10 Most Successful Formula One Drivers Of All Time
7. Sir Jackie Stewart
Championships: 3
Win: 27
Poles: 17
Sir Jackie Stewart encapsulated all that made the swinging sixties tick. He had the swagger, the look, the sex-appeal and most of all, the ability.
World Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973, he was, for a long time, the most successful British driver in Formula One history. Only competing in 99 Grands Prix, the second lowest on this list, the fact that he walked away with 27 victories and three World Championships is incredible. To put that in some perspective, Nelson Piquet, who won 23 Grands Prix and three World Championships, competed in 204 Grands Prix.
Even though he was very much a man of his time, his efforts to push Formula One ahead of its time were equally as important as his wins and Championships. His campaign on safety is legendary in F1, it having been put in the forefront of his mind after he got trapped in his upside down car, soaked in petrol. Amazingly at the time, some drivers and teams thought the safety changes Stewart advocated, like seat belts and more modern tracks, took away from the sport.
Stewart's stance on safety would have a tragic end. At in his last Grand Prix his teammate, François Cevert, was killed in a crash during qualifying. Stewart did not compete in the race and never raced in Formula One again.