Top 25 Formula 1 drivers of all-time
By Asher Fair
Top Formula 1 drivers of all-time: #7 – Jim Clark
Jim Clark falls in the same category as drivers such as Stirling Moss and Alberto Ascari in that he did not have the chance to compete in a ton of races, yet what he did in his limited amount of time behind the wheel was quite remarkable.
Clark only competed in 72 races throughout his career, but he managed to win 25 of them and secure two world championships. His winning percentage of 34.72% ranks higher than all but one of the nine drivers ahead of him on the all-time wins list, and it is within 1% of that mark (35.71%). He also added 19 Formula 1 non-championship victories.
His 1963 season with Team Lotus was one of the best the sport had ever seen, as he won seven of the 10 races on the schedule and finished on the podium in two of the other three.
His 1965 championship-winning season is also well worth mentioning for multiple reasons. He started the season six for six, but he did not actually attempt all of the season’s first six races. In fact, he missed the crown jewel race, the Monaco Grand Prix, a race he never ended up winning.
But what was he doing instead? Competing in the Indianapolis 500. And not just competing in the race, but winning it in just his third attempt, two years after he finished runner-up.
Unfortunately, Clark’s career was cut short, as he was killed in a racing accident at the Hockenheimring in 1968 just months after he had won the season-opening South African Grand Prix at Kyalami Circuit. At only 32 years old, we can only imagine what else he would have been able to accomplish had he gotten the chance.