To me, the older drivers/teams will always be more impressive. Less engineering refinement, reliability? what's that?, racing was a lot more dangerous back then, drivers were truly wrestling the car sometimes. Drivers would come out of the car exhausted after races, and sometimes just pass out (I think Mansell passed out after a particularly hot GP, may have been the Dallas or Phoenix GP).
Like you say, driving required a lot more "ballast" back then. So knowing the risk and still tackling head on is very, very impressive to me. Back when there were still 3 pedals and a shift knob -- 180+ mph into a corner, handling massive decel G forces with one hand on the wheel, downshifting with the other one.
That's not to say the new drivers have it easy, or that they aren't facing risk anymore -- horrible, horrible crashes still happen. They also have to manage SO much more on the car than the old guard did. Being a constant conduit between the car and the pit wall for minor software changes, etc., adjusting brake bias per corner, changing engine/charging modes, etc., etc. The new cars are so much more complex. Driving a '60s-'80s F1 car is a different skillset to driving '10s-'20s F1 car.
Partway through I realized I misunderstood the question, but I'm still leaving it all up. The records aren't the be-all, end-all to me because stats don't paint the full picture, imo. Luck is still very much a part of F1, despite all the technological advancements and increased reliability/safety. So y'know, drivers who only won 1, 2, or 3 WDCs are every bit as impressive to me as those who won 4, 5 and more.