Who are the heroes of today's racing heroes? Of the 10 drivers we spoke to, eight named Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna - who won 132 grands prix and 10 world titles between them - among the racers who influenced them most.
Why do Senna and Schumacher reign supreme? The average age of this year's F1 field is 28, so when the Brazilian died and the German began his record-breaking run of championship titles in 1994, most of today's drivers would have been in their teens - a formative time when heroes are appointed for life.
Jenson Button, Brawn GP
My hero Lance Armstrong
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"I don't really have a favourite driver but I used to love the racing between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late Eighties and early Nineties. I liked James Hunt back in his day, but not necessarily for racing reasons! My sporting icon is Lance Armstrong. There's a quote from him that I always remember: 'Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. But if I quit, it lasts for ever'."
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
My hero Ayrton Senna
"As a kid I was drawn to Senna because, for one thing, his driving style seemed to be different from anyone else's. And he always went out of his way to make sure he was at the front. Compared with all the others, he appeared never to be afraid; he seemed to me to have that little bit of an edge. I do crazy things that other people wouldn't do and I feel I have an edge, too. I don't think he was ever one to drive half-heartedly."
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Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP
My hero Ayrton Senna
"When I started in Formula One in 1993 I couldn't race against Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna because they were idols. It is impossible to be like Senna. He was different. Everyone loved him - everyone in Brazil wanted to do something for him. The guys in the World Cup football team said they wanted to win for Senna after he died. I still sometimes get home in Brazil and Ayrton comes to mind and I get bogged down. I'd like to see him again. I miss him - he was part of my life."
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Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
My hero Michael Schumacher
"I respect what Michael has achieved in terms of results, but it was his approach to the sport and skill at the wheel that really inspired me. He worked assiduously behind the scenes to learn as much as possible about all areas of the sport. He made more of a mark on his era than anybody else."
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
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My hero Ayrton Senna
"The only poster I had in my room when I was a kid was of the basketball star Michael Jordan. In Formula One I loved to watch the fights between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late 1980s. I was rather a fan of Senna's. He drove with so much passion it was difficult not to be attracted to him if you were a young hopeful. So it was fitting that when I made my Formula One debut in 2000 I was driving for Prost's team."
Mark Webber, Red Bull
My hero Alain Prost
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"Alain Prost made a real impression on me because he was such a calculating, clever driver. I was always amazed at the way he paced himself during races. In the days before pit stops, when you really needed to save fuel and your tyres, he was incredible. He was exceptional at managing his car over a whole race distance."
Timo Glock, Panasonic Toyota
My hero Michael Schumacher
"When I was a little boy my heroes were first Ayrton Senna and then Michael Schumacher. For a German, Schumacher was the natural choice of hero. Our country hadn't had a genuine first-class Formula One driver for years, and so we were starved of home-grown heroes until Schumacher came along. It was rather strange to end up racing on the same track as him when I made my F1 debut in 2004 in Canada."
Fernando Alonso, ING Renault
My hero Ayrton Senna
"I only really became interested in Formula One in about 1990 or 1991, which was when Ayrton Senna was world champion. Spain did not have live television coverage of F1 in those days so I had to get my information from the newspapers, and I was always reading about Ayrton. Of course I've seen lots of videos of his great races, such as his amazing first lap at Donington in 1993, when he overtook four cars in the wet, which is a big inspiration for me."
Nico Rosberg, AT&T Williams
My hero Mika Hakkinen
"In F1 there are some drivers who win immediately and others who have the same talent but take longer. Look at Mika Hakkinen, for example. It took Mika seven years to become world champion. I greatly respect him and I think if you really deserve it, sooner or later you get there. Talent is something you are born with, but professionalism can make the difference. I think Ayrton Senna or Hakkinen had more talent than Michael Schumacher, but Michael managed to get the best out of himself thanks to his professionalism."
Nelson Piquet Jr, ING Renault
My hero Nelson Piquet
"My father was my hero when I was growing up, and that's why I wanted to be a racing driver. I'm proud of him not just because he won three world titles but because of his determination to succeed. When he was 18 years old he was working as a mechanic, then by the age of 20 he was a mechanic in Formula One, but a few years later he was actually driving the car and fighting for the world title!"