# The 13 Greatest Formula 1 Drivers of the 1980s

> Turbo engines, four different world champions and a grid where a great car mattered as much as a great driver. Pick the one who defined the decade.

*By YPB Team · Published August 16, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-13-greatest-formula-1-drivers-of-the-1980s*

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## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Ayrton Senna**
   Brazilian who arrived in 1984 and took the 1988 world title in his first McLaren season.
2. **Alain Prost**
   French driver who won three of his four world titles inside the decade, in 1985, 1986 and 1989.
3. **Nelson Piquet**
   Brazilian who took world championships in 1981, 1983 and 1987 with Brabham and Williams.
4. **Nigel Mansell**
   British driver whose Williams and Ferrari years made him the decade's most-watched nearly-man.
5. **Niki Lauda**
   Austrian who came out of retirement and won a third title with McLaren in 1984 by half a point.
6. **Keke Rosberg**
   Finn who took the 1982 world championship with a single race win all season.
7. **Gilles Villeneuve**
   Ferrari driver whose spectacular car control defined the turn of the decade until his death in 1982.
8. **Michele Alboreto**
   Italian who came closest to a Ferrari title in the mid-1980s, finishing runner-up in 1985.
9. **Elio de Angelis**
   Elegant Lotus driver and the last man to win a race for the team before Senna arrived.
10. **Riccardo Patrese**
   Italian whose career spanned the whole decade and beyond, from Arrows to Brabham to Williams.
11. **René Arnoux**
   French driver remembered for the 1979 Dijon duel and a hard-fought Renault and Ferrari career.
12. **Alan Jones**
   Australian who opened the decade as reigning champion after taking the 1980 title for Williams.
13. **Didier Pironi**
   Ferrari driver leading the 1982 championship when a practice crash at Hockenheim ended his career.

Tags: 80s, formula 1, racing, drivers, motorsport