Words by: Tim Bowdler
Photos by: Getty Images
Motorsport magazine F1 Racing has revealed the top 100 grand prix drivers, voted for by its readers.
Now, here's the thing. Lewis Hamilton came in at number 15, ahead of fellow Brits Graham Hill (18), Damon Hill (19), James Hunt (20), John Surtees (26) and Mike Hawthorn (53) - all of whom were F1 world champions.
So, has Hamilton-mania gone overboard? Surely it's a bit early to start putting a bloke, who has only done one season of F1, alongside multiple world champions?
We have every right to celebrate Hamilton - he's a Brit after all - but who is the best home-grown driver ever? Here's our take.
8. John Surtees
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Championships 1, GPs contested 113, wins 6
John Surtees wasn't cool, but he is unique - he is a world champion on two wheels as well as four. Surtees had the required skills for racing - he knew how to pass other people.
His love of bikes started at an early age - his father owned a motorcycle shop in South London and was a three-time British motorcycle sidecar champion - getting his first motorbike at the age of 11. He went on to race for Norton before moving to the Italian MV Augusta team, winning seven world championships.
Transferring to four wheels, in his first single-seater race he finished second to Jim Clark. It was obvious he had talent as a pure racer, confirming this by winning the F1 Championship with Ferrari in 1964 and racing until 1972.
