Ranking the top 10 pre-war grand prix drivers

Before the Formula 1 world championship kicked off in 1950, the pre-war age was rich with grand prix racing talent. Motorsport.com picks out the very best of the bunch

Kevin Turner Mar 27, 2023, 10:23 AM

Upd: Mar 28, 2023, 8:38 AM

Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are among the greatest names in grand prix racing but there were many driving legends before the arrival of Formula 1.

From the inaugural French GP in 1906 until the outbreak of the Second World War, motorsport developed quickly and many of the characters were as much pioneers and adventurers as they were drivers. Some of those developed into the first motorsport professionals and had to deal with poor surfaces and difficult cars, not to mention the fact that some of the early GPs took two days!

Share Or Save This Story

Author Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner is Autosport’s Chief Editor. While studying History at the University of York, Kevin began covering UK club events as a freelance reporter for Autosport and Motorsport News. He joined the Autosport staff as Editorial Assistant on the magazine in 2006, winning what is now known as the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award. He became National Editor in 2008 and over the next few seasons covered a range of international events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the British Touring Car Championship and British GT. Kevin became Features Editor before switching to edit Motorsport News in 2014.

He returned to Autosport in 2016 to become editor of the magazine, a dream job that is still part of his role.

He became Chief Editor in 2020, helping to plan content for autosport.com and Autosport’s podcast as well as seeing the magazine through the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin also led work on the special publication celebrating 70 years of Autosport and has been a judge on the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, formerly known as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, since 2008. He lives in Fleet with his wife and two children.