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Car or Driver, Which draws you to F1?


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Poll: Car or Driver (136 member(s) have cast votes)

Are you most interested in the cars or the drivers?

  1. Car (56 votes [41.18%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 41.18%

  2. Driver (51 votes [37.50%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 37.50%

  3. No preference. (29 votes [21.32%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 21.32%

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#1 Lazy

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 05:26

Personally I have always been drawn to the engineering side of motorsport with drivers very secondary.

 

Colin Chapman:

 

"Simply stated it must firstly be capable of lapping a racing circuit quicker than any other car, with the least possible skill from the driver, and doing it long enough to finish the race."

 

http://jalopnik.com/5840611/colin-chapmans-simple-and-chilling-definition-of-a-formula-one-race-car

 

What's your focus in F1, car or driver?


Edited by Lazy, 28 April 2014 - 05:27.


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#2 eronrules

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 05:56

mainly car. for me, every little curve on the FW or the little flow conditioners on top of the side pods have more character than an individual driver.

 

back in the early era of F1, i'd say up until mid 90s, drivers could hassle a car to achieve that extra few tenths as the aero was still in it's infancy, but since early 2000s, driver's skills have become secondary. if i have to put a finger, i'd say since 2002, aero, chasis, electronics, engine and tires have surpassed the drivers in their importance.

 

of course, drivers are still interesting, they are the human element. but if we think about Equestrian as a sport, the influence of the rider is really much less important than the horse itself. these days, drivers rely on electronics to sort 80% of the driving, their main task is to use the human Traction control (i,e the foot :p ) and the brakes. but then agian, those too are also 'fly by wire' systems, with every human input going through several ECUs to make them smoother and more applicable. i'd even argue that the driver's only job now a days is to steer the damn car and avoid collisions , nothing else. :p 

 

but coming back to the issue at hand, i read every technical changes in the F1.com website, try to read (and understand, though mostly in vain) all new updates each team tries to bring, and what's right or wrong. i'll love the sport until it becomes spec series (which it is becoming gradually  :cry: ), and even then i'd still love it.  :lol:



#3 eronrules

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 05:59

in other words ...

 

Car makes the Driver champion, not the other way round. 



#4 ollebompa

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 06:23

Both, it's the combination that intrigues me. I would not watch if the cars where driven by robots, equaly nor would i if all had the same car. There is no such thing as the best driver or the best car in F1. It's man and machine, they are inseprable.

Edited by ollebompa, 28 April 2014 - 08:22.


#5 Force Ten

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 07:18

It's the combination of everything around it, though one gets attached emotionally and I find getting attached emotionally to machines is somewhat harder to getting attached emotionally to human beings. Thus, it's the whole thing and selected people in it. Cars are the vehicles for people in them to root for, both literally and metaphorically.



#6 Juggles

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 07:19

It's all about the drivers for me. They, along with some of the other personalities in the background, are the ones who turn F1 from a bunch of petrol heads racing on a Sunday afternoon to a globally compelling circus.

There is a slight parallel to that scene in Wolf of Wall Street when Leo talks about the telephone just being a "hunk of plastic" on its own, needing human involvement to fulfill its purpose. That is how I feel about racing cars. I don't see the beauty in them unless they are being power slided through a corner by some nutter with a death wish, and it's the nutter that intrigues me.

#7 undersquare

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 08:15

I had to vote no preference, because it's the combination, for me.  Cars that are so extreme that ordinary drivers are nowhere in them, and drivers who are also extraordinary.



#8 Lazy

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 09:18

It's all about the drivers for me. They, along with some of the other personalities in the background, are the ones who turn F1 from a bunch of petrol heads racing on a Sunday afternoon to a globally compelling circus.

There is a slight parallel to that scene in Wolf of Wall Street when Leo talks about the telephone just being a "hunk of plastic" on its own, needing human involvement to fulfill its purpose. That is how I feel about racing cars. I don't see the beauty in them unless they are being power slided through a corner by some nutter with a death wish, and it's the nutter that intrigues me.

I have a very hard time seeing the cars as an inanimate object, even when turned off they have this aura of potentiality. When started a beast comes alive, it's like they are conscious but so focused as to be unaware of anything but an all consuming urge to move forward.

 

I know they are incomplete without the driver but to me it's the purity of purpose that makes the car so much more compelling.



#9 tifosiMac

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 09:36

Its always been a driver for me. I enjoy following a drivers progress throughout his career and like the fact the environment can change. Its not like football where you choose a team and feel like you have to stick to it forever. I'll support the team my favourite driver is at while he is there and there are no teams I dislike as such. 



#10 Markn93

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 09:48

I had to vote no preference, because it's the combination, for me.  Cars that are so extreme that ordinary drivers are nowhere in them, and drivers who are also extraordinary.

Exactly, I'd prefer a 'both' option, which is technically no preference but both aspects to me are attractive in the sport. Best drivers in the best manufacturer's cars.


Edited by Markn93, 28 April 2014 - 10:26.


#11 Spillage

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 09:56

Both for me, but with a preference for the drivers. I love that these are supreme machines but it's really the human aspect that pulls me in, the fact that all the money, all the hard work of the employees of the team, is ultimately in the hands on one man who can make or break his and their hopes. I love the pressure and tension of a two-way title fight, the inevitable tension between the protagonists. All of my favourite F1 seasons have had this aspect - Schumacher v Hakkinen in 1998 and 2000, Alonso v Schumacher in 2006, Hamilton v Massa in 2008 and Vettel v Alonso in 2012. The fact that motorsport is a team sport which eventually crowns an individual world champion is what makes it so fascinating. It's like the Tour de France; you can give them all the preparation in the world, but ultimately it's down to the individual(s) out there on the road to get the job done.



#12 HeadFirst

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:03

The lure of seeing elite drivers battle for the WDC on circuits around the world, draws me to F1. The technology of course, the teams, and the circus-like atmosphere of the races,are factors too, but the drivers are the reason I get up at all hours to watch the races live.  



#13 Markn93

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:06

Interesting hypothetical which may help split the decision in case you aren't sure, would you get up for a 3am FP session if it was (a) the current drivers in Le Mans cars, or (b) the Le Mans drivers in F1 cars?  I'd definitely be up for a, probably but not definitely for b.  



#14 Lazy

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:10

3 am for an FP is too much for me but definitely (b) if I did. Although both would be interesting to see.



#15 bub

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:21

I agree with Spillage. Summed up very nicely  :up:



#16 Markn93

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:27

3 am for an FP is too much for me but definitely (b) if I did. Although both would be interesting to see.

Yeah the problem is the novelty factor which distorts the hypothetical a bit. Not sure how you could remove it though. 



#17 Richard T

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:32

I would rather watch F1 drivers in karts than, lets say, 20 Vadim Kogays in F1 cars  :clap:



#18 DILLIGAF

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:37

Probably the driver for me, particularly the one's with some personality. Love them or hate them, drivers like Hunt, Senna, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Webber come to mind. Drivers that provide a bit of theatre, are good for a controversial or funny quote and aren't afraid to speak their minds.



#19 MirNyet

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:43

Totally the car - the drivers are little better than distractions.



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#20 SophieB

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 11:48



I have a very hard time seeing the cars as an inanimate object, even when turned off they have this aura of potentiality. When started a beast comes alive, it's like they are conscious but so focused as to be unaware of anything but an all consuming urge to move forward.

 

I know they are incomplete without the driver but to me it's the purity of purpose that makes the car so much more compelling.

 

I think I know what you mean, they are almost living creatures down to the unbilical cord thing. And yes, they have a clearly defined purposes which is why I find it highly pleasing when the vintage F1 cars get driven properly, like when Alonso hussled that vintage Ferrari around Silverstone for an extra, quicker lap in 2011. Excellent, I thought. That is what it was meant for, not resting in a museum.

 

Still, for all that, I'm definitely in the 'driver' camp. Maybe the responsibility for making and maintaining the car is just too difuse for me? To me it's nothing without the driver. It's the driver that transmits the joy of the win, it's the driver who conveys the disappointment of losing. Without the human element, and knowing the little back stories of the drivers, I just don't care as much, some meaning is lost. That's also why I have a soft spot for the drivers who can't hide their feelings that well, it's a shame they all have to try so much. Look all angry and sad when you lose, drivers - it only makes the comeback so much more satisfying!

 

So anyway, if they were to make a hard choice, where in one track you could watch the current grid of cars be driven by a bunch of people I'd never heard of, but in the track next door the current F1 drivers were all going to be racing a lot of identical brand new Vauxhall Corsa automatics, I'd be going to watch Formula Corsa. Maybe not every week, but for a one off, that's the one I'd go for.



#21 Force Ten

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:14

So anyway, if they were to make a hard choice, where in one track you could watch the current grid of cars be driven by a bunch of people I'd never heard of, but in the track next door the current F1 drivers were all going to be racing a lot of identical brand new Vauxhall Corsa automatics, I'd be going to watch Formula Corsa. Maybe not every week, but for a one off, that's the one I'd go for.

Yeah, but if all things would be exactly the same as they have been so far the in about half the year after the novelty has worn off all the current F1 drivers will be a bunch of Formula Corsa drivers that nobody gives a damn about and the bunch of people you've never heard of will be the next superstar superhero Formula One drivers.

Or. How many people are actively interested in what Nick Heidfeld is up to these days? How many people were fans of Fernando Alonso in 2001?

Edited by Force Ten, 28 April 2014 - 12:15.


#22 SophieB

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:18

Yeah, but if all things would be exactly the same as they have been so far the in about half the year after the novelty has worn off all the current F1 drivers will be a bunch of Formula Corsa drivers that nobody gives a damn about and the bunch of people you've never heard of will be the next superstar superhero Formula One drivers.

Or. How many people are actively interested in what Nick Heidfeld is up to these days? How many people were fans of Fernando Alonso in 2001?

 

 I like to think somewhere there's people out there who are all 'Hey, I was supporting Alonso before it was cool'. Hipster Alonso fans.

 

And I'm very sure the novelty of my new series would wear off. It is, after all, really about the combination of best driver/best car. I just suspect I know which one I'd pick if it was some (ha!) Sophie's Choice style thing.



#23 Timstr11

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:20

Car.

 

The car makes the driver. Not the other way around.

The cars are designed by humans btw.

 

My sig with a quote from Ross Brawn says it all.



#24 Markn93

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:23

Car.

 

The car makes the driver. Not the other way around.

The cars are designed by humans btw.

 

My sig with a quote from Ross Brawn says it all.

Drivers can make cars too, or to put it better, cars can seem worse than they should depending on the driver. 



#25 Force Ten

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:24

I like to think somewhere there's people out there who are all 'Hey, I was supporting Alonso before it was cool'. Hipster Alonso fans.
 
And I'm very sure the novelty of my new series would wear off. It is, after all, really about the combination of best driver/best car. I just suspect I know which one I'd pick if it was some (ha!) Sophie's Choice style thing.

Yeah. All eighteen of them and all from Spain. The truest of the true. They all ditched him when he sold out and went mainstream, too!

#26 Force Ten

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:25

Drivers can make cars too, or to put it better, cars can seem worse than they should depending on the driver.

Mostly it is the other way around, just observe the years when Rubens Barrichello was in top three of the drivers and the years when he... well, wasn't.

#27 Timstr11

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:27

Drivers can make cars too, or to put it better, cars can seem worse than they should depending on the driver. 

True, but the difference they can make is marginal. For all we care Bianchi could be in the same league as the current top drivers, but he's currently not a prominent driver.

It's not really 'visible' until he's in a top car.



#28 Markn93

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:31

True, but the difference they can make is marginal. For all we care Bianchi could be in the same league as the current top drivers, but he's currently not a prominent driver.

It's not really 'visible' until he's in a top car.

I meant in terms of top cars and I'm not sure it's marginal, I think drivers can make a big impact on our perception of the cars. Take Merc as an example, right now if Rosberg were paired with someone who was a slower qualifier than him, RB would have 3 poles to Merc's 1, and the perception out there would be that RB have a better car in quali (or at the very least in the wet). 


Edited by Markn93, 28 April 2014 - 12:31.


#29 JHSingo

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:34

More the car. I grew up having an interest in cars, and I only really started to discover who the drivers were afterwards.



#30 Laster

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:36

Both. I enjoy all the engineering and innovation, but at the same time, supporting a racing driver and watching their ups and downs is an added thrill. They bring personality and drama to the sport.

#31 ChrisF1MyLife

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:46

No preference really, i like several of the teams, and several drivers, but, F1 draws me to F1, the politics, the hype, the media circus, the ridiculousness, the stewards decisions, the contraversies, the chopping and changing and wondering why its not an even playing field, so lets change it again, the attemps to reasoning why its the "best" or "pinicle" or why viewing figures drop. its really quite funny, and some people take it so serious. Ever wonder what kind of talks go on behind closed doors? Honda, Porsche, any manufacturers currently in discussion to get F1 to move to an engine spec in the future, so they can enter and win? Its an insane sport, with infinite discussion, which ultimately means nothing, people talk and augue till they are blue in the face and it doesnt mean a thing. its fascinating.



#32 Imateria

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 13:22

Both.



#33 427MkIV

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 14:02

When I started following racing as a kid, I didn't know any of the drivers, but I knew the cars from TV, ad posters at gas stations, my slot car race cars, the cool liveries (but why should a kid be attracted to cars that look like cigarette packs? :cool: ). There were also significant differences in the cars in the '70s. So I've always been more interested in the cars.

 

If drivers today crossed over series like they did in the '50s, '60s and '70s, I'd be more interested in the drivers -- I'd love to see what Jeff Gordon could do/could have done in an F1 race. But that never happens anymore.



#34 MrMan

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 14:22

The cars are definitely what draws me to F1.

 

Drivers come and go, but every race there is always the cars and people willing to risk their lives driving them. They are part of the spectacle, but not my reasons for watching.



#35 SPBHM

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 14:45

cars being driven by AI wouldn't be any fun,

 

also equal cars, like GP2/Indy would not be as fun... so yes, everything, the nice locations, characters, machinery, competition and so on... 



#36 halifaxf1fan

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 15:07

More towards the driver for me.  It is hard sometimes to follow a drivers full career as it always ends poorly but it is so interesting seeing their personalities and talent displayed on track in their racing.  Pay drivers and a problem though and if a majority of drivers in F1 were to become talentless paydrivers then it is over!

 

The cars are marvels but they have been so screwed up with the rules and regulations ('narrow track' being the worst, and this season with the ugly noses and arcane engine rules) that it is unfortunately hard to put the cars front and centre.  I would love to see the creations if the rules could be stripped down and focused on just making the best race car possible.  



#37 Nemo1965

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 15:38

Both and neither.

 

It's history, technique, the drivers, the engineers, the tracks, and the laws of physics. All these elements combined makes F1 for me interesting. If anyone of these elements would be taken out of the equation, I would lose interest.



#38 ViMaMo

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 15:47

Its simple, men love fast cars.  :kiss:



#39 Lazy

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 15:48

Its simple, men love fast cars.  :kiss:

Ah, so it's the girls who like the drivers?     ;)



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#40 eronrules

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 15:54

Drivers are there to make mistakes ... thus creating unpredictability ... that's why we need HUMANS  :p (i read somewhere that the only weak point in a fighter jet is the pilot ... same with fast cars i suppose)

 

on serious note, i do like drivers and their distinct characteristics, but when the race starts, it's difficult to differentiate between them, they are all very good (including pastor, aside from his brain fades). outside the car, i dont' care for them. (i used to ... once ... then AS 'driver VS driver' threads put an end to that :rolleyes: )



#41 alframsey

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 16:08

Since 2007 it has been Lewis Hamilton who has stirred passion and emotion in me mostly, I still watch for McLaren but it's mainly about Lewis. Before Lewis arrived I watched only for McLaren (although I did have a liking for Kimi) after Mika left. I find I have more emotional investment in a driver than I do a team, I mean I love McLaren and always will and likely when Lewis retires I will return to supporting only McLaren, but I have more of a connection with Lewis.



#42 Nonesuch

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 17:12

These days, the cars. I like to see them teeter on the edge, and despite all the criticism the formula (often justifiably) gets - F1 cars are still the fastest on the tracks they race at.

 

Having seen every race of the current drivers makes it impossible, for me at least, to see them in the same light as I saw the likes of Schumacher, Häkkinen, Hill, Villeneuve etc. back in 1996.



#43 demet06

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 18:23

For me it was always the cars, that's what attracted me to the sport when I was a young lad. There have been some beautiful creations over the years, the "Sharknose" Ferarri as the JPS Lotus's as examples. Obviously you get more involved and learn about the drivers. It was Jimmy Clark in the Lotus and Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart in the BRM that got my attention.

I think today with all the social media that's around, the drivers have more attention upon them than they've ever had. Consequently they are all media savvy these days and are usually all PC in interviews. In the old days the drivers basically said what they thought and seemed better characters. I'm sure that's not true but the perceptions are there. James Hunt wouldn't last 2 minutes in F1 today unless he altered his lifestyle/personality.

It was interesting that the poll was neck and neck when I voted. 



#44 TomNokoe

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 18:49

I put no preference. The idea that man and machine race without a moments rest, at 100% with the corners just constantly attacking you, at such speed, is just ridiculous to me.

#45 MaxisOne

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 19:12

70% Car

30% Driver

 

I started out just watching the races.. Then i was introduced to the technical aspect of the sport and have been hooked.  For me its just as much an engineering race as it is a drivers race.

 

Its fascinating to see where the loopholes can be found under the changing formula and thats also why i find it very hard to bash Adrian for his iterations of the blown diffuser or Merc this year for their PU performance or Brawn in 2009.  

 

I always check this and f1 technical's boards for the latest pics to see how the developments are going on the Wednesdays/Thursdays before the GP weekend.

 

 

The drivers, I support a few but its definitely the car for me.


Edited by MaxisOne, 28 April 2014 - 19:16.


#46 Jon83

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 19:51

It is the cars for me. If it wasn't, I'd be following the drivers (or the person) no matter what they were doing (e.g. if they ended up competing in other sports) 



#47 paulogman

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 23:04

Williams

#48 Morbus

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 23:08

Cars.

 

Why? Because drivers will disappoint, the cars won't.



#49 Ikebana

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Posted 29 April 2014 - 01:30

I take into consideration the car and I worth them, but for me it's the drivers which drew me to F1.

 

I honestly had a hard time back in 2005 and 2006. I started supporting Alonso during the first GP of 2003 onwards, when he still hadn't got any win. But somewhat in 2005 and 2006 being an Alonso fan made me a bad F1 fan as the only reason why I supported ALonso was because he was winning and because of his nationality... :rolleyes:


Edited by Ikebana, 29 April 2014 - 01:31.


#50 RealRacing

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Posted 29 April 2014 - 03:02

What would you rather watch, different cars driven by members of this forum or the same car driven by Senna, Schumi, Prost, Hamilton, Vettel, Kimi, etc.? Heck, the way things are these days, I would probably be more interested in seeing who can do a better lap alone with a spec car.