‘Project91 Is Not Dead’: Trackhouse Owner Teases Superstar Drivers’ Return to NASCAR

His intense focus and adaptability on all surfaces made him a complete driver, and his success across different teams and eras only cements his legendary status. Sébastien Ogier carved his name into rallying history with eight World Rally Championship titles, making him one of the greatest to ever take the wheel. Known for his relentless consistency, Ogier’s ability to balance aggression with precision allowed him to thrive in the most challenging conditions.

He was a thinking driver who could outsmart his competition with a deep understanding of racecraft and car dynamics. At just 25, Verstappen’s future looks incredibly bright, and he’s already established himself as one of the most exciting drivers on the grid. Off the track, he’s a trailblazer for diversity and social change, using his platform to promote inclusion.

His rivalry with Richard Petty is one of the greatest in NASCAR history, with the two trading victories throughout their careers. Pearson may not have raced full-time as long as others, but his win percentage speaks for itself; he was simply that good. Even so, 2007-spec Hamilton, aged 22, was no slouch as he took team-mate Fernando Alonso by surprise during his debut season. The double world champion was rattled enough to start playing sly tricks on Hamilton and the pair pair finished runners-up, level on points in the championship and a single point behind Kimi Räikkonen. Ultimately, they considered him still a little too inexperienced for such a responsibility but urged that should he get F1 experience for future consideration there. A privately purchased 250F Maserati in ’54 established him firmly among the elite, only unreliability keeping him from victory at Monza – where he was leading Fangio’s Mercedes and Ascari’s Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso – 32 wins

His 1987 Indy 500 win, at the age of 47, Racing Driver made him the oldest winner in the race’s history, further cementing his status as one of the sport’s legends. Unser’s smooth, efficient style made him one of the most consistent drivers to ever compete in IndyCar. During his illustrious career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship and four Indy Car titles. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the Formula One World Championship, and the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Formula One and an Indianapolis 500.

Title battle vs. Verstappen

The first championship came in 1981, as title rival Carlos Reutemann faded in Las Vegas; the following season was spent perfecting the switch to turbo power and it paid off in 1983 when Piquet became the first turbo-powered world champion. Probably a greater driver than most of those who have won grands prix; certainly more gifted than many a world champion. He just didn’t seem to pay much attention to the nitty-gritty of what it took out of the car to maximise his talent in it. Maybe because that would have involved taking himself very seriously. Alright, it wasn’t the most hotly contested of seasons and he never approached such success again, but those victories came from a silken style and multiple layers of determination within his small, wiry frame. His reserves of fight and courage really did have no end, as he demonstrated so ably throughout the war until he paid the ultimate price – he was executed by the Gestapo in 1944 as a member of the French Resistance.

More than 100 fans and 15 drivers were treated for heat prostration during the day, and only five drivers made the finish without pulling in for relief. In these conditions Bill Vukovich drove without any thought of relief to score a dominant win. He led all the way, save for five laps during the first round of pitstops, and won by more than three minutes. The Russian would repeat the feat the following year and confirmed him as one of US racing’s greatest stars — forever remembered as the ‘Iron Man of Indy’.

Complete FIA European Formula 3 Championship results

Both were on show on his greatest day – Montlhery 1934, where he won in an outclassed Alfa, leaving the presumed invincible teams from Mercedes and Auto Union broken and frustrated. He was vain though, especially in front of his home crowd at Monaco, and this was his undoing as he sought to do what looked impressive rather than what was necessary; he could arguably have won there five times but did so only once. At Monaco in ’84, only his sixth Grand Prix, he bore the mark of someone different. When he then took his outclassed Tyrrell from last to the podium, it was easy to see why. Senna caught most eyes that day, his Toleman about to relieve Prost of the lead when the race was halted, but Bellof was catching them both. If his speed was Senna-like, his fearlessness came easier and he indulged in it for its own sake.

His awareness of what was needed covered all frequencies, and often, like Lauda, the depth of his intellect ensured that his best work was done before the race weekend. Once there, he could read a race like a book, and if ever there’s been a racer kinder on tyres his name can only be Clark. If anything, he’s underrated, and the longevity of his career is quite astounding. He first raced in IndyCar in 1957 – and qualified second for the 1991 Indy 500.

Through the late 1980s and ’90s Earnhardt cultivated and projected his image as one of NASCAR’s toughest guys, always ready to use the fender when necessary. He drove a black Chevrolet with a white No3 on the roof and doors, and most of the time he seemed to wear a smirking grin beneath his trim, drooping moustache. Fast, versatile, calculated; it’s no wonder Juha Kankkunen is often named alongside the WRC greats of Sebastian Loeb, Walter Röhrl, Carlos Sainz and the like. Between 1979 and 2010, the Finn competed in four of the WRC’s five main sets of regulations to date and earned three titles driving a Peugeot 205 T16, a Group A Lancia Delta Integrale and a Toyota Celica. Frighteningly consistent, he also became the first driver in the championship’s history to defend his own title (1987) — a feat made more impressive by the fact that the WRC was its the midst of a transition from Group B to Group A cars. An eight-time world champion in three legendary cars, Sébastien Ogier has also won the Monte Carlo Rally nine times for five different manufacturers, proving his versatility beyond doubt.

He won seven of the remaining nine GPs (finishing on the podium on the other two occasions) and clinched the title with three races to spare. It was a successful if toxic final season for Prost at McLaren although his third World Championship was only sealed in the most controversial of circumstances. Senna entered the penultimate race of the year needing to win the Japanese GP to maintain any chance of retaining the title.