Ranked: The greatest race drives in F1 history

Just what is the greatest drive in the history of Formula 1? That's a question which piqued the interest of RacingNews365 over the New Year celebrations, and so as the world championship celebrates 75 years this year, we've tried to answer it. 

The rules are very simple.

We have selected one race per decade which we feel is the greatest drive, and then limited it to only one race per driver, which is why Lewis Hamilton's 2008 British Grand Prix win is not included on the list...

Read on below and make sure to vote in the poll and in the comments to let us know if you agree with our ranking!

8 - Jenson Button - Canada 2011

Regarded by some as the greatest race of all-time, Button's 2011 comeback in Canada was secured when leader Sebastian Vettel made a mistake on the 70th and final lap after leading for the past four hours, three minutes and 30 odd seconds.

A two-hour delay was forced due to torrential rain as Button had quite a day of running into team-mate Lewis Hamilton, picking up a drive-through penalty, colliding with Fernando Alonso and making a total of seven visits through the pits. 

But the conditions were peak Button with the final charge to Vettel coming after an early change back to slicks in the damp, conditions at which the 2009 champion was the best on the grid at feeling.

7 - Juan Manuel Fangio - Germany 1957

Juan Manuel Fangio's 24th and final F1 win was his greatest - coming after a botched Maserati pit-stop. 

Ever a canny operator, he had noticed that the Ferraris of Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn had opted to brim the tanks and elect to try and non-stop race. So, in response, Fangio half-filled the Maserati, put softer tyres on, and elected to make a pit-stop. 

Revolutionary at the time you might think, he pitted on lap 13 of 22 for his change, but disaster struck. 

The mechanic on the rear-left lost the retaining nut under the car, took 30s to find it and rejoined nearly 50s behind second-place Ferrari racer Collins. 

Over the next 10 laps, he set nine lap records to eat into the lead, taking an astonishing 15s out of leader Hawthorn on his first lap alone. 

Collins was dispatched with the minimum of fuss as Hawthorn was ruthlessly passed with two wheels on the grass by the Argentine on the 21st and penultimate lap.

Fangio won by 3.6s to secure a fifth world championship that would not be broken until Michael Schumacher in the 2003 Japanese GP.

6 - Lewis Hamilton - Turkey 2020

The drive that made Hamilton statistically the greatest of all-time. 

F1's COVID-enforced return to Turkey came after the track had been resurfaced, but not enough time had passed to allow the new asphalt to settle, meaning, with a bit of rain thrown in, the track was more like an ice-rink as Lance Stroll stormed to a first career pole. 

Hamilton was only sixth, and in the early part of the race was not going anywhere any time quickly as he ran long on after swapping the wets for a fresh set of intermediates.

Perhaps burned by the 2007 Chinese GP where lost the title after slipping into the gravel trap on worn inters, he refused to pit again, effectively creating a 'slick-der-mediate' tyre. 

He won by 31.6s from Sergio Perez after dominating the second half of the race. It was the drive of a seven-time world champion.

5 - Sebastian Vettel - Italy 2008

If you close your eyes, and think, this was effectively Minardi winning the Italian Grand Prix. 

Sure, the name above the door at Faenza had changed, and Sebastian Vettel was driving, in effect, the 2007 Red Bull, but for a team so fresh out of the Minardi era, most of the same people were still there.

What makes Vettel's 2008 Italian GP win all the more extraordinary is how much of a surprise it was.

Sure, he had taken five points finishes in the season up until this point, but nothing better than fifth, and had not got nowhere near the front-row. 

So, in horrendous conditions as Hamilton and Felipe Massa sunk, Vettel swam to a glorious pole, just ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. It would be as close as the Finn got to Vettel. 

Come race day, Vettel simply crushed the field and cleared off to become the youngest race winner in F1 history at 21 years, 73 days. To this date, only Max Verstappen's 2016 Spanish GP win at 18 years, 227 days has beaten this.

4 - Jackie Stewart - Germany 1968

Any win at the Nurburgring is special, to do so in the wet, by nearly four minutes is something extraordinary. 

Oh, and for good measure, Jackie Stewart was also racing at the Nordschleife with a broken wrist, with it being in a cast. 

Qualifying had even been delayed to Sunday morning so poor were the conditions on Saturday with visibility down to as low as 10 yards in place, with Stewart sixth, some 50s slower than pole-sitter Jacky Ickx. 

By lap 2, he was leading by 34s and by the end of the 14 laps some two hours later, was nearly half a lap ahead. 

3 - Damon Hill - Japan 1994

Damon Hill would freely admit this, but he was not at the same level as Michael Schumacher, which made their 1994 title fight all the more absorbing.

Hill was thrust into the team leadership of Williams following the loss of Ayrton Senna in just his second full-time season - and took a valiant battle to Schumacher, but in Japan, he had to win to keep the fight alive. 

In horrible conditions, the race was run on aggregate - meaning the times from part one before a red flag would be added to part two after it to declare a winner.

It meant Hill would need to beat Schumacher by at least seven seconds to out-do him on aggregate. And so, after the final pit-stops began a thrilling chase with Schumacher carving time out of the Williams having been 15s behind with 10 laps to go. 

By the flag, as Murray Walker would memorably exclaim "3.36 seconds!"

Hill would later recount going through the Esses for the final lap, he asked Senna for some guidance and then his foot stuck the throttle to the bulkhead as he weaved through the rivers forming on track. 

2 - Gilles Villeneuve - Spain 1981

An often-overlooked race, Gilles Villeneuve only won two of his six grands prix in Europe, and the 1981 Spanish GP was to prove his final win. 

The 1981 Ferrari was, what could charity be described as, not a good car. It had a strong V12 engine in the back, but as a chassis, it was rather hopeless.

That made Villeneuve's win in Monaco outstanding, and is victory at Jarama even more breath-taking. 

After assuming the lead when leader Alan Jones crashed out, Villeneuve used the pure grunt of the Ferrari to defy the chasing pack of four cars lap after lap after lap.

Through the twisty in-field, the Ferrari was struggling and often nearly got passed, but coming onto the main straight, Villeneuve used the Italian horses to be ahead by a nose for Turn 1. 

In all, five cars were separated by just 1.24s at the flag, Villeneuve ahead of Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis after 80 thrilling laps.

1 - Niki Lauda - Italy 1976

Niki Lauda only finished fourth in this race and had qualified fifth, nearly a second down on pole position. 

Not therefore, a great result to be declared as the greatest race drive of all-time. 

But when you consider that this was just six weeks after his fiery accident at the Nurburgring left him with life-threatening injuries, it is the finest act of bravery and defiance in the history of the world championship. 

After the race, he removed his balaclava, which had stuck to the raw, bloody wounds around his head which had not had the chance to heal.

It is without a shadow of doubt the greatest comeback in the history of sport, and the greatest race drive in F1 history. 

What do you think is the greatest race drive in the history of F1? Let us know by voting in the poll and in the comments!