Guenther Steiner names the four F1 drivers he ranks above Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher

Follow us on Google Discover

The debate over who is the best Formula 1 driver of all time will never come to an end.

The 2025 season represents the 75th year of Formula 1, with celebrations taking place throughout the campaign to celebrate the milestone.

It shows how dominant Lewis Hamilton and, more recently, Max Verstappen, have been when you look at the current grid, and there are only three champions present.

Verstappen privately believes he can still win the title this year, but it’s far more likely that a McLaren driver will add his name to F1’s list of champions, with the other active title holder being Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton joined Michael Schumacher as the only other driver to have won seven world championships in 2020.

Schumacher admitted he would be happy if Sebastian Vettel matched that feat, but it was the man who replaced him at Mercedes that ultimately reached that landmark.

However, Guenther Steiner was asked to rank his top 10 F1 drivers of all time, and Hamilton and Schumacher both didn’t feature in the top four.

He’s now explained his decision-making and shared who he believes is the greatest ever Formula 1 driver.

READ MORE: Best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win, title and more

Guenther Steiner shares where he ranks Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher among F1’s greatest drivers

Steiner named Hamilton as his seventh-best F1 driver on The Red Flags Podcast, and when asked to explain, he said: “The other ones [drivers] for me, it’s like, I mean, we have got how many years of history in F1?

“75 years, and just because he’s still driving, it doesn’t put him on top of this.

“He won a lot of championships, and I respect him a lot, Lewis, for what he does.

“But for me, it’s more like looking into the era. And that’s why I always say, if somebody puts me on the spot here, who do you think is the best driver?

“I don’t know because it’s different eras, but I think I respect what he did? He started very simply in racing and made it to be this global not only race car driver, rock star. He became a star in himself without racing.

“But as a racing driver, I think I respect him because he was always fast, and what he did in his heyday, I call it, you know? He made fewer mistakes than the other guys.

“He was very, very predictable that he would not make a mistake during the race. He will bring everything home and just executed very well.”

When asked about why he named Schumacher fifth instead of at the top of his list, Steiner continued: “There are other people I like better!

“It’s not that I don’t like Michael. I mean, I respect what Michael did for Formula 1 was again something amazing. He came into Formula 1 from Mercedes sports cars and went to Benetton won everything.

“But his biggest thing is going to Ferrari and doing what he did there. He made history there.”

Steiner went on to name Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and finally Juan Manuel Fangio as the four drivers he ranks above Schumacher and Hamilton.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1 legend Michael Schumacher from net worth to career stats

Guenther Steiner names Juan Manuel Fangio as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time

It was a surprise to hear none of Hamilton, Verstappen, or Schumacher made the top four on Steiner’s list.

He omitted the likes of the aforementioned Alonso, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham and Nelson Piquet, who were all multiple world champions.

Juan Manuel Fangio received Steiner’s vote for the greatest F1 driver of all time, citing how important his skills off the track were, as well as on it.

Fangio won titles with Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari, and was an expert mechanic, knowing how to perfectly set up his car at a time when reliability was just as important as speed.

The Argentinian won five championships, holds the record for the highest win percentage in F1, is the oldest world champion at 46 years old, and recorded the remarkable feat of starting 55.77% of his races from pole position.

It’s nearly impossible to compare drivers from the 1950s to today’s stars, but there’s a reason why greats like Emerson Fittipaldi consider Fangio to be his idol.