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The 1990s was one of the most interesting decades in the history of Formula 1, full of great rivalries between drivers and teams. The 90s definitely meant the transition between the F1 we had seen in previous decades and the modern F1 of the 21st century, marked by technology and precision.
The 1990s saw the last years of great legends such as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, and Nelson Piquet, while new ones emerged such as Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen, and Damon Hill.
There were 7 different world champion drivers in the decade and 4 constructors\’ championships. The 90s were undoubtedly Williams\’ golden era in F1, in which they won 5 constructors\’ championships and introduced many of the technological advances that were produced.
With all that said, let\’s take a look at who some of the best F1 drivers of the 1990s were to learn a little more about this era.
1. Michael Schumacher
Active years: 1991-2006, 2010-2012
Entries: 308
Wins: 91
Podiums: 155
Pole Positions: 68
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1994 and 1995
Michael Schumacher is probably the greatest F1 driver of all time, and although his golden age was the 2000s, he was still one of only three drivers to win two world championships in the 1990s. The German made a great debut in 1991 with Jordan, which earned him a seat at Benetton for the following season, a team that was on the rise.
\”The Kaiser\” already achieved his first podiums and victories in 1992 and 1993, thus consolidating himself as one of the greatest emerging talents in the category, and had some confrontations with great established drivers such as Ayrton Senna. After the Brazilian\’s death, Schumacher won the 1994 and 1995 championships with Benetton, thus beating Williams, the dominant team.
In 1996, the German signed for Ferrari, and for 4 seasons he gave his all with cars that were not too competitive, fighting for the championship until the end. In 1997 he was disqualified from the championship for a controversial clash with Jacques Villeneuve in the final round, who ended up winning the championship.
In 1998 he had a great rivalry with Mika Häkkinen, who ended up beating him, and the fight between the two continued in 1999 until the German had a serious accident at Silverstone that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Nevertheless, the hard years of sacrifice were worth it, and in the 2000s Ferrari and Schumacher marked one of the most dominant periods in F1 history, but that\’s another story…
2. Ayrton Senna
Active years: 1984-1994
Entries: 162
Wins: 41
Podiums: 80
Pole Positions: 65
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1990 and 1991
Ayrton Senna is one of the most iconic drivers in the history of Formula 1 and is remembered as one of the best drivers in history, especially in difficult conditions such as rain and street circuits, like Monaco, where he won 6 times.
Senna began the 1990s as he ended the 1980s, fighting for the championship with his greatest rival: Alain Prost. The Brazilian won the duel in 1988, and Prost in 1989. The Frenchman left for Ferrari in 1990 due to the toxic atmosphere at McLaren, but the rivalry extended into the new decade.
The Brazilian and the Frenchman fought fiercely throughout the season, and in the last round, they collided at Turn 1, resulting in one of the most controversial maneuvers in F1 history, which gave Senna the title.
In 1991, on the other hand, Senna was unrivaled, dominating the season from start to finish and becoming a three-time world champion. After two seasons with less competitive McLarens, Senna signed for Williams in 1994, which started the season with many problems.
In the third round, at the San Marino GP, things seemed to be going better, as they were fighting for the victory, but a mechanical failure caused Senna to crash into the barriers at the Tamburello Corner, dying on the spot and leaving a big void in the category. His death also marked the start of a campaign to significantly increase safety by the FIA.
3. Mika Häkkinen
Active years: 1991-2001
Entries: 165
Wins: 20
Podiums: 51
Pole Positions: 26
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1998 and 1999
Häkkinen is one of the most representative drivers of the 1990s, as he was a constant throughout most of the decade. His good performances with Lotus in 1991 and 1992, in which he scored points in a team that was in full decline, earned him a seat at McLaren, first as a reserve driver, and as an official from the last races of 1993.
The Finn never changed teams again during his racing career, staying with McLaren until he retired at the end of 2001. Although he achieved podiums during every season, it was not until 1997 that the Finn got his first victory, as McLaren experienced some uncompetitive years after its successes during the late 80s and early 90s.
However, the Woking-based team gradually rebuilt itself and ended the decade just as they started it: winning. 1998 and 1999 were fantastic seasons, in which Häkkinen fought for the championship against Michael Schumacher, beating him on both occasions and going down in the history books as a double world champion.
4. Nigel Mansell
Active years: 1980-1992, 1994-1995
Entries: 192
Wins: 31
Podiums: 59
Pole Positions: 32
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1992
Mansell had a long career in Formula 1, although much of it was with uncompetitive cars. His fortune changed in the 1990s, and after two seasons with Ferrari in which he achieved some good podiums and victories, the Englishman returned in 1991 to Williams, a team in which he had already driven between 1985 and 1988, achieving two runner-up finishes in the championship.
Mansell returned to Williams at the perfect time, as the Grove team took over McLaren\’s successful legacy, and following the Woking-based team\’s dominance in 1991, in 1992 Williams built one of the most dominant cars in history: the FW14B.
The FW14B is considered one of the most technologically sophisticated cars in F1 history, which included semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, traction control, and anti-lock brakes during certain periods. With it, Mansell won the 1992 championship with 9 victories, 12 podiums, and 14 poles, and finally became world champion after 12 years in the category.
After that, Mansell retired from F1, although he made some appearances with Williams in 1994 and with McLaren in 1995.
5. Damon Hill
Active years: 1992-1999
Entries: 122
Wins: 22
Podiums: 42
Pole Positions: 20
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1996
Damon Hill has racing in his blood. The son of double world champion Graham Hill made his Formula 1 debut at the tender age of 31, but once in the category, he wasted no time in proving he had what it takes to be a world champion.
Hill made his debut in 1992 with Brabham, and in 1993 he signed for Williams, being the second driver of Alain Prost. The Frenchman was world champion that season, while Hill was third and obtained 3 victories, which is not bad for his second year.
In 1994, after the death of his new teammate, Ayrton Senna, Hill took over the leadership of the team, fighting with Schumacher\’s superior Benetton for the 1994 and 1995 championships, albeit unsuccessfully, and with some controversial episodes such as the final round of 1994 in which the two collided.
Schumacher left for the less competitive Ferrari in 1996, which was a year in which Williams and Hill dominated the grid, winning the coveted title just like his father. After that season, Hill managed the odd win and podium but was never competitive again.
6. Alain Prost
Active years: 1980-1991, 1993
Entries: 202
Wins: 51
Podiums: 106
Pole Positions: 33
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1993
Alain Prost was one of the most successful drivers of the 80s, although during the 90s he also left his mark in the category, even though he only competed for 3 seasons.
After a controversial end to the 1989 season in which the Frenchman won the title ahead of his eternal rival and teammate at McLaren, Ayrton Senna, the Frenchman signed for Ferrari in 1990 for the good of the team, but his rivalry with the Brazilian remained.
In 1990, the story of the previous year was repeated, in the same scenario, Suzuka, but with a different result. Both arrived at the penultimate round with a chance of winning the championship, but a controversial collision between the two at the first corner gave the championship to Senna, who took revenge for the previous year.
After an uncompetitive season with Ferrari in 1991, Prost retired from F1, but returned in 1993 with the dominant Williams, taking the championship with 7 wins, 12 podiums, and 13 pole positions, and ahead of Senna one last time. The Frenchman retired from F1 at the end of the year, being at the top, and, as fate would have it, it was Senna who replaced him the following year.
7. Jacques Villeneuve
Active years: 1996-2006
Entries: 165
Wins: 11
Podiums: 23
Pole Positions: 13
Best result in the 90s: World Champion in 1997
Like Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve followed in his father\’s footsteps, becoming the second generation of his family to become a Formula 1 driver. The Canadian had a very particular career in Formula 1, which went from better to worse.
Villeneuve made his debut in 1996 with Williams, the best team at the time, and in his first Grand Prix, he took pole and second place. That season, in which he achieved four victories, the Canadian became the first rookie runner-up in the world championship, only beaten by his teammate Damon Hill, with whom he had a tough battle until the final round.
In 1997, after Hill\’s departure from the team, Villeneuve took over the leadership, starring in a great battle with Michael Schumacher. Both came into the final round with a chance of winning the title, but the German was disqualified after a controversial move, giving the title to the Canadian.
However, after that season, Villeneuve never had competitive cars again. Williams became a midfield team in 1998, and Villeneuve tried his luck with BAR, Renault, and Sauber, but without much success.
8. Gerhard Berger
Active years: 1984-1997
Entries: 210
Wins: 10
Podiums: 48
Pole Positions: 12
Best result in the 90s: 3rd in the championship in 1994
Gerhard Berger is the sixteenth driver with the most races in the history of Formula 1. During 14 seasons, the Austrian moved between some of the best teams of the time: Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren.
Berger left Ferrari at the end of 1989 to join McLaren, being the perfect second driver to Ayrton Senna, as he achieved solid results enough for McLaren to win the constructors\’ championship in 1990 and 1991. Between 1993 and 1995, Berger raced again with Ferrari, and in 1996 and 1997 with Benetton, having Jean Alesi as teammate during all those years.
Neither of the two teams managed to build a truly competitive car to win the championship, so the Austrian could only score podiums and a few victories, finishing third in the 1994 championship as his best result.
One thing to highlight about Berger was his great adaptability to any car, as he was very fast with all of them, although he could not become world champion. The Austrian scored podiums in every season from 1986 until he retired in 1997, proving to be in great form during all those years.
9. David Coulthard
Active years: 1994-2008
Entries: 247
Wins: 13
Podiums:
Pole Positions: 12
Best result in the 90s: 3rd in the championship in 1995, 1997 and 1998
David Coulthard is also a veteran in Formula 1, being the eleventh driver with the most races contested, and the fifth with the most points obtained during his career. The Scotsman is considered one of the best drivers to have never won the world championship and was especially noted for his consistency, as he finished 7 times in the top five in the championship.
Coulthard replaced the late Ayrton Senna in 1994, achieving his first podium that season and his first victory the following year. The Scot finished third in the 1995 championship, thus establishing himself as one of the great promises of the category, as he was still very young.
In 1997, Coulthard joined McLaren, with whom he raced until 2004. In 1997, the Scot finished third in the championship, ahead of his teammate Mika Häkkinen. However, in 1998 and 1999 the Finn was far superior, winning the championships, while Coulthard could only finish third and fourth.
After his time at McLaren, Coulthard joined the newly created Red Bull project. Although the Scotsman never won the title, he always proved to be a match for the best, making life difficult for some of the great legends of the category.
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Active years: 1994-2003
Entries: 160
Wins: 3
Podiums: 18
Pole Positions: 2
Best result in the 90s: 2nd in the championship in 1997
Heinz-Harald Frentzen made his F1 debut in 1994 with Sauber, and for 3 seasons he scored good points in an uncompetitive car, which earned him a seat for 1997 at Williams, the best team on the grid, replacing world champion Damon Hill.
However, the German was never at Villeneuve\’s level in 1997. While the Canadian was world champion with 7 victories and 81 points, Frentzen was second after Schumacher\’s disqualification, having obtained only 1 victory.
In 1998 he was closer to Villeneuve, although by then Williams became a midfield team. In 1999 he signed for Jordan, driving alongside Damon Hill, in what was probably the best season of his racing career. The German was third in the championship and obtained 2 victories and 6 podiums, while Hill was only twelfth.
After that season, Fretzen\’s racing career went downhill, with only some occasional podium finishes. Heinz-Harald Frentzen had the ability to win the championship, but his big drawback was his lack of consistency.
11. Eddie Irvine
Active years: 1993-2002
Entries: 148
Wins: 4
Podiums: 26
Pole Positions: 0
Best result in the 90s: 2nd in the championship in 1999
Eddie Irvine\’s racing career started in a fraudulent way, by provoking Ayrton Senna\’s anger while being lapped in the last round of 1993, and by receiving a one-race ban in the opening season of 1994 after causing a collision, which was extended to 3 races for protesting.
However, after these episodes, things calmed down. The Briton drove for Jordan until 1995, obtaining a podium in the 1995 Canadian GP. Despite being beaten by his teammate Rubens Barrichello, Irvine signed for Ferrari in 1996, alongside Michael Schumacher.
For 3 seasons he was far behind the German, obtaining podiums but no victories. However, 1999 was his great year. The Briton won the opening round, and after Schumacher\’s accident at Silverstone that left him out of the track for the rest of the season, Irvine took the leadership of the team, adding 3 more victories and fighting with Häkkinen for the championship until the last round.
Irvine lost the 1999 title by just two points. The Briton came very close to the Finn due to his great form, and also partly due to McLaren\’s reliability problems and Häkkinen\’s mistakes.
12. Jean Alesi
Active years: 1989-2001
Entries: 202
Wins: 1
Podiums: 32
Pole Positions: 2
Best result in the 90s: 4th in the championship in 1996 and 1997
Jean Alesi made his F1 debut in 1989 with Tyrrell and from the very first moment, he made a good impression, scoring some points in 1989 and two podiums in 1990.
His good performances earned him a seat at Ferrari for 1991, where he drove until 1995. From 1993 to 1997 he raced alongside Gerhard Berger, first at Ferrari and then at Benetton. The two were neck and neck all these years. Alesi beat the Austrian in 1993, 1995, and 1996, while Berger was ahead in 1994 and 1995.
Despite racing 5 seasons with Ferrari, Alesi was unable to fight for the championships, as none of those Ferraris were really competitive, as the team was undergoing a period of restructuring. The Frenchman scored numerous podiums, but only managed a single victory, at the 1995 Canadian GP.
The same thing happened with Benetton. They were fast cars, but not fast enough to win. Alesi ended the decade driving midfield Saubers in 1998 and 1999 that he couldn\’t do much with. Alesi was a great talent in F1, but he never had really competitive cars.
13. Nelson Piquet
Active years: 1978-1991
Entries: 207
Wins: 23
Podiums: 60
Pole Positions: 24
Best result in the 90s: 3rd in the championship in 1990
Although Nelson Piquet\’s golden era in F1 was the 80s, when he went down in the history books as one of the best drivers, with 3 world championships (1981, 1983 and 1987), the Brazilian completed two seasons in the 90s with the Benetton team, at the highest level.
At that time, Benetton was on the rise, being a competitive upper-midfield team. In 1990, Piquet got the most out of his car, taking two wins and four podiums, scoring points in all but one race, and outscoring his two teammates, Alessandro Nannini and Roberto Moreno.
In 1991 the Brazilian continued at the same level, although Benetton was somewhat less competitive during this season. Piquet took his last F1 victory at the Canadian GP, as well as two podiums, and outscored Moreno again.
However, the then young Michael Schumacher replaced Moreno during the last 4 rounds and was very close to Piquet, despite the Brazilian\’s vast experience in the category. After 14 seasons in F1, Piquet retired definitively from the category.
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Conclusion
The competition in F1 is very high, and only a few drivers manage to achieve success. On many occasions, a driver has the necessary skills to be a world champion, but his car may not be up to the task, like many drivers in this list, in which we find world champions, but also others who did not have things easy.
Who is your favorite driver of the 90s? It was undoubtedly an era with a great generation of drivers, who left their mark on the sport, at a time when racing careers were lengthening.
