The five best drivers who never won a Formula 1 world title

5. David Coulthard

After Stirling Moss, David Coulthard is the driver with the most wins to his name without ever becoming world champion. After the departure of Mika Hakkinen, the then McLaren driver was the only one who could occasionally make things somewhat difficult for Michael Schumacher in Ferrari's heyday.

Apart from his results on the track, Coulthard also proved to be highly skilled in the business aspect of the sport. He played a key role in bringing in Adrian Newey by Red Bull Racing, where Coulthard became their first driver in 2005. The two had a long association at McLaren and still maintained a good working relationship. In 2006, Newey joined the team after the Scot approached him for dinner with Christian Horner.

4. Gilles Villeneuve

In a career that lasted just six seasons, Gilles Villeneuve managed to make his mark on the F1 world. The Canadian started at McLaren, but achieved his greatest successes at Ferrari. His best result in a championship came in 1979, when he finished second behind teammate Jody Scheckter. Both drivers won three races that year.

In the following years, the reliability of the Ferrari cars plummeted, but in 1981 Villeneuve still managed two wins and a podium position. The following year he started with two retirements, but with a second place in San Marino, the Canadian reminded everyone what he had to offer. The following weekend in Belgium ended in tragedy. Villeneuve crashed during qualifying at the Zolder circuit, launching into the air at high speed. He did not survive the accident.

3. Carlos Reutemann

As with several drivers in this list, the big question with Carlos Reutemann is 'what could have been'. The Argentinian drove for big names like Ferrari and Williams and won 12 races. He finished third in the championship three times, but his biggest opportunity would come in 1981. He entered the final race in Las Vegas with a one-point lead over Nelson Piquet, but finished behind the Brazilian, missing out on the world title by one point.

In 1982, Reutemann decided to quit F1 after two races. Many say this was because of the Falklands War between the UK and Argentina, others argue it was because of an internal conflict with Williams. His teammate Keke Rosberg won his only world title that year. After his career as a racing driver, Reutemann went into politics and later became governor of his native province of Santa Fe, among others. He died on 7 July 2021 at the age of 79.

2. Ronnie Peterson

Ronnie Peterson was undeniably fast, but was often hampered by reliability problems with the cars he drove. He was on pole position 14 times and won 10 races, nine of them with Lotus. Trips to March and Tyrrell proved less successful. After spending a year at Tyrrell, the Swedish driver returned to Lotus in 1978, where he became Mario Andretti's teammate.

The following year he would move to McLaren, but it never got that far. Peterson was killed in a heavy crash at the start of the Italian Grand Prix, involving almost half the field. He was pulled from his burning car by fellow drivers and taken to hospital, but later died of his injuries there. Despite having two races to go, Peterson finished second in the championship.

1. Stirling Moss

The number one in this list should come as no surprise. A legendary name in the top class of motorsport, but without a world title to his name: Sir Stirling Moss. The Briton started 66 races, winning 16 of them. In his nine F1 seasons, he finished second in the championship four times and third three times. In 1958, he almost succeeded, but fell one point short of Mike Hawthorn.

In 1962, Moss saw his career end after a serious crash during the Glover Trophy at Goodwood Circuit, after which he spent a month in a coma and the left side of his body was paralysed for six months. He recovered, but decided to hang up his helmet the following year. On 12 April 2020, he died at the age of 90.

Honourable mentions

Jacky Ickx

Jacky Ickx triumphed in several championships, including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, but he never managed to become Formula 1 world champion. In 1970, he was five points short of winning the world title, which was posthumously won by Jochen Rindt that year.

Felipe Massa

Not often did an F1 driver come as close to winning the world title as Felipe Massa. The Brazilian crossed the finish line as world champion in 2008, but an unexpected late overtaking move by Lewis Hamilton on Timo Glock in the last few corners meant it was the Briton who got to celebrate his first world title.

Didier Pironi

The 1982 F1 season went tragically for Ferrari. Eleven races after losing Gilles Villeneuve, his teammate Didier Pironi led the championship with a nine-point lead, but after securing pole position for the German GP, he collided with Alain Prost's Renault at 170 kilometres per hour. Months of surgery followed and although he was eventually able to walk again, he could never race again.

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello drove a record 322 races, scoring 14 pole positions, 11 victories and 68 podium finishes. During his time at Ferrari, however, the universally loved Brazilian had to eternally acknowledge his superiority to Michael Schumacher and a world title never came within his reach.