15 of the Most Underrated F1 Drivers of All Time

Luca Badoer during the 1998 French Grand PrixPhoto: Clive Mason / Allsport (Getty Images)

Years Active: 1993, 1995 – 1996, 1999, 2009Race Wins: 0Teams: Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti, Ferrari

Yes, Luca Badoer might hold the record for most race laps completed without scoring a single point, but his career has largely been overshadowed by his poor performance while being pulled out of the wings to replace an injured Felipe Massa in 2009. He won the Formula 3000 Championship on debut and was mired with a series of downright awful teams until his chance with Ferrari a full decade after his last race in F1.

And that record — the one about him failing to score points? Well, Badoer started off in F1 before the series adopted its current points-scoring format. So, despite several top-10 finishes, Badoer never scored a point for any of them, since points were only awarded up to sixth place.

Was Badoer ever World Championship material? Maybe not — but he is absolutely underrated in the sense that his career has faced an undue level of scrutiny that has undervalued his skills.