Top five drivers to not have won the Formula 1 Championship

The motor sport of Formula 1 has been grabbing eyeballs of the global audience for quite a long time. With its enthralling battles and exciting finishes, F1 is quite the go-to-sport for motoracing lovers. Even though there have been a few fatal accidents in F1 history, the drivers sending chills down the spines of the people who watch the sport, is a sight to behold. Here is a look at five best drivers to have not won the Formula 1 title.

5. Rubens Barichello

The Brazilian driver is the one with the most races started and entered in F1 history. ‘Rubinho’, as he is fondly called, has won a total of 11 races during his immensely long career spanning 19 years, in the pinnacle version of motorsports. He was a driver for six different constructors, plying his trade for Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Williams. Barichello enjoyed his prime years with Ferrari, where the celebrated legend Michael Schumacher was his fellow driver, and won nine races in his six seasons with the Italian giants. The Brazilian saw himself pipped to the title on two occasions, incidentally by his own teammates, and he finished his career after the 2011 season with 11 wins, 68 podium finishes, 658 career points and 14 pole positions.

4. Felipe Massa

The Brazilian driver who retired recently, is another decorated champion to have missed out on the F1 title. Having driven for Sauber, Ferrari and Williams, Felipinho’s talent was unmistakable with, Massa dominating notably on certain tracks. His prime, like Barichello, was in his years with Ferrari where he saw Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen win championships before taking the lead in the 2008 season. The best car on the grid was his own, and Massa seemed to be destined for the title. He led the season with six wins, one more than his immediate rival, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, and despite him winning his home race at Interlagos in Brazil, Hamilton finished fifth and took the title by the barest of margins: a single point! Felipe Massa retired in 2017 with 11 wins, 16 pole positions and 41 podium finishes.

3. Carlos Reutemann

The Argentine driver was a prolific F1 racer, and was the second-most successful driver from his country, only behind the great Juan Manuel Fangio. Reutemann finished in the top 3 in the Championship four times in his 10-year F1 stint, and was third thrice. In the dramatic year of 1981 with Williams, ‘Lole’ took a huge lead over his compatriots by winning two races and finishing in the podium in the first five events of the calendar. His lead of 12 over Brazilian Nelson Piquet should have been more, as the first race in South Africa was not taken into consideration due to organizational technicalities (Reutemann had won the race). Lole had a one-point gap over Piquet, which he ended up conceding along with the title, duw to a bad start and gearbox glitches. He retired with 12 wins, 45 podium finishes and six pole positions.

2. David Coulthard

The Twynholm-born driver, having spent most of his years with McLaren-Mercedes, had his debut victory with Williams in the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix, and finished third in the 1995 standings. He finished second in the 2001 season, in what was his best result, albeit his points tally being almost half of what Schumacher’s were. The Brit finished in the top 3 five times in his entire career, and had 13 race wins. Coulthard drove for Red Bull Racing and took the Austrian team’s first podium in the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. However, his best year in terms of race victories was 1998, when he saw himself falling behind Mika Hakkinen, his teammate, who took the title.

1.Stirling Moss

Arguably the most successful driver not to have won the F1 championship, Stirling Moss drove for 11 seasons between 1951 and 1961. The British racer’s title charges began in 1955 with Mercedes, having won his first Grand Prix on British soil, although Juan Manuel Fangio pipped him to the title by winning four out of six races that year. The next year, Moss was incredibly unlucky again as he lost the title to the iconic Argentine by just three points. History repeated itself in 1957. The 1958 season saw Moss finish with four wins, five podiums and 41 points, despite having retired five times. Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn took advantage of the retirement factor and edged Moss for the title (42-41). His career came to an unfortunate end in 1961 after seven successive top 3 finishes with no shred of luck, again. Having won 16 races with 16 poles and 24 podiums in 66 starts, Stirling Moss is an F1 legend.