The brief was simple. An email to all the journalists on Autocar: pick your favourite racing driver of all time. 

What we didn’t expect was quite the repertoire of answers that came back. Covering most eras and a vast spectrum of the sport - from Formula 1 to club racing - it just goes to show how varied motorsport and its followers are.  For once, there are no wrong answers: it has led to many discussions and a fair amount of incredulity but, in the end, it’s all about personal choice.  

Do you agree with us? Would you go for someone different? Let us know in the comments below. 

Lewis Hamilton

Growing up, I was never a fan of one particular motor racing team or one particular racing driver. With other sports, sure, I’d support ‘my’ team. But with racing teams and drivers, I wasn’t so fussed. 

If they were nice, that helped, and if they were British, better still. But I just liked people who were fast and fair and smiled a bit. After all, having different winners always made the racing more interesting.

Then Damon Hill arrived, and all of that changed for me. Here was somebody I wanted to win every time he climbed into a car. After his retirement, I fell back into those old, neutral ways. Until, that is, Lewis Hamilton climbed into a McLaren and started beating people. I haven’t wanted him to stop since.

12 Autocar favourite racing drivers lewis hamilton young

Routinely, I watch the Australian Supercars championship. It costs about £35 a season to stream it in the UK and I devour every practice, qualifying session and race. I like all of the drivers; they’re good, honest, relaxed, funny, and fair racers. But I never want any of them to absolutely dominate the sport.