Ten of the Greatest Drivers in F1 - a guest post by Maria Mcquire

Formula One is probably the most well-known and popular car race in the entire world. This series started in 1950; it is an international car race from the category of single seaters where 22 drivers and 11 teams compete for the fabulous trophies. There have been many great and fantastic F1 drivers since the start, but only a few can be the best. Here are a few details of some of the best F1 car drivers ever…

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost (and Thierry Boutsen)
after the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix
Credit: Angelo Orsi / CC

Ayrton Senna: He was a brilliant, ruthless, determined, fast and fascinating racer that Formula One has never seen the like of before or since. He himself accompanied a more professional approach to fitness and dedication to the sport. He was unquestionably the best driver ever in wet weather conditions. One only has to remember Donington in 1993 where Ayrton went from fifth to first before the end of the first lap!

Michael Schumacher: The unfashionable driver of F1, Michael Schumacher, considered as one the best F1 drivers by his constant wins, you either like or dislike. He won five titles with Ferrari during his time, in a seven-time world champion career.

Fernando Alonso: He is the best of all Formula One drivers currently racing. It is his skill, ability and determination towards the sport to get the best out of the car even though the package is not good. He stands as one of the ultimate Formula One drivers in terms of completeness. He's fifth on the wins list. He also beat Schumacher head-to-head in 2006.

Jim Clark: In 1963, and in the middle of terrible weather conditions, Jim Clark was able to rout the whole field throughout the Grand Prix of Spa-Francorchamps held in Belgium. He was eight miles away from his rival nearest to him! Was it little wonder it is one of the races he's most prominently remembered for? He also won two F1 titles. In fact, he won plenty of victories in various racing formats.

Alain Prost: Alain Prost was a positive thinking racer. He drove each race in exactly the same way, risk free and without getting involved in any silly antics with his opponents. His four world championships demonstrate this as did the fact that he won 51 races.

Jackie Stewart in action in 1969
Credit: Lothar Spurzem / CC

Jackie Stewart: Jackie was a playboy millionaire who dined with royalty and spent much of his time in swanky Monaco. But today, he is considered one of the stars of Formula One who was ahead of his time, both in terms of his professionalism and also in his attitude to safety. He won the world championship three times.

Sebastian Vettel: Vettel has an original, broad-grinning friendliness that makes him well liked even by his rivals. But he is also a perfectionist and ruthlessly self-critical. Both Vettel and Red Bull boss Christian Horner rely to some extent on the genius of Adrian Newey, who designs the Red Bull cars by hand on the old fashioned drafting table.

Jenson Button: Like Vettel, Button can be counted on to choose the right tyres at the right time, especially when it's raining. We all recall his win in Canada in 2011, having collided with his teammate earlier and run last he passed Vettel for the win on the last lap. It was the 2011 season's most dramatic moment.

Lewis Hamilton
Credit: Ryan Bayona / CC

Lewis Hamilton: Lewis, by contrast, spent much of the 2011 season apparently struggling with both his personal life and his driving. For the first time in his five years of Formula 1, he was outscored by his teammate. But despite this trough, his natural flair, aggression and speed cannot be questioned.

Mark Webber: At Abu Dhabi in 2010 the hard-charging Australian lost a golden chance to become world champion. And his triumphant team mate Sebastian Vettel didn't look back, immediately winning the 2011 season opener Melbourne in front of Mark's fellow Australians.

All the documents related to the cars have been prepared by the DVLA Helpline, the DVLA is where the registry of all UK vehicles is maintained..