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By Riccardo Tafà| Posted December 6, 2023 | In Formula 1, Formula1
This is a list and not a ranking, if I had to choose with my heart Senna would always be first….
Senna is considered the greatest F1 driver ever, surpassing among fans Fangio, Ascari, Hamilton, Clark, Schumacher, Prost, Farina, Stewart, Verstappen, Lauda and any other F1 driver. Ayrton won three World Championships with McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Senna won 41 of the 162 races he entered, with a success rate of 25.3 percent. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to witness Ayrton on the track can only acknowledge his exceptional driving skills and unparalleled charisma–pure magic.
Fangio, a humble and friendly gentleman, was known to always be in the right car at the right time. This irritated Enzo Ferrari, who valued above all total loyalty to his team. Perhaps Fangio was the only driver greater than Ferrari. He was also the oldest driver to win a title in 1957 at the age of 46. Fangio won five world titles, a record that lasted for 46 years until it was surpassed by Michael Schumacher. Impressive the number of races won 24, in relation to the Grands Prix held 52 (with 51 Starts). Fangio won 46 percent of the GPs he raced in.
Clark was one of the most unassuming men ever to sit in an F1 cockpit, but probably the most singularly gifted driver of all time. He won two F1 world championships, in 1963 and 1965, and also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500. In the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix, Clark won by nearly five minutes over the second-place finisher, the widest gap on record. Clark won 25 of the 72 races he entered, with a 34.7 percent success rate.
Moss remains the quintessential English gentleman, a storyteller, an adventurer, and an unparalleled driver. Although he has never won a world title, Moss holds the title of all-time world vice-champion; in fact, he was second in the championship in the years 1955 to 1958 and was third in the world championship standings three times. Moss won 16 of the 66 races he entered, with a 24.2 percent success rate.
Stewart, known as the “Flying Scot,” won three world titles in 1969 with Matra and in 1971 and 1973 with Tyrrell. Stewart has won 27 of the 99 races he has entered, with a success rate of 27.3 percent. He retired perhaps too early after an accident involving then-teammate Cevert, fought later to improve car safety, and is still actively involved in F1.
Schumacher, the unforgettable champion, won a whopping 7 World Championships apiece, as did Hamilton. The first two World Championships, those of 1994 and 1995, came at the wheel of Benetton; the others were Ferrari’s. With Todt, Rory Birne and Ross Brawn give the Maranello team and its fans 5 World Championships and an era, for many, unrepeatable. He is the most titled driver in the history of Formula 1. Schumacher has won 91 of the 308 races he has participated in, with a 29.5 percent success rate.
Lauda, known for his rivalry with James Hunt and his miraculous comeback after a terrible accident in 1976, won three world titles in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and in 1984 with La McLaren.
Lauda won 25 of the 177 races he entered, with a success rate of 14.1 percent.
Niki left an indelible mark on the world of motorsport, which he frequented by holding various positions even after his farewell to racing.
Nelson Piquet, born Aug. 17, 1952, in Rio de Janeiro, is one of Formula 1’s greatest drivers but often underestimated. He won the world championship three times with two different teams, Brabham and Williams between 1978 and 1991. Piquet began his career in karting, becoming Brazilian national champion in 1971-72. He went on to win the Formula Vee championship in 1976. Piquet made his Formula 1 debut in 1978 and found a permanent home in the Brabham team in 1979. During his years with Brabham, Piquet won two championships 1981 and 1983 and set a record of nine pole positions in 1984. Piquet won 23 of the 207 races held representing 11 percent of the starts.
Prost, is by right one of the greatest drivers in history with 4 World Championships won (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993) with Mclaren the first three and with Williams The last.
He became probably only the third driver-after Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher-to exert enough force of personality on the Scuderia Ferrari to build the team convincingly around himself. Prost won 51 of the 199 races he entered, with a success rate of 25.6 percent. Nicknamed the Professor for his meticulous approach to racing his rivalry with Senna was among the most compelling and controversial pages of 20th-century F1.
Gilles Villeneuve, despite never winning a championship, won the hearts of Formula 1 fans. He was known for his spectacular and courageous driving style, which often saw him push his car beyond its limits. Villeneuve competed in Formula 1 for Ferrari from 1977 to 1982, and although his career was relatively short, he left a lasting impression on the motorsport world. His son Jacques will succeed in the feat that had eluded him by becoming Formula 1 world champion in 1997 with La Williams.
Alonso, victorious twice with his Benetton with which he was world champion in 2005 and 2006 is one of the most successful drivers of the current era. Fernando failed to win the world championship with Ferrari touching it three times, finishing second overall in 2010, 2012 and 2013. He ran 377 races and achieved 106 podiums. He won 32 Grand Prix with a start-to-win ratio of 8.5%.
Hamilton, one of the highest paid sportsmen in the world, is one of the most successful drivers ever with 7 World Championships like Schumacher.
He ran 332 races and achieved 197 podiums. Hamilton has won 103 of the 332 races he has participated in, with a success rate of 35.7 percent.
his seven titles in the 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons were all won in Mercedes apart from the first one in 2008 in which Lewis was driving a McLaren. Lewis is a Formula 1 icon, a global superstar with a huge reach that makes him one of the world’s most marketable athletes.
Vettel was the youngest driver to win a title in 2010 at the age of 23 years and 134 days. He ran 299 races and achieved 122 podiums and 53 victories with a 17.7 percent success rate. He managed to win the Italian Grand Prix in his second year in F1 driving Toro Ross, a circumstance that earned him a move to Red Bull and made his fortune . He won 4 World titles for the Austrian team between 2010 and 2013. In 2015 he switched to Ferrari with whom he came close to the title for twovolte, finishing second in the championship in 2017 and 2018. His career continues at Aston Martin until his retirement in 2023.
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on September 30, 1997, in Hasselt, Belgium. He won the F1 world championship in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Considering his age and approach, he seems destined to demolish all records. Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut at the age of 17, becoming the youngest driver in the category ever. He won his first race at 18 years and 228 days, during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Max is known for his instinctive and aggressive driving style, which at times has put him at odds with his colleagues-everyone remembers his spats with Hamilton or Ocon, just to name a couple. In 2023, Verstappen won 19 races out of the 22 run twice he finished second and once fifth…. A steamroller that allowed him to record the most points disempre in a single Formula 1 season. With 185 races run and 54 wins he records a 29.2 percent win percentage, and considering RedBull’s age and competitiveness the numbers can only get better.
Each driver on the list has left an indelible mark on Formula 1 history with their extraordinary skills, unique personalities and fascinating stories. These are certainly the best Formula 1 drivers of all time.
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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