DC? Is that you?

If hollywood were to make a movie of the 1982 season, people would say it was 'too unbelievable.'

I must admit that despite the loss of both Giles and Ricardo and the Pironi accident ,1982 stands out for me. John Watson `just` missed out after some stunning drives from the back of the grid (Mclaren) and Keke was a worthy Champ although he only won once (Dijon). Other drivers were also notable for the entertainment factor - Piquet bashing Salazar about the helmet after the Hockenheim clash, Rosberg doing a 360 spin and losing about 2 meters to Giles in Long Beach. `De Crasharis` leading at Spa in an Alfa Romeo, the close finish in Austria between De Angelis & Rosberg. AND...... the last race of the season was held in a car park at the back of some casino and hotel in the middle of a desert! How things change Let us not forget some of the other great names that year, Niki, Carlos, Alain, Rene, Alan (Jones), Nigel, Jacques. How about Mario in a one off drive for Enzo and doing nicely at Monza. The one good thing for me is that I still watch those cars racing today in the HFO - yes RACING - albeit shorter distances but glorious to watch and get up close to in the pits and take photos. By the way, `82 was when refuelling started and it was quite normal for the team personnel to wear shorts & t-shirts as team wear even during the race!! Oh and a certain Mr Ecclestone had a couple of good looking Brabhams on the grid for Nelson and Ricardo Patrese to pedal. For total Murray `pants on fire` Walker moments the last lap at Monaco must be tops, I may be wrong but I believe 5 or 6 drivers `led` that lap - wouldn`t happen now!!!!!

Started watching in 94 (Go Gerhard!!!), but my first season review i bought was 1985. I absolutely loved it, they got the drivers to do the commentary on the races and everything, brilliant

1995 was really great.

1997, 2000, 2007 and 2008 were great either.

Pink Snail: just a slight correction, de 'Crasheris' led at Long Beach in an Alfa in '82. He did lead at Spa in an Alfa, but in '83. F1 didn't go to Spa in '82.

From what I've seen in my lifetime, 1999, 2007 and 2008 stand out as my favourite seasons. I started watching in about 1995 or 1996, but I was only 5 at the time so the memories of those seasons are very vague. I started following religiously, that is, trying to watch every session and read up on all the news and discussion in about 2004, when I was 14.

1999 just makes me feel nostalgic really, it was an enjoyable season, but also it has many 90's F1 names that remind me of growing up in that decade. Schumacher, Barrichello, Hakkinen, Hill etc.

2007 was full of controversy but it was great seeing Ferrari and McLaren so close on performance. Raikkonen winning the title was also good, because I really supported him during 2005.

2008 was an epic championship battle with a very dramatic conclusion. I've supported Hamilton since watching him win in GP2 when I went to Silverstone in 2006, so it was great to see him an F1 champion just 2 years later. There were some pretty decent races too throughout the season, so it was pretty great all round really. I think 2008 is probably "my year" for F1, but hopefully future seasons will top it.

Bah!!!! It`s been a long day and my heads gone. Got the right car/driver combo though!! Didn`t the track `crumble` to bits or something at Spa? Like I always say "I stand to be corrected"

The track did break up, causing the race to be postponed, but it happened in 1985.

1970, Jochen Rindt. Do I need to say more.

Antti

You can always go to sleep if you feel that knackered.

A bit recent in my terms...but YES!

1989, followed by 1995 and 1997.

I started watching in 1986, but I think I only really appreciate that year in retrospect. Didn't have a reference point. By '89 I was much more knowledgeable, and a bit of a Senna fan - people seem to forget how unpopular he was at that time. The injustice he suffered at the end of the year probably emotionally scarred me for life. Also, the bigger, closer field, with cars that straddled the fine line between sophistication and simplicity.

'95 and '97 were great championship battles, too.

1958. The year Britain truly arrived in F1. After successes in the second half of 57, 58 started with the near certainty of a British World Champion. 4 British drivers started the year with a realistic chance of the title.

Yeah Monaco 82 features on many DVDs videos. A great looking race. If only to have seen it live...

1993 at Donnington after driving in horrible weather in UK with my dad to see my idle. The journey and holiday had taken three weeks from Sundsvall ,a holiday in liege then a hop to manchester .Horrible weekend weather wise but race was fantastic. My first attendance at a grand-prix.....memorable day. Unfortunately, i failed to see Senna at close range, but seeing him win in style was everything to me.

Suppose I could but always stop by to see what`s happening on my favourite forum!! I may get my dates muddled sometimes but know I can rely on being corrected!! 1982 was also good for passing on track and classic circuits before the chicanery was introduced in the cause of safety. Silverstone, Imola, Monza, Hockenheim & Paul Ricard were all awsome in their own way.

1970 and Rindt for me too.

I was disappointed to see Mansell leaving in 1993, Prost and unfortunately Senna in 1994. But then in 1995, Villeneuve signed with Williams just after his win at Indy from two laps down. At last it sounded like F1 would be the summit of motorsport again. I was so excited during the latter part of 1995, and the off season 1996. I was sure Villeneuve was gonna be competitive. And when he qualified on pole, I became an F1 junky.

That whole year was cult. Schumi's mega drive in Barcelona. Villeneuve's pass on the outside in Estoril.

1996 was my year.

1999 and 2003 were quite exciting years as well. I quickly lost interest in 2004 though... Not much thrills ever since.

1995 - as much as it sounds morbid, when Senna died, F1 was everywhere, I went, what's this and started following Hill against Schumacher. As tragic as it was, it also had a great story. However it was 1995 when I really caught the bug and made a determined effort to follow it, getting the occasional Autosport when I went to ASDA with my mum, getting Murray Walker's Seasons Reviews, where the pages fell out because the books were put together cheaply.

In many ways I'm like midgrid, catching onto the sport at the same period, trying to swat up if anything else. By 2000, I had got all 20 F1 season reviews . Around that time I would almost watch anything that came on. I'd stay up to two on the Monday morning trying to watch the Five highlights of CART. I remember staying up to watch them after Zanardi's incident and then not showing it. Then other things came into my life - girls, golf, I started watching the teen dramas of the type on E4 and now it's only really F1 I follow now.

1984.

Lauda.

Senna.

'Nuff said!

1993 is "my" year. Having seen a few races in 1991 and 1992, I got hold of a BBC Grand Prix magazine pre-season 1993. That year, I watched all the races, and haven't looked back since. There are quite a few moments from that year which stick with me - Hill finally winning in Hungary after leading the previous 2 races. Senna's drive at Donnington, and the general optimism that surrounded the sport then.

I watched the season review recently, and was surprised by the amount of overtaking on display. I seem to recall at the time people were complaining about the lack of it!

Oh, and who was it that crossed the line at Monza whilst flipping his car?

That was Christian Fittipaldi, who had collided with Minardi team-mate Pierluigi Martini.

One of Minardis better results aswell, because both cars were classified finishers (maybe 5th & 6th) can`t rightfully remember -anyone? I didn`t mean better result with sarcastic tones either as I loved that team.

Seventh and eighth unfortunately, but 1993 was one of the team's best seasons: Fittipaldi finished fourth at Monaco, and the team scored seven points, which is only tied by the Michelin-assisted, points-system-extended 2005 season.

I started watching in 1992 ( Barcelona ) and what made me a Formula One lover/junkie/nerd was seeing Ayton Senna beating Mansell in that beautiful white & red Mclaren Honda in the 1992 Monaco GP.

I have watched and enjoyed every season since then. However, I got to mention that the first part of the 93 was very special. After that I think the 2006 is high on my list along with the 2003, 2000, and the 1998 seasons.

Thanks for the great thread Bruce and everyone who has allowed it to be opinion without resorting to the bash like is everywhere else.

1967 was the year they built the 1.3 mile track 5 miles from home and our national hero - one of 3 GP drivers - took the title with his debut win at Monaco and another at the Nordschlief. Could there have been two better tracks to win at in your title year and still be possiblt the least known World Champion?

1982 and live television came to our country - Monaco was up there with the most dramatic, and Keke Rosberg's drive the wheels off it style in the Williams was to be watched in amazement.

1985, after 18 years of following the sport, was my first real GP and Adelaide's first Australian GP. But the following year was one off the top shelf with the final showdown at - Adelaide!

After Senna and Prost's altercation I stopped watching until Senna's tragic death and after that I couldn't stay away. I was mesmerised by Schumacher's early Ferrari years and 1999 was dramatic. But 2000 going down to the wire at Suzuka - well! What a race and Schumie pulled off a memorable win and Ferrari had their first champion since Jody back in the 70s.

Once Michael had the title it started to become monotonous until Alonso stood up to him. 2007 and 2008 were absolutely brilliant years with the Brazilian GP in 2008 proving to be IMO the most amazing drama I have seen. I was a mental and physical wreck at 7 in the morning.

Thanks F1 for all the terrific memories - there are many more I have forgotten for the moment but there's a few to consider....

2007 Kimi WDC.

My Dad passed away on August 13th that year and never got to see our fave driver win it all.

That will stick with me.

I don't bother living in the past, looking forward to the future has always seemed more exciting to me. There's always the TNF for you people.

started watching in '91....'97 was the sweet spot for me. many a sunday afternoon as a kid cheering on hill against Schumacher. Schumi was just great wasn't he? If you loved him you loved him, but if you didn't he was a great pantomime villain. The red baron and all that. Off topic I know.....

1998 started watching and I became hooked at the same time

Yeah, perhaps, but this is less about saying how much better it was in the past than asking what year got you hooked and why.... I'm looking forward to next season as much as you - but that's a good 4 months off, so in the meantime....

Well my earliest memory is the JPS Lotus 72 of Emmo.
The 1976 season had so much drama it was unbelieveable.
The early eighties were fine but when Senna burst on the scene in the Toleman, WOW! I mean WOW!

Yeah - Ultimately, Senna was the guy who got me hooked on F1....

OT: But Vettel may very well be the closest I've seen to that kind of talent.

1967

Okay, I'll try to make this not too long and not too short ...
The back story: Model cars transitioned to slotcars which raised questions of authenticity which were investigated in Road & Track magazine which held F1 in the highest regard. So I would be absorbing F1 at the magazine stand circa 1964. The great stories of Lotus raiding Indy (winning in 1965) and Ford raiding LeMans (winning in 1966) were increasingly fascinating. TV broadcasts of races were almost nonexistent so a few minutes of black and white highlights 2 or 3 weeks after the event was manna from heaven. I especially recall the 1965 LA Times GP at Riverside for the biggest sportscars. The field included the top guys from F1, Indy, LeMans and west coast sportscar specialists. IIRC Hap Sharp in a Chaparral won and Jim Clark was second using a grossly over-matched Lotus 40 - Ford.
When the FIA doubled the F1 displacement limit the cars which had been the soul of svelte efficiency became menacing angry beasts that demanded ever-wider tires. Thanks, Dad, for taking me to my first F1 race at Watkins Glen, NY. Won by Jim Clark's Lotus, it was the only win using the BRM H16 so at least I got that going for me, which is nice. That year, 1966, was populated with greatly differing designs which was a delight. The Brabham was the simplest design and the most reliable and won handily which was a shock given the widespread assumption that Lotus or Ferrari couldn't lose. That was great fun but in 1967 could we please return to winners who were, well, grander?
Initially, the answer was quite the opposite. As the season opener at Kyalami wound down it appeared that the winner would be Rhodesia's John Love who was a local field-filler. His Tasman series Cooper-Climax had to refuel 8 laps from the finish, relinquishing first place to Pedro Rodriguez's Cooper-Maserati. So the cars' fragility, the teams' insufficient preparation and the designs' imperfections were almost humiliatingly evident. But it was gripping unpredictable theatre.
A new GP winner was welcomed home for the second race in a row at Monaco. This time it was Brabham's employee, Denny Hulme from New Zealand. Lorenzo Bandini's Ferrari crashed and burned at the chicane. I believe it was televised live on ABC. It was revolting. It was real. High stakes, I get it.
F1 shifted up a gear when the Lotus transporter pulled into Zandvoort. Behold: the Lotus 49 built around Keith Duckworth's Cosworth V8 with Jim Clark and Graham Hill at the wheel. Amateur hour was over. The professionals returned to winning form.
But not yet dominating form. The Lotus-Cosworth was formidable but by no means bullet-proof. At Spa-Francorchamps the Brit-designed California-built Eagle-Weslake V12 took its single victory in the hands of everyone's favourite, Dan Gurney. The most beautiful car on the most beautiful track. Perfection.
On the underwhelming Bugatti circuit at LeMans Jack Brabham won maintaining a strong challenge for the title.
At Silverstone Graham Hill's Lotus broke but Jim Clark won. There was order in the cosmos.
Use of the term "nordschleife" was not widespread at the time perhaps because there was no other variation in use (sigh). Denny Hulme won the German GP there that day and all the credibility he would ever need.
Next race was the first Canadian Grand Prix, which was held at Mosport Park in the rain. Man, those roostertails! Brabham won again - he was tenacious. I stood in the pit lane at an F1 race. I touched a Lotus 49. I could have said something to a driver if I could have spoken. Eleven years later I raced there so, yeah, you could say it had an effect.
What a great race at Monza. I always held John Surtees in the highest regard so when he chose the less-slippery line through the Parabolica to win the Italian GP it was the cherry on the top of a tasty year. It so happened, to be precise, that he was in a Lola powered by Honda. Had this great race been televised, I have no doubt that the director would have completely missed Clark's full lap comeback, his greatest drive.
As the US GP at Watkins Glen neared its end anyone could see that Jim Clark's rear suspension was no longer fully attached. Actually, the same thing happened to me. I went off in half a lap. He won. There will be no more comparisons.
The title decider was at the Mexico City track that was used in the eighties. Clark needed a Team Brabham collapse which didn't happen. Jack needed Denny to not show up for work or to simply shortchange his equipment. Neither happened. Denny Hulme was Champion. Jack Brabham was a fairplay sportsman and a handy one. And Jim Clark was NOT simply the best. He was poised to rise above Fangio and Nuvolari.
So the most enjoyable F1 season yet for me was over. I could ask for no more.
Then, very late in the year, John Frankenheimer's "Grand Prix" in "Cinemascope" came to the Park Theatre in London, Ontario, Canada.
And I saw it a number of times.
And I'm now very much the same person who walked out of that theatre.
Thanks for reading.

1997 and 2007 with honourable mention to 2005.

being canadian 1997 was magic with jv fighting back against schumacher in jerez to take the championship. i just couldn't believe what i was watching when schumi tried to take jv out. pure drama. in 2005 kimi was amazing and his wdc win against all the odds in 2007 stands out to me as the grittiest and most difficult wdc win ever. he never gave up.

the early 1990's also stand out just for the design of the cars. the jordan 191 was my favorite.

Other than that, Paletti, Pironi's accident, the FISA/FOCA war, boycotted races and the realisation that aluminium boxes with 1000+hp were a little dangerous.

Please keep it on topic and personal communication to PM (Personal Messenger)

2000... Brilliant season of Schu and Mika.

Those years with Senna and Prost fighting for the title (88,89 & 90). The only ones that i woke up for Japan race. The worst: this one (2009)

For me it was 1994. I'd been watching F1 with my dad for as long as I can remember and there are few incidents that stick in my mind like Mansell's tyre burst in '86 (I was 3 at the time) but '94 was the first season I remember being totally gripped and making it a point to watch all the GPs I could even when my dad couldn't and then playing copious amounts of 'Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II' on the MegaDrive with Bat out of Hell II playing on the stereo! (my taste in music has improved since then.)

Not only did I watch the races but I remember at school (I was 10-11 at the time) discussing each race with my friends, mourning for the loss of Senna and the great Hill/Schumacher debate that raged all season long in the classroom including Shumacher ignoring black flags and the controversial final race.

It wasn't until more recently that I became completely obsessed, watched every race and knew about (in far to much detail) every driver, team and track but my 1994 will always be my year.

2000. It was a fantastic moment, MS winning the championship against a seemingly faster opponent/machine.

Great post - thanks for sharing !

Started following F1 in the mid sixties, but TV coverage was rather sparse those days so I'm a bit hesitant to yell how good 1965 or 1967 was.
Saw a bit more from 1970 and yes, that was a pretty special year - including that pretty fantastic grandstand Hockenheim finish - a race loathed by the F1 purists like Jenks BTW who found it sacrilegious to race a German GP anywhere else than at the Nordschleife

Another superb year was 1976. Not only because of the epic Lauda/Hunt fight till the end but also because of some specific races like the 1976 Austrian GP. Maybe the race with the most thrilling first 15 or so laps ever.

1979 and 1981 weren't too bad either with some great GV shows, and then came the real turbo era. Great times.
1986 was a great year indeed! Not just because of the championship cliffhanger but certainly because of some really good racing as well and yes, 4 real top class drivers fighting it all out almost to the end.

My favorite year was maybe 1989, with sensational races from beginning to end, from Brazil (a rather unfit Johnny Herbert finishing 4th in his debut race just 10 secs or so behind the race winner, and Mansell having a 5 wheel change IIRC!) to the craziness in Adelaide. In between: Mansell from 14th to 1st in Hungary and all the funny stuff in Canada.

2003 was the kind of season I like: every GP was or could be a changement de décor.

2007 was great fun, I nearly died laughing watching the Hungary GP Q
A 21st century John Frankenheimer (or a maybe even better a top documentarist) should have been with the GP circus, together with all the spygate stuff it was almost surreal (Hammy's whining at the Monaco press conference, Fernando's silly waving at Indy, the Alonso/Massa theater at the 'Ring, Hammy stuck in a mini-bunker in China and Ron's reaction, I could go on)

And the 2008 final wasn't bad either.

1967 the same for me........rember at riverside as about being a 13 years old. Dad started talkin to Paul Newman who saw the program and asked about it. Told him I was using it to collect autographs. He offerred to sign it, so i asked if he was a racing driver. He said no, so I said, well only racing drivers get to sign, so he said "I don't blame you, I would not want anybody but real racers signing either......"

bit of foreshadowing as to where he was heading....my mother had a fit when she found out....funny ........later i read where he did not do autographs

later saw steve mcQueen that day....but i could care less.....

What was so great is that you could get pit passes for next to nothing, and we spent three days at both events, my dad and i seeing and talking to race drivers up close, real close in the garage areas......Heellll who gots 10k for a f1 pit pass now, and even then, you don't get the access I had back then

Sad when I think of the drivers I met there and at Waktins Glen that same year, and how many would die in a racing car

"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."
same here

Started watching in 1999. Specifically Canada. 1st shot I seen was a red car. The 2nd shot I seen was a red car in the wall. Watched properly from 2000 onwards, but have all the yearbooks from 1996 and all the season reviews from 1994. I don't have 2002 though - I did record every single race though, but I then idiotically recorded over them a few years later before 'certain' internet sites were created.

I don't really have 'a year' as such though. My favourite was Schumi, but I wouldn't have a particular stand out year. If I was forced to choose one, it'd be 2003 or 2008 (for Massa).

2000!!! What a season!!!

Yes as posted above earlier , that was it for me.....1967, which I still think was the very best year, ever, for F1. The cars required drivers to set them up, not wind tunnels and engineers. The driver had to tell the mechanics what needed to be changed, not using some computer data acquisition straight to a bunch of PhD engineers. Not a bunch of wings making the faster corners easier due to increased downforce.....

I did talk to the drivers, not so much at the Glen, but plenty at Riverside. When Gurney signed my program, I said thanks, and he said, thank you, it was an honor

Asked Bruce Maclaren, right before the cars were to go out and practice, and he ignored me, got to his car and started pushing it.....he wanted it first in line, I guess. So I wandered off.

A couple of minutes later, I felt a tap on the shoulder and there he was. Signed, asked how things were. Very pleasant and polite. Then I realized he and his crew pushed the Can Am car right into the gate from garage to the track (pits were just a road off the track----nothing like stuff today), where it sat in the opening. A bunch of cars were behind it, waiting with drivers and crews, NO BIG DEAL, just a couple of WDC champions in Hulme and Surtees, along with Revson, Andretti and Hall and Gurney.

He finally said, better go before they get too upset at the wait.

NOW, imagine, holding up a bunch of cars at pit exit for practice, so the driver could go sign some snot-nosed kid's program at a F1 or similar race race in 2009... ....imagine getting even close enough to just touch a car.........


And right after Bruce walked off..Hulme, Revson and Surtees walked up and signed, without me asking...Mario hollerred out, hey later kid....and after the session, he signed as well.

Wow. That's a fantastic story. I knew I was born in the wrong decade. in 1967 I was REALLY a snot-nosed kid - exactly 1 year old.

Even from the 80's things have changed - I went to my first GP in 1986 at Montreal (another reason I love 1986 - my first time seeing the cars live). Back then, as you'll remember, the start finish line and the pits were on the north side of the island directly following the hairpin. My friends and I had some pretty unremarkable "silver" tickets in a stand that doesn't exist any more - the straight on the east side of the island following the start/finish line used to be much less straight and we were in a stand 1 corner following the start line.

Anyway, following qualifying (Mansell on pole) we casually walked past the pits and into the paddock area, waving our silver tickets as if they were sufficient to get us in - and the single "guard" was sufficiently disinterested to allow us by. We spent the nest hour toddling around the paddock at the north end of the olympic rowing pond and saw ALL the cars, Gerard Ducarouge (Lotus designer), Alain Prost, Stefan Johansson and Nigel Mansell... Nigel was yakking with someone about where they were going to dinner in Montreal that night - I was stunned - here's the guy we just saw hurtling around the track at speeds that I couldn't credit, and he's lazily considering dinner in his brummy accent... better yet, he was about two arm lengths away from us. Being a good canadian I was too abashed to ask for an autograph.

The nest time I went to a GP was 1989, and security was already much tighter, though nothing like the way it is today... The idea of waving a couple of silvers and getting into the paddock or pits now is nothing short of ludicrous, init?