Top five Australian F1 drivers ranked: Brabham, Ricciardo, Webber and more

Fourteen Australians have started world championship GPs since 1950. Five have taken podiums, four have won races and two became world champions.

There have been several Australian talents who made it to F1 but didn’t get decent machinery. David Brabham and Larry Perkins suffered torrid times and failed to score a point but went on to success elsewhere.

Dave Walker’s promising career was destroyed by a troubled season at Lotus in 1972, when team-mate Emerson Fittipaldi took the drivers’ title and Walker failed to score a point.

So, here is our list of the top five Australian drivers that did have a big impact on F1. Our ranking is based on what they achieved in F1, factoring in the cars at their disposal.

If there is any motorsport justice, Oscar Piastri – a champion in F2, F3 and the Formula Renault Eurocup – will make his F1 debut in the not-too-distant future. Given the signs so far, the 21-year-old will be a strong contender for a future version of this list.

5. Tim Schenken

Tim Schenken, Brabham BT33 Ford

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Years: 1970-74

Starts: 34

Best finish: 3rd

Podiums: 1

Best qualifying: 5th

Titles: 0

Outside of the ‘big four’, Schenken is the only Australian driver to have scored points in F1. Schenken was a star in F3 and made his world championship debut in 1970 while still competing in F2.

His first F1 races came in Frank Williams’s uncompetitive De Tomaso chassis, but he joined Brabham for 1971. Schenken showed well alongside Graham Hill, despite running the older BT33 to Hill’s BT34, and scored a fine third place in the Austrian GP after a battle with Fittipaldi’s Lotus.

Schenken left the now Bernie Ecclestone-owned team in favour of Surtees for 1972, but it was not a successful move. His