1986, for me it seems like 'just a few' years ago, "yesterday" almost, until I think about it and realize it was 16 years ago! I've long since left Vancouver with my career taking me all over the place and right back to where I started, here in Montréal. I'm married, have a son, own my own business… the mind boggles at what has changed since those carefree days of 1986…
So what brought about this trip down memory lane? Yesterday afternoon my older brother walked into my office and said he had been cleaning up at home and found something he thought I might like to have. He's the one who first got me interested in F1 racing in the late 70's. He hands me a (mint condition!) Official Program from the 1986 "Grand Prix Labatt Du Canada"! Back from the days when the start/finish line and the pits were down on what is now 'Casino Straight', just out of the 'Casino Hairpin' at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Back from the days when the driver line-up read like a who's-who of Grand Prix racing history:
- Alain Prost - McLaren
- Keke Rosberg - McLaren
- Martin Brundle - Tyrrell
- Philippe Streiff - Tyrrell
- Nigel Mansell - Williams
- Nelson Piquet - Williams
- Riccardo Patrese - Brabham
- Elio De Angelis - Brabham
- Johnny Dumfries - Lotus
- Ayrton Senna - Lotus
- Johnathon Palmer - Zakspeed
- Alan Jones - Team Haas USA
- Patrick Tambay - Team Haas USA
- Marc Surer - Arrows
- Thierry Boutsen - Arrows
- Teo Fabi - Benetton
- Gerhard Berger - Benetton
- Pier-Carlo Ghinzani - Osella
- Christian Danner - Osella
- Andrea De Cesaris - Minardi
- Alessandro Nannini - Minardi
- René Arnoux - Ligier
- Jacques Lafitte - Ligier
- Michele Alboreto - Ferrari
- Stefan Johansson - Ferrari
Many of these names have since become F1 legends, names future generations of F1 fans will come to know, some names will drift off but I think it's fair to say that the majority of these names will live on. How many of today's drivers will leave a legacy anywhere close to what over 1/2 of these guys did? Schumacher will be remembered, obviously, as will Couldhart, J. Villeneuve, Frentzen maybe? What of the teams? Of this list of 13 teams, 16 years later 5 remain with Arrows looking like it will be 4 in no time.
I look at the pictures, in this program, of the cars… Man THOSE were F1 cars! Don't get me wrong, I still love F1 today. I do feel it needs some major re-thinking at the moment and also think Bernie's idea of ballast is nothing short of absurd, but it is still, as it was, the pinnacle of motorsports, the leading edge of technology for cars.
I'd love to hear of your memories of the '86 season and/or this era of F1, will we ever see it again? Mind you, did we really realize, back in 1986, what and who it was we were watching?