I'd have to agree, that to date Michael is the best. Period. Before him, each of the previous bests moved the bar a little bit further. Almost without exception, all of these guys were "Thinking mens racers" who could manage a race at the same time as driving faster then everyone else.
Fangio: Could sit in almost anything and be faster then the other guys. Great mechanical sympathy, so he would finish races when others wouldn't in an age of unreliable and unsafe cars. Really the first "Professional" as opposed to be a fast "gentlemen" racer.
Clark: Very fast and easy on the cars. Tough as nails, but polished up nice and could do a good interview too, even before the age of the race car drivers as Marketing Spokesmen.
Stewart: Very fast and easy on cars. Really the first of the classic "Marketing Spokesmen" and fitness fanatics in addition to his uncontested abilities in the car. Was a consistent winner in an age when cars were developing incredibly quickly, and yet he was still always at the front, even in a era of full of great drivers such as Brabham, Clark, Hill, McLaren, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Rindt, etc.
Lauda: After Stewart, he took race strategy to a whole new level. It wasn't just about being fast in the car, and in the race, but it was about being the master of set-up, developing the right tire relationships, the right team, etc. Tough doesn't begin to describe "Super Rat" after his ability to comeback after his crash.
Prost: Like Lauda, but even more intellectual and more of an organizer. He developed the whole idea of developing the team around himself by recruiting the right people, etc. Considering how well he organized the teams when he was in the driver's seat, it's curious that he wasn't successful managing his team from the front office...
Senna: He's really the odd man out. Undeniably smart, and fit. The thing that kept him at the front was unequalled speed and commitment in the car -- in spite of the social, organizational and political hurdles that he put in his own way. If it was a question of the fastest -- I'd have to say Senna. But if the question was "The greatest?", I'd have to say that he had way too many issues getting in the way of him being the best that he could be.
Foyt: Fast in any car, any day, any track. But like Senna, way too many issues off the track, especially when he opened his mouth. As a fan though, I did love his interviews.
Schumacher: Yeah, I'd have to say the greatest to date. He was almost as fast as Senna on any given day -- sometimes faster. But he has learned to be a better organizer then Prost, a better Spokesman then Stewart, and tougher then Lauda. He also gives better interviews the Senna, and motivates his team and the fan base far better then Foyt ever could imagine. While the Beneton team was mid-field at best when he got there (and the same with Jordon before that for the one race that he did with them), he was able to work within the team to move it up to World Champion caliber. But he learned about the value of the team there, and then went looking for deeper pockets -- Ferrari. Hardly a power-house when got there in spite of their big budgets. To be honest, Ferrari had pretty well managed deflated the careers of Mansel, Berger, Alesi and Prost before Schumacher arrived. Schumacher on the other hand was able to come to grips with the politics, and act as the core around which the team was built.
The rest they say -- is history...
