Alain Prost
Stirling Moss
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Alain Prost leads 5 of 5 categories. Our all-time ranking places Alain Prost at #6 and Stirling Moss at #12.
Head-to-head FAQ
Who leads more shared metrics?
How do the published ranks compare?
Are these live stats?
The case for Alain Prost
The Professor's four titles — 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 — and 51 wins were built on an approach decades ahead of its time: manage the tyres, the fuel, the gearbox and the risk, be fastest only when it pays, and collect points with machine regularity, which is how he retired as the all-time leader in both wins and points. His teammate ledger is the strongest of his generation: he beat Lauda on points as a young driver in 1984 (losing the title by half a point), matched Senna at McLaren in 1988-89 and took the 1989 crown, and won 1986 in a McLaren that was slower than the Williams-Hondas, sealing it in the three-way Adelaide finale after Mansell's tyre exploded. In the turbo era's fuel-limited races, his economy of effort was a weapon nobody could copy. He is remembered as Senna's foil; the record says he was his equal, with a fraction of the drama.
The case for Stirling Moss
The greatest driver never to win the world championship, and it was not for want of speed. Moss finished runner-up four consecutive years from 1955 to 1958 and third three times, losing the 1958 title by a single point to Mike Hawthorn — after Moss himself testified in Hawthorn's defence at a stewards' hearing, a stroke of sportsmanship that very likely cost him the crown. He won 16 Grands Prix and 16 poles from 66 starts, frequently in privateer or British cars he chose over faster machinery out of patriotism. His 1961 Monaco victory in an outdated Lotus, holding off quicker Ferraris for two hours, remains a masterclass in defensive driving, as does his 1955 Mille Miglia won at an average near 100 mph. So synonymous was he with velocity that British police reputedly asked speeders, who do you think you are, Stirling Moss? Only the title itself eluded him.