Who Is The Best Formula 1 Driver? An Economic Approach to Evaluating Talent

Reiner Eichenberger () and David Stadelmann
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Reiner Eichenberger: Department of Economics, University Freiburg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland

Economic Analysis and Policy, 2009, vol. 39, issue 3, 389-406

Abstract: Who is the best formula 1 driver? Until today it was impossible to answer this question because the observable performance of a driver depends both on his talent and the quality of his cars. In this paper, we for the first time separate driver talent from car quality by econometrically analyzing data covering 57 years of Formula 1 racing. Our estimates also control for the number of drivers finishing, technical breakdowns and many other variables that influence race results. While Michael Schumacher is often believed to be the best driver, he is overtaken by Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark.

Keywords: Sports Economics; Evaluating Talent; Superstars; Formula 1 Racing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L80 L83 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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