L E G E N D S

Motorsport has produced some truly legendary drivers over the years. These drivers are just a few examples of the many legends of motorsport, whose contributions to the sport continue to be celebrated and admired by fans around the world.

  

Michael Schumacher is a former racing driver who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. He was born on January 3, 1969, in Hurth-Hermulheim, West Germany.

Schumacher began his racing career in karting and quickly progressed through the ranks of junior Formula E before making his Formula 1 debut with the Jordan team in 1991. He moved to Benetton in 1992 and won his first world championship with the team in 1994. He then won again in 1995 the championship before joining Ferrari in 1996.

Schumacher’s time at Ferrari was the most successful period of his career, as he won five consecutive world championships from 2000 to 2004, breaking numerous records along the way. He retired from the sport in 2006 but returned in 2010 with the team Mercedes, where he remained until retiring for good in 2012.

In 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe head injury while skiing in the French Alps and was placed in a medically induced coma. He remained in this state for several months before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland. Since then, details about his condition have been closely guarded by his family.

  

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver, an F1 legend, born on March 21, 1960, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Senna began his racing career in karting and quickly rose through the ranks, winning the Brazilian Formula Ford championship in 1981 and the British Formula Three championship in 1983. He made his Formula One debut with the Toleman team in 1984 and quickly gained a reputation as a talented and determined driver.

In 1988, Senna joined the McLaren team and won his first of three Formula 1 world championships that same year. He went on to win the championship again in 1990 and 1991, and was a fierce competitor throughout his career.

Tragically, Senna was killed in a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on May 1, 1994, while leading the race. His death sent shockwaves through the motorsport community and he is remembered as one of the sport’s greatest icons.

  

Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver born on January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.

Hamilton began his racing career in karting and quickly rose through the ranks of junior Formula E, winning the British Formula Renault, Formula Three Euroseries, and GP2 championships before making his Formula 1 debut with the McLaren team in 2007.

In his debut season, Hamilton became the first driver to finish on the podium in his first nine races and finished the season as runner-up to Kimi Raikkonen. He won his first world championship with McLaren in 2008 before moving to Mercedes in 2013, where he has won a further seven world championships.

Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One and has broken numerous records throughout his career, including most pole positions, most podium finishes, and most career points.

Off the track, Hamilton is also known for his activism and philanthropy, using his platform to raise awareness for social and environmental issues and has advocated for greater diversity and inclusion in motorsports.

  

Alain Prost is a retired French racing driver. He was born on February 24, 1955, in Lorette, France.

Prost began his racing career in karting and moved up to single-seater Formula E in the late 1970s. He made his Formula 1 debut with the McLaren team in 1980 and won his first race with the team in 1981. He finished the 1983 season as runner-up to Nelson Piquet before winning his first world championship in 1985.

Prost went on to win a total of four world championships, with his other titles coming in 1986, 1989, and 1993. He is also known for his intense rivalry with Ayrton Senna, which lasted from the late 1980s until Senna’s death in 1994.

Prost retired from Formula 1 at the end of the 1993 season but made a brief comeback with the McLaren team in 1994 before retiring for good. Since retiring from racing, Prost has been involved in various roles in motorsports, including team ownership and driver management.

  

Valentino Rossi is an Italian motorcycle racer, born on February 16, 1979, in Urbino, Italy.

Rossi began his racing career in the Italian 125cc championship in 1994 before moving up to the 250cc class in 1996. He won his first world championship in the 125cc class in 1997 and followed that up with back-to-back titles in the 250cc class in 1999 and 2000.

Rossi then moved up to the premier MotoGP class in 2000 and won his first race in the class later that year. He went on to win seven world championships in the MotoGP class, with his titles coming in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009.

Rossi has continued to race in MotoGP into his 40s, although he has not won a race since 2017. Despite this, he remains one of the most popular and respected riders in the sport’s history.

  

Jim Clark is regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in history for good reason. The talented Scotsman displayed incredible car control during one of the most hazardous and volatile periods in the sport, capturing two world championships in the mid-1960s.

Clark made his debut with Team Lotus in 1960 and earned his first of 32 podiums just five races later. His maiden victory came at Spa-Francorchamps in 1962, followed by two more that season, finishing runner-up in the championship. His first world title was clinched with dominant fashion in 1963, winning seven of the ten events, never finishing below eighth.

He captured his second championship in 1965 with six victories in the ten races, adding two third-place results in 1964 and 1967 to his resume. Clark won the 1968 season opener, but then tragically died in a crash while contesting a Formula Two race at Hockenheim. He remains firmly in the conversation as potentially the greatest F1 driver of all time.

  

The legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, an Argentine native, is fondly remembered as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time as well as a gentleman beloved by fans and colleagues. He embarked on his illustrious career in 1950 for the inaugural World Championship, finishing runner-up to fellow countryman Nino Farina.

Over the next decade, Fangio utterly dominated the sport by capturing five world championships between 1951 and 1957, along with two more second place finishes. In total, he competed in 51 championship Grand Prix races, winning 24 of them.

Fangio’s record of five titles stood unparalleled for over 40 years until eventually matched by the young German Michael Schumacher. Beyond his success on the track, Fangio earned immense respect and admiration for his sportsmanship, humility and grace under pressure, cementing his legacy as a consummate professional and ambassador of the highest calibre both on and off the circuit.

  

Max Verstappen is a Dutch-Belgian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. The son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, Max had a successful karting career before moving up to single-seaters. He broke records in Formula 3 on his way to F1.

In 2015, at age 17, Verstappen became the youngest ever F1 driver at the Australian Grand Prix with Toro Rosso. After impressing in his rookie season, he was promoted to Red Bull for 2016, winning on debut in Spain to become F1’s youngest race winner.

Verstappen achieved his first World Championship in 2021 after a fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton, becoming F1’s first Dutch champion. He has since won two more titles in 2022 and 2023, establishing himself as the dominant driver of his era with over 50 race wins and 30 pole positions so far.