Stirling Moss is the greatest
Formula One driver ever, according to
Autocourse editor Alan Henry, who releases his definitive list in a new book
The Top 100 F1 drivers of all time.
Destined to cause debate - and raise hackles - among those who follow the sport, the book is Henry's personal assessment of the talent to have passed through the top flight over the years. His choices are, in many cases, surprising, but reflect the F1 expert's view of more than just on-track exploits.
The top four positions are filled by former
Crash.net columnist Moss,
Jim Clark,
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who boast a total of 133 grand prix wins between them, but multiple record holder and seven-time world champion
Michael Schumacher fails to make Henry's top ten.
“Moss's versatility was astonishing, separated from the dynamic Clark by only a thin margin," Henry explained, "In the end, it is Stirling who gets the nod, perhaps the nature of Jimmy's exclusive relationship with Lotus counts subconsciously against him."
Similarly, the author suggested that Schumacher's eleventh place on the list is the result of his contract conditions at
Ferrari, where he forced the team to make him an unchallenged number one driver to the detriment of his team-mates.
Between Prost and Schumacher lie five 'old school' heroes - Alberto Ascari, Juan-Manuel Fangio, Bernd Rosemeyer,
Jackie Stewart and Tazio Nuvolari - while Henry also feels justified in slotting one of Schumacher's contemporaries, Mika Hakkinen, in ahead of the German.
The legendary Gilles Villeneuve - not necessarily the most successful F1 driver ever, but renowned for his spectacular and heroic on-track antics - comes in at number twelve, while Chris Amon - perhaps the unluckiest man in racing - fittingly fills spot 13.
All the major names in terms of world titles - Fittipaldi, Brabham, Andretti, Lauda, Rindt, Piquet, Surtees and the like - make the list, as do a number of more surprising inclusions.
![Lewis Hamilton is presented with the BRDC Gold Star by Sir Stirling Moss [Pic creditt: BRDC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/400871.jpg)
