Good God! Great Grid!

How will history speak of our current crop of drivers?

When Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in Monza yesterday afternoon, he completed his 40th Grand Prix victory - a tally that ranks him 5th in the history of the sport for race wins. One place above him is Ferrari's German magician Sebastian Vettel with 41 - tied with Ayrton Senna. One place below Hamilton is the imperious but currently wasted Spaniard Fernando Alonso with 32. 

So that's the fourth, fifth and sixth most successful drivers all currently on the race grid, and all with plenty more time to add a caveat of Grand Prix victories to their already bulging records (some may argue that Alonso's light is fading, but it would take a true cynic to deny his ability to seize the opportunity of success when it arises). Beyond these three megastars, former champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button also continue to plug away in Formula One, while nobody doubts the fantastic talents of Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa , Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo.

The best there has been?

Is this the most talented grid in Formula One history? There is definitely quality throughout the paddock, with a mixture of established pros and rising stars dicing it out on track. Some may sneer, and offer the likes of Pastor Maldonado as a rebuttal, but I'm referring to both the quantity of supremely skilled drivers, as well as the greatness by which they are regarded. 

However, it is only fair to say that time will tell. We have five champions on the grid, but one can envisage drivers like Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo going on to take the crown in future seasons. Perhaps in ten years people will look back at the current crop and judge a few more of the above names as legends of the sport. With that in mind, let's have a quick look down memory (or in my case, slightly rushed research) lane at some of the other contenders for the most star-studded grids in Formula One history.

1965 - Champion: Jim Clark (beating Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Dan Gurney) 

Jim Clark was integral to an iconic time in F1's history.

Let's start exactly half a century ago, a season of undeniably legendary drivers which was ultimately dominated by the Brits. Jim Clark won six races to take his second championship title, which he would inevitably have added to had it not been for his tragic death in 1968. Clark led home his fellow countrymen Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart, the latter of whom made his Formula One debut during this season and cemented what was to come with his first race victory at the Italian Grand Prix. This terrific trio, perhaps, appropriately mirrors the current season's top crop. 

Further down the standings, the list of talented drivers just seems to continue endlessly. 1964 champion John Surtees returned with Ferrari, as well as Jack Brabham who was between his second and third titles. Furthermore, future champion Denny Hulme began his racing career in 1965 with the Brabham team, while another champ-to-be Jochen Rindt had his first full season in F1 in a Cooper. Other noteworthy names include Dan Gurney, Lorenzo Bandini, Jo Bonnier, Jo Siffert and Bruce McLaren. 

Truly, 1965 was a glorious year for F1. It's fair to mention that all seven of the champions listed above would finish in positions 1-7 in the standings for 1966, but 1965 gets the nod here purely for the strength of the entire field. 

1975 - Champion: Niki Lauda (beating Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Reutemann and James Hunt)

In an era of legends, it's arguable that Lauda outranks them all.

Ten years later, Formula One has cooked up another delicious batch of brilliance. Niki Lauda's "unbelievable year" saw him cruise to his first world title in a tremendous Ferrari which easily had the upper hand on the rest of the field. Nevertheless, Lauda had to triumph over some fine competitors to capitalise on his advantage. Emerson Fittipaldi was looking for a second consecutive title in his McLaren, and he began the season strongly before car troubles hampered his hopes.

Many observers fancied the chances of Brabham's skilful Argentinean Carlos Reutemann before the beginning of the year. Though never a champion, Reutemann was highly regarded throughout his Formula One career, and was agonisingly close to a title of his own when he missed out by one point in 1981. Brabham's projected dominance never failed to materialise.

This season also included James Hunt's famous victory for the Hesketh team, a performance that gave F1 a premonition of the amazing title-fight to come the following year. Carlos Pace also secured his historic Interlagos win, making this a tremendous year for tremendous stories. Other noteworthy drivers included champions Jody Scheckter, Mario Andretti and Alan Jones, as well as Clay Regazzoni, Jochen Mass, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx.

1986 - Champion: Alain Prost (beating Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna)

Prost lines up against Mansell - whose tyre blowout would hand him the title.

This list couldn't possibly be complete without a season including Senna, Prost, Mansell and Piquet. It's difficult to argue that there has ever been a better top four than this. The proof of Prost's success is in both his statistics (four World Championships and 51 career victories) and the prestigious truth that he was the only driver who could challenge Senna at his most rampant. Nigel Mansell, as well as being a massively popular figure, was setting a new standard for British drivers (his tally of race victories was only recently toppled by Lewis Hamilton) and finished a devastatingly close second following the tyre failure that British fans try so desperately to forget.

Nelson Piquet was undeniably strong and still had a title in him, which he would take the following season. And finally, do we really need to say anything more about Ayrton Senna? Even before his three World Championships, Formula One was under no illusions as to the truly sensational young driver's future. To this day, it's difficult to find any rational motorsport fan who wouldn't include Ayrton Senna as one of the greatest drivers in the sport.

Such strength in these characters alone would warrant inclusion in this list, but this season deserves extra consideration for the addition of champions Keke Rosberg and Alan Jones, and the talents of Stefan Johansson, Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto. Perhaps unfairly, this season also gets further preference for the outrageously dramatic title decider in the Australian Grand Prix.

Any more?

Was '97 - with Schumi, Villeneuve, Damon and Mika - worth a shout?

These are just three examples of great eras in Formula One, but I'm sure that you, dear reader, may have other candidates you feel are worthy of mention. So feel free to comment on your pick from the list, or perhaps your own nomination for the greatest grid in F1 history. Go on! I bloody dare you!