Who is the most successful South American F1 driver of all time?

F1 has been around for several years and, in its rich history, has produced many drivers who have played a crucial role in making the sport the pinnacle of motor racing. There is no other racing competition that even comes close to the kind of heart-throbbing action F1 can produce on a regular basis.

Moreover, the credit goes to the drivers who take their respective cars for a spin during Grand Prix events at high speeds and produce spectacular action. Sometimes the on-track action is so intense that it gets edged in the hearts of die-hard fans of the sport for a long time. Without the fearless F1 drivers, the sport would not have been able to amass the global stardom that it has gotten in modern times.

While in the history of the sport, several prolific drivers have graced the stage from all parts of the world. They have been quite a few drivers from South America who have managed to excite the fans over the years. They produced some of the most exciting moments the sports has seen and became racing legends that are respected worldwide.

Discover: Who is the most successful North American F1 driver of all time?

List of the Top 5 South American F1 Drivers

5. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia)

South American countries have always produced prolific F1 racing drivers, and starting from the bottom to top, the first man on the list is none other than the former Colombian F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. He was born on 27th September 1985 in Bogota, Colombia, and competed at the pinnacle of motor racing between 2001-2006.

Moreover, during that time, he participated in 95 races and scored 7 Grand Prix victories and 30 podium finishes. His first F1 entry was at the 2003 Australian Grand Prix, and his last outing came in 2006 at the United States Grand Prix. During his time in F1, he drove for Williams and the Woking-based McLaren F1 team.

4. Carlos Reutmann (Argentina)

The next man on the list is the former Argentine F1 racing driver Carlos Reutmann. He made his trade in F1 from 1972 onward and kept participating in the sport until 1982. His first F1 entry came at the 1972 Argentine F1 Grand Prix, and including that, he took part in a total of 146 races. He managed to win a race on 12 separate occasions and found himself on the podium an impressive 45 times.

Moreover, he traded in the sport for teams like Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus, and the Wantage-based Williams F1 team. He was a prolific racing driver during his prime years and, because of that, by the end of his career, was able to amass 298 points with six pole positions and six fastest laps. His last outing in the sport came at the 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix.

3. Nelson Piquet (Brazil)

With the bottom two out of the way, now it’s time to look at the most renowned F1 drivers that have come from South America. Nelson Piquet comes in at the third slot, and his F1 record speaks for itself. Piquet’s F1 career went in 1978 at the German Grand Prix, and he kept racing until 1991. Moreover, during that time, he won 23 races and scored 60 podium finishes.

He was a prolific racer at the pinnacle of motor racing and was often able to go wheel-to-wheel with the heavy hitters of the sport during his time. He was rarely seen backing out of an on-track fight, and this is one of the main reasons why he was able to amass 481.5 points in his illustrious F1 career. During his time, he did his trade for quite a few teams, and those are Ensign, McLaren, Brabham, Williams, Lotus, and the Benetton F1 team.

2. Ayrton Senna (Brazil)

Ayrton Senna is one of the most renowned names in the history of the pinnacle of motor racing and is considered to be the fastest F1 driver of all time. He was born on 21st March 1960 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and took part in his first F1 race at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix. His career was full of accolades as during his 10-year spell in the sport, he won 41 races and was able to score podium places a brilliant 80 times for the various teams he competed in the sport with.

He participated in 162 races with teams like Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, and the Williams F1 team. Moreover, because of his superb racing skills, he won the F1 World Championship thrice. However, despite all his success, his F1 career/life came to an unfortunate end at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where he lost his life after crashing into a concrete barrier.

1. Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina)

The most successful F1 driver from the South American nations is the former 5-time F1 World Champion, Juan Manuel Fangio. His F1 career started in 1950, and because of his brilliant performances, he could extend his career until 1958. During that time, he did his trade for teams like Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, and the Ferrari F1 team.

While he took part in only 52 races, he was able to win 24 of them and was also able to score 35 podium finishes. During his prime years, there were not many who were able to go wheel-wheel with him, and it is quite evident from his stupendous F1 record. He is the ultimate goat as far as the Southe American drivers are concerned.

In case you missed it:

• Who is the most successful American F1 driver of all time? 
• Who is the most successful German F1 driver of all time?

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