When Formula One's 'Worst Ever Driver' Was Run Over By 'Rescue' Car

Lewis Hamilton might be considered the best Formula One driver in the history of the sport, but the worst ever is a name handed out by the person himself.

Earlier this week, Hamilton won a SPORTbible poll that named him the greatest driver in Formula One's history, beating Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost.

The Mercedes driver might not be having his best season but he has seven world titles to his name, plus the most wins and most podiums of all time, so it's understandable why people have named him the best, even if you disagree.

However the title of worst ever driver might be even more cut and dry because Taki Inoue handed himself the name, with the Japanese driver able to accept that he wasn't all that good.

Inoue raced for both Simtek and Footwork in 1994 and 1995 and out of 18 races he only managed to finish in five of them, at least managing an eighth place finish.

Perhaps his most hilarious moment came in Hungary in 1995, on the 14th lap his Footwork Arrows gave in and he had to park his car on the side of the track and get out.

With the car steaming, Inoue went to help the stewards out and grabbed a fire extinguisher to make sure his car didn't set ablaze and put him in real trouble.

Whilst that was going on a 'rescue' car drove up the side of the track to help him out, make sure the car wasn't going to blow up and help him out.

However Inoue didn't really see the car and the car didn't really see him and instead it barrelled into him, which he probably didn't find too funny at the time but it is in retrospect.

It wasn't the only time that he got hit by a safety car that year, with the Japanese driver somehow managing to collide with it during Monaco that year.

The incident in the French principality left him concussed, and considering the fact he managed to do it twice in such a short career, it's no surprise he considers himself the worst driver ever.

Speaking to Top Gear in 2015, Inoue said he wasn't good enough to have driven F1, having been a paid seat, and revealed he didn't even know what a pit stop was.

"In my first Formula One race in São Paulo, Brazilian GP, I didn't know what a pit stop is. No one told me. But at least the car was not difficult. No paddle shift, once you get used to the carbon brakes, it's very easy to use."