How F1 drivers compared on Top Gear as Daniel Ricciardo beats Lewis Hamilton

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Many people have asked the question as to how Formula 1 drivers would fair against each other in equal machinery, and the closest they got to an answer was on one of BBC’s most popular shows.

First airing in 1977, Top Gear is best known for its revised 2002 show with hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May travelling around the world with hundreds of cars before their abrupt exit in 2015.

One of the most popular segments of Top Gear was the ‘Star In A Reasonably Priced Car’, where celebrities were invited on to set a lap time around their test track in Dunsfold.

As well as countless famous movie stars and comedians getting their chance to showcase their skills, or lack thereof, on the Top Gear track, a number of Formula 1 drivers also tried their hand at setting the best possible time in the iconic Suzuki Liana.

But how did these drivers fare? And who came out on top around the Dunsfold track?

Rubens Barrichello was the first F1 driver to beat The Stig on Top Gear

As part of the show, Top Gear had, as they called it, their ‘tame racing driver’ known simply as The Stig; a speechless character who wore plain white racing overalls and a helmet who was later revealed to be Ben Collins.

The Stig set a benchmark time of 1:44:4 around the Dunsfold circuit, with the likes of Mark Webber, Damon Hill, Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Mansell coming close but failing to beat the time. Several of the drivers were left complaining about the car and the conditions of the track, particularly Webber, who drove in monsoon-like conditions and Hamilton, who set a lap on the track when it was covered in ‘water and oil.’

But in 2010, 11-time Grand Prix race winner Rubens Barrichello would be the man to beat as the then-Williams driver set a time of 1.44.3.

The Brazilian returned to the F1 paddock with beaming pride over his achievement. So much so that he made himself a T-shirt reading ‘I beat The Stig’, while giving the other drivers who weren’t quite fast enough a shirt that said: ‘The Stig beat me!’

Later in 2011, fresh off of winning his first world championship, Sebastian Vettel ditched his dominant Red Bull for the Liana and beat Barrichello’s benchmark with a time of 1:44 flat, putting the German once again on top.

Daniel Ricciardo beat Lewis Hamilton for the top spot on the Top Gear leaderboard

After having his first appearance hampered by a wet and oily track back in 2008, Hamilton was asked to go back on the show and try again in the Liana, which he did in 2013 after signing with Mercedes.

On much drier conditions and in the same car as Vettel, Hamilton showed his incredible pace as he took an enormous chunk out of the German time, setting an impressive 1:42:9.

Vettel’s former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber also came back for a second appearance on the show in 2015, fresh off of winning the WEC title with Porsche.

The Aussie came in just behind Hamilton on his second run with a 1:43:1. But while Webber came close to beating to the seven-time world champion, it was another driver from down under that took the top spot.

READ MORE: The best moments of Daniel Ricciardo’s career in Formula 1

Also appearing on Top Gear in 2015, Daniel Ricciardo came off the back of beating teammate and defending four-time champion Vettel in his debut season with Red Bull and looked to have genuine nerves as Jeremy Clarkson read him his lap time.

After spending the lap growling at the start and taking his hands off the wheel down the straights, Clarkson was left stunned as he told Ricciardo he had set a time of 1:42:2, coming in seven-tenths quicker than Hamilton as he took the crown of the fastest F1 driver on Top Gear.

Ricciardo was dropped by Red Bull’s junior team after this year’s Singapore Grand Prix in favour of Liam Lawson for the rest of the season. Winning eight races across his 13-year career, David Coulthard claimed Ricciardo’s career ‘whimpered out’ as he struggled for regular results in his final few years in F1.