Ayrton Senna
Sebastian Vettel
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Sebastian Vettel leads 3 of 5 categories. Our all-time ranking places Ayrton Senna at #4 and Sebastian Vettel at #10.
Head-to-head FAQ
Who leads more shared metrics?
How do the published ranks compare?
Are these live stats?
The case for Ayrton Senna
The greatest qualifier the sport has seen: 65 pole positions in 161 starts, a 40 percent pole rate achieved against Prost, Mansell and Piquet in their primes. Senna's three titles — 1988, 1990, 1991 — and 41 wins undersell a talent defined by singular performances: the 1988 Monaco qualifying lap 1.4 seconds faster than Prost in an identical McLaren; six Monaco wins, still the record; Donington 1993, passing four cars on the opening lap in the wet in an inferior Williams-beating McLaren; Estoril 1985, winning by over a minute in the rain in an uncompetitive Lotus. His rivalry with Prost — title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990 — remains the sport's defining feud, and his ruthlessness at Suzuka 1990 is the asterisk on his record. Killed at Imola on 1 May 1994 at 34, leading the race, he remains the sport's great unfinished argument: on peak, perhaps the fastest ever.
The case for Sebastian Vettel
Four consecutive world titles from 2010 to 2013, 53 wins, 57 poles and 122 podiums. Vettel became the youngest champion in history at 23 years and 134 days, and his 2011 and 2013 seasons rank among the most complete ever driven — 15 poles in 2011, and in 2013 a run of nine straight wins to close the year, still the record. His mastery of the exhaust-blown-diffuser Red Bulls was genuinely singular: the technique of keeping the throttle open to energise the diffuser mid-corner suited him better than anyone, including teammate Mark Webber, whom he out-scored comprehensively across their partnership. The case against is the second act: the Ferrari years brought 14 wins but title collapses in 2017 and 2018 under pressure from Hamilton, including the decisive Hockenheim crash from the lead in the rain. His first win — Monza 2008 in a Toro Rosso, from pole, in the wet — remains one of the sport's great underdog results.