Top 25 Formula 1 drivers of all-time
By Asher Fair
Top Formula 1 drivers of all-time: #18 – Graham Hill
Graham Hill is similar to Mario Andretti in that if this were an all-time motorsport list instead of just an all-time Formula 1 list, he would probably be closer to the top.
And that’s by no means a knock on his Formula 1 achievements. His 14 victories are tied for 19th place on the all-time wins list, and he is one of only 16 drivers to win at least two titles. He easily could have won more, given his three runner-up finishes, as well.
The one knock against him here is a mere statistical argument, and we only bring it up because of the fact that it’s the only way to truly compare drivers from different eras.
He earned his 14 victories in 176 starts, giving him a winning percentage of 7.95%. That’s higher than only two of the other 20 drivers with at least 14 career wins: Kimi Raikkonen (6.36%) and Jenson Button (4.90%).
But the specifics of Hill’s career are what made him great, in that he shined brightest in the most significant moments.
His victories in the crown jewel Monaco Grand Prix make up more than one-third of his career Formula 1 win total, as he won the race five times, which ranks in a second place tie with Michael Schumacher behind only Ayrton Senna (six).
Hill is also the only driver in history to win all three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, and he earned a combined seven wins in them. He earned his five Monaco Grand Prix wins in a seven-year span from 1963 to 1969, winning in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969 to become known as “Mr. Monaco”.
At that point, nobody else had ever won it more than three times. Only one driver had won it more than twice, and only two others had won it more than once.
He failed to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1963, but he returned in 1966 and not only qualified but won the race in his debut. And finally, after two runner-up finishes in 1964 and 1965, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972 to seal the deal.
The fact that his status as the only driver to win all three races still stands nearly five decades later is incredible, especially since he did it all within 10 seasons.
And we’ll talk more about him in a few slides.