AYRTON SENNA, BRAZIL
Arguably faster than any other driver of his era, as his 41 grand prix wins and three world titles proved, Senna also had a ruthless streak like no other.
Prior to his death at Imola in 1994, his incredible skill was showcased with some sensational wins, like his record six at Monaco and the famous displays of wet weather virtuosity at Estoril and Donington Park.
He will be remembered as much for his colliding with archrival Alain Prost- a man with whom he shared a mutual contempt after a McLaren team orders argument at Imola in ' 89- at Suzuka title deciders in two successive years as for anything else.
He was a man who simply had so much self-belief that he could not fathom the idea of being beaten. It was the key to his greatness and his biggest flaw. Genius or thug? The debate will run and run. Not so the argument about his claim to be the greates.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER, GERMANY
Statistically the most successful driver in F1 history, Michael Schumacher utterly dominated the sport in the early part of this decade.
Famed for his relentless pace and supreme ability to pump in quick times at crucial moments in races, Schumacher can make a case to be called the most complete F1 driver ever.
Sometimes controversial and always uncompromising, Schumacher, like most champions, had great desire, speed and racecraft. But his work ethic, supreme fitness and ability to galvanise teams around him were the qualities that really made him stand out.
After taking his first two world titles with Benetton in 1994 and ' 95, Schumacher took key personnel with him to Ferrari and hauled F1 ' s most successful team out of a serious slump. With Schumacher on board, Maranello enjoyed unprecedented success. The German scored 72 grand prix wins and five consecutive drivers titles from 2000-2004.
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