The Greatest of Their Time: 1980s

Finally it returns! Welcome to the fourth edition of The Greatest of Their Time. This week we will be looking at the 1980s, and at the end of the article you will have the chance to vote for your Driver of the Decade! Comment below if you think we missed anyone!

Nelson Piquet

The fiery Brazilian is the first driver on our list. A three-time World Champion, all his titles came in the 80s. He raced in every season in the decade, winning titles with Brabham in 1981 and 1983 and with Williams in 1987. He showed extreme consistency, winning races in eight consecutive seasons. In fact, you could consider him unlucky that he didn’t win more titles, given the reliability issues his car always seemed to face.

Alain Prost

Prost is considered to be much the opposite of Piquet. A calm, calculated driver, Prost also won three titles during the decade, all with McLaren, in 1985, 1986 and controversially, 1989. He spent the majority of the decade with McLaren and is best known for his intense rivalry with Ayrton Senna, culminating in the crash at Suzuka which eventually handed Prost the title. However, this rivalry should not overshadow his extreme talent, often winning in the toughest circumstances. The Frenchman won 39 races in the decade, more than any other driver.

Ayrton Senna

You knew he was going to be on this list, right? The mercurial Senna, unpredictable, emotional, but most importantly; fast. Very fast. Senna rocked the F1 world when he scythed through the field at a wet Monaco in a Toleman, a car that had no place at the front of the field, and finished second. Race wins with Lotus between 1985 and 87 led him to McLaren and that Senna-Prost rivalry again. Senna only won one title during the 1980s, in 1988, but gave us some of the best racing during the decade.

Worthy mentions: Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Gilles Villeneuve

So, now it’s your time to vote. Remember you’re voting for who was the Driver of the Decade, so anything achieved outside of the 1980s is irrelevant for this vote!