53 replies to this topic

[sopa]

A lot of discussion about Ferrari's best drivers recently, but what about McLaren?

 

Who would you consider among them?

 

The founder Bruce McLaren?

Their early times team builder and CanAm star Denny Hulme?

70s World Champs Fittipaldi and Hunt?

Lauda - the comeback star? Or his team-mate and almost-champion Watson?

The great Prost, who had most of his success with McLaren?

The great Senna, who also had most of his success with McLaren?

Hakkinen, a true McLaren driver till the end of his career, along with championships?

Raikkonen, who had his best days in McLaren, even if not a championship?

Hamilton, groomed by McLaren and where he established himself among elite?

Button, a loyal servant of the team through highs and lows?

Alonso, who - tough to say - has had his worst days with the team?

 

Anybody else?

[garoidb]

A lot of discussion about Ferrari's best drivers recently, but what about McLaren?

 

Who would you consider among them?

 

The founder Bruce McLaren?

Their early times team builder and CanAm star Denny Hulme?

70s World Champs Fittipaldi and Hunt?

Lauda - the comeback star? Or his team-mate and almost-champion Watson?

The great Prost, who had most of his success with McLaren?

The great Senna, who also had most of his success with McLaren?

Hakkinen, a true McLaren driver till the end of his career, along with championships?

Raikkonen, who had his best days in McLaren, even if not a championship?

Hamilton, groomed by McLaren and where he established himself among elite?

Button, a loyal servant of the team through highs and lows?

Alonso, who - tough to say - has had his worst days with the team?

 

Anybody else?

 

 

Gilles Villeneuve made his debut in a McLaren, and Johnny Rutherford won two Indy 500s for them.

[f1paul]

What's next?

 

Top 10 Sauber drivers of all time.   

[Spillage]

My top 5, based just on their Mclaren careers:

1. Prost
2. Senna
3. Hakkinen
4. Hamilton
5. Fittipaldi

[messy]

My top 5, based just on their Mclaren careers:
1. Prost
2. Senna
3. Hakkinen
4. Hamilton
5. Fittipaldi

Yup. Hard to argue with that.

[markelov74]

My top 5, based just on their Mclaren careers:

1. Prost
2. Senna
3. Hakkinen
4. Hamilton
5. Fittipaldi

 

Would have Hamilton ahead of Hakkinen but agree with the rest.

[Marklar]

Would also replace Fittipaldi with Kimi, even if he didnt won a title.

[chunder27]

Prost

Lauda

Hakkinen

Hamilton

Alonso

Hunt

Fittipaldi

Raikkonen

Button

Senna  Last for good reason!

[TennisUK]

That top 5 is about right. 6-10 is a quandary though. Lauda should be in there you’d think, though then a space would need to be made for Watson, too. Hunt should probably be in there, likewise Button and Kimi. Villeneuve’s singular race probably excludes him. Seems a bit harsh not to include Hulme if we have Watson in there...

Figure it is safe to assume that Alliot and de Cesaris will not be making the cut.

Edit: I somehow left out Alonso! Again seems odd to have Watson there, so I guess he’s out...

Edited by TennisUK, 03 December 2017 - 21:33.

[barzini]

My top 5

1. Prost
2. Senna
3. Mika
4. Kimi
5. Lewis

[noriaki]

Same criteria as in the Ferrari thread - considering performances/impact for the works McLaren team, both in F1 and other categories

 

1. Prost

2. Senna

3. Hakkinen

4. Hamilton

5. McLaren

6. Hunt

7. Alonso

8. Raikkonen

9. Hulme

10. Rutherford

 

rest of top 20, not in order

Amon, Revson, Fittipaldi, Mass, Watson, Lauda, Berger, Coulthard, Montoya, Button

[SCUDmissile]

1. Senna
2. Prost
3. Hakkinen
4. Hamilton
5. Fittipaldi
6. Hunt
7. Lauda
8. Raikkonen
9. Button
10. McLaren himself I suppose.

Again many of these I have only read about so maybe not representative. Honourable mention to Berger, DC, Watson.

I do think Senna Hakkinen and Prost are top 3, they are the quintessential McLaren men. Hamilton just behind them.

[MortenF1]

I can’t really put them in a particular order, but;
Hamilton
Senna
Häkkinen
Berger
Prost
Hunt
Coulthard
Räikkönen
Lauda
Alonso

[Cliff]

Kovalainen

Magnussen

Perez

VanDoorne

Wurz

[noikeee]

Kovalainen

Magnussen

Perez

VanDoorne

Wurz

I raise the stakes with Nigel Mansell and Michael Andretti.    Also are you referring to Magnussen dad or Magnussen son? 

[Atreiu]

Senna

McLaren

Prost

Fittipaldi

Hakkinen

...

[RacingGreen]

Well not sure of the order but how about;

1 Bruce himself - because without him we wouldn't be having this discussion would we. 

2 Prost - the professor seems to be the perfect driver for the team

3 Hamilton - his first two seasons for the team were nothing short of phenomenal

4 Senna - I guess he has to be on the list somewhere doesn't he

5  Hunt - Maybe it's just his image/charisma attached to that fantastic '76 season but Hunt was the first driver I thought of when I saw the thread title, and that has to say something.

6 Hakkinen - Just because 

7  Hulme - There was a time when Can-Am was the Bruce and Denny show and that's before even looking at his F1 career

8 Lauda - perhaps low on the list due to his iconic connection to a rival Italian team whose name I refuse to mention here.

9 Rutherford - Not the first to win Indy in a McLaren but his double wins - wow

10 Fittipaldi - again it would be easy to justify a higher position for Emerson but when I picture him in my mind he is in a Lotus 72 so I'm putting him low on the top 10

 

11 Alonso & KImi with honourable mentions.

[Anuity]

1. Senna ( Senna is Mclaren, it's the defining driver of the team. Doesn't matter if he was the best).
2. Hakkien (another defining driver, it was en Era of Mclaren)
3. Prost
4. Raikkonen ( he failed short of winning the title, but he was more electrifying than Mika, it was a pleasure to watch him. he was Mclaren by numbers, pure speed. I was cheering for Michael and Fernando while he was at Mc though)
5. Fitippaldi

Hamilton had a stellar debut year, but his title winning year was not that spectacular, and later years well... He's clearly flourished at Merc. Mclaren I wouldn't put him above Kimi for sure.

[Tsarwash]

I forgot to ask in the other thread, is this the best drivers who drove for Mclaren, or the best McLaren drives ? Very different things. 

[Collombin]

The clue is that Mansell hasn't been mentioned yet!

[RECKLESS]

My top 5

1. Prost
2. Senna
3. Mika
4. Kimi
5. Lewis

Agree with this.

Although on a more personal level Mika is always #1.

Edited by RECKLESS, 04 December 2017 - 07:35.

[Counterbalance]

1. Senna

2. Prost

3. Hamilton

4. Hakkinen

5. Fittipaldi

 

6 to 10 - There are so many to choose from, most, if not all of whom have already been mentioned by others in this thread.

[Nonesuch]

Here goes:

• Alain Prost - It was always going to be a toss-up here, wasn't it? I like Prost better than Senna...
• Ayrton Senna - But Senna is undoubtedly up there as well.
• Mika Häkkinen - A McLaren man through and through, Michael Schumacher's greatest rival. Good guy, too!
• Kimi Räikkönen - Took the F1 world by storm in the early '00s. Raced Michael Schumacher to a title in only his third season. Responsible for a big wave of McLaren-enthusiasm.
• Lewis Hamilton - Came in with a bang, with a debut season unlikely to be repeated. Didn't quite keep that up, but a strong force all the same.
• James Hunt - Perhaps more of an icon, but Hunt and McLaren go together so well, he has to be up here.
• Denny Hulme - Heard a lot about him and McLaren in their early days, an important part of the team's history!
• Masanori Sekiya (et al.) - Winning Le Mans is fantastic!
• Johnny Rutherford - Winning the Indianapolis 500 is great!
• David Coulthard - The face of McLaren for many years, a stable pair of hands at the wheel for a record 150 races, of which he won twelve.

Edited by Nonesuch, 04 December 2017 - 09:11.

[Tombstone]

 

David Coulthard - The face of McLaren for many years, a stable pair of hands at the wheel for a record 150 races, of which he won twelve.

 

 

But which was 'his' year...

[noikeee]

The clue is that Mansell hasn't been mentioned yet!

Hey, I did. 

[Taxi]

Prost /Senna- can't take them apart. In they'r own way they made McLaren the biggest team with those iconic marlboro liveries. They won 3 titles each from 1985 to 1991. More than the titles, they are Mclaren's biggest legacy. 

 

Hakkinen - Pure speed and loyalty. Took the team in a low point [after Senna and Honda departed] endured a few difficult seasons with Peugeot and Mercedes, almost died at the wheel of a Mclaren but kept up and won 2 titles against schumacher.Forged a "Father/son relationship with Ron Dennis.

 

Fitipaldi - Wasn't as good as Stewart or Lauda but won 2 titles. Great effort.

 

Hamilton - Great talent and results in his years with the team. Was destined to become the next big "Mclaren Face" after Prost/Senna/Hakkinen. However Mercedes arrival changed everything. 

 

Lauda - Not at his best in his Mclaren days but still a force to be reckoned and won a title.

 

Raikkonen - Kimi is own man since very young. Took Mclaren by storm and was exciting, fast and deserved at least 1 championship. Didn't happen but his reputation was at his peak when he letft. HIs relationship with Ron was difficult. 

 

Other: Alonso is hard to evaluate: in his 4 seasons with the team only one competitive car and obviously he was great. The other 3, well we all know. Jones, Hunt, Hulme, Coulthard, Button, Berger, Montoya. Honorable mentions. 

Edited by Taxi, 04 December 2017 - 10:25.

[henke1972]

1. Prost

2. Senna

3. Hakka

4. Emmo

5. Kimi

6. Lewis

7. Hunt

8. Niki

9. Hulme

10. Bruce himself

 

Honorable mentioned:

Dan Gurney - Gurnety flap and othetr techical contributions...

Jacky Ickx - For overall racing copntribution - not at least in Le mans

Jackie Oliver - for playing important role in Shadows and Arrows later

Keke Rosberg - for being Keke.

Edited by henke1972, 04 December 2017 - 11:00.

[sopa]

Interesting to see Fittipaldi quite often featuring in top 5, though you have to say his McLaren career lasted only for 2 seasons. Though it included McLaren's first ever WDC. Hard to pick between him and Hunt actually.

 

Senna, Prost, Hakkinen and Hamilton seem like pretty good picks. But if we are looking to add someone from earlier days, perhaps Bruce himself?    Though from purely driving POV you could say he had his best days in Cooper instead.

[noikeee]

F1 only and only for driving contributions:

 

1. Ayrton Senna

2. Alain Prost

3. Mika Hakkinen

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. Emerson Fittipaldi

6. James Hunt

7. Kimi Raikkonen

8. Niki Lauda

9. Fernando Alonso

10. Jenson Button

 

Honourable mentions to Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren himself, John Watson, David Coulthard and Peter Revson.

[JRodrigues]

 

Raikkonen - Kimi is own man since very young. Took Mclaren by storm and was exciting, fast and deserved at least 1 championship. Didn't happen but his reputation was at his peak when he letft. HIs relationship with Ron was difficult.

 

Having just read Newwy's book chapter on his time at McLaren, I'm left wondering whose wasn't..

[FJuan]

Can we have a poll?

[Taxi]

Having just read Newwy's book chapter on his time at McLaren, I'm left wondering whose wasn't..

 

I guess Mika and Senna. 

[kevinracefan]

Bruce and Denny..

 

the rest are irrelevant..

 

sorry, Lewis, Mika etc..

[BuddyHolly]

My top five:-

 

1: Bruce (C'mon, he simply has to be #1, no Bruce, no McLaren)

2: Ayrton Senna

3: Alain Prost

4: Mika Hakkinen

5: Emerson Fittipaldi

[BertoC]

I'll list them as influential they were for Mclaren, for the most successfull just look at the numbers.

 

1. Bruce Mclaren - Has to be nr.1, apart from creating the team he really built the bases for the team to grow in the future, even without him.

2. Ayrton Senna - He was probably the responsible for the majority of Mclaren fans in my generation and was the face of the team during the 6 years he was in the team.

3. Alain Prost - I would put him in 2nd, but his behaviour during the breakup in 1989 (giving the Italy GP trophy to the tiffosi) was a bit disrespectful. Still, he always speaks well of the team nowadays so it's all good.

4. Mika Hakkinen - He embraced Ayrton's role during that championship winning years , he personified Mclaren and brought tons of new fans to the team.

5. Denny Hulme - Most people forgets about him, but he was essencial for the team survival (alongside Teddy Mayer) after Bruce death. He led the team during hard times and paved the way for the future.

 

The rest are secundary in the overall picture to be quite honest, but it's something like:

 

7. Lewis Hamilton -  He was the face of the team and brought new fans. Should have won more titles and was a shame he left, but in retrospect it was a good decision.

6. Emerson Fittipaldi - Stayed only for 2 years, which is a shame cause he could (and should) have led the team during the 70's.

8. James Hunt - He was not that influent in the team, but he was such a figure that brought tons of publicity and recognition the the brand.

9. Niki Lauda - I always feel he was kind of a mercenary in the team, but it's unquestionable the role he had in rebuilding the team during the initial Ron Dennis days.

10. John Watson - He led the team during those ground effect dark years and would have deserved to win the title in 1982.

Edited by BertoC, 04 December 2017 - 15:59.

[MLC]

1. Prost

2. Senna

3. Hakkinen

4. Fittipaldi

5. Lauda

[Jovanotti]

Having just read Newwy's book chapter on his time at McLaren, I'm left wondering whose wasn't..

I recall Kimi saying in an interview this year that he actually had quite a good relationship with Dennis. Who knows...I believe Mika and Kimi were the ideal drivers for Ron's McLaren team, quick, popular and not political in the slightest. It was a magic combo somehow.

Edited by Jovanotti, 04 December 2017 - 17:29.

[TDPage]

So so hard to order...

1. Hakkinen - 98 being my earliest F1 memory.

2/3. Never got to watch either but Senna/Prost - whichever way round.

4. Kimi. People forget just how good he was in the mid 00’s.

5. Lewis. Made F1 popular amoungst the masses in the U.K. again.

[chrisj]

1. Prost

2. Hakkinen (double WC, the quickest of his era, and clean)

3. Lauda (for beginning the sucess of the TAG/Ron Dennis era)

4. Fittipaldi (for being the first McLaren WC)

5. Hunt or Hamilton (both inherited quick cars)

[Mc_Silver]

1. McLaren
2. Senna
3. Prost
4. Hakkinen
5. Hamilton
6. Lauda
7. Alonso
8. Fittipaldi
9. Hunt
10. Button

[Pimpwerx]

Bruce

Prost/Senna

Hakkinen

Hamilton

 

Lewis is my favorite, but you gotta have the founder on there, and Prost/Senna are inseparable, and Mika defined his career on that team. So yeah...that's my list. As an American, I more closely associate Emerson Fittipaldi with Indycar. He'll always be a Penske guy to me.

Edited by Pimpwerx, 04 December 2017 - 18:53.

[Veemax]

1. Häkkinen

2. Prost

3. Senna

4. Kimi

5. Fittipaldi

[MKSixer]

Bruce

Senna/Prost

Mika

Lewis

Kimi

[Marklar]

This thread surely can give one inspiration for the next "most overrated" thread.

[pizzalover]

Context is all important. 

 

1 Hunt

2 Hakkinen

3 Senna

 

 

If Alonso wins a championship, could make the top 3. 

[sopa]

Thought of different categories.

 

In terms of establishing and building up the team.

1. Bruce McLaren

2. Denny Hulme

 

In terms of driving contributions.

1.-2. Senna & Prost

3.-4. Hakkinen & Hamilton

5... Ugh, hard. Maybe Raikkonen for his 2003 and 2005 seasons.

 

HM's

 

Fittipaldi - first ever McLaren WDC, but it was a messy season and you could argue Ferrari threw it away (so the opposite of 2007). Emmo himself was a bit like Button actually. Not so impressive in qualis, but stronger in races.

 

Hunt - lucky WDC or not, but he was usually very fast. But also can be associated with team's downfall following his championship season.

 

Button - always solid performer for many seasons. His 2011 would have been a championship-worthy campaign.

 

Alonso - top-notch driving, but 2007 scandal and seasons in sh*tboxes doesn't enable him to stand out positively in the crowd. Still has time to improve his standing.

[barzini]

Agree with this.

Although on a more personal level Mika is always #1.

 

  To me it was always Kimi ahead of Mika. Maybe it's a generational thing or something? When I started watching F1 Mika had already won his 1st. I kind of grew up with Kimi so that's why. Almost impossible to say which one was actually better. Both were super fast. And they both should've won 2 WDC with McLaren   

[AmonGods]

No way you can put Kimi above Lewis on this list.

I became a massive Kimi fan after Mika left F1 and he should have won at least 1 WDC with Mclaren but the truth is he never did. And more so, he left Mclaren for Ferrari.. it's like when Figo went from Barcelona to Real. That is a no no for me. 

Lewis won a WDC with Mclaren, could've should've had at least 1-2 more but we know the story..

[SarbaV]

When Alonso wins next year and end the tough time for McLAREN Im expecting massive mix-up in these charts putting Alonso at No.1

[PayasYouRace]

In terms of driving contributions.
1.-2. Senna & Prost
3.-4. Hakkinen & Hamilton
5... Ugh, hard. Maybe Raikkonen for his 2003 and 2005 seasons.

I think Lauda would fit in nicely at No.5 there. You didn’t even get him an HM.