I was just watching some old F1 videos and feeling appropriately ancient, and I thought - "this must be the same for EVERYBODY! - There must be a year that for them is pre-eminent - golden - the reason you watch!

I'm Canadian, so the season I plump for could easily be expected to be 1979, or 1997, or perhaps 76, or 96.... but for me there is no question - I started watching F1 because of Gilles Villeneuve in 1981 (the first year I can remember in Canada, getting any grudging coverage of the races) and, as a young man (15 when he died) I was devestated by his death - still - I watched. By 1985, Canada had every race covered, and so did I - for me - 1986 is THE season.

Part of this must have to do with the fact that this was an early "full season" for me - but that's not enough. 1986 was a GREAT season - Lotus still existed and it was still racing in it's fabulous JPS livery. McLaren ran Rosberg and Prost and the car was beautiful - Williams had Piquet and Mansell, and there was a good "up and comer" in Gerhard Bergher in the Benetton. Hell - even Ligier was interesting with their intensely gallic Laffite and Arnoux.

For me, 1986 confirmed me as an F1 nerd - the one idiot who would skip parties in order to see the early race the next day... but what a season - and poor Mansell! what an end! But who better to win than Prost! Senna was relatively new, and his performances riveted, although one sensed that, in spite of the slave team-mate (dumfries) Lotus couldn't deliver.... and Piquet? We've forgotten what a great driver he was in the wake of Senna - a shame. This was a season that went down to the wire and had 3 teams in it to (nearly) the end. Furthermore, this season produced a photo (arranged by Bernie, then Brabham team principal) of Senna with his arm around Prost - Prost hugging Mansell and Piquet looking uncomfortable hugging NM.... a photo that is impossible to imagine in similar circumstances (thanks - ironically, to Bernie) today.

The cars were realtivly "simple" looking and they were laid out with the drivers at the pointy end - with feet less than a foot behind the nose (as Lafitte found out to his cost), but the cars WERE beautiful - wide and squat, with the drivers helmests popping out unexpectedly high above the monocoque...

1986 was my "favourite year". It's not the "right year", it's just the one I think is fabulous. Some of you will think the same of a Schumacher year (and there are so many to choose from) - some of you will think that Lewis deserves a year for his stuff.... and I have no argument for this - if you found it fascinating, it must have been. What I want to know is, what year made you an F1 junkie - and why?

For me it's 1986. What a year. Shame about the hairstyles.....

Just want to say WOW Great reading - 1986 was a great year - have to think and get back!

For me the year that made me an "F1 junkie" was 1974. Clay Regazzoni almost taking the WDC. Part of the reason that I didn't start earlier was that my parents got a TV
back in 1974 for the FIFA world cup. And it was my mother that introduced me to the sport. My dad frowned upon watching anything motor sport related, but my mother watched the races whenever they were on TV.

The most exiting year for me however was 2000. A roller-coaster of emotions, and a great all season long duel between MS and MH, ending with Ferrari taking the WCC and Michael the WDC. The one moment that bugged me though, were the red wigs at the celebrations..

Yup, 1986 was a great year . Pity I was only 3 at the time and didn't give a flying toss about F1 . But I do vaguely remember seeing footage on Mansell's tyre explosion on the news . And the first thing that came to my mind when thinking about 1986 was the pass Piquet made on Senna in Hungary. Fantastic stuff .

Anyway, since I started watching F1 (1998), I think "my year" was 2000. It was all about Schumacher and Häkkinen, they had practically equal cars and fought to the limit all year. And that showdown at Suzuka was absolutely scintillating. Schumacher and Häkkinen just ran away together and left everyone else in the dust, it was amazing. Mika's car was a little bit better in the dry, but it started to drizzle a bit halfway through and Schumi started to close in. It was so freakin' close, I remember feeling so tense I couldn't believe it. And those agonizing laps after the second pitstop when Schumi got ahead... and when he finally got to the checkers, it was incredible . I had a big smile on my face for days afterwards.

2000 was also the year I got into CART... what a great show it was back then

Yes 1986 was a standout year. I was working in racing then, living trackside, we absolutely lived & breathed F1 that season. And what a season it was. Mansell vs Piquet in an almighty battle for dominance. Senna, a hungry young lion. Mr. Prost, so smooth and quick. And an amazing finish to the championship. I will never forget Mansell's tire popping in Aus, and his struggle to control the twitching Williams. And, somehow fittingly, Prost snuck in for the WDC. I still remember him getting out of the car with an incredulous look on his face, shaking his head. And we had Murray & James (iirc). Outstanding.

Of recent seasons I think 07 was pretty amazing. The struggle for supremacy btwn Lewis & Fred, and KR sneaking in for the WDC. Come to think of it, there are some great parallels btwn 86 & 07. Great opening post btw.

1972

Great thread Bruce!

My favourite year would have to be 1982. It had it all, lots of winners (the most races won by any one driver was 2, lots of politics (drivers strike, FOCA boycott of San Marino GP), the last of the awesome ground effect cars and sadly tragedy too. It was the first full year of Grand Prix broadcasts here in Australia so it was all very much exciting stuff staying up late on Sunday nights to watch the races.

The cars looked amazing and there was plenty of great racing through the year too. I am happy to have these races on video to watch every so often to remind me what a brilliant time it was for F1 back then.

2003……
I began to watch F1 in 1998,When I was 7.But before 2003,all my knew about F1 was only Schumi,Mika,Williams……In 2003,I began to understand the sport.Brazilian GP was a big lesson.Then,an excellent fight for titles.

2005,forget it!A perfect year for me,unforgettable fight between Fred and Kimi,Interlagos(my favourite circuit because of 2003,2005,2006,2007,2008 and this year),Suzuka,Imola,oh,what a year for me!

1986？I was born in the 1990s But seems a fantastic year!

Kids!

For me it would have be 1991 the First year I really started watching F-1. I remember getting up or coming back Home at 4:30 AM to watch my favorite Driver Nigel Mansell battle Senna for the Championship. I think the cars of that time are the best looking F-1 cars ever. I still enjoy watching F-1 but I will always have a soft spot for the early 90"s.

One of my earliest memories, when I was 3 or 4 years old, was a Tyrrell P34 model that a relative built for me. The 6 wheels on a car was the wildest thing I've seen, and I've been intrigued by grand prix cars ever since. I watched odd F1 races here and there in the late 80's and early 90's with my dad, but it was the morning of the Brazilian Grand Prix of '93 that my dad woke me up for where I saw Senna's drive that really got me interested. I decided to wake up on my own for the next race at Donington, and that first lap just got me hooked. I've watched every single race live since then. Not an easy feat considering I was a 17 year old alcoholic at the time, which lasted a few years! The broadcast times wasn't a big help either in North America.

Actually, it was almost every full race live. Work sent me to Chicago on the weekend of the US Grand Prix in 2000, but I did end up catching the first 15 minutes of the race at the airport bar before I had to run to catch my flight. Since that weekend, I explained the "streak" to my boss, and I've been able to schedule work trip flights around F1 weekends. Fly a day earlier or later, he'd pay for the extra hotel stay.

1986 was a great year. My stand-out years would be between 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989. Mainly because my hero Johansson was in good cars in those seasons, once the Onyx got up to speed anyway.

But I would plump for 1986 too. As you say so many great drivers, Senna, Mansell, Prost, Piquet, Rosberg, Berger and of course Stefan , a finale that outdoes anything since in my opinion, and the last GP at Brands.

2007. As an 18 year old Canadian (of Polish decent), I should probably pick 1997, which was the first year I really paid attention to F1, but even then at 6 years old you're too young to understand what's going on anyway. I loved 2007 - Top three drivers separated by a point at the end of the year, Robert Kubica's emergence, along with him proving just how safe the cars have gotten, that there was actually a Canadian GP, Adrian Sutil and Sebastien Vettel arrive on the scene, and Markus Winkelhock leading the European GP at the Nurburgring. And the cars were sexy as hell.

1996 - Went to bed with a big smile on my face when Damon won the WDC.

Honorable mentions:
1991
1996
1999
2005
2006
2007
2008

Honorable mentions of seasons that I saw on video afterwards
1981
1982
1983
1986
1988
1989

Even though mika and mclaren failed, 2000 was 'the year' for me.

1998, when I was seven. The first glimpse I saw was when I was five and MS won at Monza in a Ferrari for the first time. I only remember the TV showing some onboard footage and I was hooked! I only watched one race in 1997 (Jerez ), before going on step by step learning about the sport full-time in 1998. The Swedish television only showed the races at that point, but my father taught me how qualifying worked, and as per Monaco I watched my first qualifying session. I fell in love with the Ferrari and with the driving of Schumacher quite immediately, and just the sight of the Ferarri back in '96 made me a tifosi. It was a disappointment when he didn't win the title that year, but at least I got to celebrate five of them!

I started watching (glimpses only on german television at that time) in 1977, immediately became hooked to the Lotus beauties of that time and low and behold, Andretti took the title the very next year! He and then Reutemann were my favourites back then. I didn't have another until Senna came along.

But my personal standout year has to be 1990 - suddenly courtesy of Europort I could watch every qualifying session and extensive race coverage, plus I absolutely loved John Watsons commentary. Yet it wasn't to last, a year later through some arrangement between RTL and Ecclestone, Eurosports broadcast in germany was severely limited and the ongoing torture of having to watch the races on RTL started

Started watching seriously in 1981, the peak year for drama and ability was probably 1986. Dunno if I have a favourite year, but 2008 was sweet as the FIArrari plot was foiled at the last corner. 1988-90 were special as well, knock-down drag-out duel.

Started following F1 in the mid-seventies and there were some good years. Niki Lauda was my first 'hero'. Got the complete 'bug' in the late seventies/early eighties. 1984 is 'my year' though. First time I followed the finale on the radio (we didn't have regular broadcasts then) and was about to pee my pants from excitement (which would have been pretty embarassing at 19 years of age ). Was sooooo happy for the end-result but it also made Prost my next favourite driver that I followed after Niki's retirement.

Can't decide between 2008, 1986 and 1976.

Nice thread thanx Bruce

1986 was awesome year, but for me the year 0 was 1982 when Keke hit the jackpot, that was the thing that made me turn from rallying to F1, and I've been on that road to this day.

For me it's 1994. I was five and I remember my dad being a big Schumacher fan. I always recognized Michael as the blue car (I didn't know it was named Benetton) with a little red stripe on the nose (1nd car of Benetton/Renault always used this, 2nd car had no stripe). Schumacher won the first 2 races, not that I remember much of that, but the third race, Schumacher won again but somehow the whole scene was totaly different. It would take a while for me to understand why...

When I saw back the live footage of that ill fated race now, with full understanding of who's who's and what actually happend, what impact it had on the Formula 1, it just means a lot to me.

RIP Ratzenberger and Senna, but 1994 was my year.

1995 was Michael Schumacher´s best season, and his performance was one of the best in F1 history.

It was really amazing to see him with that (fabolous) Benetton humiliating the powerful Williams and Ferrari teams.

I still remember what he did in Spa... No words.

2000. Schumacher at his best and McLaren with a better (if less reliable) car.

And it came down to one race at a track both Mika and Michael excelled at.

Michael was the better man on the day and that was the difference.

2009 - I've been a Button fan since day one.

I think I probably started following F1 seriously at the start of the 1994 season, a year that of course can only really be remembered for one weekend - at Imola.

I'd watched F1 races before '94 but never really paid much attention to the overall picture. I remember Mansell winning the WDC in 1992 but not how he did it for example. I was also aware of things like Senna's status in the sport.

I wouldn't say there is a specific year that made the sport what it is for me now. If I had to pick stand-out seasons then they would be 1996 (for Hill's WDC) and now 2009 (for Button's WDC), but I'd still be watching even without those.

Hate to say it in a nostalgia thread, but 2007 and 2008 must be contenders for the best seasons ever: full of extraordinary races (mostly by Hamilton), appalling errors (mostly by Hamilton), and bitter rivalries - but at the same time marred by the terrible politics. Perhaps if I'd watched 1986 live I'd have picked that - certainly the showdown in Adelaide was brilliant, but does it beat Hamilton winning on the last corner of the last race in 2008, while the Ferrari garage celebrated? These are the best seasons since I began watching F1 in the 90s. For the first time since the 80s F1 seems to have a range of drivers capable of winning the title and well-matched cars. Roll on 2010.

In 1997, I was twelve years old and watched my first race. I still remember circuit and who won, showing that I was really paying attention and remembering so quickly. I was literally enthralled by the sport, which my brother had switched to on the television and remained fairly uninterested in. I was hooked though, and was hungry for more. I only followed a smattering of races in 1997, not even remembering which I had seen besides the Australian Grand Prix (the first that I had watched). In 1998 though, the F1 bug bit. Hard. I've followed the sport religiously ever since and hope that someday I'll be one of the guys who can look back fifty years to when I started watching and reflect on how far the sport has come. If F1 is still around in thirty eight years, then I believe that the possibility of that happening in very, very strong.

I started watching seriously in 1991 so my choices are a bit limited.

1989 - an epic season, one that probably should have got a bit more representation in this thread.
1995 - Painful to watch for me, but Shumi really did the business.
2000 - The wrong guy won for me, but what a year.
2007 - Word cannot describe how tense the whole season was.
2008 - Over the top stewarding, great racing, Spa, Fuji, Brazil!

If I had to pick one, it'd be 2007. I didn't watch 1989 in it's entirety, though I do remember Suzuka quite well.

I started watching some races in 1998 when i was eleven. But my year? I really enjoyed the 1999 season, as I by then already was pretty hooked on it and never missed a race, and an exiting championship battle even if Schumi weren't in it, as I at that time was probably more of a Ferrari than Schumi fan, even though i already then considered him the best driver. Another great year for me was 2006, after having lost interest in it a bit during 2004-2005 to the point were i hardly watched any races (young and stupid, busy with other stuff like music and stuff, which I still enjoy just as much as F1, but...). For some reason though during the 2005 season I started caring again, as I by then for some reason really wanted Kimi to beat Alonso (Now I like both but prefer Alonso, but that's not relevant here... ). And before the 2006 season started i couldn't wait for it to start, and watched pretty much very single race plus qualy as in the "old times". Been the same since that.

1999. There was so much happening.

Most importantly, for me, Heinz-Harald Frentzen-Jordan story, with Heinz-Harald putting his Williams problems firmly behind him.

For me, 1985...my two favourite drivers, Senna and de Angelis, driving for Lotus. Happy, happy days, now long gone...

Both dead

Although i saw 1985, i was 17 old in 1993, and that was 'my year'. Senna's performances in tricky conditions were standing out like a torch in the darknes...

1991 and 2008.

The whole decade of the eighties were awesome. That and 1993. Everyone knew the Williams was the best car, but boy did Senna give them a tough challenge in his last complete season.

I remember watching Laudi pip Prost to the title in 84 and a few races around about that time. I first got the bug propely in 1986 and remember the season fondly.

Liked 89 and agree that 07 and 08 are due a mention.

Only missed (watching) one race since '86.

The first F1 races I watched were in 1992, due to it being the first year I had my own television and joining in with conversations at work. It was only after the Japanese GP in 1993 that I became a dedicated follower after discovering I was pissed off at hearing the result before the repeat showing of the race at lunhctime. Rather than the racing per se, what really got me hooked was the old Microprose F1GP game and realising that what I saw on my computer screen was remarkably close to what appeared on the television screen, in terms of the corners and main trackside landmarks anyway.

Since Hamilton reached F1 I've started caring about what happens in a race again though, something that had faded a lot since the mid nineties.

1990 and 1991. Obviously, Senna won both years, but also for my other fav driver Stefano Modena who had a great year in 1991.
Anyways, I love all them late 80's and early 90's, those were my years I got addicted to F1 real bad

1997 by far. The peak of F1.

1982, when Keke won with such slight margin in clearly the inferior car! That ws nailbiting year!

1994.
Have seen Schumacher beating Senna at his home soil

1994. A terrible year in many ways, but it wa the first year of F1 that totally gripped me, and what a monster of a final 2 races that season!

Michael and Damon arguably saved F1 after Senna died and put on a great show.

I started watching Formula 1 in 1996, when I was seven years old. The first race I remember watching live was the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, and I remember being pleased the Mika Salo was running in fourth at one point, as it meant that he would achieve his best career result so far. I started watching seriously in 1997 - every race, knowing all the teams and drivers - so that would be "my" year.

For some reason, though, I've always been interested in the 1995 season. The first book on the sport I got was "Formula One" by Bruce Jones; a preview of the 1996 season with tantalising shots of 1995 cars from the previous year which I couldn't identify. Before I really started becoming aware of the history of the sport, I used to make (incomplete) driver and team lists of past seasons (before 1996) from the clues I would get from the few books I had, and information from the ITV coverage. These days I'm a bit more informed, but I'm still fascinated by the seasons that I was too young to watch live.

with everything else that went down in 1982 I cannot see how it could be anybodies year.

From the day one every racing year had something special to offer, however two days somehow stand up in my marriage to F1 as memorable, and those were on occasions when I learned about Good-byes by Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher, once they announced to leave active racing. As someone once said (I think it was a French literary figure), paraphrasing, "When we lose a friend, we die a little". On those two occasions I think I knew what the author meant by these words, even when my association was merely mental, being theirs loyal fan.

For me the breakout year was 1968, as a 10 year old. I started following Formula 1, as best as I could, through Road & Track magazine in 1965 and began to search out as much as possible of it's history. The movie, Grand Prix, brought the tracks and the atmosphere to life for my brother and I. Dad started our subscription to Competition Press & Autoweek in late 1967 and hence we were able to follow the season unfold in front of us. The tragic loss of Jim Clark (& Mike Spence @ Indy), Graham Hill bringing the devastated team Lotus a hard fought championship over Jackie Stewart and Dennis Hulme in the last race of the season, Mario Andretti making his F1 debut in the Lotus 49 - many vivid memories. Not many seasons linger in my mind like this one does.

My first live F1 race was in 1974 at Watkins Glen. I was not disappointed - I sometimes think my love of the history and the witnessing of these days are the only thread that keeps me attached to the modern form of the sport. Not trying to be contentious, only my opinion.

Thanks for the thread

Brian

haha, how similar we all are!

I am just watching the 1980 and 1981 season, excellent races, wonderful driver personalities. To experience Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve in full swing, the early Piquet and Arnoux, ahh - these were the days they were called young lions.

But then again, as you say, Bruce, 1986 has some magnificent races (Spain 1986 for example), real thrillers. We might be able to see such races again next year, with no refuelling allowed and different tyre strategies.

Excellent thread!

OK, seeing as nobody else has done it - Next year will be my year.
Thanks, I'm here all week.
Probably 1986 for me too, seems more recent that it actually is.

I think the user name is coming out in spades there, G.

I started watching 97 so of course 98 was the best for me. Recent few years have come close though, esp 07.