Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Patrese is the driver who turned consistency into a record. The Italian from Padua made his debut in 1977 with Shadow and did not step out of a Formula 1 car until 1993: seventeen seasons and more than 250 Grands Prix, the highest total in history until Rubens Barrichello passed it in 2008.

His early years at Arrows showed obvious talent and patchy results, including second place in Sweden in his first full season. In 1978 he also carried an unfair accusation: he was blamed for the Monza crash that killed Ronnie Peterson, and an Italian court cleared him years later. The wins came with Brabham: Monaco 1982, one of the most chaotic finishes anyone remembers, and South Africa 1983.

The second life of his career began at Williams. He won at Imola in 1990, took two more victories in 1991 (Mexico and Portugal) and in 1992 finished runner-up in the world championship behind Nigel Mansell in the FW14B, the car that redefined what a technical advantage looked like. He won in Japan that year and closed his career in 1993 at Benetton, alongside a young Michael Schumacher.

Six wins, eight poles and 37 podiums did not bring him a title, but they did bring something rare: a very long career that ended at its peak rather than in decline.