Best racing drivers of all time (Melhores pilotos de corrida de todos os tempos)
Melhores pilotos, independente da categoria; Fórmula 1, Nascar, IndyCar, WRC (World Rally Championships).
Best racing drivers, regardless of the class. Formula One, Nascar, IndyCar, WRC (World Rally Championships).
Best racing drivers, regardless of the class. Formula One, Nascar, IndyCar, WRC (World Rally Championships).
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- Ayrton Senna da Silva was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil to a wealthy family. When he was four years old his father Milton bought him a go-kart, and by age eight Ayrton was regularly competing in karting events. His career progressed quickly, and in 1982 he moved to England to pursue his racing. In 1984 he came to the attention of the whole world by racing in Formula One. Over the next ten years he won the World Championship three times and engaged in some controversial racing with France's Alain Prost and England's Nigel Mansell. Ayrton Senna was killed on 1 May 1994 in a race at the San Marino Grand Prix when his car, which had been beset with problems the entire season, inexplicably left the track and crashed into the concrete barrier. His was the last death in Formula One due to the major safety reforms that the tragic weekend at Imola had brought about. He was voted by over two hundred of his fellow Formula One drivers as the best driver of all time in a 2010 poll. Senna was also a humanitarian who discreetly donated millions to help those less fortunate in his native country.Champion of the seasons of 1990 and 1991 of the Formula 1, even with lower equipment regarding Ferrari and Williams, respectively.
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Juan Manuel Fangio was considered one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, thanks in part to his five World Championships that he won during the 1950s. He was son of an Italian immigrant, who moved to Argentina at the turn of the century. Fangio worked in a garage at an early age and was always fascinated by automobiles. Fangio started racing in the 30s and won frequently. After World War II, Fangio moved to Europe and began competing in several events and then moved on to the newly constructed Formula 1 World Championship, where his legend grew. He raced for four of the most famous European manufacturers in racing--Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Mercedes-Benz. Fangio retired abruptly after only two races in 1958, and moved back to his beloved Argentina. He frequently attended Formula 1 races and was a popular spokesman for Formula 1 for many years and was regarded as an all-round champion because of the way he conducted himself outside of racing. His death was mourned throughout the racing world.- When talking about the greatest race driver of all time, various opinions will throw out such great drivers as Mario Andretti, Tazio Nuvolari, A.J. Foyt, Juan Manuel Fangio or Ayrton Senna; but most may agree that Scotsman Jim Clark was probably the best of them all. The shy British racer lived to race and proved it with two Formula One World Championships and an Indy 500 title. After he won the final Formula 1 race of his career at South Africa, he was killed in minor Formula 2 race when he lost control of his car, after a suspected tire failure, and hit a tree (as there were no guard rails to protect him). He was killed instantly and the racing world mourned losing one of its greatest.
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After graduating from school with a high school diploma, Prost started his motor sport career. In 1973, at the age of 18, he became French and European champion in his first year in the French Junior Kart Championship. In 1974 he took 1st place in the Senior Kart Championship in France and had to sit out the 1975 European Kart Championship after a serious accident. After his recovery, he was signed to Lola and Martini for the "Formula Renault France", with whom he won six races in the 1977 season. In 1978 he managed to get into Formula 3 with Martini, where he already achieved nine victories in the 1979 season. After these successes, he made the leap into the premier class of Formula 1 with McLaren in 1980.
For the 1981 season he moved to René Arnoux at Renault. In his first year he won three Grand Prix for Renault. In 1982 he achieved two victories. In 1983 he won four F1 races alongside Eddie Cheever as a teammate. In 1983 he became runner-up to Nelson Piquet. In 1984 he moved to McLaren-TAG-Porsche. Here Niki Lauda, who returned to Formula 1 in 1982, became a new team colleague. Here he became runner-up again and Niki Lauda became world champion for the third time. After Niki Lauda finally retired from motor sport in 1984, Prost became the first driver at McLaren-Porsche in 1985 and, after winning five Grand Prix, won the Formula 1 World Championship for the first time. In 1986 he was able to defend his title and became Formula 1 world champion again with just four Grand Prix victories.
In 1987, Piquet became world champion again and Prost only came fourth overall with three wins. In 1988, Ayrton Senna moved to the top team McLaren, which from then on was equipped with Honda engines. A competition that is still unique to this day began between the two teammates and was never decided. In his first year at McLaren-Honda, Senna became Formula 1 world champion for the first time and Prost became runner-up again. In 1989 Prost became world champion for the third time and Senna became runner-up. Because of these close decisions, both drivers also had personal differences, and so Prost moved to Ferrari in 1990, with whom he became runner-up again. The 1991 season was marred by numerous technical failures. Prost then broke away from Ferrari and remained without a contract in 1992.
In 1993 he returned to Formula 1 with a contract with Williams and became Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time, winning seven Grand Prix. With this result he ended his active sports career. Prost became an advisor to the French team Ligier F1, which he bought in 1997 and renamed "Prost Grand Prix Racing". However, the hoped-for successes did not materialize. In 2001 the Prost team was sold to Arrows. In 2003 he returned to motor sport as a pilot in the "Race of Legends" and the French GT Championship. From the end of 2003, Prost took part in the winter ice racing series Trophée Andros, which he won for the first time in a Toyota Auris at the beginning of 2007. In 2003/2004 and 2005/2006 Prost finished the championship with second place and in 2004/2005 with third place overall.- Alberto Ascari was born on 13 July 1918 in Milan, Italy. He died on 26 May 1955 in Monza, Italy.
- A.J. Foyt was born on 16 January 1935 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Racin' for a Livin' (2006), ESPN Speedworld (1979) and Formula 1 (1950). He has been married to Lucy Zarr since 8 June 1956. They have three children.
- Ralph Dale Earnhardt, born April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, was the son of NASCAR Grand National champion Ralph Earnhardt and his wife Martha. His Winston Cup career started with a bang, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1979 and his first of his championships in 1980, to date the only driver to achieve these feats in consecutive years. Three years later, Dale appeared with other NASCAR drivers and personalities in the Burt Reynolds/Loni Anderson racing comedy "Stroker Ace". Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that the film's climax race used actual race footage from Talladega with close-ups being shot at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Shortly after winning the Daytona 500 on February 15, 1998, he went to film his second and final movie, "BASEketeball". This film star other sports luminaries as well as racing commentator Kenny Mayne. As is the trend in recent years, drivers become car owners. Dale was no exception. For 2001, he expanded his operation to three cars with the addition of Michael Waltrip. Also driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., were Steve Park and his son, Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. On February 18, 2001, in the closing laps of the 43rd running of the Daytona 500, Dale ran third behind two of his cars, driven by Waltrip and Dale, Jr. On the last lap, as those cars went on to win 1-2, Dale was killed in a multi-car crash on the 4th turn. In his 22-year career he won 22 poles, 76 races and 7 Championships on NASCAR's premier circuit.
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The King of stock car racing, Richard Petty retired from NASCAR competition after the 1992 season. During his storied career, he won 200 Winston Cup race (a feat that will never be equaled), seven Winston Cup championships (tied by Dale Earnhardt in 1994), and seven Daytona 500's. His 200th win came in the July 4th, 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, when he beat Cale Yarborough by mere inches with President Ronald Reagan in attendance. Petty remains a fixture on the Winston Cup circuit. He still owns the familiar number 43 STP Pontiac team, and you can still find him signing autographs for his legion of fans. His son, Kyle Petty, is currently a NASCAR Winston Cup series driver.- Born to a wealthy family in Vienna, Niki Lauda did not use the conventional methods of a man his means to become a world champion race driver. Far from it, his family disapproved and refused to finance his career, but Lauda plodded on, racing in the lesser ranks before getting his first break in Formula 1 with March. After a couple of fruitless seasons in F1, he caught the attention of legendary car builder Enzo Ferrari, and was soon driving for the famed "Prancing Horse." Lauda came close to winning the World Championship in 1974, but secured the coveted title the next year with a stellar season. Lauda was well on his way to winning again in 1976, but was nearly killed in a fiery crash at Nurburgring, Germany. In nothing short of a miracle, Lauda was back racing in six weeks despite being scarred in the face from his burns, yet nearly won the title, losing by only a single point to James Hunt. Lauda recaptured the F1 world title in 1977, raced one more year before announcing his retirement in 1978, to devote more time to his fledgling Lauda Air. His retirement was short as he came back to race, this time for McLaren, in 1982. With McLaren, Lauda won his third and final championship in 1984, and retired for good in 1985 with 25 career wins and the admiration of the racing world. He is the founder, CEO and occasional pilot at Lauda Air, which is the second largest commercial airlines in Austria, and is a consultant for Ferrari.
- Sir John Young Stewart OBE is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships and twice finishing as runner-up over those nine seasons. Outside of Formula One, he narrowly missed out on a win at his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in 1966, and competed in the Can-Am series in 1970 and 1971. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son, Paul, he was team principal of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One racing team.
- Michael Schumacher is a German retired racing driver. He is a seven-time Formula One World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year twice.
Schumacher holds many of Formula One's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions and most races won in a single season - 13 in 2004 (the last of these records was equalled by fellow German Sebastian Vettel nine years later). In 2002, he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". - Sébastien Loeb was born on 26 February 1974 in Haguenau, Bas-Rhin, France. He is an actor, known for Dakar, Sébastien Loeb Racing Xperience (2018) and Gran Turismo 5 (2010). He is married to Séverine Mény. They have one child.
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Jacky Ickx was born on 1 January 1945 in Brussels, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Le Mans (1971), Rallye Paris - Dakar (1984) and 1 (2013). He is married to Khadja Nin. He was previously married to Catherine Blaton.- The giant-killing performances were what caught your attention first: hustling an uncompetitive Minardi around Suzuka to finish a barely credible 11th in 2001; seemingly appearing from nowhere to grab his first pole position (Malaysia 2003); and becoming the then-youngest-ever grand prix winner (Hungary, again in '03, appropriately nabbing the honour from Bruce McLaren himself, who'd achieved in way back in 1959) in truly effortless fashion.
With his intent signified, his move to the Renault team gave him the firepower to fulfill his ambition.
Armed with 2005's R25, the greatness that had been glimpsed in snatches was quickly and thoroughly refined. It was immediately apparent at that year's San Marino Grand Prix, where his incredibly precise defence of the lead kept no less than keening, hungry world champion Michael Schumacher at bay. It was a performance marked by the skill of an old veteran rather than a hungry newcomer.
The trickle of victories quickly turned into a torrent: seven wins by the end of the season, but - just as important - a steady stream of podium positions (five runner-up spots and three third places) that cemented his ascent to the title. Underlining the point, his was a world crown won with the seasoned experience of a master, not that of a fresh-faced youngster feeling his way nervously toward his first championship.
He was crowned in Brazil, finishing third behind - presciently - two McLarens. Standing on the podium, his ear was turned by Ron Dennis, who quietly assured the Spaniard that his future surely lay in one of Woking's silver cars.
A deal was quickly signed - but for 2007, leaving him to once again race for Renault in '06. That season, the old enemy - Schumacher - was back in contention, and both he and his Ferrari team used every weapon in their sizeable armoury to peg back Fernando's progress.
It made for a tense, nervy and paranoid season - but one where Fernando once again triumphed by playing the numbers game whenever he lacked the outright competitiveness to win. For the record, he still scored seven victories, and backed those up with seven further runner-up spots.
His 2006 title made him the sport's then-youngest-ever double world champion.
Buoyed by this momentum, he quickly made his mark at McLaren in 2007, winning his second race for the marque and quickly re-establishing the team at the competitive vanguard after a disappointing '06 season.
More victories followed - he led home an emotional McLaren one-two at Monaco, showcased his controlled aggression to snatch victory at the Nurburgring, and pummeled the opposition into submission at Monza. But his winning progress was matched by his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who also took four victories - and, at season's end, the McLaren challenge wasn't concerted enough to stem the singular charge of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who took the title by just one point at the final race in Brazil.
If the title near-miss was a blow, it wasn't the most problematic issue in a season that was overshadowed by competitive rancour both on and off the track. The fallout was intense, both McLaren and Fernando parted company - the Spaniard returning to Renault for two largely uncompetitive seasons before joining Ferrari for 2010.
Fernando's time at the Scuderia was a rollercoaster of highs and lows - he won his very first race in a red car, at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, but went on to lose the title by the narrowest of margins after a strategic error cost him dearly at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
In 2011, he scored a solitary victory at Silverstone, then wrestled a less-than-competitive Ferrari to three magnificent victories in 2012 as he spearheaded the charge to usurp world champion Sebastian Vettel. While Fernando gave his all, his brave campaign once again came undone at the final race.
While his final two seasons at Ferrari coincided with a dip in the Scuderia's competitive fortunes, his period with the Maranello squad would repeatedly underline his credentials as the greatest, and most respected, driver in the sport. And while the record books won't fully reflect his successes, history will tell us that Fernando Alonso stood a shoulder above his peers in terms of reputation and ability.
At McLaren-Honda, he has resolutely vowed to take the reunified giants back to the top step of the podium, while at the same time replicating the past successes of his favourite driver and his childhood idol, Ayrton Senna.
While he has yet to drive a McLaren-Honda that does full service to his considerable talents, his drive and ambition remain undimmed. His races throughout 2016, when given the merest sniff of an opportunity, were sublime - and culminated in him claiming the season was one of his best-ever in Formula 1, because his innate confidence in the car enabled him to drive it to the maximum on almost every occasion.
A second stint with McLaren from 2015 to 2018 resulted in no further success.
After a two-year sabbatical, Alonso returned to Formula One in 2021 with Alpine. At the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, Alonso scored his first podium in seven years. At the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, he broke the record for most starts in Formula One. Alonso moved to Aston Martin for the 2023 season, where he saw great success at the beginning of the season, with six podium finishes in the first eight races. At the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alonso scored his 100th podium by finishing third, becoming one of six drivers in the series' history to achieve that feat.
Alonso has won 32 Grands Prix, earned 22 pole positions, and scored 2267 points from 377 starts. He is the only Spanish Formula One driver to have won the World Championship. Until Carlos Sainz's maiden win at the 2022 British Grand Prix, Alonso was the only Spaniard to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Alonso won the 2001 Race of Champions Nations Cup with the rally driver Jesús Puras and the motorcyclist Rubén Xaus for Team Spain and thrice entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, 2019 and 2020. - Nelson Piquet was born on 17 August 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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One of America's greatest racing drivers, Mario Andretti has virtually won it all, the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the International Race of Champions (IROC) series, CART, and Formula 1 World titles. Andretti was born in Montona, Italy (now Motvun, Croatia) and with his family, including twin brother Aldo, moved to the United States in 1955. Ever since he was a little boy, his goal was to win the world championship and he accomplished this in 1978 as America's second and last world champion (he was naturalized when he was in his teens). He later won the CART title (America's top open-wheel series) and retired from racing in 1995. His son Michael is also a CART champion and went on to become a successful team owner. Andretti is still enormously popular with race fans and is one of the most recognized personalities in the sport.- Jimmie Johnson was born on 17 September 1975 in El Cajon, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Superstore (2015) and Blaze and the Monster Machines (2014). He has been married to Chandra Janway since 10 December 2004. They have two children.
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Tony Stewart was born on 20 May 1971 in Columbus, Indiana, United States. He is an actor and producer, known for Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Over the Wall and The Legend of Stan Bowman (2022).- Nigel Mansell was born on 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom. He is an actor, known for Formula 1 (1950), 1 (2013) and International Pro-Celebrity Golf (1975). He has been married to Roseanne since 1975. They have three children.
- Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin, having previously driven for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Ferrari. Vettel has won four World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2010 to 2013. Vettel is the youngest World Champion in Formula One; he also has the third-most race victories (53) and podium finishes (122) and fourth-most pole positions (57).
- Carlos Sainz was born on 12 April 1962 in Madrid, Spain. He is an actor, known for Asesinato en el Hormiguero Express (2018), Sébastien Loeb: Off Roads (2016) and Club Disney (1989). He has been married to Reyes Vazques de Castro since 1992. They have three children.
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Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British racing driver competing in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Pretronas Formula One Team. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Michael Schumacher), and holds the records for the most wins (103), pole positions (103), and podium finishes (184), among others. He is the only black driver in Formula One history.
Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver programme in 1998. This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren from 2007 to 2012, making Hamilton the first, and so far only, black driver to race in the series. In his inaugural season, Hamilton set numerous records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. The following season, he won his maiden title in dramatic fashion making a crucial overtake on the last lap of the last race of the season to become the the youngest Formula One World Champion in history. After six years with McLaren, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013.
Changes to the regulations for 2014 mandating the use of turbo-hybrid engines saw the start of a highly successful period for Hamilton, during which he has won six further drivers' titles. Consecutive titles came in 2014 and 2015 during an intense rivalry with teammate Nico Rosberg. Following Rosberg's retirement, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel became Hamilton's closest rival in two intense championship battles, in which Hamilton twice overturned mid-season point deficits to claim consecutive titles again in 2017 and 2018. His third and fourth consecutive titles followed in 2019 and 2020 to equal Schumacher's record of seven drivers' titles.
In December 2020, Hamilton confronted the Bahrain's human rights abuses and spoke out on the allegations of sportswashing. Hamilton said he "won't let it go unnoticed" after an 11-year-old boy, Ahmed Ramadhan, wrote a letter to Hamilton, asking him to save his father, who was facing the death penalty, after a confession was allegedly extracted through torture for the death of a policeman.
Hamilton's contribution and influence has been recognised regularly in the Powerlist, an annual list of the most influential Black Britons, in which he has ranked in the top 10 in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, Hamilton was named the most influential Black Briton in the 14th Powerlist, for his sporting success and his advocacy in the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020, he was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people globally, and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to motorsports.
He is a absolute Legend in Formula One history and in a entire World.- Actor
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Fittipaldi's love for fast machines ran in the family, as his father was also involved in motor sports professionally. This interest was encouraged in the family. Fittipaldi competed in races as a teenager. In 1961, as a sixteen-year-old, he drove his first race on a 50cc motorcycle. Between 1962 and 1966 he took part in various motorcycle, kart and sports car races. Fittipaldi became a multiple champion of São Paulo and Brazilian national champion.
In 1967 he took part in the Formula Vee championships and won the title for the first time. In the same year, Emerson Fittipaldi became karting champion. In 1968 he won the title of Formula Vee champion again. In 1969 he left his home country and moved to Great Britain. There he started in Formula Ford for the first time. He recorded three victories in nine races. In the same year he also drove in Formula 3, in which he completed eleven races and won a total of eight. In 1970 he switched to Formula 2. Emerson Fittipaldi was now driving for the Lotus racing team. He completed a total of five races in this class.
He then made his debut in the supreme discipline of car racing, Formula 1, in the same year. He started for the first time at the British Grand Prix in a Lotus-Ford. In the US race of Watkins Glenn, Fittipaldi celebrated his first Grand Prix victory. He was in tenth place in the overall standings this season, but only took part in five races. The following year, 1971, he was able to improve to sixth place in the world championship standings. Again he started in a Lotus Ford and a Lotus turbine car. He completed ten races and scored a total of 16 points.
The following year, 1972, began his most successful season of his career to date. Emerson Fittipaldi won five Grand Prix races. In the points tally for the 1972 World Championship, this performance meant a total of 61 points in 12 races - and the world championship title. Another record was his age; the twenty-six-year-old racing driver from Brazil was the youngest Formula 1 world champion in racing history to date. In the following season, 1973, Fittipaldi completed a total of 15 races, of which he won three, and achieved 55 points.
He drove five fastest laps. This year it was enough for second place in the World Championship. The Scottish racing driver Jackie Stewart took first place. A change of racing team was imminent for Fittipaldi. He was signed by McLaren. The success of 1972 was to be repeated in the 1974 season. Fittipaldi took part in 15 Grand Prix races, three of which he finished with one win each. He came second twice. In his balance sheet he was able to collect 55 points, which was enough for the second world championship title in 1974. In 1975, Fittipaldi won the runner-up title again with 45 points in a total of 13 Grand Prix races, of which he won two.
He then built his own racing team. In 1976 he drove Copersucar-Ford. But there were no successes. He finished this season in 16th place in the drivers' world championship standings. He took part in a total of 15 Grand Prix races, but was only able to score three points. The following year, 1977, his results were somewhat better. Emerson Fittipaldi reached twelfth place in the World Championship standings in a Copersucar-Ford. He drove in 14 races and scored 11 Grand Prix points with no wins this season. In 1978 he drove more than ever before with 16 Grand Prix races in one season, but actual success remained elusive. Compared to the previous year, he improved by three places with 17 GP points and ended up in ninth place in the World Championship drivers' standings.
In the following 1979 season, Emerson Fittipaldi fell to 21st place in the world championship standings. In 15 Grand Prix races he only scored one point with Copersucar-Ford. In 1980 the Brazilian improved his balance. He finished the season in 15th place in the World Cup standings. He competed in 14 races, this time in a Fittipaldi Ford, and scored four Grand Prix points. In the same year, Emerson Fittipaldi ended his Formula 1 career. In this class he took part in a total of 144 Grand Prix races, winning 14 of them. After a break of two years, he started in the North American Indy Car Series for the first time in 1984. He immediately took fifth place. Emerson Fittipaldi took part in every race in this series until 1996.
His record includes 22 victories and he started 17 races from pole position. In 1989 and 1993 he finished the legendary Indianapolis 500 mile race as winner. In 1996, Fittipaldi survived a serious accident while racing the Michigan 500 Mile in the USA. After that he gave up racing completely. In 1997, the racing driver suffered a crash in an ultralight aircraft, in which he was injured sustained serious injuries to the spine. He then retreated into private life. Fittipaldi became a foundation member of the World Sports Academy of the "Laureus World Sports Awards" in 2000.- Actor
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Universally popular, Graham Hill was the epitome of the Grand Prix racing driver. Hill started out his racing career as a mechanic, trading in his services as a mechanic for a drive. He made his mark in sports cars before getting the call to the internationally famous Formula 1 Grand Prix series in 1958. His first few years in Formula 1 were without much success until he recorded his first win in 1962, at the Dutch Grand Prix. That first win opened up the floodgates as he won three more times that season and won his first World Championship. He was a consistent winner throughout the 1960s in a variety of races series, including sports cars and the 1966 Indianapolis 500. Hill raced against several of the sport's greatest stars including Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney and Jack Brabham. Hill won his second and last World Championship in 1968, and his final Formula 1 race at Monaco, the following year. His last big win was at Le Mans, in 1972, but Hill's final three seasons in racing were fruitless. Hill started his own Grand Prix team in 1973, and initially the prospects of a winning team were promising, however Hill, his racing protected Tony Brise, and four other team members were killed when Hill, piloting his own plane, clipped the tree tops in a dense fog, and crashed short of the Elstree Airport. Grand Prix racing had lost one of its greatest racing figures. In 1996, Hill's only son Damon won the World Championship, making them the first father-son combination to accomplish the feat.- Gilles Villeneuve was born on 18 January 1950 in St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada. He was married to Johanne Barthe. He died on 8 May 1982 in Leuven, Flanders, Belgium.
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Born in London in 1929, Stirling Moss' love of auto racing ran in the family - his father, a dentist, had been a race car driver and had, in fact, raced at Indianapolis in 1924 and again in 1925. Interested in cars virtually from childhood, Moss began racing in earnest at 17. Two years later he took fourth overall and first in his class driving a Cooper Formula 3 at the prestigious Bugatti Owner's Club Hill Climb. By year's end he had won six more races. He soon switched to sports car racing, where he earned his greatest fame. In the 1950s he won every important auto race there was, with the exception of LeMans. In 1950 the World Driving Championship circuit was created, and Moss was considered a shoo-in to take it, but Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio wound up capturing the title. However, Moss consoled himself by winning the British, New Zealand, Monaco, Moroccan and Italian GPs, and the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix race is generally considered to be his greatest accomplishment. He drove a Lotus-Climax - a car vastly underpowered compared to the snarling Ferraris it was competing against - but through sheer skill and technique managed to overtake the field and crossed the finish line, taking the race by an incredibly tight 3.6 seconds.
In 1962 Moss was badly injured in a horrific crash while driving in Goodwood, England. He lay in a coma for some time, and when he finally came out of it, his left side was partially paralyzed and his reaction times were vastly slower. However, after several months, he had recovered sufficiently to where he wanted to drive again. On May 1, 1963, he strapped himself into a race car at the Goodwood track - where he had had his near-fatal crash - and drove several laps around the track. When he pulled up after finishing, he stepped out of the car and said, "I am retiring." He realized that his body and reactions were no longer what they were before the accident, and rather than using his years of experience to react instinctively to situations as he had done, he would have to think about everything he would be doing, and to Moss that was unacceptable. So he left the sport he loved and to which he had devoted virtually his entire life - if he couldn't be the best at it, he wouldn't do it at all.- Rudolf Caracciola was born on 30 January 1901 in Remagen, Germany. He was married to Charlotte Liesen. He died on 28 September 1959 in Kassel, Germany.
- Tazio Nuvolari was born on 16 November 1892 in Castel D'Ario, Mantova, Italy. He was an actor, known for Bellezze in moto-scooter (1952), Totò al giro d'Italia (1948) and 1931 Italian Grand Prix (1931). He was married to Carolina Perina. He died on 11 August 1953 in Mantua, Lombardy, Italy.
- Rick Mears was born on 3 December 1951 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He is an actor, known for Coach (1989), Dirt (1979) and Porsche 935: Moby and the Warhorse Gang (1999). He was previously married to Christyn Bowen and Dina Lynn Hogue.
- Sébastien Ogier has been married to Andrea Kaiser since August 2014. They have one child.
- Mike Hawthorn was born on 10 April 1929 in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Glück und Liebe in Monaco (1959), After Hours (1958) and Formula 1 (1950). He died on 22 January 1959 in Guildford, Surrey, England, UK.
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Italian race driver Lorenzo Bandini started out his career like so many other race drivers, that of a mechanic. From there he progressed to driving the cars and was successful as a sports car driver, rally racer and ultimately Grand Prix driver. He drove for three major Grand Prix teams, Cooper, BRM and the world famous Ferrari. It was with Ferrari he enjoyed his greatest success, winning the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix, but he also paid for it heavily, crashing on the 82nd lap of the famed Monaco Grand Prix, in 1967. His car flipped upside down in the middle of the track and burst into flames. Bandini suffered terrible burns and died three days later in the hospital. He was 31.- Chico Landi was born on 14 July 1907 in São Paulo, Brazil. He died on 7 June 1989 in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Nino Farina won the first Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, however Farina's career dated back to 1932, when he competed in a race in Italy. Farina was born to a wealthy Italian family and his racing career was tutored by the great Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari. Farina won several races in the 30s before World War II interrupted his career. When the war ended, Farina resumed his career and was one of the first great drivers of the newly formed Formula 1 World Championship. Farina battled with countryman and future champion Alberto Ascari and the great Juan Fangio. Farina, a private person, who seldom gave interviews, retired from racing in 1955 and lived quietly in Europe, before he was killed in a road accident in France in 1966 at the age of 59.- John Surtees was born on 11 February 1934 in Tatsfield, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. He was an actor, known for After Hours (1958), The Fast Lady (1962) and 1 (2013). He was married to Jane Sparrow and Patricia Burke. He died on 10 March 2017 in Tooting, London, England, United Kingdom.
- Juan Pablo Montoya has one brother and one sister. His father, Pablo Montoya was the one who pushed him to race and has always been his chief supporter. Juan's racing career began at the age of five when he started driving go-karts. He rapidly won his first race and the National Kart Championship in the children's division. In 1986 he was the Kart Champion in the national and local junior division. The 90s saw Juan's career move to an international level, by competing in the Kart Junior World Championship twice (1990, 1991); competing in the Barber Saab Championship, where he finished third (1994); the British Vauxhall Championship, third again (1995); the Marlboro Masters in Zandvoort, Netherlands, fourth and two wins in the British Formula 3 (1996). He also competed in Mexico (1994), Colombia (1992, '95,'96) and in the ITC Race at Silverstone, U.K (1996). 1997 was the beginning of his international fame as a racing pilot because he finished second in the FIA International F3000, behind Ricardo Zonta, and by having a test drive role in the Williams F1 team, joining World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. In 1998, he concentrated fully on his formula 3000 assault as he had joined a new team, Super Nova, and managed to take the title after a good, season long tussle with Nick Heidfeld. In 1999 he was supposed to have a full season seat at the Williams team, but they decided to "lend" him to the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team, where he had an impressive season by winning the Rookie of the Year, and the CART Championship after 7 wins, 7 poles and a hard battle against Scottish driver Dario Franchitti. He continued in CART during 2000, but engine and chassis changes brought a lot of technical problems. However he won 3 races and had 7 pole positions. Besides he took a highly acclaimed motor racing prize: the Indianapolis 500, on his first attempt. Finally he had his Formula 1 race debut in 2001 in the Williams team, having an strong partner, Ralf Schumacher. At the beginning of the season he experienced a lot of technical problems but finished his first F1 race in second position at the Grand Prix of Spain. However the latter half of the year was an improvement for the Colombian, as he took 3 pole positions (Germany, Belgium and Italy) and a victory, after only 15 starts, at the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza. Besides that he finished second at Europe and Japan. He scored points in 5 races out of 6 that he finished, what gave him sixth position in the general standings at the end of the year. He also won the Overtaking Maneuver of the Year, for his move on Michael Schumacher in Brazil.
- Ex-Formula One racing driver, who raced for Theodore, ATS (both 1978), Wolf (1979), Fittipaldi (1980-81), Williams (1982-85) & McLaren (1986). He took 5 pole positions, won 5 Grands Prix, and set 3 fastest laps. He won the F1 World Drivers Championship in 1982. In 2016, his son Nico became only the second son of a World Champion to win the title.
After retiring from Formula One, Rosberg took part in DTM and other car series. Later, he managed fellow Finnish Formula One drivers JJ Lehto and 2-time F1 Champion Mika Häkkinen. His son Nico was Formula One driver for Williams (2006-2009) and Mercedes (2010-2016). - His success story began when he started primary school in 1973, when he registered as a member of his local karting club at the age of six. He remained loyal to karting until 1986 and became Finnish and Nordic karting champion five times, until 1987 when he started in the Formula Ford 1600 and became Finnish champion in the same season. In 1988 he moved to Opel Lotus in the English Euro Series GM Lotus and achieved first place overall with four wins. From 1989 he competed in the English Formula 3 Championship and finished 7th.
From 1990 he drove in the English Formula 3 Championship, won his first Formula 3 Grand Prix in Monaco and achieved 1st place in the overall standings. In 1991 he received his first contract in the premier class of Formula 1 at Lotus Judd, where he only managed to score two points. From 1992 he competed in Formula 1 with Lotus-Ford and achieved 8th place with 11 points. In 1993 he managed to join a top team in the series with McLaren Ford alongside Ayrton Senna. At first he only started as a replacement for Michael Andretti. In 1994, Ayrton Senna switched to Williams Renault and had a fatal accident at the Imola Grand Prix on May 1st.
Häkkinen became the first driver in the McLaren team and, despite the new and inferior engine from Peugeot, achieved 4th place in the world championship standings. In 1995, Mercedes-Benz left the Sauber F1 team and became the new engine supplier to the McLaren team. After initial difficulties, Hakkinen finished seventh overall and in 1996 already fifth with 31 championship points. In 1997 he finished sixth in the World Championship with West McLaren Mercedes. The 1998 season was a successful year for everyone involved. Häkkinen won in Australia, Brazil, Spain, Monaco, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Japan. He became the winner of the Formula 1 World Championship by a wide margin and gave Mercedes-Benz the title of the constructors' championship after 43 years.
In 1999 he again won the Formula 1 World Championship with victories in Brazil, Spain, Canada, Hungary and Japan, and together with his team colleague David Coulthard, Mercedes McLaren once again won the constructors' world championship. In the 2000 and 2001 seasons, the German Michael Schumacher dominated the World Cup rankings with Ferrari. Numerous technical defects forced Hakkinen out. Nevertheless, he achieved the Fize title as winner of the Grand Prixs in Spain, Austria, Hungary and Belgium. In 2001, despite two victories in Great Britain and the USA, he only finished fourth in the World Cup standings with 37 points.
At the end of the 2001 season he retired from the Formula 1 circus. From 2003 he successfully took part in numerous rallies again. In 2005 he signed a driver contract for AMG-Mercedes in the DTM touring car championship. He remained as a driver in the DTM until 2007, where he achieved 77 points, 3 poles, 6 podium places and 3 victories in 30 races. - Kimi-Matias Räikkönen, nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One World Championship driving for Scuderia Ferrari, their latest World Drivers' Championship to date. In addition to this title, he also finished second overall in 2003 and 2005, and third in 2008, 2012 and 2018. With 103 podium finishes, he is one of only five drivers to have taken over 100 podiums. Räikkönen has won 21 Grands Prix, making him the most successful Finnish driver in terms of Formula One race wins, and is the only driver to win in the V10, V8 and the V6 turbo hybrid engine eras.
- Bernd Rosemeyer was born on 14 October 1909 in Lingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. He was married to Elly Beinhorn. He died on 28 January 1938 in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Hesse, Germany.
- Bobby Rahal was born on 10 January 1953 in Medina, Ohio, USA. He is a producer, known for Stars of Tomorrow (2003), Formula 1 (1950) and ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961). He has been married to Johanna Maher since 30 September 2006. He was previously married to Debi.
- Al Unser was born on 29 May 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. He was an actor, known for Home Improvement (1991), ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961) and Rapid Response (2019). He was married to Karen Sue Barnes and Wanda Jesperson. He died on 9 December 2021 in Chama, New Mexico, USA.
- Al Unser Jr. was born on 19 April 1962 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He is an actor, known for Home Improvement (1991), Speedway Driver (2018) and Mayberry Man: The Series. He has been married to Gina Soto since 22 September 2004. He was previously married to Shelley Unser.
- Part of the famed "First Family" of American auto racing, Bobby Unser, along with his younger brother Al, and nephew Al Jr., have won nine Indianapolis 500 races, a record unmatched by any other racing family. Unser got his start racing in the 1950s and has won several races on dirt track ovals, paved ovals and road courses. He has won the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb numerous times and won his Indy 500s in three different decades (1968, 1975, & 1981), one of only two drivers to accomplish the feat. Unser won two United States Auto Club championships (1968 & 1974) and was a threat to win any race he entered as evidenced by his 35 wins and 49 poles in USAC/CART competition. Unser retired soon after his final Indy 500 win in 1981, and has entered the television commentary world, most recently for Canadian television as a color commentator. He also follows the career of his son, Robby, who competes in the Indy Racing League, and could add another Indianapolis 500 championship to the family name.
- Alessandro Zanardi was born on 23 October 1966 in Bologna, Italy. He has been married to Daniela Manni since October 1996. They have one child.
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One of America's greatest racing drivers of all time, Hill, a native of Southern California, was the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship, in 1961. Hill started his racing career in the 1950s, winning the 1955 Sports Car Club of America Championship, then moving to Europe and racing sports cars there. He won the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, and began driving Grand Prix cars that same year. He won his first F1 race at Italy, in 1960 while driving for Ferrari, and then his world title the next year. Tragically, he won his world championship on the same day his Ferrari teammate and closest challenger for the title, Wolfgang von Trips, of Germany, crashed and was killed. Although he never won another Grand Prix race after his championship, Hill was still a force to be reckoned with in sports cars, winning numerous races until his retirement from the sport. He now restores vintage cars and keeps in touch with auto racing with an occasional guest commentary role.