MASTERS OF THE MANY
The days of drivers racing saloons, GTs and single-seaters all in one afternoon are the preserve of a few historic racing specialists today, but to dismiss the notion that all-rounders still thrive in the contemporary sport would be an oversight. Code switchers are still plentiful, whether they have popped out the other side of Formula 1 or bounced off its glass ceiling having only grazed the underside. When they widen their horizons, they often find new or greater fulfilment as they prolong or establish their place among the privileged few: to live the life of a paid professional racing driver. Lest we forget, you have to be special to earn money to race at any level and it’s this achievement by which racing drivers’ careers should perhaps be judged above and beyond whether they managed to scratch a handful of grand prix starts for a middling-at-best F1 team.
Motor Sport has long saluted the diversity of the greatest racing lives, from Sir Stirling Moss to Vic Elford, Graham Hill to Brian Redman and indeed, Jackie Stewart to Mario Andretti. Time then to doff our cap to those in the era of the specialist, who keep alive the fine tradition of the talented, versatile racing all-rounder.
10 José Maria López
Touring cars, LMP1/Hypercar
Fernando Alonso beat José Maria
