The Best Cars in the History of Formula One

Are there any specific Formula One cars that you favor? You may find your favorite on our list of the best cars in the history of Formula One!

Throughout 69 seasons of history, many cars have gone through the Formula One grid. Most models went straight into oblivion and others have been in the platoon race after race. Today we’re going to look back and remember the best cars in the history of Formula One. These cars climbed to the top and brought their drivers to glory.

The 6 best cars in the history of Formula One

1. Brawn BGP 001

The Brawn is still one of the best cars in the history of Formula One. On its first and only year of life, the team created by Ross Brawn managed to make a winning car. Then, Jenson Button took the driver’s world championship, in addition to winning the constructors’ championship.

The great superiority of this car was due to its double diffuser. Brawn GP engineers knew how to find a hole in the current regulations to develop a double diffuser capable of creating a greater aerodynamic load. By the time the rest of the teams copied it, Brawn’s already had enough advantage to win the world championship.

2. Ferrari F2002, one of the best cars in the history of Formula One

Ferrari was the great dominator of the first five years of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Until Fernando Alonso and Renault arrived, no one could defeat them. While it’s true that any of the Ferrari of those five years deserves a place in this list, one that’s definitely worth noting is the one from 2002.

The F2002 won 15 out of the 19 races of that year’s calendar, most of them driven by Michael Schumacher. In fact, the German was world champion that season thanks to the Ferrari. In addition, this car with a 3-liter V10 engine is still considered the fastest in the history of Formula One.

3. Lotus 72

This car is one of the greatest creations of Colin Chapman. This engineer was also one of the pioneers in the use of aerodynamics back in the seventies. The Lotus 72 was the car that first implemented the side pontoons, placing the radiators on the sides of the pilot.

Without a doubt, Lotus deserves a place as one of the best cars in the history of Formula One! This isn’t only due to its impressive results, but also because this model opened a window to the future of the sport and was the benchmark for future cars.

A curious fact about the Lotus is that Jochen Rindt drove it in the 1970 season. Halfway through the sports year Rindt, who had previously won four grand prizes, passed away. Rindt is the only post mortem champion driver of Formula One!

4. Mercedes W196

This car competed in the 1954 and 1955 seasons. Both Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss drove it to pole position. In both years, the Mercedes helped Fangio become a world champion.

In 2013, the Mercedes W196 went on auction and was sold for the stratospheric figure of 22.7 million euros. This impressive amount made it the most expensive car sold in a public auction, ever!

5. Red Bull RB7

As with the Ferrari of the early 2000s, it’s also difficult to choose a single Red Bull car in particular. From 2010 to 2013, Vettel was proclaimed world champion as a Red Bull driver. Much of the success at this stage of Red Bull is due to their head engineer Adrian Newey.

Of the five cars driven during those years, we have chosen the RB7 (cover of this article). The Red Bull RB7 competed in 2011 and gave the two-time championship to Austrian driver Vettel. It was a car that was always surrounded by controversy for its blown diffuser. It also raised many suspicions for its performance changes between the race and the classification.

6. Renault R25 a surprise among the best cars in the history of Formula One

The Renault R25 deserves a place on this list for having been able to defeat the almighty Ferrari. After five consecutive world championships, the modest Renault team shot down the infamous Maranello cars.

This car, with a v10 engine, was the one that drove Fernando Alonso to win his first world championship. Despite not being the fastest car in the race, it was very reliable. Because of this, the Renault made it easier for Alonso to take the world championship with eight wins and 15 podiums. Likewise, the French brand won the constructors’ championship.

In short, the history of this sport is too broad and rich to be summed up in a few lines. Of course, what’s indisputable is that these cars, along with others of the best Formula One in history, will remain forever in the memory of fans.