Juan Manuel Fangio handed Ayrton Senna the winners’ trophy at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. Senna climbed down from the top spot and embraced the Argentinian champion.
A touching moment between two of the sport’s legendary figures.
For decades, Fangio’s achievement of winning five world championship titles was the ultimate benchmark in Formula 1. Arguably, Senna and Alain Prost might have equalled him if they hadn’t had to race against each other.
Fangio’s rivals were in awe of him, to the extent of not wanting to stand in the way of the success they felt ‘the maestro’ deserved.
Compare that with the intense, bitter rivalry between Senna and Prost and you can appreciate the enormous changes in Formula 1 between the eras of Senna and Fangio.
The two were once interviewed together and the interviewer remarked that between them they had eight world championships. Fangio remarked: “Ayrton is still very good and still very young. He has still many years to keep racing.”
Sadly, he did not. We’ll never know if Senna might have matched Fangio’s five world championships. Some who knew him felt his respect for Fangio would have kept him from trying to win more.
It’s down to you to pick which of them belongs in the Champion of Champions final.
Compare their career stats below and vote for which you think was best. Tell us who you voted for and why in the comments.
| Ayrton Senna | Juan Manuel Fangio | |
| Titles | 1988, 1990, 1991 | 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 |
| Second in title year/s | Alain Prost, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell | Alberto Ascari, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Stirling Moss, Stirling Moss, Stirling Moss |
| Teams | Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams | Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari |
| Notable team mates | Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger, Mika Hakkinen | Giuseppe Farina, Peter Collins, Stirling Moss |
| Starts | 161 | 51 |
| Wins | 41 (25.47%) | 24 (47.06%) |
| Poles | 65 (40.37%) | 29 (56.86%) |
| Modern points per start1 | 11.68 | 17.12 |
| % car failures2 | 20.50 | 17.65 |
| Modern points per finish3 | 14.70 | 20.79 |
| Notes | Won three titles in four years with McLaren | Missed 1952 season due to injury |
| Controversial clash with Prost sealed second title | Handed 1956 title by team mate Peter Collins | |
| Killed in third race for Williams in 1994 | Record haul of five titles unequalled until 2002 | |
| Bio | Ayrton Senna | Juan Manuel Fangio |
1 How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of races they started
2 The percentage of races in which they were not classified due to a mechanical failure
3 How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of starts in which they did not suffer a race-ending mechanical failure
Quarter-final
Round two
Round one
Which was the better world champion driver?
- Juan Manuel Fangio (100%)
- Ayrton Senna (117%)
Total Voters: 710
This poll remains open until February 4th.
You need an F1 Fanatic account to vote. Register an account here or read more about registering here.
Read the F1 Fanatic Champion of Champions introduction for more information and remember to check back tomorrow for the next round.
Have you voted in the previous rounds of Champion of Champions yet? Find them all here:
Champion of Champions
- Ayrton Senna voted Champion of Champions by F1 Fanatic readers
- Champion of Champions in stats
- Champion of Champions Final: Senna vs Schumacher
- Ayrton Senna vs Juan Manuel Fangio
- Michael Schumacher vs Alain Prost
- Ayrton Senna vs Jack Brabham
- Juan Manuel Fangio vs Jackie Stewart
- Alain Prost vs Niki Lauda
- Jim Clark vs Michael Schumacher
- Jack Brabham vs Lewis Hamilton
Images © Williams/Sutton (Senna), Daimler (Fangio)
sdtaylor91 (@sdtaylor91)
30th January 2011, 11:03
First vote, i go for Senna, greatest driver ever imo
Fixy (@)
30th January 2011, 11:17
Senna was very good. Fangio too. I voted for Ayrton.
Old_boy_racer (@)
30th January 2011, 12:03
I don’t think Prost would have beaten Fangio as often as he did Senna. Fangio had Senna’s pace and Prost’s nous.
Andy W (@andy-w)
30th January 2011, 15:27
If only we could have seen those battles, chuck in Schumacher, Clark, Stewart all at the top of their game in comparable cars….
ManjuBoy (@manjuboy)
30th January 2011, 22:14
Indeed, it would be so fun!
BasCB (@bascb)
31st January 2011, 15:59
Makes me thing of a SF novel where they revived heroes of old. Only to find out these guys would not compete with each other but instead enjoy the great life in the futur.
But it would be amazing to see them have a round in a even with Karts, GP2 cars, GT cars, Rallye cars to do some ultimate Masters Tournament.
BBT (@bbt)
30th January 2011, 11:08
5 vs 5 at the mo
JohnGreen (@)
30th January 2011, 11:59
Senna 67 Votes
Fangio 35 Votes
TommyB (@tommyb89)
30th January 2011, 16:09
Senna vs Fangio, Schumacher vs Prost!
I expected these lot to be the final four.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
30th January 2011, 17:47
…and the debate to be just as spirited as it has been so far. How many comments do you think the final will get tomorrow? I’m guessing in the 300 comments 7 pages range.
Scribe (@scribe)
30th January 2011, 18:57
I’m kinda disapointed actually, I’d hoped we’d avoid a Schumacher Senna final. But suprise suprise, cult of Senna and Schumacher’s stats won out. SvsS in the final, Senna Champion of Champions, it’s like nothings ever changed.
I wanted Clark in the final, and Fangio, there my champions.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
30th January 2011, 20:05
Between Senna, Clark, Fangio, and Schumacher it’s pretty hard for me to pick. Stewart and Prost are up there as well.
unoc
31st January 2011, 0:08
It’s kind of a bit sad that more people think Senna was better. Senna is great but it’s almost impossible to argue with the statistics.
Wins SENNA 41 (25.47%) FANGIO 24 (47.06%)
Modern points per finish SENNA 14.70 FANGIO 20.79
While Fangio finished only slightly more of the time he absolutely destroyed Senna in race wins, poles and points scored for each finish.
He won more GP’s than he lost, yet according to the latest pole reading 291 vs 234, 57 people think Senna is somehow better.
FANGIO should win this if going by facts rather than fanboi legend fest
simon talbot
4th May 2014, 7:14
stats are only numbers! they did not tell how those races where won!
if Fangio have had someone like Alain Prost in its way, like Senna did, i’m pretty sure his stats would have been cut by half! the fact that now, nobody could physically hold a career in F-1 with age like 40 or more, also tends to show that the Fangio’s era where way less competitive and hard on the body…
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
30th January 2011, 11:16
This has been the toughest one for me ever. I closed my eyes when I votes Senna now I feel that I should have voted Fangio both were great.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
30th January 2011, 23:27
Really, this one is tough Keith, just wow, really tough.
Mark Young (@terry-fabulous)
30th January 2011, 11:16
This is terribly difficult to judge as Fangio is the only champion left whom none of us had the pleasure to watch (Prove me wrong anyone?? Please!).
JMF gets my vote for a remarkable record at an enormously difficult time to race consistently and safely. Had he driven today, he would be like Alonso without the hissy fits and terrible facial hair.
But both were truly men for their times.
Old_boy_racer (@)
30th January 2011, 11:35
Fangio was remarkable. He always looked so smooth on track – and he never drove faster than he needed to to win. I believe that is why he was able to stay alive and winning so long. He drove all night to make the start in ’52 where he was injured and I think he learn’t a lesson from that.
I concur with the opinion of Moss, who, to this day, says Fangio was the best ever.
Andy W (@andy-w)
30th January 2011, 12:04
Actually this is kind of easy for me, the stats of both drivers are awe inspiring both are legends of the sport and always be, but I only got the privilege of watching one of them race and having actually seen (on tv) what Senna was capable of race after race…. So Senna gets my vote.
Daniel
30th January 2011, 12:12
Gah! I feel far too many people are going to vote like this. The question is who was the greatest champion, now who was the greatest champion you saw?!
And “I didn’t see Fangio so I can’t judge him and am therefore voting Senna.” makes no sense as an argument. If you didn’t see Fangio then how do you know he wasn’t better? Abstain if you feel watching is the only way to judge and you didn’t see both.
Kenny (@kenny)
30th January 2011, 14:27
Plenty of film is on the internet. You could have look at some of that before making a choice.
unoc
31st January 2011, 8:32
Senna is a legend and legends always take precedence over fact and truth. Senna was brilliant, but fangio has more poles, more wins and more points per finish than Senna.
Senna was only great because he had many poles and wins, Fangio has more
Eggry (@eggry)
30th January 2011, 11:21
I voted for Fangio. not I’m sure Senna would win.
Eggry (@eggry)
30th January 2011, 11:22
not-> but
Nic Morley (@robocat)
30th January 2011, 11:23
So very hard this one. Both are absolute greats and I have a huge amount of respect for them both. I literally tossed a coin for this one, as I just can not choose. Well it landed on tails so my voted goes to JMF.
Prisoner Monkeys
30th January 2011, 11:29
For some reason, I can’t vote. I click on the name I want, but nothing happens.
Anyway, let it be said that I’m voting for Fangio. It’s not that I don’t like Senna, it just feels right to vote for Fangio. Sure, they’re both South American. They were both their best in their day. They even both have slang named after them (“Senna” is cockney rhyming slang for a tenner – a ten-pound note; to “go for a Fang”, or a drive, is named for Fangio).
But what separates Fangio from Senna is that there has been a glut of excellent champions of late. Senna capturing the hearts and minds of the crowd. Prost with his beautifully smooth driving style. Schumacher with his unprecedented seven titles. And in the sheer weight of all tis brilliance, it’s very easy to forget one critical factor: Fangio did all of that forty years before anyone else. He’s an institution, comparable to the likes of Don Bradman and Jesse Owens.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th January 2011, 11:32
Okay, I can vote now. Just needed to log in on the forums. For aome reason, it automatically logs you out after so long, even when you check “remember me”. I forgot about that.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th January 2011, 12:03
Are you logged in?
Journeyer (@journeyer)
30th January 2011, 12:04
Am voting for Fangio for that very same logic.
SeattleChris (@seattlechris)
31st January 2011, 1:32
I literally flipped a coin…came up Fangio. The only reason I really think this is so close is simply because Fangio had 1/3rd the starts that Senna did, so despite the titles volume, the actual volume of Senna’s achievement shows that he was doing it, Champion-style, a lot more often. Senna vs. Schumi finale. I know how this ends.
Sasquatsch (@sasquatsch)
31st January 2011, 9:15
That’s only because in Fangio’s time there weren’t that many official Formula 1 races per year. That’s why most drivers also drove in other races unlike present (and Senna’s) day where drivers only drive in the Formula 1 championship.
Counting those races as well, gives Fangio probably as many starts as Senna.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
31st January 2011, 17:12
love that post!
DavidS (@davids)
30th January 2011, 11:30
Looks like Senna might win this one, which will mean it’s Senna v Schumacher in the final round.
The ensuing flame war will generate enough heat to power a major city. Readies popcorn.
rampante (@rampante)
30th January 2011, 11:36
Sadly for too many people here Fangio is just a figure from the history books and that combined with the over sentimentality for Senna can only lead to one winner here. What would be interesting would be a breakdown of the age groups of those voting. Fangio was the very best, even while Senna was still driving and nothing changed until a certain European in a red car changed all that.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
30th January 2011, 12:06
Agreed, rampante. But I’ve tried watching Fangio’s old races. They’re usually just grainy highlight reels, but you could really see just how good he was.
Put into context – Moss is considered as one of the all-time greats, arguably the best to never win a title. A very big reason for that is that he came 2nd three years running – to Fangio.
BasCB (@bascb)
31st January 2011, 16:04
I am glad it does not seem to be that easy a victory for Senna.
I never really got into the Senna fan thing. Liked Prost a lot as well, then saw Schumacher actually beating Senna and Ayrton having trouble getting to grips with that.
Then I found out about Fangio having not 2 or 3 or even 4 WDC to his name, but a grand total of 5 in a time a lot of drivers died before even competing in that many seasons.
That is a legend to me, so i voted for Fangio. And Moss agrees.
dave
30th January 2011, 11:43
should be the final!
JMF-thebestever (@jmf-thebestever)
30th January 2011, 12:01
Voted for Fangio truly the greatest in his time every race could be his last you had to have something else to be able to drive so fast.
JamesC1991 (@)
30th January 2011, 12:19
Voted for Fangio a 5 time world champion in that era when it was so so dangerous is amazing and would never vote for someone who deliberately drove into someone like Senna did
kowalsky (@)
30th January 2011, 12:22
voted for senna. Both are great and i can understand if some fans go for fangio. It’s a matter of personal feeling i supose.
I saw senna race since the begining, and his driving style is very much what i expect from a top racing driver.
His qualifying, was the most impressive ever, and i consider that the essence of the sport.
During the prost vs senna years i went all out for the brazilian, son i might be a little bias.
But anyway, he paid the ultimate price, while going first, with all the pretenders right behind. How do you beat that?
Manu
30th January 2011, 12:23
Fangio said the greatest ever was Senna
Pedal to the Vettel (@pedal-to-the-vettel)
30th January 2011, 13:13
Check up youtube and put in ((Ayrton Senna visita a Fangio)), at 0:39 he talks about Fangio being the greatest driver in F1 history and an idol for every f1 driver.
Every modern day driver might say Senna is the greatest ever, while Senna himself says Fangio is the greatest.
Manu
30th January 2011, 17:26
exactly, Senna said Fangio was the best driver in history…Senna was not history yet
when he became history, Fangio said that Ayrton was the greatest racer ever
217 professional f1 drivers agree
Daniel
30th January 2011, 22:56
How many drivers are going to say that they themselves are the greatest?
Montoya immediately comes to mind as an answer to that question, but otherwise… we can’t look at who Fangio and Senna said was the best in this battle because they wouldn’t vote for themselves!
Roberto
30th January 2011, 13:27
Fangio didn’t say that, though he was a Senna fan. He did say Jim Clark was the best ever after Clark died.
Fangio won 5 WDC in different cars, often changing teams for external reasons (not because he jumped to the best teams, as some people say, or else, why he didn’t drive for Ferrari in 52/53?).
People also forget that Fangio won his last title aged 46! He was 20 years older than his greatest rival Stirling Moss. How do you guys think that affects performance? I mean, Prost once said he couldn’t compare himself with Lauda, because Lauda at 35 y/o couldn’t be as fast as Lauda at 25. Imagine being 45 y/o and driving so fast you’re breaking sucessive lap records at the Nordschleife in 1957
Fangio drove with many teammates which had the same car, but none of them could even come close to his percentage of wins and poles.
Everybody talks about Senna being the fastest man on qualifying, but i’ve never seen anyone mention Fangio in that respect, even though his pole percentage of 56% totally crushes Senna. His win percentage is almost twice as much as Senna’s.
There’s no doubt of who’s the greatest of them all, but of course, Senna’s going to win for purely emotional reasons
kowalsky (@)
30th January 2011, 14:00
as i said before. I am bias on senna because i saw him race. But if i had seen the maestro in action, i could have more ways of making another choice.
From the drivers i saw since 1981, senna was the one that captured my imagination the most.
mename2332 (@mename2332)
30th January 2011, 12:33
NO NO NO – THESE 2 SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FINAL!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th January 2011, 14:41
People were saying that about Schumacher and Prost yesterday…
fordsrule (@fordsrule)
31st January 2011, 5:02
I agree on the Prost part, not the Schumacher part.
SeattleChris (@seattlechris)
31st January 2011, 5:37
When Schumacher is 70 or 80 years old every driver will say he is the best ever and then in another 80 years someone will say the next guy/girl and so on and so on…
mrgrieves (@mrgrieves)
30th January 2011, 12:34
This is the harder of the Semi finals but Senna has it for me. Was the best driver in the best era of racers
Dipak T
30th January 2011, 18:02
Id disagree, the 60s had the deepest field in F1 IMO.
Solo (@solo)
30th January 2011, 12:35
I will go for Senna. I know Senna was awesome but i can’t be that certain about Fangio. For me a driver is more than just number and statistics. I loved Senna because i loved the way he was driving.
Fangio is kind of an unknown, is just a vote that is based on rumors. And anyway his time might seem harder because it was so old but the truth is his time was easier. More probability to die for sure but not as hard to win especially considering how he was kind of favored by his rivals at that time.
matt90 (@matt90)
30th January 2011, 18:26
In which case Fangio is best based on his incredible percentage rate of wins. But stats don’t pain the whole picture. That’s why I voted for Senna here and will likely do the same in the final.
Ben
30th January 2011, 12:38
Can’t pick em.
Senna has (and had at the time too) this aura about him, you just knew when he was driving you were watching someone really, really special. Even as a kid watching him at the time I could tell there was something about him. And off the track he was a fantastic person.
But then Fangio, well he was doing at age 46 what Senna was doing in his prime.
If I was forced to choose, I’d say Fangio – and thats despite Senna being my all-time favourite driver.
People say that Senna would have matched Fangio had he lived longer. Well had Fangio been 10 years younger……. he could well have won 5 more championships.
debaser91
30th January 2011, 14:14
That is a very good point. It is often forgotten that Fangio was pushing 40 when Formula One started, and could have won even more if he’d been born ten years later.
However I still think Senna wins this round though
verstappen (@verstappen)
30th January 2011, 12:40
To me they both deserve this. However, to be The Mark for everyone, including Senna and Schumi, is astounding.
Therefore I voted for Fangio
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th January 2011, 12:43
Well, SENNA just picked up one of the major awards at the Sundance Film Festival – the award for being the audience’s favourite film.
I’m still very keen to see some major reviews from the non-motorsports fraternity.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
30th January 2011, 20:23
There were some extremely positive comments from non fans on Twitter over the past 2 weeks at Sundance.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
30th January 2011, 13:06
Senna for me, through force of personality and sheer genius we have never seen anyone like him before at the time or since, cant take away Fangios record but….swapping cars with your team mate when yours brakes down….do me a favour !
JMF-thebestever (@jmf-thebestever)
30th January 2011, 13:11
You know nothing about Fangio don’t You?
Kenny (@kenny)
30th January 2011, 14:36
That’s the way things were done then…all lead drivers (Fangio, Ascari, Moss, etc, etc.) did it. In Fangio’s case, his team mates were (mostly) happy to do it.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
30th January 2011, 13:07
or breaks down even !!
PJ Tierney
30th January 2011, 13:14
I had a feeling it’d come down to Schumacher v Senna when this all started (brackets permitting) and once it does I know I’ll not be able to choose between the 2.
Leftie (@leftie)
30th January 2011, 13:25
I voted for Fangio. Fair like Moss, faster than anyone in his era and most successful ratio of races started\won ever. And considering his age as well…
Don’t get me wrong. Senna was magic! But he was ruthless, very very very ruthless, uncompromising, not always a gentleman. He’s on a different level to Fangio in that regard and he aknowledged it himself. So did Schumacher by the way.
But i’m sure Senna will win this and we will have a “competitive animals know no limits” (C) final of Senna vs Schumacher.
rdenatale (@rdenatale)
30th January 2011, 13:26
When I saw the match up, my first thought was, how do I pick.
But the stats alone really speak for themselves. I had to vote for Fangio.
Senna is deserving, but I’m afraid that this will turn out to be the Champion of Champion’s who raced in the last few decades.
I’m struggling to find an analogy which would work for the international audience here, for the Americans it might be trying to compare some recent very good baseball player with Babe Ruth, and picking the new guy because Babe Ruth’s achievements were just ‘rumors.’
While I am a little too young to have seen Fangio in action, being 5 or 6 years old when he won his last championship, I know that his accomplishments were legendary and much more than rumors.
A big point for me in this case is that Fangio drove in the era when the “Drivers were fat and the tires were skinny.” The cars might have been high-tech for the time, but far more basic than even a basic road car today. In my mind this means that the driver’s skills were a larger component of success.
Comparing a 1950s era F1 driver to one today is analogous to comparing a WW I fighter pilot to the commander of the Space Shuttle. One was pretty much on his own, the closest thing to telemetry being the pit boards, no radio, no engine or suspension electronics…, while the latter has computers in the car, and a local mission control connected over the internet to the factory.
Now I know that F1 hadn’t advanced quite as much by Senna’s day, the analogy might be closer to a WW I vs. Vietnam era fighter pilot. But the real turning point when the battle turned more towards engineering and less the driver himself was probably the mid-late 1970s between Fangio’s era and Senna’s.
My prediction is that this will poll will come down to Senna vs. Shumi in the final. And again I think that Shumacher probably benefited from hi-tech even more than did Senna. Who actually wins that will come down to a mixture of the ‘newer’ kid syndrome, and voters personal opinions of the ‘character’ and ‘likeability’ of the two competitors.
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
30th January 2011, 17:06
Brilliant post. COTD
You should comment more often here.
K (@k)
31st January 2011, 21:58
It was entirely predicable that this poll would come down to Schumacher vs Senna from the beginning.Since they have the largest respective bases it makes sense to maintain interest that it comes down to them. Fangio is hurt by the fact that the demographic that really got to see him race have decreased in number and probably not as active on the internet as younger drivers.
Personally I would put Schumacher, Fangio, Prost, Clark, Brabham and Stewart all ahead of Senna but there you go. It’s not that I don’t rate Senna it’s just that I do rate the others.
On the analogy side of things I would say the cars Fangio drove were more like mid-WWII era fighter planes and modern F1 cars akin to 1980s fighter jets. Baring in mind that in some respects modern F1 cars are less advanced than their predecessors of the 80s and 90s and again less advanced than the highest spec road cars.
This reminds me of a Mika Hakkinen interview he made after driving one of Fangio’s cars. He said words along the line of: To drive this car at it’s limit isn’t very hard technically, but psychologically it takes balls of steel.
Anyway some Fangio love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx1_su9WyK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsGx0voy7aY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Ifcgl789E&feature=related
Ral (@)
30th January 2011, 13:56
Fangio.
Senna’s driving career was cut short, but something he was very successful in, in his short time, was publicizing himself. He was undoubtedly a very talented driver, to say the least. But, due to the unexpected ending to his life and career or not, he managed “only” 3 championships in 10 years. Which does not compare favorably versus Fangio’s 5 in the same number of years.
But I think a lot of people will vote with their heart and go with Senna. Ah well. There are worse people to lose to, even for someone like Fangio.
Pedal to the Vettel (@pedal-to-the-vettel)
30th January 2011, 14:08
Fangio was in F1 for 8 years Ral, should of been 9 years but was unable to do the 1952 season with a broken neck lol. I’m sure he would of given Ascari a run for his money that year.
Pedal to the Vettel (@pedal-to-the-vettel)
30th January 2011, 14:14
Well nearly 8 he retired halfway through into the 58 season only doing 2 races both 4th placed. Legend…
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
30th January 2011, 14:02
Senna is a little overrated river only because of his death… With all due respects, no doubt about his talent. People mostly get into this weird illusions & talk about things which no one has the answer. What could have happened if he was alive? How many WDC he could have taken… guess what, we never know. IMO Fangio’s record overrides everything else in this contest.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
30th January 2011, 14:11
Senna is my probably my favourite driver, but I still voted for Fangio.
xanathos (@xanathos)
30th January 2011, 14:20
Fangio’s stats are simply crushing anyone else. His winning percentage will propably never be beaten by anyone and on pole positions he is beating Senna clearly, the absolute master of the pole position. And he has done this driving for many different teams! Heres another statistic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_driver_records#Highest_average_points_per_race_entered
Fangio is still doing exceptionally well, even considering that the drivers in front of him today just have to finish 6th to get as many points as he got for a win…
If it comes down to a Schumacher vs. Fangio final, I would propably have to vote for Fangio as well, despite being a Schumacher fan for more than 15 years.
nillojapa (@nillojapa)
30th January 2011, 14:29
“Senna” is named the best documentary in Sundance Festival
Senna forever!
DeadManWoking (@deadmanwoking)
30th January 2011, 15:32
Not! It did receive an Audience Award for Documentaries:
Alec (@alec)
30th January 2011, 15:16
Since I wasn’t alive to see Fangio race, all I can go on are the statistics. To me, the ones that really count are the percent stats, since all sorts of extraneous factors influenced the length of each driver’s career. Senna might well have gone on to win more championships than Fangio, as could Clark, if it weren’t for a fatal crash. Schumacher might have won less if he had driven in the more dangerous earlier years and come to a sticky end. Fangio could have gone on to win many more if he had not started his career already in his forties due to WWII. All these uncertainties keep leading me back to the “percentage” stats. So amazing though it was to see Senna drive, on a percentage basis Fangio has a pretty clear lead in the statistics over anyone else — even Senna.
OmarR-Pepper (@)
30th January 2011, 16:03
As stated here, Fangio was so respected that even his teammate gave him his own car to permit Fangio have a good car (I don’t remember the whole story). On the other hand, Senna was always under Prost and Mansell’s pressure. So he got 3 championships under those conditions. My vote is for him and I hope he ‘ll get the Champion of Champions crown, as a final title he could never get.
Roberto
30th January 2011, 23:27
Fangio, or any other driver, could only get a teammate car in special circunstances, and it rarely happened. Fangio had a lot of pressure from other talented drivers, like Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss.
But you’re right when you say he was respected by his peers. In his last race Hawthorn slowed down to avoid lapping Fangio before the chequered flag. Everyone of those drivers considered Fangio the best.
Senna, on the other hand, became a legend to the new generations, but he didn’t got much admiration from his peers, like Prost, Mansell and Piquet, due to his lack of sportsmanship
Kenny (@kenny)
31st January 2011, 4:32
Admiration no…respect yes. Prost has said that Senna was the best he ever raced against.
Roberto
31st January 2011, 11:08
That’s ambiguous:
Prost:
Roberto
31st January 2011, 11:09
But my point was that other drivers disliked him because of his lack of sportsmanship, which is totally the opposite on Fangio
frood19 (@frood19)
30th January 2011, 16:20
when I can’t decide i go for the one with the most points per finish.
melkurion (@melkurion)
30th January 2011, 17:42
This is kind of a rock-paper-scissors thing for me…previous round I voted Jackie Steward over Fangio, so jackie beast fangio, I would have chosen senne aver stewarrt, because senna beats stewart, but in my mind’s eye, fangio beats senna….
so fangio it is
Icthyes (@icthyes)
30th January 2011, 18:17
It is fitting that yesterday the two most successful F1 drivers ever squared off and today the two drivers most often hailed as the greatest finally meet.
Many will vote who saw neither of them race, almost none both (you lucky, lucky few) and I am one of them. So how to vote, when I’ve been more critical of these two than perhaps a lot of people?
Looking at the stats, Fangio beat Senna at his own game, in his own specialties. Many people also say how exciting Senna was to watch; Fangio used to literally drift around the corners.
It has to be Fangio then. Sadly I can only see one actual winner.
Stirling Moss, so good they named him thrice, Keith?
Anish
30th January 2011, 20:55
Hi F1 Fans,
Can you please just click on The Movie Ayrton Senna fan page like button on the following link.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Movie-Ayrton-Senna/175767165792517
I appreciate you kind cooperation.
with loads love
Anish
James_mc (@james_mc)
30th January 2011, 21:36
I believe that Fangio was the better champion. But I voted Senna. Why? Because I believe that in a straight vote Senna would beat Schumacher, but Fangio wouldn’t. It pained me to see my no. 5 eliminate No. 3 and No. 2, likewise No. 6 to No1.
I accept that my voting is purely tactical but as three of my top four have been eliminated thus far, I feel the need to choose my no. 4 over my no.6 in the hope that 4 beats 5.
vjanik
31st January 2011, 12:32
ok im confused a bit from your comment but i gather you do not want schumacher to win. i am afraid there is no way of stopping that.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
30th January 2011, 21:54
I loathed Senna because I was a Prost fan… of course the reason was he (Senna) was just that good. So I went for Senna on this one.
Not an easy vote…
SennaTheG.O.A.T
31st January 2011, 0:29
I have so much respect for Fangio but Senna is just the Greatest driver ever..
His talent was unreal.In my opinion Senna is the GOAT and Gilles Villeneuve the 2nd.But Fangio did special things also….
Robert
31st January 2011, 1:02
Yawn. None of this matters one damn bit.
And Senna will win. Previously undiscovered tribes of the Amazon could tell you that.
skodarap (@skodarap)
31st January 2011, 1:48
Hmmm…wanted to vote Fangio, really did, but that video made me change my mind.
Saumya Agarwal (@asaumya)
31st January 2011, 6:54
these 2 should have been in the final ….for me at least
1. senna
2. fangio
Sasquatsch (@sasquatsch)
31st January 2011, 9:33
Although I never saw Fangio race and saw every race of Senna, I voted Fangio, because I think he is a more complete racer than Senna.
Based on statistics alone Fangio is the absolute Champion of Champions. Probably only the fact that he drove just over 50 races makes people think he is not as good as some others. But those were different times, when drivers raced in various kind of races besides the F1 World Championship like Formula 2, non championship F1 races, Mille Miglia, 24 hours of Le Mans. Sometimes they even raced more races in one weekend.
Fangio was a master in everything he drove, excelled in every race he raced in, even at the age of 46, beating magnificent drivers half his age.
Senna only focused on his Formula 1 career and didn’t race in other races. And, unlike Fangio, Senna made too many mistakes trying to pass other drivers, because he always wanted to win, not matter what, whereas Fangio (imho) drove more mature, taking his time before passing competitors.
spankythewondermonkey (@spankythewondermonkey)
31st January 2011, 9:44
tough one. very tough one. i voted fangio, based on senna’s comments about JMF.
mad79
31st January 2011, 12:19
i can’t vote!
gavspav (@)
31st January 2011, 15:18
Well, I’ve voted for Fangio. Never saw him race except on film and I grew up with Senna. Fangio’s stats are second to none, thats a better than second place per race he finished people! Unbelievable. Roy Savadori said about the 57 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring “He was taking 10 seconds a lap out of those Ferraris. Look, a second’s a lifetime. When you talk about 10 seconds, it’s something you can’t believe…..you’d look at it and say “He can’t do that”. But he did. He was driving like I’d never seen anybody drive before. Normally he was placid, but he was really trying. And to say that about Fangio really means he was trying. It was incredible. And he was so loved. What did they do afterwards, Hawthorn and Collins? They were all over him. It was as if they’d bloody won. They were so thrilled, so thrilled, because everybody loved the guy. I reckon they got hell from Ferrari.” Sums it up pretty well I think.
jihelle (@jihelle)
1st February 2011, 9:10
Fangio. Senna had too many shortcomings and went over the limit too often, something Fangio never did.
DMcMillan
1st February 2011, 20:48
They raced in different times. Different competition, different cars and different technology. Fangio also had far less starts so measuring result percentages becomes very inaccurate. I mean if I had 2 races in F1 and had 1 win would I technically have better stats?
dsob (@dsob)
4th February 2011, 9:31
Part of being a Champion is what you are as a man, as a competitor, not just how good a driver you are. Fangio drove with class and brilliance. Senna drove with brilliance as well, but as less of a gentleman. Ask Prost.
I’ve seen them both race, numerous times. And I know in my heart and my gut that if I had a winning car and could only put one of the two in it to save my life, I’d pick Fangio any day.
And while I’m at it, I’d like to quickly take isssue, Keith, with the comment on Fangio’s side of the summary, about Collins handing him the title. Rather makes it sound as tho Collins did all the work whilst Juan Manuel went fishing. I know Collins got out of his car to allow Fangio to finish the race, thus securing the title for Fangio, but if one understands the points system in those days, one understands that Collins had a snowball’s chance of the title, since he needed not only the win but the point for fastest lap as well–and Moss had that point cinched as he was far faster than Collins’ pace. Moss that day was faster than everyone, including Fangio, as Fangio finished second. Bur second place was good enough to win the Driving Championship. Fangio was the one with the true shot at the title, not Collins, and I believe Collins had to have realized that or he never would have given his seat to Fangio. It is true that without Collins’ magnanimosity Fangio could not have won the title, and I give Collins due credit. but it was hardly “handing” the title to Fangio.
Bruno
24th October 2011, 20:54
Senna was a very good driver, Fangio too. They raced in different eras. In Fangio’s time, people were very afraid of getting hurt and they often didn’t go beyond the limit because that would mean a fatal crash.
Besides, Fangio raced in top teams only. Through his career, he had a fifth sense of what were the best team to be. Senna raced some good years, including the last one, in teams struggling to get a good result. Yet he got a handful of them.
Fangio himself said that Senna was the best. Statistically, he may be inferior to Fangio, yes. But there is a lot more than pure numbers in racing.
jack
6th October 2013, 10:45
Ayrton senna all the way. Senna had racing dna. No one can match him.