 in Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

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SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 22: Fernando Alonso of Spain and Renault (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Fernando Alonso

To be the best, you have to beat the best, and that is exactly what Fernando Alonso did when he won his two career Formula One championships back in the 2005 and 2006 seasons in his third and fourth seasons driving for Renault.

Let me first address the elephant in the room. Do I even think Fernando Alonso is a top 5 driver in the sport’s history ahead of a number of great drivers not included in this article such as four-time champions Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, both of whom have more career victories than Alonso does? I wouldn’t go that far.

I may not even go as far as to say he is better than three-time champions who he has more career wins than, such as Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. But I would definitely say that there is an angle you could take to argue that Alonso is the best driver in the history of the sport. Here’s why.

To have a shot at being considered the best in any sport, you must have a historic number of wins and multiple championships. Right away, Alonso fits the bill, as his 32 career victories in 289 career Formula One races put him in 6th on the all-time wins list, and he has also won two championships, which ties him for 11th on the all-time titles list as one of only 16 drivers who have won more than one championship.

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