The best 10 Williams F1 drivers

Racing events, drivers, cars or anything else from the past.
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The best 10 Williams F1 drivers

#1

Post by kals »

The Telegraph published a list of who they believe are the 10 best drivers ever to race for Williams - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/20 ... rs-racing/

The obvious are in the list although I find it hard to agree with Coulthard being included yet Montoya isn't.

Do you agree with the list? My top 10, in no order, would be:

Alan Jones
Keke Rosberg
Nelson Piquet
Nigel Mansell
Alain Prost
Ayrton Senna
Damon Hill
Jacques Villeneuve
Jenson Button
Juan Pablo Montoya
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#2

Post by erwin greven »

My #1 to 10.

Keke Rosberg
Alan Jones
Ayrton Senna
Alain Prost
Nelson Piquet
Nigel Mansell
Damon Hill
Jacques Villeneuve
David Coulthard
Juan Pablo Montoya

Special mention: Carlos Reutemann and Clay Reggazoni.
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#3

Post by The Ghost Who Walks »

Is this based on achievements with Williams or actual driver skill?
If it's the latter Montoya ahead of Nico Rosberg, Webber, Massa and Bottas for example is laughable. Not their fault they were driving horrible cars while Montoya drove the fastest car on the grid to 5th place.

Having RTFA.. It cleary is just "Best Driver" Not "Best Driver In A Williams"
Last edited by The Ghost Who Walks 6 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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#4

Post by kals »

The Ghost Who Walks wrote: 6 years ago Is this based on achievements with Williams or actual driver skill?
If it's the latter Montoya ahead of Nico Rosberg, Webber, Massa and Bottas for example is laughable. Not their fault they were driving horrible cars while Montoya drove the fastest car on the grid to 5th place.
It doesn't say in the article how the list was formed. I'm guessing it's a combination of talent, reputation and achievement. None of the drivers you mention made the list. Regarding your comment on Montoya, what year are you referring to?
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#5

Post by The Ghost Who Walks »

kals wrote: 6 years ago
The Ghost Who Walks wrote: 6 years ago Is this based on achievements with Williams or actual driver skill?
If it's the latter Montoya ahead of Nico Rosberg, Webber, Massa and Bottas for example is laughable. Not their fault they were driving horrible cars while Montoya drove the fastest car on the grid to 5th place.
It doesn't say in the article how the list was formed. I'm guessing it's a combination of talent, reputation and achievement. None of the drivers you mention made the list. Regarding your comment on Montoya, what year are you referring to?
2004. Arguable that it was the fastest car of course, but from memory it was certainly fastest in a straight line.
Surely Nico was better than JPM and Coulthard. Villenueve is there because he won a title for Williams I guess (their last) but career wise you'd have to say Nico is better than him also.
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#6

Post by MonteCristo »

The article is hard to take seriously. I mean, the first sentence is "Teenager Lance Stoll is seen as the future of Williams Martini Racing by many in the team" :P.

Mario Andretti also steered a Williams F1 car, once!

As for Montoya, JPM was too large to fit into the list.
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#7

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

MonteCristo wrote: 6 years ago As for Montoya, JPM was too large to fit into the list.
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#8

Post by kals »

The Ghost Who Walks wrote: 6 years ago
kals wrote: 6 years ago
The Ghost Who Walks wrote: 6 years ago Is this based on achievements with Williams or actual driver skill?
If it's the latter Montoya ahead of Nico Rosberg, Webber, Massa and Bottas for example is laughable. Not their fault they were driving horrible cars while Montoya drove the fastest car on the grid to 5th place.
It doesn't say in the article how the list was formed. I'm guessing it's a combination of talent, reputation and achievement. None of the drivers you mention made the list. Regarding your comment on Montoya, what year are you referring to?
2004. Arguable that it was the fastest car of course, but from memory it was certainly fastest in a straight line.
Surely Nico was better than JPM and Coulthard. Villenueve is there because he won a title for Williams I guess (their last) but career wise you'd have to say Nico is better than him also.
The 2004 Williams was a pretty dire car and featured the infamous walrus tusk nose cone. The team (and Montoya) only won one race that year and were rarely on the pace. JPM is the most recent Williams driver to challenge for the title. Nico and Mark Webber came in as the team started it's downward spiral but they didn't really bring much to the team. The list only takes into consideration the driver's Williams career, not before and after.
MonteCristo wrote: 6 years agoAs for Montoya, JPM was too large to fit into the list.
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:sorrow: Poor Montoya, such an easy Target ;)

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#9

Post by theracer120 »

PUNS!

Also seriously, Montoya is really overweight in that photo. I'm certain he can't have been that big when he did F1, he must have not worked on his fitness once he went to NASCAR or something.
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#10

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Image

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#11

Post by MonteCristo »

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#12

Post by The Ghost Who Walks »

I like where this thread headed 😂. Can't be Willians career alone with Senna on the list can it? I'm not sure you can judge the Williams of '04 when only Ralf, JPM and Pizzonia (was it) drove it. Am I wrong in saying it dominated in the speed traps with the BMW engine, the absence of which turned the car completely rubbish in '05, just in time for JPM to do another mediocre job in a top car.
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#13

Post by Cheeveer »

The Ghost Who Walks wrote: 6 years ago Am I wrong in saying it dominated in the speed traps with the BMW engine, the absence of which turned the car completely rubbish in '05, just in time for JPM to do another mediocre job in a top car.
Not sure what you are on about. BMW was still with Williams in 2005, JPM was not. He was hardly "mediocre" in his stint with Williams. Regularly outqualifying the Ferraris in 2002, screwed out of the championship by a BS penalty in 2003, taking Williams last win for 8 years with a BS car in 2004. :roll:
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#14

Post by kals »

The Williams had the most powerful engine with BMW in 2001, but it also had a tendency to explode. The rest is as Cheeveer says. 2004 was domination by Ferrari to the likes we hadn't seen until the hybrid rules from 2014. I'm not sure how you can suggest the Williams was the quickest car in 2004 or that Montoya did a mediocre job.
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#15

Post by duvel »

My humble opinion, The Telegraph Williams top ten is a total mess: for example, surely David Coulthard was a respectable driver but tell me the reason to put him in front of Piquet or Prost.
And Senna had a tragic but very short history to share with Williams Team, can't understand that 1st position which naturally and historically belongs to the benefit of drivers like Jones, Rosberg senior, Piquet or Mansell.
A very arguable Top Ten, also in case of regarding driver's entire career
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