Over the years a few drivers appear in F1 who seem to be able to lift a team and drive them to new levels of achievement. These men have the ability to lead a team and raise there, often already significant, abilities and push them to new heights. Their arrival also seems to draw others to the team which maintains the momentum and drives the team on.
Here are who I have seen in F1, in the time I have been watching the sport, who have this capability:
Alain Prost - he made an impressive début at McLaren in 1981 and then moved on to Renault where he pushed the team close to winning World Titles. His departure from Renault and arrival at McLaren not only pushed the team but his team mates. He won the Drivers Championship in 1985 and 1986 and the level of his performance drew Ayrton Senna to McLaren to create one of the sports most intense rivalry. Prost won the title again in 1989 before moving to Ferrari who, although winning races, had not challenged for Championships since the 70's. Prost pushed the Scuderia and, without that now infamous incident at the first corner in Japan in 1990, could have won the title that year. A final title at Williams in 1993 was an appropriate reward for the titles Prost missed out on in '84, '88 and 1990.
Ayrton Senna - Senna picked his own route in F1 choosing to drive for the lowly Toleman team in his debut season. Toleman were improving but Senna's arrival seemed to have a galvanising effect on the outfit and he so nearly won a race at Monaco that year. Senna moved to Lotus under less than positive circumstance and took the team back to the winners circle on a regular basis. Lotus were never going to fulfil Ayrton's desire for Championships, for that he had to move to McLaren. 1988 was an astonishing year in F1 where, without the intervention of Jean Louis Schlesser at Monza, McLaren would have won every race. Senna took three titles at McLaren before his untimely death in 1994 driving for Williams. At that time he was being challenged by my next choice...
Michael Schumacher - Schumie's first race for Jordan put him on radar for nearly ever team principal and he was snapped up by Flavio Briatore to drive for Benetton at the next race. Benetton had won races but never looked like pushing for titles, Schumie won two for the team in '94 and '95 before taking on his greatest challenge, Ferrari. It took Schumacher 4 seasons before the team he created around him dominated the sport in a way few had seen before. The German won 5 titles in a row but towards the end of his domination a new man was starting to raise the game of one of Schumacher's former teams.
Fernando Alonso - a quite début at Minardi belied the potential of Spain's first World Champion. He then became test driver for the Renault team before becoming a race driver in 2003. The Renault team had wanted titles since their started in F1 in 1977 and Alonso delivered two in 2005 and 2006 before moving on to, probably, the unhappiest time of his career at McLaren. Although he won races the team and the driver didn't gel and Alonso returned to Renault. In 2010 Fernando joined Ferrari and, although they had won races and even the odd WDC since Schumacher's departure, he seemed to change the focus of the team and push it to new levels of achievement, missing out on two Drivers titles in 2010 and 2012 by the smallest of margins.
You may agree or disagree with my choices but I hope you won't disagree with the basic rationale. Other great drivers have graced F1 but the drivers I have chosen appear to have that indefinable something extra. As we move into the 2013 season one driver has the chance to join these men in proving that the Power of One can raise what an F1 team can achieve, Lewis Hamilton. Does Lewis have that capacity? Next year we will find out.
Here are who I have seen in F1, in the time I have been watching the sport, who have this capability:
Alain Prost - he made an impressive début at McLaren in 1981 and then moved on to Renault where he pushed the team close to winning World Titles. His departure from Renault and arrival at McLaren not only pushed the team but his team mates. He won the Drivers Championship in 1985 and 1986 and the level of his performance drew Ayrton Senna to McLaren to create one of the sports most intense rivalry. Prost won the title again in 1989 before moving to Ferrari who, although winning races, had not challenged for Championships since the 70's. Prost pushed the Scuderia and, without that now infamous incident at the first corner in Japan in 1990, could have won the title that year. A final title at Williams in 1993 was an appropriate reward for the titles Prost missed out on in '84, '88 and 1990.
Ayrton Senna - Senna picked his own route in F1 choosing to drive for the lowly Toleman team in his debut season. Toleman were improving but Senna's arrival seemed to have a galvanising effect on the outfit and he so nearly won a race at Monaco that year. Senna moved to Lotus under less than positive circumstance and took the team back to the winners circle on a regular basis. Lotus were never going to fulfil Ayrton's desire for Championships, for that he had to move to McLaren. 1988 was an astonishing year in F1 where, without the intervention of Jean Louis Schlesser at Monza, McLaren would have won every race. Senna took three titles at McLaren before his untimely death in 1994 driving for Williams. At that time he was being challenged by my next choice...
Michael Schumacher - Schumie's first race for Jordan put him on radar for nearly ever team principal and he was snapped up by Flavio Briatore to drive for Benetton at the next race. Benetton had won races but never looked like pushing for titles, Schumie won two for the team in '94 and '95 before taking on his greatest challenge, Ferrari. It took Schumacher 4 seasons before the team he created around him dominated the sport in a way few had seen before. The German won 5 titles in a row but towards the end of his domination a new man was starting to raise the game of one of Schumacher's former teams.
Fernando Alonso - a quite début at Minardi belied the potential of Spain's first World Champion. He then became test driver for the Renault team before becoming a race driver in 2003. The Renault team had wanted titles since their started in F1 in 1977 and Alonso delivered two in 2005 and 2006 before moving on to, probably, the unhappiest time of his career at McLaren. Although he won races the team and the driver didn't gel and Alonso returned to Renault. In 2010 Fernando joined Ferrari and, although they had won races and even the odd WDC since Schumacher's departure, he seemed to change the focus of the team and push it to new levels of achievement, missing out on two Drivers titles in 2010 and 2012 by the smallest of margins.
You may agree or disagree with my choices but I hope you won't disagree with the basic rationale. Other great drivers have graced F1 but the drivers I have chosen appear to have that indefinable something extra. As we move into the 2013 season one driver has the chance to join these men in proving that the Power of One can raise what an F1 team can achieve, Lewis Hamilton. Does Lewis have that capacity? Next year we will find out.