Who Is the Best Car Driver in the World?

There is no single definitive “best” car driver in the world; it depends on discipline and criteria. By records and expert consensus, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher rank at the top in Formula 1, Sébastien Loeb leads rallying, Tom Kristensen is unmatched at Le Mans, and Mario Andretti and Graham Hill are often cited as the most complete all‑rounders across multiple disciplines.

How to Define “Best” in Motor Racing

Greatness in motorsport is multifaceted. Different series reward different skill sets—from F1’s precision and sustained pace to WRC’s adaptability on loose surfaces, to the stamina and teamwork of endurance racing, to NASCAR’s racecraft in tight packs. Any credible answer weighs the context and what’s being measured.

The following criteria are commonly used by historians, statisticians, and teams when judging the greatest drivers across eras and series.

• Championships and major event wins (e.g., F1 titles, WRC titles, Le Mans, Indy 500, Daytona 500)
• Win rate and dominance within an era
• Versatility across disciplines and machinery
• Longevity and consistency at the top level
• Quality of competition and team parity
• Technical feedback, development impact, and leadership
• Sportsmanship and cultural influence

No single criterion is decisive; the strongest cases balance championship hardware with dominance, adaptability, and impact.

Leaders by Discipline

Formula 1

F1’s statistical record book strongly guides contemporary debates, while earlier eras emphasize win rate and adaptability under high risk. The names below recur in expert shortlists. (Statistics current to late 2024.)

These are the standout F1 drivers most often cited at the very top, with the context that eras, safety, and competitive depth differ.

• Juan Manuel Fangio: Five world titles in the 1950s with four different teams; the highest F1 win rate in history (~47%).
• Michael Schumacher: Seven titles, 91 wins; redefined dominance with Ferrari in the early 2000s; pivotal in car development and team-building.
• Lewis Hamilton: Seven titles, the all-time records for wins (104 after the 2024 British GP), poles (104), and podiums; sustained excellence across regulation cycles.
• Ayrton Senna: Three titles; benchmark qualifying speed (65 poles) and wet-weather mastery; enduring cultural impact.
• Max Verstappen: Three titles (2021–2023); single-season records for wins (19) and podiums (21) in 2023; a dominant force of the current era.

Across decades, Fangio leads on efficiency, Schumacher and Hamilton on total hardware, Senna on peak brilliance, and Verstappen on modern-era dominance.

Rally (WRC)

Rallying rewards car control on changing surfaces, note-taking precision, and extreme adaptability. Titles and stage win consistency define greatness here.

The following WRC names are widely accepted as the benchmark.

• Sébastien Loeb: Nine consecutive WRC titles (2004–2012) and a record haul of rally wins; widely regarded as the greatest in rally history.
• Sébastien Ogier: Eight titles (2013–2018, 2020–2021) and 60+ wins; superb across manufacturers and changing regulations.
• Kalle Rovanperä: Youngest-ever WRC champion (2022) and back-to-back titles by 2023; a rising force of the hybrid era.

Loeb’s sustained peak over nearly a decade sets the standard; Ogier’s adaptability across teams and eras places him just behind, with Rovanperä defining the future.

Endurance and Le Mans

Endurance racing demands speed, mechanical sympathy, strategy, and teamwork. Le Mans remains the category’s crown jewel.

These drivers have shaped the endurance record books.

• Tom Kristensen: Record nine overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the definitive Le Mans specialist.
• Jacky Ickx: Six Le Mans wins; also an F1 race winner and all-round talent across disciplines.
• Allan McNish: Multiple Le Mans wins and world titles in endurance; revered for development and racecraft.

Kristensen’s unmatched Le Mans tally makes him the consensus endurance GOAT, with Ickx and McNish exemplifying pace and versatility.

IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500

North American open-wheel racing values oval craft, road/street versatility, and fuel/strategy expertise; the Indy 500 is the defining event.

These are the leading figures in American open-wheel lore.

• A.J. Foyt: Four-time Indy 500 winner; 67 USAC/IndyCar wins; a cross-discipline legend with victories from stock cars to endurance.
• Scott Dixon: Six IndyCar championships and the second-most wins in series history; a paragon of consistency and efficiency.
• Rick Mears: Four Indy 500 wins and a record six Indy poles; the benchmark on ovals.
• Mario Andretti: 1978 F1 champion, 1969 Indy 500 winner; a defining all-rounder in American and global motorsport.

Foyt’s breadth and longevity, Dixon’s sustained excellence, and Mears’ Indy mastery headline the discipline; Andretti bridges IndyCar and worldwide success.

NASCAR

NASCAR’s premier series emphasizes racecraft in traffic, tire management, and strategy across long seasons and varied tracks.

The following drivers anchor NASCAR’s greatest-of-all-time discussions.

• Richard Petty: Seven Cup titles and 200 Cup wins; the sport’s foundational icon.
• Dale Earnhardt: Seven Cup titles; the defining competitor of NASCAR’s modern rise.
• Jimmie Johnson: Seven Cup titles (including five straight from 2006–2010) and 80+ wins; modern-era consistency benchmark.
• Jeff Gordon: 93 Cup wins and four titles; pivotal in NASCAR’s 1990s–2000s boom.
• Kyle Busch: Two Cup titles and 200+ national-series wins across Cup/Xfinity/Truck; unmatched across NASCAR’s ladder.

Petty, Earnhardt, and Johnson anchor the title-centric debate, while Gordon and Busch underscore sustained winning and cross-series dominance.

Rally Raid (Dakar and Cross-Country)

Rally raid demands navigation, mechanical sympathy, and endurance over extreme terrain—very different from circuit and WRC rallying.

These competitors define rally raid success.

• Stéphane Peterhansel: The dominant figure at the Dakar Rally with a record total of victories across bikes and cars; unmatched in rally raid history.
• Nasser Al-Attiyah: Multiple Dakar wins in cars; sustained excellence across cross-country rallies.

Peterhansel’s Dakar record is to rally raid what Kristensen’s is to Le Mans—peerless.

The Most Complete All‑Rounders

Some drivers excelled across multiple disciplines, strengthening their claim to “best overall” when versatility is prized.

These are the most cited all-rounders whose accomplishments span categories and continents.

• Mario Andretti: Only driver to win the F1 World Championship, Indy 500, and Daytona 500; also a Sebring 12 Hours winner—unparalleled breadth.
• Graham Hill: The only driver to achieve motorsport’s traditional Triple Crown (Monaco GP, Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans).
• Jim Clark: Two-time F1 champion and 1965 Indy 500 winner; sublime speed on both sides of the Atlantic.
• Fernando Alonso: Two-time F1 champion and two-time Le Mans winner; competitive at the Indy 500 and WEC champion—a modern multi-discipline force.
• Sébastien Loeb: WRC titan who has been competitive in WTCC, Pikes Peak (record-setting), rally raid, and endurance events.

If “best” emphasizes success in radically different machinery, Andretti and Hill headline the case, with Clark, Alonso, and Loeb close behind.

So, Who’s the Best?

It depends on what “best” means. On pure circuit-racing records, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher anchor the top tier, with Fangio and Senna often cited for peak brilliance and win-rate dominance, and Max Verstappen defining the current F1 era. In rallying, Sébastien Loeb is the consensus number one; in endurance, Tom Kristensen stands alone at Le Mans. For overall versatility across categories, Mario Andretti and Graham Hill have the strongest cases, with Jim Clark, Fernando Alonso, and Sébastien Loeb close behind. Any definitive answer reflects the discipline and criteria you value most.

Summary

There is no single, universal “best car driver.” By discipline, Hamilton/Schumacher (F1), Loeb (WRC), and Kristensen (Le Mans) are the benchmark names, while Andretti and Hill lead on all-round versatility. The greatest depends on whether you prize titles, win rate, peak dominance, or breadth across motorsport.

Who is the best auto driver in the world?

Winners and nominees

Year	Driver	Nationality
2018	Martin Truex Jr.	USA
2019	Kyle Busch (2)	USA
2020	Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Lewis Hamilton (2)	GBR

Who is the king of car racing?

Richard Petty
Richard Petty, known as “The King” of NASCAR, is a legendary figure in American motorsports with a record-setting career that includes 200 NASCAR Cup Series wins and seven championships.

Who is the best car driver of all time?

Juan Manuel Fangio is found to be the greatest driver of all time. Team effects are shown to be more important than driver effects (and increasingly so over time), although their importance may be reduced in wet weather and on street tracks.

What is the world’s best driver?

There’s no single “best driver in the world” because the title depends on the specific driving discipline (e.g., golf, Formula 1, NASCAR) and whether one is considering current performance or historical greatness. For example, Max Verstappen is often considered the best in current Formula 1 due to his multiple championships, while in golf, a golfer like Rory McIlroy might be considered the best driver of a golf ball. 
In Formula 1 (Motorsport)

• Current Champion: Max Verstappen is widely regarded as the best driver in the world currently, having won the World Driver’s Championship in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. 
• Historical Greats: Other drivers frequently mentioned in “greatest of all time” discussions include Lewis Hamilton, who holds the record for most wins and championships, and Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Alain Prost. 

In Golf (Sport)

• Best Driver of the Ball: Rory McIlroy has been considered by many to be the best driver of the golf ball in the world for nearly two decades. 
• Equipment: For golf club equipment, the Titleist GT3 Driver is considered the best overall driver, while the Ping G440 Max Driver is praised for its forgiving nature. 

Why the Title is Subjective

• Different Disciplines: Skillsets for racing cars, driving golf balls, and regular driving are vastly different. 
• Current vs. All-Time: Debate exists over whether to focus on a driver’s current form or their entire career. 
• Versatility: Some argue that the “best” driver should excel across multiple racing disciplines, a challenge in today’s specialized racing world.