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By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted April 2, 2021 | In Formula1, MotoGP, Sports Marketing
Formula 1 is a very, very strange sport to debate competitiveness. With only 22 drivers to line on the grid, and with an immense amount of talent needed to simply make it to the sport, it is hard to grasp the very concept of “best”. Put any of these guys against the fastest driver you know and they’ll zoom past him without breaking a sweat.
Also, in a sport where the overall result is heavily linked to the quality of the vehicle, there will be times where the drivers’ merits are questioned or overshadowed by the performance of the car. This happened for example with Sebastian Vettel and the 4x World Champion Red Bull car, with critics quick to point out that the historic ride of the German was only made possible by Head Designer Adrian Newey’s vision and shrewdness.
Nonetheless, authorized personnel and F1 connoisseurs know talent when they see some and, although great cars and great drivers most of the times go hand in hand, we must tip our hat to greatness. So here’s our list of the top 10 Drivers in Formula 1 today.
Let us know if you agree or disagree on this one and why, via the comments below or via email at info@rtrsports.com. Also for more information on Formula 1 sponsorship and Formula 1 marketing, please make sure to visit our pages at this link.
7 world titles, 96 GP wins, 3.800+ scored points, 5.000+ lead laps: if we stick to the cold, hard numbers we are today witnessing the greatest racing driver to ever grace our planet. But there’s more to it. If there can be debate whether Lewis is or not the GOAT, everyone agrees that Hamilton is there with Ayrton and Schumacher among F1 royalty.
Unbelievably fast and consistent, the Brit is one of the few drivers in history to win World titles with different Teams and makers, having conquered his first Championship at McLaren in 2008 and then six more with AMG Mercedes.
Verstappen must be on the podium on this list, even if he’s never won a World Championship and he has managed to take home “only” 10 race wins so far. But the figures fail to paint the correct picture of a true F1 star and a spectacular talent who somehow is still only 23 years old.
In this hybrid-engine era, one that’s been truly dominated by the Silver Arrows powerhouse, the Red Bull Racing man has been the only driver on the grid to ever jeopardize Hamilton’s supremacy.
It won’t be long until Verstappen eventually clenches that first World Title, be it on Christian Horner’s car or on another challenger.
Well well well, look what the cat dragged in. After a couple of years spent in the US chasing a long sought after Triple Crown, Fernando Alonso made his return to the pinnacle of racing this year with french outfit Alpine, former Renault.
Speaking of the Spaniard, somebody once said “Give Fernando a wheel and he’ll always be dangerous”. Alonso won 2 Titles for Renault in the Briatore era in spectacular fashion, showing the world what he was capable of in 2005-06 before moving to Ferrari. However, in the 5 years at Maranello, the Scuderia just couldn’t put together a car that could match the unbelievable RBs and Fernando lingered as Italy’s worst kept secret.
Now he’s back and Alpine’s first spin onto the Barhain track is there to prove how talented this man still is. He’ll be fun to watch. Or to listen to on the radio.
In 2019, Formula 1’s wonder boy signed the biggest contract extension in the history of Ferrari and will stay in the Italian Motor Valley until the end of 2024. Ferrari have believed in the Monaco driver since the early days, first signing him for their Ferrari Driving Academy program and then vouching for him with Haas for a third driver role in 2016.
Eventually the youngster made his way up to the Scuderia and ended up winning two races for the prancing horse: a spectacular back to back in Spa and Monza after which the now-famous FIA investigation began.
A huge Valentino Rossi fan -and that’s the reason behind his yellow lid- Lando Norris is well known both for his antics and for his speed. In 2018 Bristol’s finest scored an impressive 2nd overall in the Formula 2 Championship with Carlin Motorsport before being promoted to McLaren.
After a difficult rookie season in 2019, Last year, Norris had a remarkable start to the season, with a podium finish in Austria and a good 5th place in Styria and Great Britain and managed to finish 9th in the final drivers’ championship.
Now, at just 21, he’s kicked off his third Formula 1 season with a bang, scoring a 4th place in the opening race in Bahrain. Despite all the laughs and the social media banter, Give lando a fast car and he’ll prove he means serious business.
If there’s something Formula 1 has been great at in the past years is fostering a generation of talented and fast young drivers. Hailing from King’s Lynn, George Russell won the 2018 Formula 2 Championship and was then given the first drive at Williams, where unfortunately he could never find a competitive car.
The one-in-a-lifetime chance came at last year’s Sakhir race when AMG Mercedes chose Russell to replace Lewis Hamilton, who had contracted COVID. Russell showed impressive pace in the Silver Arrow and scored 2nd in quali. When the lights went green on Sunday, George took the lead of the race and opened a gap to the rest of the pack, sailing towards a well deserved maiden victory. Too bad the pit crew at Mercedes messed up big time and destroyed the young brit’s dream. But the man had proved anyone what he was capable of.
Famous for the, erm, infamous “shoey” celebration and for an extravagant personality, Ricciardo stays true to the Australian racing tradition displaying a gentle, very soft drive mixed with the right amount of aggressiveness when needed. Think Mark Webber, Casey Stoner or Jack Miller.
After 8 years spent under the wings (yes, pun intended) of the world’s famous energy drink, Daniel walked the Renault path for two years and then steered towards Woking to join McLaren alongside Lando Norris.
Ricciardo, who eventually finished fifth overall last year, now has a very competitive MCL35M to drive. His main rival, as usual, is in the same garage, as the McLaren pair get warmed up to fight as third best constructor in the championship.
Even after winning an historic Grand Prix for Racing Point last year, Sergio Perez was told to tell his story walking, as the Pink Panther went under major revamping to become Aston Martin Formula 1. Perez, who was replaced at Lawrence Stroll’s court by 4x Champ Sebastian Vettel, eventually got a late call from Red Bull who got tired of Alex Albon’s inconsistency.
The mexican is a fast driver and a fierce competitor: this year he will be driving possibly the fastest car of the pack, but also a car that’s benne developed and polished in grand Verstappen’s fashion. Like in all good stories, it’ll be zero or hero.
“Pierre Gasly wins the Italian Grand Prix” echoed the voice on the telly as the checkered flag was shown under the Monza Sky. Ah, what a year Gasly has had: from being demoted from Red Bull to winning in Italy with Alpha Tauri in just 12 months.
The Frenchman sported a newfound confidence after being ushered to Faenza and finished 10 overall in the Championship in 2020. It’s no secret that he will try and fight his way up to get that Milton Keynes seat again. Unless, of course, some french team with a blue car shouldn’t find themselves with an opening for the next future.
Who doesn’t like an underdog. Possibly, Valtteri Bottas is sitting in the sport’s most difficult seat, with a 7x world Champion teammate who’s also a fashion star, a social media icon and a symbol for race equality. In a world where claims of “there are number twos” are aplenty, poor old Valtteri is without a shadow of a doubt the number two.
It’s a shame though, because the Finn is mega quick (he scored 186 points in a Williams in 2014) and has driven a very consistent career from 2012 onwards. Also, despite the non-glamorous attitude -which is very Finn, by the way- he’s a 2x F1 vice World Champion. Which still looks pretty good in your driver’s resume.
Wait, what? No Kimi Raikkonen? No Sebastian Vettel on the list? Are we really going to leave out 5 world Championships and rather have Pierre Gasly? Yeah, we feel you. And while the can be little doubt that the Iceman and Seb deserve a place among the greatest drivers of all time, we also feel they are far from their prime. Talent doesn’t wash away, that’s for sure, but Formula 1 has changed quite a lot in the 20+ years Kimi has been racing and this is a merciless business if you’re not given a quick car (erm, 2020 Ferrari anyone?) It’d be good to see them back on the podium again sometime this year. If only to prove us wrong.
Don’t agree? Hit us back at info@rtrsports.com
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.
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
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Read MoreIn an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
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
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
View our blogFebruary 3, 2025
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The recent sponsorship agreement between Alpine and the Yamaha Pramac MotoGP team has captured the attention of motorsport insiders and fans, marking a significant shift in the industry&rsquo[...]
Read MoreFebruary 2, 2025
Formula 1 single-seaters are equipped with power steering, a system that facilitates steering by reducing the effort required from the driver. This component is critical for handling the high[...]
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