Moss number one.

Stirling Moss is the greatest Formula One driver ever, according to Autocourse editor Alan Henry, who releases his definitive list in a new book The Top 100 F1 drivers of all time.

Destined to cause debate - and raise hackles - among those who follow the sport, the book is Henry's personal assessment of the talent to have passed through the top flight over the years. His choices are, in many cases, surprising, but reflect the F1 expert's view of more than just on-track exploits.

The top four positions are filled by former Crash.net columnist Moss, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who boast a total of 133 grand prix wins between them, but multiple record holder and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher fails to make Henry's top ten.

"Moss's versatility was astonishing, separated from the dynamic Clark by only a thin margin," Henry explained, "In the end, it is Stirling who gets the nod, perhaps the nature of Jimmy's exclusive relationship with Lotus counts subconsciously against him."

Similarly, the author suggested that Schumacher's eleventh place on the list is the result of his contract conditions at Ferrari, where he forced the team to make him an unchallenged number one driver to the detriment of his team-mates.

Between Prost and Schumacher lie five 'old school' heroes - Alberto Ascari, Juan-Manuel Fangio, Bernd Rosemeyer, Jackie Stewart and Tazio Nuvolari - while Henry also feels justified in slotting one of Schumacher's contemporaries, Mika Hakkinen, in ahead of the German.

The legendary Gilles Villeneuve - not necessarily the most successful F1 driver ever, but renowned for his spectacular and heroic on-track antics - comes in at number twelve, while Chris Amon - perhaps the unluckiest man in racing - fittingly fills spot 13.

All the major names in terms of world titles - Fittipaldi, Brabham, Andretti, Lauda, Rindt, Piquet, Surtees and the like - make the list, as do a number of more surprising inclusions.

For the uneducated - or those too young to know better - the likes of Guy Moll, Hermann Lang and Jean-Pierre Wimille may mean little, while Derek Warwick, Thierry Boutsen, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher from more modern times all make the top 100.

Of course, there is the almost obligatory inclusion of Lewis Hamilton, despite the Briton having just one year of Formula One under his belt. The 23-year old qualifies 30th on Henry's fantasy grid, sandwiched between world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Nigel Mansell, although the author expects that position to change with time.

"One must consider F1's man of the moment," Henry insists, "If we revamp this volume in a few years' time, Lewis should be able to make the top ten."

Henry's top 100 is as follows:

1. Stirling Moss
2. Jim Clark
3. Ayrton Senna
4. Alain Prost
5. Alberto Ascari
6. Juan-Manuel Fangio
7. Bernd Rosemeyer
8. Jackie Stewart
9. Tazio Nuvolari
10. Mika H?kkinen
11. Michael Schumacher
12. Gilles Villeneuve
13. Chris Amon
14. Tony Brooks
15. Carlos Reutemann
16. Achille Varzi
17. Emerson Fittipaldi
18. Jack Brabham
19. Mario Andretti
20. Niki Lauda
21. Jochen Rindt
22. Nelson Piquet
23. Guy Moll
24. John Surtees
25. Ronnie Peterson
26. Hermann Lang
27. Dan Gurney
28. Keke Rosberg
29. Kimi R?ikk?nen
30. Lewis Hamilton
31. Nigel Mansell
32. Fernando Alonso
33. Rudolf Caracciola
34. Didier Pironi
35. Jacky Ickx
36. Alan Jones
37. James Hunt
38. Phil Hill
39. Damon Hill
40. Mike Hawthorn
41. Giuseppe Farina
42. Jody Scheckter
43. Jean-Pierre Wimille
44. Graham Hill
45. Fran?ois Cevert
46. Gerhard Berger
47 Pedro Rodriguez
48. Jean Behra
49. Jacques Villeneuve
50. Ricardo Rodriguez
51. Clay Regazzoni
52. Denny Hulme
53. Jean Alesi
54. Juan Pablo Montoya
55. Carlos Pace
56. Louis Chiron
57. Peter Revson
58. Jo Siffert
59. David Coulthard
60. Felipe Massa
61. Froil?n Gonzalez
62. Stefan Bellof
63. Elio de Angelis
64. Lorenzo Bandini
65. Riccardo Patrese
66. Patrick Tambay
67. Jenson Button
68. Rubens Barrichello
69. Martin Brundle
70. Derek Warwick
71. Dick Seaman
72. Patrick Depailler
73. Peter Collins
74. Bruce McLaren
75. Michele Alboreto
76. Eddie Irvine
77. Richie Ginther
78. Jean-Pierre Beltoise
79. Johnny Servoz-Gavin
80. Thierry Boutsen
81. Rene Arnoux
82. Tony Brise
83. Tom Pryce
84. Innes Ireland
85. Jarno Trulli
86. John Watson
87. Luigi Musso
88. Raymond Sommer
89. Mike Hailwood
90. Roy Salvadori
91. Ralf Schumacher
92. Wolfgang von Trips
93. Stuart Lewis-Evans
94. Jacques Laffite
95. Eugenio Castellotti
96. Trevor Taylor
97. Piers Courage
98. Stefan Johansson
99. Jochen Mass
100. Brian Redman