Most Important People in F1 all time Top 5 | FerrariChat

Most Important People in F1 all time Top 5

Discussion in 'F1' started by spirot, Sep 29, 2017.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2005
    14,500
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Tom Spiro
    So the thread on best Ferrari driver made me think.. who are the top 5 most important / impactful, influential people in F1 - all time? submit your list... here is mine:

    1. Enzo Ferrari - created the myth, brand glamor and excitement of F-1 racing. ties the whole thing together
    2. Bernie Ecclestone - Created modern F-1 racing as we know it. kept if thriving through economic up and down times
    3. Jackie Stewart - household name around the world - did more for safety, and business influence in F- 1 made it a global / glamour sport
    4. Colin Chapman - Brought cutting edge engineering to F-1 started England as the home of high tech racing design
    5. Ayrton Senna - brought new age glamor - ruthlessness to the sport... also more myth and hype & spectacular driving
     
    jjmalez likes this.
  2. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
    48,581
    @ the wheel
    Full Name:
    Andreas
    agreed on the first four (Enzo, Bernie, Jackie and Colin)
    my #5 goes to Cosworth (Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth), I know that's technically two people but my point is that their engine created the movement of the garagistes in the sixties and seventies
    .
    That said, maybe top 5 is too narrow a scope. Maybe top ten opens the door a bit wider
     
    tazz99 and jgonzalesm6 like this.
  3. Igor Ound

    Igor Ound F1 Veteran

    Sep 30, 2012
    8,102
    The Horn
    Full Name:
    Igor Ound
    Ross Brawn?
     
  4. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

    Dec 31, 2003
    5,505
    An argument certainly could be made for Bruce McLaren and/or Frank Williams. Having built teams into Championship winners without money coming from production cars is quite impressive, and the teams still being contenders today adds to that.
     
    Remy Zero and jgonzalesm6 like this.
  5. subirg

    subirg F1 Rookie

    Dec 19, 2003
    4,186
    Cheshire
    Schumacher has to be in the top 5. He transformed the driver world, dominated and shaped entire teams around himself, rewrote history, and set records that may never be broken. His name will be forever etched in F1 and Ferrari history and never forgotten.

    And then there's Newey. Everyone knows he's the greatest car designer of the aero era. Without question and without equal. A legend of the sport.
     
    Remy Zero likes this.
  6. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2005
    14,500
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Tom Spiro
    I think they are both too new... and don't reach back far enough in the sport..... Schumacher's records are within 2 years of being beat with Hamilton... and 4 years with Vettel... Newey is great, but does not compare with Champman etc... he's very good at working the rules.
     
    375+ likes this.
  7. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2005
    14,500
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Tom Spiro
    I'll go top 10... so my next 5 are:

    6. Sid Watkins - did more for safety than any other medical professional made F-1 ultra professional and safer than ever.
    7. Keith Duckworth - Cosworth engines were the backbone of F1 from 1967 to 1983ish....
    8. Jean Luc Lagardiere - He brought major sponsorship into F-1 & fostered the first driver talent search ( elf Winfield ) - Cevert, Pironi, Depallier, Prost, Alesi, Comas, many French drivers ....
    9. Gilles Villeneuve - pure spectacle, and mythology to the sport. horrible year when he died but he was the consummate racer
    10. John Hogan / Paddy McNally... sponsorship from Marlboro and track side sponsorship plans... they brought the MONEY into F-1 its s tie but I think Hogan set up F-1 as a viable platform for mulit nationals to invest in... McNally show them the most for the value ...
     
    Natkingcolebasket69 and Makuono like this.
  8. Peter Tabmow

    Peter Tabmow Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2010
    619
    All 10 strong choices backed by incisive reasoning, Tom.
     
  9. Jeff Kennedy

    Jeff Kennedy F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Oct 16, 2007
    6,535
    Edwardsville, IL
    Full Name:
    Jeff Kennedy
    Consider Henry Ford II. Funded the creation of Cosworth's engine and Hewlands gearbox. Altered the landscape of driver pay and cubic dollars into racing.

    For Chapman add as an additional reason his commercialization of the sport. SEE John Player Special as an entire livery.

    Marlboro Europe for their monster scale sponsorship of teams and drivers.
     
  10. mcimino

    mcimino Formula 3

    Oct 5, 2007
    2,262
    Long Island, NY
  11. Caracciola

    Caracciola Karting
    BANNED

    Cosworth existed prior to Henry Fords II 's involvement in motor racing, and it's Walter Hayes, the CEO of Ford UK who decided to bankroll Keith Duckworth to design the V8 DFV. Mike Hewland started his engine company in the 50s, and switched to gearbox production soon after, well before Ford came to the fore.

    Henry Ford, however, was behind the performance boost that put Ford prominently in stock car, Le Mans and Indianapolis. He also supported Shelby and his Cobras.
     
  12. scudF1

    scudF1 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2012
    2,864
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Billy
    I agree with the top 5
     
  13. furoni

    furoni F1 World Champ

    Jun 6, 2011
    13,609
    Vila Verde
    Full Name:
    Pedro Braga Soares
    I would add Fangio, he was the first mega name in f.1, and remained so...Senna, Gilles, Michael, carried on his legacy, but even today, fangio is a legendary name known by all.
     
    CSM0TION likes this.
  14. Flavio_C

    Flavio_C Formula 3
    BANNED

    Sep 7, 2012
    2,445
    Insubria
    1 - Bernard Ecclestone
    2 - Enzo Ferrari
    3 - Ron Dennis
    4 - Ayrton Senna
    5 - Michael Schumacher

    Honorable mentions: Collin Chapman, Jack Stewart, Juan-Manuel Fangio, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ken Tyrrel, Giancarlo Minardi, Frank Williams, the Cosworth guys. All others had merely supporting roles.
     
    NürScud likes this.
  15. kraftwerk

    kraftwerk Two Time F1 World Champ

    May 12, 2007
    26,826
    England North West
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Yes I'd say that's a pretty good call, however the more you think about it the harder it gets with this subject though.
     
  16. subirg

    subirg F1 Rookie

    Dec 19, 2003
    4,186
    Cheshire
    True. The only certainties are Bernie and Enzo for the top 2 spots. Everyone else is a debate.
     
    vinuneuro and tifosi12 like this.
  17. NürScud

    NürScud F1 Veteran

    Nov 3, 2012
    7,273
    Agree.
     
  18. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 11, 2008
    98,533
    Vegas baby
    If you don't say "Keith Duckworth" then it's a farce.

    I also like John Frankenheimer as one.

    everyone remembers Enzo but who were the nameless and faceless people who build Mercedes into a powerhouse in the late 50's. Unbelievable radical engineering and use of materials for the time, along with the introduction of aerodynamics.
     
    tifosi12 likes this.
  19. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
    48,581
    @ the wheel
    Full Name:
    Andreas
    Including a F1 with covered wheeles (gasp!).
     
  20. 375+

    375+ F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2005
    11,881
    Keith Duckworth and Walter Hayes of Ford merit inclusion. Without the DFV, F1 would have died a slow death in the 1970's. It was an affordable reliable powerplant--a concept alien to current F1 regulators.
     
    tifoso2728 likes this.
  21. Natkingcolebasket69

    Natkingcolebasket69 F1 World Champ

    Senna is the GOAT, watching him race was like god driving a car, schumacher was not even close


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  22. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2005
    14,500
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Tom Spiro
    I don't buy that... I Saw Senna race for years in person... he was fast, but also very dangerous... don't get me wrong - he's in the top 5 ever, but not the greatest. as for pure skill behind the wheel... Jim Clark, and Jackie Stewart... WAY better than Senna.
     
    Caracciola likes this.
  23. Natkingcolebasket69

    Natkingcolebasket69 F1 World Champ

    At the end of the day its ur opinion but if you ask their peers Senna comes. They will tell you the truth:

    I respect your opinion but its like saying lebron james is better than Michael jordan...not happening.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Flavio_C likes this.
  24. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2016
    20,527
    Corpus Christi, Tx.
    Full Name:
    Joe R Gonzales
  25. Caracciola

    Caracciola Karting
    BANNED

    I agree with that. Senna did some moves that completely discredited him in my eyes. Same for Schumacher, I would say.

    Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart are well above them in my esteem. They were also fast, but never did anything controversial; that's the hallmark of greatness to me.
     

Share This Page