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In 1950, at the first Formula One World Drivers' Championship, it was Team Alfa Romeo's Nino Farina who became the first F1 champion. Over a span of nearly 60 years, there are a total of 30 F1 champions, with Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio being the most successful drivers in F1 history, winning seven and five championships respectively.
Below is our list of the most feared F1 drivers. It does not necessarily go by the number of championships each individual has won.
l Jackie Stewart - Sir John Young Stewart, nicknamed The Flying Scot, was known for his exceptional driving skills in the dry and wet. The year after his dominant win in F3, he signed with BRM alongside Graham Hill. But it wasn't until he signed with Marta in 1968 that his F1 career started to blossom.
l Alain Prost - He is the first French, and the only French to this date, to have won an F1 World Drivers' Championship. He held the record of having the most Grand Prix victories from 1987 to 2001. Prost raced in the years of having many champions as teammates and opponents.
l Juan Manuel Fangio - He was the most dominant driver in the 50s. In his eight years of F1 career, he has won WDC five times and finished second place twice. He is known to have the ability to win a race with any car.
l Ayrton Senna - He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of F1. He was known for his qualifying speed and aggressive driving style. He held the record for most pole positions, but was later surpassed by Schumacher in 2006 with just three more after a whopping 87 more starts.
l Jim Clark - Without a doubt, Clark is the most badass F1 driver ever. He was a handsome and talented man admired by millions of fans and drivers all over the world. With only 72 starts, he managed to achieve 25 victories and 33 pole positions. Clark was the most dominant driver in his era.
