This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
On the 70th anniversary of the first world championship grand prix at Silverstone in 1950, Formula One revealed the result of a fan vote to find the most influential person in the sport's history.
Michael Schumacher, a seven-time world champion and Ferrari great, emerged victorious with 61% of the vote, beating former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
According to Formula One, thousands of fans participated in the vote, which started with an expert panel's list of 32 names of influential people in the sport's 70-year existence.
These names were then narrowed down through a series of head-to-head votes, with Schumacher and Ecclestone ultimately facing off in the final round.
Despite not being seen in public since suffering serious head injuries in a ski accident in 2013, Schumacher holds the record for titles and race wins (91), although six-time champion Lewis Hamilton is closing in on both records.
Formula One reported that Schumacher's route to victory included beating Niki Lauda (56% to 44%), Ayrton Senna (52% to 48%), Juan Manuel Fangio (72% to 28%), and Enzo Ferrari (54% to 46%) in earlier rounds of the tournament.
