Autosport Top 50 Drivers of 2007

[Devon]

In reverse order...

Autosport Top 50 drivers for 2007

50. Alex Lloyd - Indy Pro Series winner
49. Fabrizio Giovanardi - BTCC champ
48. Jari-Matti Latvala - 8th in WRC
47. Anthony Davidson - 23rd in F1
46. Marko Asmer - British F3 champ
45. Yvan Muller - 2nd in WTCC
44. Oliver Jarvis - Macau GP winner, 3rd in Japanese F3
43. Justin Wilson - 2nd in CCWS
42. Sam Hornish Jr - 5th in IRL
41. Nico Hulkenberg - Masters of F3 winner, 3rd in Euro F3
40. Mattias Ekstrom - DTM champ
39. Adrian Sutil - 19th in F1
38. Romain Grosjean - Euro F3 champ
37. Giorgio Pantano - 3rd in GP2
36. Matt Kenseth - 4th in NASCAR
35. James Thompson - 3rd in WTCC
34. Paul Di Resta - 5th in DTM
33. Nicolas Minassian - 3rd in LMS
32. Vitantonio Liuzzi - 18th in F1
31. Bruno Spengler - 2nd in DTM
30. Helio Castroneves - 6th in IRL
29. David Coulthard - 10th in F1
28. Timo Glock - GP2 champion
27. Rubens Barrichello - 20th in F1
26. Allan McNish - 1st in ALMS
25. Jeff Gordon - 2nd in NASCAR
24. Romain Dumas - 1st in ALMS
23. Sebastien Bourdais - CCWS champ
22. Sebastian Vettel - 14th in F1
21. Alain Menu - 6th in WTCC
20. Jimmie Johnson - NASCAR champion
19. Mikko Hirvonen - 3rd in WRC
18. Giancarlo Fisichella - 8th in F1
17. Jarno Trulli - 13th in F1
16. Tony Kanaan - 3rd in IRL
15. Andy Priaulx - WTCC champion
14. Nico Rosberg - 9th in F1
13. Heikki Kovalainen - 7th in F1
12. Robert Kubica - 6th in F1
11. Felipe Massa - 4th in F1
10. Nick Heidfeld - 5th in F1
9. Mark Webber - 12th in F1
8. Scott Dixon - 2nd in IRL
7. Dario Franchitti – IRL champ, Indy 500 winner
6. Jenson Button - 15th in F1
5. Sebastien Loeb – World rally champion
4. Marcus Gronholm - 2nd in WRC
3. Fernando Alonso - 3rd in F1
2. Lewis Hamilton - F1 runner up
1. Kimi Raikkonen - F1 world drivers’ champion

Source

Have to agree with Kimi being #1, after all he is the F1 Champion. Also, good to see Mark Webber make the top 10 after an average season.

[fbc]

And the countdown to this becoming another thread full of Hamilton-hate begins...

Button at 6?? Umm no.

[maxorido]

Originally Posted by fbc

And the countdown to this becoming another thread full of Hamilton-hate begins...

Button at 6?? Umm no.

I agree, the Lewis bashing will begin shortly. I also believe that Jenson being in the #6 spot is ridiculous. He's ahead of Dario Franchitti, that's a slap in the face for Dario.

[Karoug]

And Ektröm in nr 40? The guy has beaten both loeb and schumacher..

[vikiradTG2007]

4 Finns in the top 20... well surprise, surprise. Actually no. But yeah, what is Ekstrom doing behind DC, for God's sake?

As for Button in 6th... I think it's deserved, because he managed to drag that dog of a car in high places it didn't deserve to be in. And what is Vettel doing in 22nd? I think his season ending in F1 should have lifted him in the top 15.

Plus... two drivers from the former Eastern Bloc in the top 50 (Kubica and Asmer). That's a lot of progress from 1989... (And hopefully we'll have a Romanian driver in that top 50, not too high up, obviously, in the next few years)

[MadCow809]

where the hell is petter solberg and jason plato?? they are not on the list.

and to have Fabrizio Giovanardi placed 49th on the list is just absurd, his amazing car control should earn him more places than just 49th.

this list is the biggest load of bullshit ive ever seen... ridiculous rankings.

[Necx0]

Yep complete bullshit. There are drivers I don't even like and think they should be higher up.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by Necx0

Yep complete bullshit. There are drivers I don't even like and think they should be higher up.

lol yeah, i love the way how they rank the top 3 drivers according to the '07 F1 result.

[Adunaphel]

The list is complete and utter bullshit. Just look at where some of the people in the less well-known championships are placed. Like Ekstrom, who proved to be a competent driver by winning the ROC twice, first by beating Loeb, second time by beating Schumacher in the finals. Not to mention his numerous Le Mans wins. Yet in this list he ranks 40th. Or Sebastien Bourdais. I hate the guy, but he's a better driver than most F1 drivers that rank before him in that list.

[Walsh_e]

Priaulx, ETCC & WTCC Champion 4 years running 15th. Jenson Button, 1 F1 win in over 6 years of trying, 6th....

Leob should be 2nd at least, Trulli, Liuzzi and Fisichella shouldn't be anywhere on a list of top drivers!

[maateuszz89]

Originally Posted by Walsh_e

Priaulx, ETCC & WTCC Champion 4 years running 15th. Jenson Button, 1 F1 win in over 6 years of trying, 6th....

Leob should be 2nd at least, Trulli, Liuzzi and Fisichella shouldn't be anywhere on a list of top drivers!

And Webber 9th

WTF?

[Peter3hg]

Don't forget that F1 drivers are pretty much the cream of the crop so an average F1 driver is probably a better driver than a champion in the "lesser" classes.
Having said that I disagree with a lot of the positions.

[Walsh_e]

Originally Posted by Peter3hg

Don't forget that F1 drivers are pretty much the cream of the crop so an average F1 driver is probably a better driver than a champion in the "lesser" classes.
Having said that I disagree with a lot of the positions.

For me rally drivers are the greatest drivers on the planet, F1 drivers are overpaid fitness fanatics.

[maxorido]

Originally Posted by Walsh_e

F1 drivers are overpaid fitness fanatics.

Yeah well, try and drive and F1 car. I don't think you'd have such a weightless and short sighted opinion after being so ruthlessly humbled. Heck, it doesn't even have to be F1, go try and get a formula renault or something around the track as quick as it possibly could. It's quite a bit harder than meets the uneducated eye.

[vikiradTG2007]

Originally Posted by maxorido

Yeah well, try and drive and F1 car. I don't think you'd have such a weightless and short sighted opinion after being so ruthlessly humbled. Heck, it doesn't even have to be F1, go try and get a formula renault or something around the track as quick as it possibly could. It's quite a bit harder than meets the uneducated eye.

Yeah... Perfect example is Hammond's attempt on TG.

[otispunkmeyer]

thank god they put marcus ahead of loeb

loeb might of won, again, but marcus is the better person. he's hilarious in interviews.

i think Jari-Matti latvala should be higher up

oh yeah, while we are at it, i do rate WRC drivers above F1 drivers in terms of "driving GOD" skillz. ok f1 drivers have to think faster than a cray super computer and endure some terrific G forces, but WRC drivers have to put up with similar without really knowing what lies ahead, they also have to be concentrating on the road ahead whilst listening to the co-driver preparing them 3-4 corners in advance. circuit racing, you go round a round and get in a groove, you cant really say the same for WRC....even if they do the stages twice.

[Karoug]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

The list is complete and utter bullshit. Just look at where some of the people in the less well-known championships are placed. Like Ekstrom, who proved to be a competent driver by winning the ROC twice, first by beating Loeb, second time by beating Schumacher in the finals. Not to mention his numerous Le Mans wins. Yet in this list he ranks 40th. Or Sebastien Bourdais. I hate the guy, but he's a better driver than most F1 drivers that rank before him in that list.

You are confusing Mattias with Tom Kristensen. Mattias has never won the Le Mans while Tom has won it 7 times...

[Walsh_e]

Originally Posted by maxorido

Yeah well, try and drive and F1 car. I don't think you'd have such a weightless and short sighted opinion after being so ruthlessly humbled. Heck, it doesn't even have to be F1, go try and get a formula renault or something around the track as quick as it possibly could. It's quite a bit harder than meets the uneducated eye.

I'm not a racing driver, of course I couldn't drive an F1 car. As has been said, WRC drivers are driving on a constantly changing surface relying on notes from someone sitting next to them, F1 drivers have to be very fit and have great reaction times but as a rally driver you have to drive on the limit on an unknown surface, on a stage you don't know with trees all around you, it takes more skill to do that imo.