Autosport.com has taken on one of the most ambitious F1 polls of all time to discover who is recognised as the sport’s greatest ever driver. To establish the list they went straight to the source, the drivers themselves, asking 217 racers to list their top 10 greatest drivers. The definition of “greatest” was left to each individual.

The top three drivers won’t come as any surprise, although debate on their final rankings is likely to continue for years to come. There have been 60 World Championship seasons and the top three drivers account for 16 titles between them. An astonishing stat in itself.

As with any poll, controversy is never too far away. And perhaps it is no surprise that the most questionable results concern current drivers. Four active drivers made the list, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso finishing inside the top 10, in 9th place. 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton finds a home in 17th. Sebastien Vettel may be the sport’s youngest ever race winner, but with only three fully completed seasons behind him, even he would raise his eyebrows at being ranked the 26th greatest driver of all time. Reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button fills 30th place. It is worth noting that WRC-convert Kimi Raikkonen is ranked 22nd in the poll.

Since the World Championship era began in 1950 a total of 32 drivers have been crowned champion. However, winning a world title was not an automatic entry to this exclusive group. In all five World Champions missed out—Mike Hawthorn (1958), Denny Hulme (1967), Jody Sheckter (1979), Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (1997).

Stirling Moss (8th) was the highest ranked driver not to win a World Championship, with Ronnie Peterson (19th) the only other driver in the top half of the ranking not to have a title next to his name. Phil Hill (33rd) is the lowest ranked World Champion.

Great Britain is represented more times than any other country, with nine drivers making the grade. While Australia’s two champions earned enough votes to make the final cut—Jack Brabham (18th) and Alan Jones (31st).

The full list is available after the jump. Let the debate continue.

[Source: Autosport.com | Thanks to Mat for the tip]

Autosport.com – F1′s greatest drivers

1. Ayrton Senna, Brazil (3)
2. Michael Schumacher, Germany (7)
3. Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina (5)
4. Alain Prost, France (4)
5. Jim Clark, Great Britain (2)
6. Jackie Stewart, Great Britain (3)
7. Niki Lauda, Austria (3)
8. Stirling Moss, Great Britain
9. Fernando Alonso, Spain (2)*
10. Gilles Villeneuve, Canada
11. Nigel Mansell, Great Britain (1)
12. Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil (2)
13. Nelson Piquet Sr, Brazil (3)
14. Jochen Rindt, Austria (1)
15. Mika Hakkinen, Finland (2)
16. Alberto Ascari, Italy (2)
17. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain (1)*
18. Jack Brabham, Australia (3)
19. Ronnie Peterson, Sweden
20. Mario Andretti, United States (1)
21. Graham Hill, Great Britain (2)
22. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland (1)
23. John Surtees, Great Britain (1)
24. James Hunt, Great Britain (1)
25. Keke Rosberg, Finland (1)
26. Sebastien Vettel, Germany*
27. Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Argentina
28. Dan Gurney, United States
29. Francois Cevert, France
30. Jenson Button, Great Britain (1)*
31. Alan Jones, Australia (1)
32. Giuseppe Farina, Italy (1)
33. Phil Hill, United States (1)
34. Carlos Reutemann, Argentina
35. Stefan Bellof, Germany
36. Clay Regazzoni, Switzerland
37. Gerhard Berger, Austria
38. Jean Behra, France
39. Riccardo Patrese, Italy
40. Jacky Ickx, Belgium

Numbers in brackets indicates number of championships won. Current drivers are marked with an asterisk.