Most ranking and tier systems have to have an element of personal preference sneak in.

The Telegraph have, however, devised a process to avoid that where possible when it comes to ranking the 25 greatest Formula 1 drivers of the 21st century.

Following on from their list a few yeas ago, they have tweaked the entry requirements.

The two key criteria for this list are as follows: Drivers have to have had multiple podium finishes between 2000 and 2021, and they have to have complete three full seasons in Formula 1.

Thirty five drivers fit these criteria, but The Telegraph have whittled it down to a top 25.

The ranking numbers alongside the names have been reached by a metric that combines race wins, weighted points rankings and how they performed in relation to their teammate.

They also adopted the 2010-2018 method of points scoring down to 10th and applied it to all races from 2000 until the end of the 2021 season. 

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 24: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL36 Mercedes and Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving (16) the Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 24, 2022 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

So without further ado, lights out and away we go!

25 - Pierre Gasly – 715

24 - Carlos Sainz - 723

23 - Jarno Trulli - 744

22 - Jacques Villeneuve - Rating 750

21 - Rubens Barrichello – Rating 792

20 - Lando Norris - Rating 807

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 22: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren talks in the Drivers Press Conference prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 22, 2022 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

19 - Nick Heidfeld - Rating 836

18 - Felipe Massa - Rating 917

17 - Giancarlo Fisichella – Rating 918

16 - Mark Webber – Rating 1052

15 - Sergio Perez - Rating 1054

14 - David Coulthard - Rating 1131

13 - Valtteri Bottas - Rating 1154

12 - Daniel Ricciardo – Rating 1172

11 - Charles Leclerc – Rating 1178

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 24: Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari walks to the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 24, 2022 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

10 - Ralf Schumacher – Rating 1212

9 - Juan Pablo Montoya – Rating 1244

8 - Nico Rosberg – Rating 1331

7 - Jenson Button – Rating 1685

6 - Max Verstappen – Rating 1699

5 - Kimi Raikkonen – Rating 1789

4 - Michael Schumacher – Rating 2131

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN - APRIL 2: Michael Schumacher of Germany and Ferrari during first qualifying session for the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 2, 2005, in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

3 - Sebastian Vettel – Rating 2439

2 - Fernando Alonso – Rating 2480

Lewis Hamilton – Rating 3129

And there you have it, the 25 greatest Formula 1 drivers of the 21st century, according to The Telegraph that is anyway.

Of course, you can rightfully disagree, but it certainly highlights just how many talented drivers we've seen over the years!