I'm pleased to see that Jenson Button's F1 title has been greeted with enthusiasm both inside and outside of the sport generally.
"He's a good bloke - he deserved it after all this time " seems to be the consensus. Well done JB!

However from recollection it seems a long time since our world champions were hailed in such an affectionate way. I'm sure it was once the case that most people looked at the title winner at the season's end , thought 'well done' and bore no antipathy... but that was then!

We do seem to have had a rash of fairly unpopular title winners over the past 20 years, or if not actually unpopular, then certainly they have polarized the views of the supporters in a way that was not nearly as evident in earlier decades.

"Well done old chap" has become a fawning "what a genius" or snarling "what a bas@&ard" depending on your standpoint. When did all that start I wonder?

IMHO it was only really Hunt and Mansell who galvanised opinions; our other champs have been generally warmly received. Also IMHO, there has never been an undeserving World Champion.

Senna and Schumacher?

I think there may be a lot of contrary views to both of Tony's IMHOs.

What must also be borne in mind is that the Press, and by that I don't mean the specialist motoring offerings, also help in galvanising opinion. They shape how the none motor racing fans think about a world champion. They are also the ones that dig out all the wild and often fabricated stories.

Someone may well be able to identify the pivotal moment when the public stopped thinking about motor racing drivers as heroes and nice guys. For me whenever I have met drivers on the up they have been charming, witty and happy to talk to people who seemed to know about racing. Unfortunately once they become World Champions their time is not their own - this has become worse over the years.

Exactly. And I don't recall Prost being too popular in 1989 or Piquet two years before (a different story in 83 however).

I think another fact is that behaviour that was deemed " cool " when a driver was climbing the ladder in F1 suddenly becomes "behaviour unfit for a World Champion " when he wins the crown.

Someone like James Hunt didn't really change that much when he was World Champion…………and that was the fundamental problem

PAR

If you asked many of my non-motor racing mates who Piquet and Prost were, they most probably wouldn't know. Senna just maybe, but even then.....
Hunt, Mansell, Hamilton and Shuey, probably yes. Most of them couldn't begin to form an opinion about any of them though. Button, yes but only because he's current.

Surely public perception of world champions (and F1 in general) is based on what people see and hear? Prior to the explosion in TV and radio broadcasting that began in the 1990s, reporting was limited outside the specialist press. The James Hunts of this world managed to make it into the gossip and social columns of the papers as well as the sports pages. But you only got to understand who most drivers really were from the long interviews in Autosport or Motor Sport, which were inevitably intermediated by a journalist.

With more broadcasting, we got longer TV interviews with drivers. In Michael Schumacher's case, we were able to observe his body language and contrast it with the more modest conduct of Damon Hill. Many of my friends who follow F1 less enthusiastically took an immediate dislike to Schumacher, simply based on the way he walked. By the time he went to Ferrari, Schumacher had clearly received some media training; compare his presentation at post-race interviews etc. Towards the end of his career, I started to enjoy Schumacher interviews, although my opinion of him retained the question marks over sportsmanship.

The MotoGP circus manages its PR really well. Perhaps it's because the riders make an effort for the fans. Hayden, Edwards, Stoner and others put on a good show off the track, even before Rossi puts a word in.

I don't imagine Button is all that popular in the Portugese-speaking world, right? 'Cause he beat 'their' bloke.

I think a lot of the popularity of particular champions is based on national pride; you see a compatriot as 'your' guy.




Bruce Moxon

True to some extent probably, but I was surprised by the lukewarm feelings expressed for Barrichello by interviewees at Interlagos, they seemed to feel that he hadn't really delivered over his career, and I got the impression that they were supporting him largely as 'best Brazilian out there' rather than out of any real fervour. Surely they'd feel that 'their guy' let them down yet again?

I think people are happy for/congratulating Jenson, but my finger-in-the-air analysis of the British public is they really don't care about him. I think it's more a case of "Hoorah, a Briton won" rather than "Oh, Jenson won". It was interesting that Brazil 09 had a peak audience of 8million (on BBC1 no less) while 12million watch Hamilton win last year. Is Hamilton more interesting? More unique? More liked?

Sometimes you have to zoom well back to get a proper perspective on things. I remember the morning after Button won in Hungary in 2006, reading the paper at my gym and the middle aged couple(who I knew) sitting next to me remarked about all the time and money it had taken before Jenson won a GP. I didn't entirely agree with it from a racing analysis, but I didn't disagree with it from their perspective.

A tactic The Times might like to try now that they've moved Our Jense from 41st to 16th in their '50 best F1 drivers' ranking this week

I've always been led to understand that Rubens is considered to be a figure of mirth by Brazilians, derided as being a bit of a goon. Possibly because he's not as suave, debonair, dashing and forthright as many of Brazil's earlier F1 stars.

I think you will find that the Brazilians have the same opinion of all their home country drivers - if they are in a competitive car they want them to win. Rubens might not be as well thought of as Massa, Senna or Piquet within Brazil but the Brazilians prefer him to Button.

In Italy it is usually Ferrari first, irrespective of who is driving the cars, then Italian drivers second!

Interesting quote by Barrichello's ex-employer Jackie Stewart, it was mentioned somewhere in Sunday's race commentary, something along the lines of Rubens being the most technically accomplished of all current drivers. It begs two questions, one what's he basing that statement on, and two, didn't he say something similar about Jan Magnusson? Sir Jackie's reputation as a talent scout isn't the strongest out there.

An attitude born of experience? Three of the first four WDCs won by Italians and then .....

Congratulations to Jenson and Brawn GP. Jensen has always seemed a nice down to earth bloke and in a good car is a champion. As is needed by all champions. Though he was being canned a couple of years ago!
Rubens seems to be getting a lot of undeserved flack, last year people were saying he is past it etc though once again in a good car he is a championship contender. At least a very good racer and also seemingly a nice guy.

Rubens whinged a bit too much for some people's liking in the early to mid part of the season that cost him some popularity. Once he got the upper hand as the year progressed, he soon shut up!
What intrigues me about Jenson's championship, there is a feeling about that it is somewhat devalued by the fact that he hasn't gained any victories in the latter part of the season. You never hear that in the press when a football team scores three goals in the first 10 minutes of a match and then goes on to win 3-0........
My comments re Rubens in my earlier post reflect an article I read some years ago indicating that he is viewed (quite unfairly IMHO) as a bit of an Eddy the Eagle type figure in Brazil; I wondered if anyone who is nearer to it can confirm that or otherwise?

I do not follow this current stuff very much, but, in the "year of the diffuser", where Coulthard, IIRC, wrote that results are now 85% the car and only 15% the driver - ignoring safety cars, bad pitstops etc etc- what can you expect?. A cynic could think he might as well have had a 4 litre engine in the first 6 races.....

On the same weekend I think we should be rightly proud of Beth Tweddle, our WORLD floor gymnastics champion. 100% down to her skills and efforts.
Roger Lund

True, but floor gymnastics even at the world level doesn't draw the world's attention.

Remembering the San Marino GP in '83, Patrese crashed out while leading, Tambay (in a Ferrari took over the lead and went on to win)

James Hunt (as the locals went crazy with joy): "And there is proof that Italians prefer cars to people".

Not than Hunt was ever backwards in coming forward when Patrese was involved...

Ah Roger, but if you look back it's a very very long time since that equation was tipped any further towards the driver ...

"if you don't have a chassis, you don't have balls" - Niki Lauda, 1979.

I'm sure Moss, in his Cooper Alta, looked at Ascari in his Ferrari Tipo 500 and thought very much the same(although transposing 'chassis' for 'engine' probably)

Yes, Simon, just as JMF, and others, always made sure he had the best kit etc. I am also aware of the implied role of the various cars with JC, NGH, Rindt and Andretti inter alia, but with all of them we were spared the graceless "because I am worth it" ( delusions of adequacy ) remark at the post race interview - in the 60secs which I saw. Andretti and Rindt even turned it the other way, giving credit to the car.

In terms of unappreciated champions we also have Joe Calzaghe- whatever you think of his sport- ten years undefeated at the top, and David Roberts, paralympic swimming champion medallist who has won more gold and other medals in his sport than the damehooded Tani Grey-Thompson.
It is all perspective.
Roger Lund

I think Calzaghe gets plenty of attention, certainly more than his personality would demand.

In my opinion, just about the worst ever instance of under-appreciation was Sir Stirling. A massively popular figure almost all his life, one of the best ambassadors that motor sport, indeed this Country has ever had, in my opinion and that of many others, probably the greatest all-round racing driver the world has seen, but after his enforced retirement in 1962, he had to wait thirty eight years for his knighthood. That small dark-haired young woman who followed her sat-nav to sail around Antarctica and back in a huge state of the art boat a couple of years ago was 'Damed' a few days after she stepped back on land. Knight and damehoods clearly aren't what they used to be,

I don't care how high-tech her boat was, I'd have wanted a damn sight more than a Knight/Damehood to tempt me to tackle that little jaunt!

And I bet you'd say much the same about getting into a ring with Joe Calzaghe, but then, I'd say that about getting onto a dancefloor with him or anyone else.

Ten years a champion, undefeated, against the best in his sport. Surely an irrelevant comment, Ross?
Jenks always wanted to know who finished behind you before hearing where you had finished. Perhaps the difference between Calzaghe, and Billy Walker/Joe Bugner etc. Draw your own analogies in other sports.
RL

But no cigar at the Locarno, Roger.......

I think popularity and things like the honours system are bestowed for more than just stats. Although they do seem to give automatic Knighthoods to coaches and OBEs to players if they win any world championship event. Same reason the gymnast didn't get a quote out of the PM. You aren't important enough sweetheart, politicians don't praise what is praiseworthy but what gets good press.

But yes you can put me down as someone who is underwhelmed by the 'sport' of boxing, especially with their various weight classes and ridiculous governing bodies.

Apparently , on SkyNews today, she was asked about any note of praise from No 10 and she said she had heard nothing. Within minutes a note from No 10 reached the Sky studio; they had sent Beth a note of congratulations, but she had not yet received it.........
BTW I grind no axe for boxing, it is just that we hear of so many other "talented" multi champions, golf, tennis etc.
RL

Part of me wonders if that isn't News International pushing the narrative surrounding the PM, The Times mentioned it too.

I still wonder how much that italian enthusiasm was also related with the fact that it was Ferrari 27 that ended up with winning that race in Imola '83.
Had it been Arnous in the 28 the enthusiasm could well have been less then it was now.
Imola '83 was exactly one year after the stolen victory from the hero who died 13 days later.....
Must have been a big influence for man who cheered vor the victory of Tambay that day in 1983




henri

How about Senna's of 1990....


henri

In terms of the British World Champions, I was only a child when James Hunt won the title, so I can't really remember the media and public reaction at the time. Mansell's title I think was only grudgingly celebrated in many quarters, although most conceded that he deserved it after his efforts down the years. There was comment about the superiority of his car.

The one which I think was almost universally popular was Damon in 1996. That probably prompted more emotion and satisfaction than the others.

Unless you were called Frank or Patrick in which case it exacerbated yet another of Williams, rather frequent, self-inflicted PR disasters of the era ....

Well Dear Henri Greuter,
I am almost sure that that enthusiasm was not related to number 27 or Villeneuve stolen victory at all,
the explanation is that in Italy we have Ferrari and it's something quite special.
And in any other cases the enthusiasm would be exactly the same, a Ferrari that win in Italy it's different.......... simple as that,
believe me. I think also Patrese, being Italian, understood that feeling.
Ciao,
MonzaDriver.

That's the real shame Vitesse2,
and the funny thing is that in Italy none seems to notice it.
I any case I doubt that italian racing school, could be able to produce a world champion.....
MonzaDriver.

Thanks for explaining.
I came with my theory because from what I knew, every ferrari driver is special in Italy but Gilles was very special among the special ones.
And from distant memory, I remember that Arnoux'popularity increased during the Summer once he started to mount his title challenge..

But I take your words, thanks for telling.

Henri

You are perfectly right with this knowledge, and great part of this admiration came from the words of appreciation that Enzo Ferrari have had for Gilles, both in life and after death. Words that Ferrari used for him and Nuvolari only.
In any case Imola's enthusiasm, would have been the same.

MonzaDriver.