I’m honestly a bit surprised to see Michael Schumacher still holding such a firm lead over Lewis Hamilton as of May 11, 2026. Based on 3 rankers, the community seems to be favoring the legendary Ferrari era over the more recent Mercedes dominance. I always expected this to be a toss-up, but Schumacher lands well above the rest of the field. It proves to me that his seven titles and the way he transformed the Scuderia still carry massive weight with fans today.
Lewis Hamilton narrowly beats out Ayrton Senna for the second spot, which feels like a battle of era-defining styles. I suspect Hamilton is sitting here because he has the raw stats, but Senna still has that mythical aura that makes it hard for anyone to truly surpass him in a popularity contest. Seeing Senna comfortably ahead of Alain Prost is no shocker, either. Even though Prost was "The Professor" and technically more efficient in some ways, the community clearly favors the raw, aggressive passion that Senna brought to the track. You can check out the full [Best F1 Drivers](https://ranklist.io/list/best-f1-drivers) list to see how the rest of the grid compares.
What really caught my eye was Max Verstappen rounding out the top five. He lands just behind Prost, which feels like he is right on the cusp of breaking into that top-tier "Mount Rushmore" category of racing. I think he is currently benefiting from his recent run of form, but it is hard to argue with his clinical performance over the last few seasons. He is already outperforming many historical icons who didn't even make this top five.
I think the gap between Schumacher and Hamilton might close as more people weigh in, especially as the memory of the early 2000s fades and Hamilton’s legacy continues to settle. For now, the German legend remains the king of the mountain. If you think the community got this wrong or you believe Max belongs in the top three already, go [rank the Best F1 Drivers](https://ranklist.io/list/best-f1-drivers) yourself and change the order.