Top five Spanish F1 drivers ranked: Alonso, Sainz and more

The Spanish Grand Prix is one of the oldest in Formula 1 history and yet only 13 Spaniards have started a world championship race.

Spain is one of the superpowers in motorcycle racing, but it’s a different matter when it comes to F1. Only eight Spanish drivers have scored points in the championship and just one has stood on the top step of the podium.

Sportscar driver Alfonso de Portago was the first Spaniard to score an F1 podium, albeit in a shared drive with Peter Collins in the 1956 British GP, but he only made five championship starts before being killed in the 1957 Mille Miglia. Since then, Spanish participation has been sparse.

Here are Autosport’s top five Spanish F1 drivers. Our ranking is based on what they achieved in F1, factoring in the cars at their disposal.

5. Luis Perez-Sala

Years: 1988-89
Starts: 26
Best finish: 6th
Podiums: 0
Best qualifying: 9th
Titles: 0

In an era when F1 grids were big enough to accommodate several new rookies each season, Perez-Sala’s addition in 1988 with Minardi was entirely merited. The Catalan, who just pips Marc Gene in our list, had shone in F3000 in 1986 and 1987, scoring a total of four wins and finishing runner-up in the latter season with the works Lola team.

As an F1 newcomer, Perez-Sala lined up at Minardi alongside the late Adrian Campos, who had been blown away by team-mate Alessandro Nannini in his own rookie season in 1987. Perez-Sala too thoroughly trounced Campos, including a fine 15th on the grid for Monaco (his third GP), and the slower Spaniard was replaced by Pierluigi Martini after five rounds.

Martini had struggled in F1 with Minardi in 1985 before dropping into F3000 and proving equally matched when partnering Perez-Sala at the Pavesi Ralt team in 1986. He had his own F1 career to rebuild, and did so to spectacular effect in 1989 with his famous run of end-of-season giantkilling performances.

That overshadowed…