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[Ron Dennis]

if you ask this question in 20 years time, I feel sure Hamilton will be at the top

[raithrover]

Has to be Clark or Stewart for me.

Easy rule is when an English team etc does well then its England, when they do badly its British. That mostly applies to football club sides as well in news reports and does annoy most of the Scots up here. Being English and living up here, I can see both sides of it.

[onelapdown]

British, eh?
It's funny how suddenly they are British. In football they are Scots, Welsh, English, Northern Irish - I've always wondered why the Brits are allowed to have 4 sides while everybody else has only one. I don't know of another sport that gives them this unfair privilege - anybody?

It's not an F1 matter but here's your answer: the reason England, Wales, Scotland and (Northern) Ireland get separate national teams is because their national football associations were around long before FIFA, and they were already playing international matches. So now you know.

[darwin dali]

Well, time has moved on since then and maybe those folks should kick the pig's bladder all by themselves if they're stuck in the old days...

[bud]

DD youll never understand

[juggles]

have to give it to Jackie Stewart just for getting 3 world champs, more than any other British driver. Jim Clark was obviously incredible and I reckon Nigel Mansell might well have been the fastest of them all. Unfortunately he was racing with the likes of Senna and Prost, but to even get one WC was unbelievable. Won that year with ease

[piledriver]

Well, I have sympathy for a lot of British drivers, but my favourites are:
- David Coulthard
- Jenson Button
- Lewis Hamilton
- Eddie Irvine

Some years ago:
- Nigel Mansell
- James Hunt
- John Watson

[Osmella DJ]

lots of choice!

My pick in order

1st - Jim Clark
2nd - Jackie Stewart
= Stirling Moss
3rd - Nigel Mansell

[TheRoswellite]

Surprise: Mr. Button gets more votes than John Surtees, a world driving champ (64), and a 7 times world moto champ.

At least, I think, most people got #1 correct, and I also think that if you asked all those on the list, still alive to vote, who they would pick...........it would be almost unanimous.

PS: And, again, it is important to be able to separate "best" from "favorite".

[nsaqam]

My favorite was Hunt the Shunt! He really did have some natural talent. His Championship winning race in Japan when it was too wet for most drivers including the very brave and Championship leading Niki Lauda was a singular feat of determination. I'll always remember pictures of him with a ciggy in his mouth and a beer in his hand, usually with a comely lady nearby. He LIVED the life!
The BEST British driver was much more difficult to decide. I finally went with Jackie Stewart primarily because of winning 3 Championships in cars that were only equal to the others on the grid. Jim Clark and his awesome natural ability in any type of car has to be 2nd. Stirling Moss gets 3rd and would be higher if he'd won any Championships. He was great even when driving a pig. Mansell next even though I never liked him much, thought him to be a whiner. John Surtees deserves more credit than he gets.

[racechick]

You forgot to put Lewis on the list Silly boy!
Close between Clark and Lewis ((Im being clairvoyant here of course) Sadly Jim's career was cut short so Lewis may surpass him

[Irv the Swerve]

You forgot to put Lewis on the list Silly boy!
Close between Clark and Lewis ((Im being clairvoyant here of course) Sadly Jim's career was cut short so Lewis may surpass him

I was not going to base the poll on the first half of his DEBUT season...and it only gave me so many options

[Wurnos]

Personally I would have to go for the following order using a statistical model I produced to evaluate GP Drivers.

1 Jackie Stewart 183pts
2 Jim Clark 159pts
3 Damon Hill 153pts
4 Graham Hill 141pts
5 Nigel Mansell 140pts
6. Stirling Moss 132pts
7= Lewis Hamilton 117pts
7= John Surtees 117pts
9= David Coulthard 110pts
9= Mike Hawthorn 110pts

I fully realise that Stirling Moss is rated lower on this list than in the eyes of many experts as Damon Hill is rated higher. Of course Lewis' peak rating may eventually become higher but at the moment he is 7 points below his 117 peak at 110 pts.

Only Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio have exceeded 200 rating points based on this methodology. Ayrton Senna came close with 197pts.

Tim

[darwin dali]

Personally I would have to go for the following order using a statistical model I produced to evaluate GP Drivers.

1 Jackie Stewart 183pts
2 Jim Clark 159pts
3 Damon Hill 153pts
4 Graham Hill 141pts
5 Nigel Mansell 140pts
6. Stirling Moss 132pts
7= Lewis Hamilton 117pts
7= John Surtees 117pts
9= David Coulthard 110pts
9= Mike Hawthorn 110pts

I fully realise that Stirling Moss is rated lower on this list than in the eyes of many experts as Damon Hill is rated higher. Of course Lewis' peak rating may eventually become higher but at the moment he is 7 points below his 117 peak at 110 pts.

Only Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio have exceeded 200 rating points based on this methodology. Ayrton Senna came close with 197pts.

Tim

Uh, and what IS your statistical model?

[stonemonkey]

Yeah, I know it's politics and history and I could swallow it if it was throughout all sports, but only in football? Or are there more? Like rugby, cricket and other weird activities the Brits enjoy?

And besides, those governments you mention are not any more independent than most regional governments that may exist in other countries. So, e.g., Quebec should have their own football side?

Rugby is saparete coutries, in the olympics it's GB and in elephant polo I think it's just Scotland.