The Greatest of Their Time: 1990s

Welcome to the third part of our new series; The Greatest of Their Time. Here we will be looking at three drivers from the 1990s and leaving up to you to vote on who you believe is the Driver of the Decade. This decade is really tough to call! 

Ayrton Senna

The first of our double World Champions in this era. He opened up the decade with back-to-back World Championship wins, both achieved with contrasting methods. In 1990, his crash with Alain Prost in the penultimate Grand Prix of the season meant that the Brazilian would go on to win the crown. The following year he started with four straight wins and went on to win the title by 24 points. In 1993 he came runner-up, just missing out on a fourth World Title. During a four year period, he won 21 Grands Prix. The following year, Senna started the season with three pole positions. But in the third race at Imola, he suffered a tragic accident.

Damon Hill

The hopes in the Williams garage rested on his shoulders following Senna's accident in 1994. In just his second full season, he was in a good position to take his first World title. That was until a certain Michael Schumacher came along. He had to beat the German at the final race of the season, but Schumacher collided with Hill which ultimately ended his campaign. When his rival moved to Ferrari in 1996, a greater opportunity came up. He won 8 races during this season allowing him to win the World Championship with ease. In the process, he became the first father and son to win the F1 World Championship. Hill moved onto Arrows and then Jordan earning the team their first win. Often underrated, The Brit won 22 races from 115 starts. 

Mika Hakkinen 

The third back-to-back World Champion of this decade. The Finn was almost ever-present through the 90's missing just the first season. He drove for Lotus and finished 9th and 5th inside his debut season. In the second year under the new Lotus 107, he picked up successive points finishes, however, an off-track contract talk with Williams took centre stage. His McLaren career started in 1993 but racing in just 3 Grands Prix, it didn't really get rolling until 1994. In 1997 he won his first F1 race and went on to finish 5th in the championship. The following season he really started to rack up the wins. He scored 100 championship points this year and won his first World Championship. He went on to win 5 more races in 1999 and won the title again. 

Special mentions: Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Jacques Villeneuve

So now it’s up to you, vote below for your Driver of the Decade.