Sixteen motorsport legends and great races, from Senna, Prost, Lauda, Schumacher and Hamilton to Valentino Rossi and Sébastien Loeb, plus Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR, Le Mans, the Indy 500 and the Red Bull Air Race.
Few sports combine courage, engineering and split-second decisions like motor racing. This collection brings together the drivers and riders who defined it and the races that made them famous. In Formula 1 it follows Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso; on two wheels Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner; in rallying Sébastien Loeb and Colin McRae. Further articles explain Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Red Bull Air Race.
The records are extraordinary. Schumacher and Hamilton each won seven Formula 1 world titles, Senna won Monaco six times, Rossi took nine world championships, and Loeb won nine consecutive World Rally Championships. Richard Petty's 200 NASCAR wins and Giacomo Agostini's 15 motorcycle world titles may never be beaten, and the fastest F1 pit stop took just 1.80 seconds.
So is the bravery. Niki Lauda returned to racing just 42 days after nearly burning to death at the Nürburgring, Senna once stopped to help save a rival's life on track, and Alonso raced with broken bones. Behind the speed there is also plenty of eccentricity: Rossi talks to his bike before every race, Prost was fired by Ferrari for comparing their car to a truck, and Lauda traded his trophies for free car washes.
The great races have their own quirks, from the milk drunk by Indy 500 winners to the champagne-spraying tradition born by accident at Le Mans. Pick a legend or race below to read fifteen facts.
Every item on this page, with the one fact most people get wrong about it.
| Name | Where you'll meet it | The fact worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Ayrton Senna | Brazil, 3 F1 titles | He won the Monaco Grand Prix a record six times. |
| Alain Prost | France, 4 F1 titles | Ferrari fired him after he compared their car to a truck. |
| Michael Schumacher | Germany, 7 F1 titles | His F1 debut came about only because another driver was arrested. |
| Lewis Hamilton | Great Britain, 7 F1 titles | As a boy he was a champion at remote-control car racing. |
| Fernando Alonso | Spain, 2 F1 titles | He began racing in a kart his father built for his sister. |
| Niki Lauda | Austria, 3 F1 titles | He returned to racing just 42 days after nearly burning to death. |
| Formula 1 | Motorsport's top single-seater series | The fastest pit stop ever took just 1.80 seconds. |
| Valentino Rossi | Italy, 9 world titles | He talks to his bike before every race. |
| Casey Stoner | Australia, 2 MotoGP titles | He won Ducati's first MotoGP world title in 2007. |
| MotoGP | Motorcycle world championship | Riders lean their bikes over at up to 65 degrees. |
| Sébastien Loeb | France, 9 WRC titles | He won nine consecutive World Rally Championships. |
| Colin McRae | Scotland, 1995 WRC champion | His motto was "If in doubt, flat out". |
| NASCAR | USA, founded in Daytona Beach | The sport was born from Prohibition bootleggers. |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | France, since 1923 | The tradition of spraying champagne began by accident at Le Mans. |
| Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis, since 1911 | The winner drinks milk because of one thirsty driver. |
| Red Bull Air Race | Aerobatic air racing series | The pylons pilots raced around were made of fragile sail fabric. |
Most NASCAR Wins
200
Richard Petty's 200 victories are a NASCAR record that will probably never be broken. NASCAR
Fastest at Le Mans
405 km/h
A WM-Peugeot was clocked at 405 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight in 1988. 24 Hours of Le Mans
Closest Indy 500
0.0233 seconds
The 2026 Indianapolis 500 was decided by just 0.0233 seconds. Indianapolis 500
Brazil, 3 F1 titles
Ayrton Senna won three world titles and 41 Grands Prix, and his wet-weather mastery made him the "Rain Master". His first lap at Donington in 1993 is called the "Lap of the Gods", and he secretly gave millions to Brazilian children. More than three million people attended his state funeral.
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France, 4 F1 titles
"The Professor" lost the 1984 title by the smallest margin in history and remains France's only Formula 1 world champion. His feud with Senna began with a broken agreement at Imola, but the two reconciled before Senna's death. He later ran his own F1 team.
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Germany, 7 F1 titles
Michael Schumacher slept in a youth hostel at his debut weekend and ended Ferrari's 21-year title drought. He revolutionised driver fitness, voiced a character in Pixar's Cars and donated $10 million to tsunami relief. His comeback helped lay the foundations for Mercedes' dominance.
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Great Britain, 7 F1 titles
Lewis Hamilton introduced himself to Ron Dennis as a child and grew up to have the most explosive rookie season in F1 history. He won his first title on the final corner, matched Schumacher's seven titles and is the king of Silverstone. He later stunned the sport with a move to Ferrari.
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Spain, 2 F1 titles
Fernando Alonso ended Michael Schumacher's title streak in 2005 and has set Formula 1 longevity records. He performs sleight-of-hand magic, has a samurai tattoo and tackled the Dakar Rally. He is still chasing motorsport's Triple Crown.
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Austria, 3 F1 titles
Niki Lauda took out a huge bank loan to buy his way into F1 and embraced the nickname "The Rat". He traded his trophies for free car washes, founded an airline and personally forced Boeing to admit fault after a fatal crash. He is the only driver to win titles with both Ferrari and McLaren.
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Motorsport's top single-seater series
Formula 1 drivers lose kilos of fluid in every race, and a modern steering wheel costs more than most road cars. A six-wheeled car once won a Grand Prix, and the titanium halo can hold the weight of two London buses. The sparks come from a wooden plank under the car.
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Italy, 9 world titles
Valentino Rossi refused the champion's number 1 plate and kept his famous 46, and almost switched to Formula 1 with Ferrari. He is the only rider to win titles in four engine classes, and his feud with Max Biaggi once turned into a stairwell fight. He later moved into GT racing.
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Australia, 2 MotoGP titles
Casey Stoner left Australia for Britain at 14 to chase his racing dream and won titles with two different manufacturers. A corner at Phillip Island is named after him. He shocked the sport by retiring at 27 and later battled chronic fatigue syndrome.
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Motorcycle world championship
MotoGP bikes are pure prototypes capable of more than 227 mph, with carbon brakes that only work when blisteringly hot. Riders wear kangaroo-leather suits with mandatory airbags. Giacomo Agostini's 15 world titles have never been beaten.
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France, 9 WRC titles
Sébastien Loeb was an elite gymnast and an apprentice electrician before racing. He once clinched a world title while resting on his sofa, broke the Pikes Peak record and finished second at Le Mans. At 47 he became the oldest winner in WRC history.
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Scotland, 1995 WRC champion
Colin McRae became the youngest World Rally Champion, a record that stood for 27 years, and his name sold millions of video games. He once repaired his car with a rock and tested a Formula 1 car at Silverstone. Fans affectionately called him "Colin McCrash".
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USA, founded in Daytona Beach
NASCAR drivers can lose ten pounds in a race in cars that have no working doors. Richard Petty's 200 wins will probably never be matched, and the season opens with its biggest event, the Daytona 500. Jet turbines are used to dry rain-soaked tracks.
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France, since 1923
Winning cars cover more than 5,000 kilometres in 24 hours, and a WM-Peugeot hit 405 km/h in 1988. Tom Kristensen's dominance earned him the title "Mr Le Mans", and the Ford-Ferrari war became legendary. The 1955 disaster transformed racing safety.
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Indianapolis, since 1911
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue on Earth, has a golf course inside the track and its own town. Its first event was a balloon race, and a World War I flying ace once owned it. The 2026 race was decided by just 0.0233 seconds.
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Aerobatic air racing series
Red Bull Air Race pilots flew tight courses at around 230 mph and endured G-forces far greater than F1 drivers. Their planes weighed less than a small car, and laser timing measured laps to a ten-thousandth of a second. A repair crew called the "Airgators" fixed collisions in minutes.
Read the full article →8 questions, every answer is somewhere above.
1. How many times did Ayrton Senna win the Monaco Grand Prix?
2. Why did Ferrari fire Alain Prost?
3. Which famous TV character did Michael Schumacher appear as?
4. How soon after his Nürburgring crash did Niki Lauda return to racing?
5. What did Lewis Hamilton race and win as a child?
6. What do Indianapolis 500 winners traditionally drink?
7. What was Sébastien Loeb before he started racing?
8. What were Red Bull Air Race pylons made of?
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record of seven world titles, while many fans name Ayrton Senna for his raw speed and mastery in the wet. Niki Lauda is the only driver to win championships with both Ferrari and McLaren.
The two McLaren team-mates had opposite styles: Senna was all-out speed, Prost the calculating "Professor". A broken agreement at Imola turned their rivalry into open war, but they reconciled shortly before Senna's death in 1994.
Winning the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Fernando Alonso has spent years chasing it, and Le Mans is often called its crowning jewel.
His fatal crash in 1994 triggered a wave of safety reforms in Formula 1. Senna himself had been quietly preparing to lead efforts to improve driver safety.
The cars are built around a strong safety cage, so drivers climb in through the window. Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 triggered a further safety revolution in the sport.
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