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The greatest?
Well in terms of adversity overcome, possibly Lauda?
The most beautiful mind? Probably Jack Brabham, as the only one who won a championship in a car of his own design.
The greatest, by sheer numbers? Schumacher, no question.
But the best?
Fangio? Jim Clark?
My vote is Senna.
When the county declares 3 days of mourning, sends the Prime Minister's DC-10 back for the body, and holds what is estimated to be the largest state funeral every attended in history (in person by an estimated one million, on global TV by tens of millions), and 20 years AFTER his death the current gladiators STILL call him the greatest there ever was, and his former team still carries his image on every car they race...
When 20 years AFTER his passing museums are breaking attendance records because people want to stand in line for hours just to be in a room with a car he drove and his old briefcase...
When the film that sweeps all the awards at Sundance and Cannes is a documentary about his life (with no input from him!) that consists of nothing but old footage and a few interviews...
When his rivals still come every year to pay their respects quietly...
When for the second time since his passing readers the world over still vote him the greatest of all time (at the millennium Sports Illustrated ran the same pole, across all of motorsport)...
When current gladiators use the theme from his weekly TV show as their ringtone...
But only after he gave given away tens of millions of his personal fortune, anonymously, to help underprivileged kids in his home country.
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