Pedigree? Where to start... After scraping around with Reg Parnell Racing, landed a drive with Ferrari, becoming a full-time front-runner for six seasons (three at Maranello, one with March, two with Matra). Scored five pole positions, won at Le Mans, took the CanAm and Tasman titles, scored a point in a Tecno, made the Ensign look like a potential winner. Even won a couple of (non-championship) Grand Prix.

What Went Wrong? Again, where to start... His car broke several times when he looked like a certain winner, he jumped ship from Ferrari just before they got their act together, threw his lot in with novice teams and stuck by his own woeful team (turning down an offer from Brabham).

Closest? At the risk of sounding monotonous, where to start... the 1968 Canadian Grand Prix, where he led by a mile only for the clutch to break... being pipped by Pedro Rodriguez in the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix... his visor coming off in the 1971 Italian Grand Prix when in control... However, his utter dominance at the 1972 French Grand prix before picking up a puncture, and only having time to fight back up to third was probably the best.

Pedigree? Nearly won the German F3 title at his first attempt, despite missing half of the season. Won on his F2 debut. Then took the Sportscars title in 1984 for Rothmans Porsche, while regularly embarassing turbo-changed F1 cars in the humble atmo Tyrrell in his spare time.

What Went Wrong? A future world champion, lost in a Sportscars accident at the 1985 Spa 1000kms (trying to pass Jacky Ickx. At Eau Rouge). Bellof was never quite given the machinery in his brief season-and-a-half.

Closest? Reeling in Senna and Prost with an edge-of-control performance at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. The race was called off after 31 laps due to torrential rain. Bellof would have passed them both. And then possibly crashed going for the lap record.

Pedigree? Took a 4th place in his third GP for Tyrrell, and then proceeded to regularly stick the Leyton House March where it didn't belong for three years, leading at Suzuka in 1988, ran 2nd in France in 1989 in a pig of a car, and nearly winning two races on the trot in 1990.

What Went Wrong? Moved to Ferrari in 1992, after five years in the comfortable March set-up. Was then persecuted by the Italian press off the track and soundly beaten on it by an inspired Jean Alesi. Booted out of the team two races from the end of the season, and then made a couple of half-hearted drives for Jordan in 1993, before the crestfallen Capelli dropped down to touring cars.

Closest? Making a single set of tyres last for the entire 1990 French Grand Prix, only narrowly losing out to Prost, partly due to a stricken engine.

Pedigree? Still largely remembered as a fast-moving accident (cartwheeling a Ligier at the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix is often considered his best piece of chassis destruction), but de Cesaris could be bloody fast. He was a front-runner with Alfa Romeo, and usually stumped up one of his team's better results across a season - often at either Monaco or Spa, which says something.

What Went Wrong? Well, he tended to balance out those fantastic results with a habit for spinning, bending cars and a total lack of mechanical sympathy. After his debut season with McLaren saw him write off a number of Ron Dennis' very expensive MP4s, no big team would go near him. By the time he finally calmed down he was too old, but did win over some doubters

Closest? Briefly putting pressure on Ayrton Senna at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix deserves a mention, but leading the same race in 1983 by a considerable margin before the Alfa let him down was an even better drive.

Pedigree? One of the forgotten men of the 1980s Grand Prix scene. You don't get to drive for both Ferrari (having been personally selected by Enzo himself) and McLaren without being pretty fast, and Stefan's performances in the Toleman and Onyx either side proved he was no slouch.

What Went Wrong? Neither Ferrari nor McLaren were world-beaters when he drove for them, and when Senna took his seat at the latter team in 1988, poor Johansson was the odd man out, ending up with a particularly woeful Ligier. That he fell out with Onyx in 1990 and AGS in 1991 would have come as something of a relief...

Closest? Taking over the lead on his Ferrari debut, at Imola no less, in 1985, only for the tank to run dry at the death.

Pedigree? Well, he never got close to leading a race, but his speedin franky sub-standard machinery speaks volumes - he scored the best ever result for Coloni, took the AGS team places they were never meant to be, and frequently embarrassed the midfield teams with the Fondmetal car. Has since shown his true ability in the evener field of various tin-top competitions.

What Went Wrong? Tarquini was never really able to make a consistent impression due to the poor finances of the teams he drove for, and his loyalty to AGS cost him two seasons of his prime.

Closest? While never within a sniff of victory, he performed heroics in the AGS at Monaco '89.

Pedigree? Dominated the 1978 British F3 race, then took runner-up at F2 level in 1980. He then dragged Toleman's F1 operation up from a joke to a respected midfielder, before becoming a leading light with the Renault team. Most 1980s onlookers considered him much better than Nigel Mansell - many still do.

What Went Wrong? Where to start... Warwick had some of the worst luck going, short of some tragic accident. He moved to Renault just as the team's status faded, and then agreed to a second year instead of signing with Williams-Honda. When Renault folded, Lotus were desperate to have him, but Ayrton Senna vetoed the move. When he finally got to Lotus in 1990, the team was falling apart and he did well to score points twice.

Closest? Warwick led comfortably on his Renault debut at Rio in 1983, only for the suspension to break. Little was he to know it would be as close as he'd get.

Pedigree? Lightning fast on his day, if inconsistent and prone to mistakes. Regularly showed well for midfield teams - dicing with Berger's Ferrari while driving a Simtek at the 1995 Argentine Grand Prix, or his dazzling late-race pace at the 2000 Canadian Grand Prix.

What Went Wrong? Almost certainly a case of too much, to soon. Jos was barely out of karts (before that was the norm) when he was called up to be Benetton's #2 driver for the 1994 season. he spent a confidence-destroying year as Michael Schumacher's team-mate, peppered with mistakes. After that, sadly, none of the big teams were interested.

Closest? Never led a race, but showed a glimpse of what he was capable of when mixing it with the big boys at the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix in an Arrows with a year-old Peugeot engine.

Pedigree? Another man with a habit of making very bad cars look merely poor, Moreno scored AGS' first ever point, won the 1988 F3000 title with a fraction of his rivals' budget, put a Coloni 15th on the grid and a EuroBrun 16th, and managed to get an Andrea Moda into a race. Has since become a hero in CART.

What Went Wrong? Moreno spent 8 years rebuilding his reputation after an ill-fated attempt to qualify a Lotus at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix, but finally got the call-up to replace Sandro Nannini at Benetton in 1990. However, the 1991 Benetton was a disappointment (though rumours persist Moreno was sandbagging so as not to embarass team-mate and close friend Nelson Piquet), and when the team went for precious starlet Michael Schumacher, Roberto was the fall guy, and went to the back of the grid.

Closest? Dutifully following Piquet home on his Benetton debut at Suzuka in 1990.

Pedigree? A match for Mika Hakkinen in single-make formula, and capable of a fair turn of speed in mediocre cars in F1 too - frequently running high in Tyrrell-Yamahas. Specialised at Monaco, notably holding off Hakkinen's McLaren in a humble Sauber at the 2000 race, and was instrumental in helping Toyota's F1 debut year go smoothly.

What Went Wrong? Struggled to land a top-line seat until he was called on by Ferrari to substiute for Michael Schumacher in 1999. That stint showcased his strengths, but also his weaknesses as he was unable to get anywhere near the front in half of his races (notably disappearing at the Austrian and European Grands Prix).

Closest? Dominated the 1999 German Grand Prix, only to move aside and let team-mate Eddie Irvine take the victory to help his title-challenge.