Shadowed Heroes - 15 Underrated F1 Drivers from the 1980s

Formula 1 remembers the 1980s for a couple things. It was the decade of Prost vs Senna, of McLaren’s glory and the rise of the Williams team. In just these events, we can find some amazing stories to tell, plenty actually. But among this huge spectacle that was F1 in the 80s, some things are simply overlooked. Like for example, the drivers. It is very obvious that Senna and Prost weren’t the only men racing, but how many others do people actually remember? Even the great connoisseurs of F1 would struggle to name more than 10, that’s why I decided to make a top 10 (that resulted in a top 15 because I couldn’t select only 10) with the drivers that I think, are among the most underrated of the decade.

15- Nelson Piquet

Some of you might be puzzled on how a 3 time world champion could be underrated, but bear with me because I’m going to explain it. Nelson Piquet is often an overlooked driver because to be honest, many people didn’t like his arrogant and 0-f*ck giving personality. However, that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a trully amazing driver. He had plenty of skill and demonstrated astonishing levels of car control that were ahead of his time. He made his debut with Ensign (an honestly hopeless team) but it wasn’t until his move to Brabham that he was finally capable to demonstrate his talent. He was protagonist of what is believed to be the greatest overtake of the decade, and one of the best moves in F1 history when he gracefully slid his Williams-Honda through the outside of turn one in the 1986 Hungarian GP to take the lead away from Ayrton Senna.

14- Thierry Boutsen

The Belgian driver made his debut with Arrows, he was a talented driver that made the most of his opportunities. A clear example was when he took the shamefull Arrows A8 into an unexpected 2nd place finish at the 1985 San Marino GP. His performances called the atention of other teams and was later signed by Benetton, where he was able to dispute his most succesful season in 1988. In 1989 he signed with Williams and achieved his first ever victory in Canada, later repeating the feat in Australia. His career went down in the 90s as he placed his bet and went for Ligier, it would be bad years in which his talent was supressed by cars that could barely even qualify.

13- Ivan Capelli

Ivan Capelli was a driver that was basically ignored by team owners. He was fast, as in only his second race, he got his out paced Tyrrell into 4th place. To put it into perspective, that year Tyrrell wasn’t even a shadow of the team that once could challenge for championships, they had uncompetitive cars and finished 9th in the championship, and still Capelli took the thing close to podiums. Eventually, he was given a chance by another struggling team: March. In 1988, he took his car to finish 3rd in Belgium, nobody could believe the car to be as competitive as it seemed, but Capelli kept delivering and improved his result 2 races later at Portugal where he finished 2nd. His performances faded during the rest of his career as he was doomed to uncompetitive cars that he had to really push to get into the points.

12- Patrick Tambay

The Frenchman had turned heads in his debut in 1977 when he scored points on 3 occassions for the Theodore team. His talent was noted and once he had the chance, he followed his gut and accepted a deal to drive for McLaren, just as the Woking team hit one of its lowest points. He returned to Theodore before signing for Ferrari in 1982, where he got a podium in only his second race for the Scuderia. Tambay only disputed half a season with the team, yet it was enough for him to climb the standings and finish 7th in the championship. He stayed with Ferrari in 1983 and managed to win a race. He then moved to Renault in 1984 and got himself and the team an unlikely podium in home soil. His performance faded in 1986 with an uncompetitive HAAS-Cosworth. He retired at the end of the season.

11- Jacques Laffite

Laffite made his debut in the late 70s with the Ligier team. He arguably had more success in the 70s, a time when his team could give him a car to even challenge for the championship. However, his performances went down along with the French team. In the first race of 1980 at South Africa for example, his naturally aspirated V8 was expected to loose power, however Laffite refused to give up and fought his car into 2nd place. He was among the few that weren’t afraid to battle with Gilles Villeneuve, and even as Ligier continued to fall lower in the standigs, Laffite was able to surprise with podiums. In 1985, his team wasn’t even ranked within the top 5, yet he still managed to challenge for the win at the Australian GP.

10- Eddie Cheveer

The American driver made his debut in 1978 disputing only one race. He decided to leave and returned in 1980 to drive for Osella. He had promising drives yet none of them materialized as his car never seemed capable of making it to the finish line. Cheveer then went to Tyrrell in 1981 where he scored his first points and surprised by getting close to the podium with a team that didn’t even make the top 10. In 1982, he scored his first podium in Spa with Ligier. He came close to victory multiple times with Renault in 1983 and was later part of the rise of the Benetton team. He still showed sparks of talent while he managed to deliver podiums for Arrows Megatron.

9- Didier Pironi

His heated rivalry with Gilles Villeneuve might have left a scar on his profile, because truth is that Pironi was a very fast and skilled driver who just as his rival, seemed to have no fear. He drove like Villeneuve, but had a personality that resembled more that of James Hunt. He made his debut for Tyrrell, but it wasn’t until he raced for Ligier in 1980 that really started calling attention. In a fast car, it only took Pironi 4 races to get his first win. When he got signed into Ferrari for 1981, he delivered what he could, dissapointed with the performance of the 126C Ferrari. In 1982 however, after the death of Villeneuve, he was leading the championship, and could have won hadn’t it been for one thing. At the German GP, he had a crash that really resembled the one that killed his late teammate, his injuries were too severe for him to return to racing and had to miss the last 5 races. He lost the championship to Rosberg by 5 points.

8- Keke Rosberg

The father of 2016 champion Nico, Keke Rosberg was another of F1’s hidden heros. He literally was just waiting for a competitive team. He debuted in Theodore and in the following 3 years he drove for a total of 5 teams. He scored his first podium in 1980 with team Fittipaldi. And as soon as he got into a trully competitive car with Williams in 1982, he won the championship. He was another great wet weather driver and is remembered for his swaggy and un-worried attitude, his victory at F1’s hottest race ever (Dallas 1984) and of course, his glorious mustache.

7- Gerhard Berger

The Austrian made his debut for ATS in 1984, but his talent and consistency earned him to have seats with more competitive teams. He achieved a first win for Benetton and himself at Mexico 1986, and that allowed him to join Ferrari the following year. He had some great performances and he’s often remembered as the one man that completed Senna’s and Prost’s podiums. In 1988, he won the Italian GP and famously kept the car for himself. Despite his best efforts though, he could only achieve a best result of 3rd in the championship. Still, he showed great talent and is an all time great.

6- Rene Arnoux

Another of Villeneuve’s favorite rivals, the Frenchman is mostly remembered for his battle at Dijon Prenois in 1979. This however, just the tip of the iceberg concerning his performances. He was another of F1’s best wet weather drivers, he along with Renault practically started the ‘Turbo Era’ and although he raced for Ferrari, he also has some increadible performances made with smaller teams such as Ligier.

Before I reveal the top 5, I would like to have some honorable mentions.

Stefan Johansson

The Swedish driver made his debut with the Shadow team in 1980, failing to impress with a trully un-competitive car. He left the sport only to return in 1983, this time with surprising results achieved for the doomed Spirit team. He then paired Ayrton Senna at Toleman in 1984 and once the Brazilian missed out a seat at Ferrari in 1985, Johansson made the deal to race for the Scuderia. It took him a few races (4 to be exact) but after that, he could be seen challenging for wins against faster cars. One of his most famous drives was in Germany 1987, where the crowd witnessed as he fought a whole lap with his 3 wheeled car to finish 2nd. He still showed talent when he delivered a podium to team Onyx Moneytron, another hopeless team.

Derek Warwick

Warwick was a simply unlucky driver. He was never really in a fast car, but he still could surprise drivers and team owners alike with what he was able to do with his machinery. He was close to delivering the first podiums for Toleman when he finished 4th on 2 occasions in 1983. Once he got into a half competitive car when he was signed by Renault, he surprised as he was often seen challenging for victories against the faster McLarens, Ferraris and Lotuses. His career became a lot more “discreet” after his time at Renault. He was still able to show flashes of the driver he could have been had he had a chance when he scored points with teams that not many gave a hope to, such as Arrows-Megatron and later Footwork.

John Watson

Although John Watson made most of his career in the 70s, it wasn’t until the 80s that he was given a true opportunity to be competitive. He signed for McLaren at the beggining of the decade, and in only 1 year he was already challenging for the championship. He was the first driver to race the MP4 McLaren, and with it he could give some serious battles to rivals Keke Rosberg and Carlos Reutemann in 1981. Despite his rather elderly appearance, he was not a stranger to being the quickest man on track, as he took 2 pole positions and 5 fastest laps.

Carlos Reutemann

Most of the Argentinian’s career, just like John Watson’s, was made in the 70s, however the former teammate of Niki Lauda showed that in the 80s, he still had much to give. He was capable to stand his ground against the all time greats like Gilles Villeneuve and was in his prime a consistent title challenger, coming closest in 1981, when he lost the championship by just 1 point. He was an exellent player of the team game and greatly responsible for the rise of the Williams team. He could deliver very good results despite not having the fastest car. He retired in 1982, and despite being 40 years old, he was still capable to leave with his head up, as he finished 2nd on his last race.

And the top 5 most underated drivers are:

5- Andrea de Cesaris

Andrea de Cesaris is sadly remembered as one of the most unlucky drivers ever. He disputed a total of 214 races, with 10 different teams. He holds unwanted records for crashes and retirements. What people don’t seem to realize, was that most of those retirements weren’t even his fault. Yes, at the beggining of his career crashes happened often, but his driving matured into that of a true professional, allowing him to become the youngest ever pole sitter of his time, and earn podiums like in Monaco 1982, when he and his rather out paced Alfa Romeo battled to stay in front of the pressuring McLarens. He came close to victory many times, however none of them came true and his best results remain a pair of 2nd places.

4- Alessandro Nannini

Nannini made his debut for Minardi in 1986, however he called enough attention for him to get signed at Benetton. With the new team, he was quick to climb into podiums. He was talented and really seemed to be at home while under the rain. He made the most of his opportunities and in 1989, after the controversial collision between Prost and Senna at Suzuka, he took victory. He scored more podiums the following year before a helicopter accident severed his arm and put an early end to his promissing career.

3- Stefan Bellof

Bellof was another great talent of the grid that for some reason seemed to be ignored. He was an absolute master in the rain, courtesy of his experience racing at the Sportscar championship. He was only the second driver ever to become champion of the series at the same time that he was racing in F1. Despite the fact that his best results were anulled due to Tyrrell’s disqualification of the 1984 championship, his fearless and aggressive driving style was enough for him to be regarded as a likely race winner and possibly even a future world champion. Sadly this never came to be as he was killed while disputing the 1000km of Spa. He was only 27 and still had much to give.

2- Michele Alboreto

The Italian made his debut for Tyrrell, where he scored his first victory in 1982. Another win for Tyrrell saw Alboreto signed by Ferrari for 1984. During his time at the Scuderia, he showed what he could do with a fast car and challenged for the 1985 championship. It was on that year, that he had one of his greatest drives. Monaco 1985, he qualified 3rd and lead after a great battle with Senna, then he lost ground and was forced to catch up. He stormed over the grid, setting the lap record by being 1 whole second faster than anyone on track, however he had to settle for 2nd after he ran out of time and encountered the checkered flag. He was a true talent, however once he left the Ferrari in 1988, no team seemed to pay attention to him and was doomed to bad drives at Larousse and later Footwork.

1- Elio di Angelis

Elio de Angelis was a driver that was simply born too late. His relaxed personality came in at the time were Formula 1 was getting serious. Still, there is no arguing on the fact that he was very fast. He was part of Lotus’ last hurrah, and is even regarded by many as the best driver ever to come out of Italy. He was teammate to Ayrton Senna and the first driver the Brazilian really learned from. The Italian made most of his career in Collin Chapaman’s team, saying that he really felt appreciated by the late team owner. However in 1986, he left for Brabham, and was killed while testing a car at Paul Ricard. He is another of F1’s greatest talents and could have easily become world champion had he got a chance. Not to mention, he also has what is in my opinion, F1’s coolest ever helmet.

So guys those were a total of 19 drivers that I belive have gone beneath the radar of F1 history. What do you think of my list? Would you add any other? Have you picked a favorite between them?
Leave your answers in the comments as I would enjoy talking about them.
Anyway guys that was it for this article. If you’ve read until this point then I would like to thank you very very much and hope you’ve enjoyed reading these stories.

THANK YOU FOR READING
F1Trooper out

All picture credit goes to The Cahier Archive
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