Sebastian Vettel
Stirling Moss
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Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Sebastian Vettel leads 4 of 5 categories. Our all-time ranking places Sebastian Vettel at #10 and Stirling Moss at #12.
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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.
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 His 1961 Monaco victory in an outdated Lotus, holding off quicker Ferraris for two hours, remains a masterclass in defensive driving, as does his 1955 Mille Miglia won at an average near 100 mph.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.