Formula 1 fans could never settle the debate about the fastest driver of all time. Turns out machine learning has found a definitive answer and now it is up to the fans if they want to take it as the ultimate truth.
Formula 1 and Amazon Web Services (AWS) dug their heels and decided to crunch the data that was available from 1983 and now they have revealed the top 20 F1 drivers in the history of the sport who was fastest on the tracks.
Brazillian racing legend Ayrton Senna topped the list. Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher was second followed by current world champion Lewis Hamilton on the third spot. The grid for this amazing list includes podium finishers from the latest season and former world champions. Young guns such as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, have outperformed the likes of Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, and even Alain Prost.
Here's the top 20 list -
| Ranking | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | 0.000 sec |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | 0.114 sec |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 0.275 sec |
| 4 | Max Verstapppen | 0.280 sec |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 0.309 sec |
| 6 | Nico Rosberg | 0.374 sec |
| 7 | Chalres Leclerc | 0.376 sec |
| 8 | Heikki Kovalainen | 0.378 sec |
| 9 | Jarno Trulli | 0.409 sec |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | 0.435 sec |
| 11 | Rubens Barichello | 0.445 sec |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | 0.456 sec |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | 0.457 sec |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | 0.457 sec |
| 15 | Lando Norris | 0.459 sec |
| 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | 0.461 sec |
| 17 | Jenson Button | 0.462 sec |
| 18 | Robert Kubica | 0.463 sec |
| 19 | Giancarlo Fisichella | 0.469 sec |
| 20 | Alain Prost | 0.514 sec |
The rankings are based on lap time difference giving you the feel of what the grid would look like if all these drivers, from the past and the current lot, gave their best during a fiery qualifying session.
According to F1, AWS' Amazon Machine Learning Solutions Lab took a year to build the algorithm to find out the fastest driver. To decided the ultimate ranking, this machine learning used drivers' qualifying performances over time and compared them with their teammates. This ensured that the year and make of the car did not affect the driver's chances of winning the pole position.
Amazon ML Solutions Lab’s Principal Scientist and Senior Manager Dr Priya Ponnapalli, said in a statement, "With machine learning, there are a number of opportunities to apply the technology to answer complex problems, and in this case, we hope to help settle age-old disputes with fans by using data to inform decisions. We’re excited to be able to continue to collaborate with an organisation like F1, which has such a data-rich catalogue of information… For us at AWS, it’s exciting to see machine learning being used in a way that everyone can relate to."
This algorithm also incorporated ways to protect the rankings from racing variables such as crashes, car failures, weather conditions, and even the age of the driver in a qualifying session to create fair rankings.
All of this boiled down to the performance that was about the raw speed of the cars and the grit of the drivers behind the wheel.
Formula 1’s Director of Data Systems Rob Smedley said this type of models is used to make decisions about choosing a new driver for the new season.
"‘Fastest Driver’ enables us to build up a picture of how the drivers compare, by analysing the purest indication of raw speed, the qualifying lap – and it’s important to note this pure speed is the only element of the vast driver armoury we are analysing here, to showcase the quickest drivers ever, which is very exciting," said Smedley.
Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India
