Legends: Nigel Mansell

He scrapped his way up the racing ladder by doing the tough stuff, at one point mortgaging his home to salvage his Formula One career. He stayed there by fighting for every position on every circuit. Originally brought into F1 by legendary Lotus team owned by Colin Chapman, Mansell had a career marked by close misses, tragic incidents and equipment failure. But for one season in 1992 he might have been one of the most dominant drivers in F1 history, recording nine wins and 14 poles in 16 races. When Chapman was persuaded by his team manager to give the 26-year-old Mansell a chance as a test driver in 1979, Mansell had his opening. It took four years and 72 starts before he won his first Grand Prix. But one win would propel him to greatness. After switching to Williams from Lotus three years later, Mansell quickly asserted himself as one of the most competitive and aggressive drivers to ever come from England. He was complex and charismatic all in one. He mixed it up with his rivals on the course and then tore apart his crew for their shortcomings. But all he did was win, prompting the Ferrari fans to call him “The Lion” when he raced for the team in 1989. One season solidified everything. In one of the most dominant displays of open-wheel racing, Mansell went from his F1 World Championship in 1992 to a CART IndyCar title in the United States the same year. His move came about only because Mansell couldn’t get along with his F1 boss Frank Williams. Critics said it was par for the course. He briefly returned to F1 after the 1994 IndyCar season, winning the Australian Grand Prix for Team McLaren. But within a year, he was gone for good, taking his 31 wins and 32 pole positions with him.