Warwick rates F1's turbo heroes

Derek Warwick started 99 GPs in turbo machinery, from Toleman-Hart to Arrows-Megatron via Renault and Brabham-BMW, and scored four podiums.

He never quite had the luck to take a Formula 1 victory, but the current BRDC president is well-placed to assess the drivers of the era.

So, here are his views on the best F1 drivers, judged by what they achieved - and how they performed - in turbocharged F1 cars, with their turbo moments selected by AUTOSPORT.

10. KEKE ROSBERG

Starts: 49
Wins: 3
Poles: 3
Fastest laps: 3

Perhaps he deserves to be higher - we all remember those 160mph record laps at Silverstone in 1985 - but I think Keke's best days were in the pre-turbo era.

He was a clever racing driver, very professional.

It was Keke driving the Williams-Honda in 1984 with 10 retirements that made me decide not to sign with Williams and stay with Renault for the following season: I didn't think the car or the engine package was good enough!

Turbo moment: Controlling an unwieldy Williams-Honda in baking hot conditions for two hours to win in Dallas in 1984.

9. GERHARD BERGER

Starts: 68
Wins: 4
Poles: 4
Fastest laps: 8

One of the nicest guys in F1. I think he is under-rated because he had unbelievable team-mates.

He came into F1 really strong with BMW backing. He was good in the Ferrari, which didn't have the best engine, and finished third in the championship [in 1988].

Was he too nice? Maybe he wasn't cut-throat enough, an untapped talent who never showed his true ability.

Turbo moment: Perhaps his Ferrari wins were better but Berger's Mexico 1986 success - on Pirelli tyres that outlasted the Goodyears on the more fancied runners - stands out.

8. JEAN-PIERRE JABOUILLE

Starts: 45
Wins: 2
Poles: 6
Fastest laps: 0

I've put him in eighth because he was the first to drive a turbo and the first to win a race in a turbocharged car.

I also think he was better than everyone thought. He was smooth, a bit like Alain Prost, and had by far the worst of the early turbo technology. He had the pain of the early days and they were a big pain.

The stats bear this out, with over 30 retirements from 45 starts. And he was up against one of the fastest drivers in Rene Arnoux.

Turbo moment: Up ahead of that famous Arnoux-Villeneuve battle at Dijon 1979, Jabouille serenely took the first turbo victory in a world championship GP.

7. DIDIER PIRONI

Starts: 25
Wins: 2
Poles: 2
Fastest laps: 3

Didier is a hero of mine. I loved the way he went about his motor racing. He was flamboyant, for sure a great driver, and single-minded.

There's that shadow over him because of the love for Gilles Villeneuve and that famous Imola incident.

Pironi was stunning in 1982 and I think he would have won the title without that horrific Hockenheim accident. Remember, he finished second in the championship in 1982 missing the last five races.

Turbo moment: Despite Riccardo Paletti's fatal accident and early ignition problems, Pironi was on another level in Canada in 1982, lapping almost a second faster than anyone else on his way to a pointless ninth.

6. RENE ARNOUX

Starts: 120
Wins: 7
Poles: 18
Fastest laps: 12

The stats surprise me (in a good way), but he was a great driver of the era. He flew under the radar because he was quiet.

He had a driving style between Prost, Senna and Piquet. He was always up against great drivers and wasn't as strong-minded as some.

At times he was better than those who beat him, but I don't think he had the full package of a champion and there were perhaps outside influences that stopped him being higher up this list.

Turbo moment: Winning the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix for Ferrari despite starting from row five.

5. GILLES VILLENEUVE

Starts: 19
Wins: 2
Poles: 1
Fastest laps: 1

When I think of the early turbo drivers I straight away think of Jabouille and Villeneuve. I would probably have put him higher had I not looked at all the facts and figures.

We can get swept away by all the journalists and fans who have idolised him. We got caught up in the Italians' and Ferrari's love of one man.

Gilles was a daredevil. I always felt Gilles would have a big accident - he always drove at the maximum in an era when the cars were very dangerous; back then, there was lots of power, one-lap qualifying tyres, and your legs were in front of the axle line.

Turbo moment: One of the greatest qualifying laps ever, 2.5s faster than Ferrari team-mate (and 1980 polesitter) Didier Pironi in Monaco in 1981.

4. NIGEL MANSELL

Starts: 68
Wins: 13
Poles: 12
Fastest laps: 9

He was the all-British hero; we all loved to watch Nige and got excited when he went out for qualifying.

A lot of people thought he played to the camera with some of his antics, but knowing the man and re-watching a lot of those races, I have to say he was one of the few drivers who had the ability to extract that last ounce of effort to achieve greatness.

I believe those moments of drama are what made him so great. It wasn't just physical strength, he was very brave and had amazing car-throttle control, which he then transferred to speed and race wins.

Turbo moment: Has to be that sublime dummy to pass Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet into Stowe to win the 1987 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

3. NELSON PIQUET

Starts: 106
Wins: 14
Poles: 18
Fastest laps: 20 (one shared)

Nelson Piquet was extraordinary in those turbo Brabhams. Sure, the Gordon Murray cars were very good in that era and the BMW engine had a lot of power, but in terms of driveability the power delivery was like a switch, it was either on or off.

Nelson also had a year on Pirellis and they weren't the best tyres in the world.

He is in front of Nigel because the Brabham-BMW was not an easy car to drive.

Turbo moment: His victory in the first Hungarian Grand Prix, featuring one of the greatest passing manoeuvres of all time - around the outside of Ayrton Senna's Lotus.

2. AYRTON SENNA

Starts: 78
Wins: 14
Poles: 29
Fastest laps: 10

Ayrton was just the master; he had a presence that you felt every time he came into the room. His ability to get the most out of cars that were not the best was extraordinary.

Three years in a very average Lotus and the first year in the McLaren really showed everyone how brilliant he was.

His use of the throttle where he was constantly blipping it through slow-speed corners was exceptional. No matter what machinery you gave him he could come out on top.

He had such pure speed, aggression, and self-confidence. And we all love that ultimate fast pole lap. There were plenty of reasons why people didn't win races - turbo problems and gearboxes. Qualifying is special, especially in the turbo era, and he had more turbo poles than anyone else.

Turbo moment: That qualifying session in Monaco in 1988 surprised the man himself and left McLaren team-mate Prost trailing by 1.4s.

1. ALAIN PROST

Starts: 126
Wins: 35
Poles: 18
Fastest laps: 27

He wasn't called the professor for nothing. If anybody could work out the best way to drive a difficult car and engine it was Prost. He was the maestro.

We often talk about fitness and instantly think of Michael Schumacher but Alain was super fit. I believe it was one of his hidden tools that he never spoke about. He always had that extra capacity to drive at 100 per cent using 95 per cent of his capacity, leaving space to think about the car and what to change, as well as fuel, tyres etc.

He was fast, consistent, could save his fuel and his tyres. That's why he is number one, that was part of the turbo game. He was more of a thinker than Ayrton.

He spent a lot of his time during practice just inside the top 10 and would then qualify on the front row. Then win the race. He'd sacrifice the practice sessions for the grand prix.

Turbo moment: Often-forgotten charge to victory at Kyalami in 1982 after falling to eighth with a puncture, setting fastest lap by 1.5s.

For more on F1's first turbo era, check out the January 23 issue of AUTOSPORT magazine, also available in digital format