Fastest F1 Drivers: The Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna has been ranked fastest in the data analysis findings of F1 and AWS.
AWS, better known as Amazon Web Services has partnered with Formula 1 this season to provide data-based in-race graphics. Apart from that, they have now come with a list of the ‘Fastest Drivers’ in Formula 1 history. Complex, elaborate data analysis has been done, with the findings suggesting Aryton Senna is the fastest driver ever.
According to F1 and AWS, the list has been prepared by using “machine learning technology to provide an objective, data-driven ranking of all drivers from 1983 through 2019. Crucially, the ‘car factor’ has been removed, focusing on the raw speed of the drivers in qualifying.
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton on the podium
| Rank | Driver | Gap to Leader (in secs) |
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | Leader |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | 0.114 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 0.275 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 0.28 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 0.309 |
| 6 | Nico Rosberg | 0.374 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | 0.376 |
| 8 | Heikki Kovalainen | 0.378 |
| 9 | Jarno Truli | 0.409 |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | 0.435 |
After Ayrton Senna, it is the most-successful F1 driver in history Michael Schumacher on the list. Schumacher has 7 world championships to his win, five of them consecutively with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. Next on the list is Lewis Hamilton, who looks set to equal Schumacher’s championship record this season
Current F1 sensation Max Verstappen was fourth on the list, followed by Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli and Sebastian Vettel.
Formula 1 and AWS released a statement explaining how the findings were carried out. Machine learning played a major part in it, with focus on the driver’s performance output. This helped to compare drivers across generations such as Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton.
This is what the statement read: “by comparing team-mates in qualifying sessions, the machine learning-based tool focuses on a driver’s performance output. It helps in building a network of team-mates across the time-range, all interlinked, and therefore comparable.”
“The Fastest Driver algorithm effectively normalises for car and the team performance. Overall, this builds up a picture of how drivers from different generations compare.”
