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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