220 replies to this topic

[Cozzie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/p0341r4k

 

From 3.00 onwards he's asked about how he'd fair in Lewis' car.

 

I love Mansell. Not everyones cup of tea but as ballsy as you get.

In most interviews I've heard he's always been crap at being modest and this interview is no exception. Within a couple of hours he'd be doing the same lap times as Lewis and would(today in in Lewis car) get on the podium in a race.

Not sure I believe it tbh but I don't care

Edited by Cozzie, 01 October 2015 - 17:17.

[johnmhinds]

[Jon83]

Nigel is not outspoken
He likes to speak
And loves to be spoken to
Nigel is happy in his work
Nigel fells happy in his work

 

[Jazza]

We will never know. It's not like he could fit in the car...

[crooky369]

A world champion F1 driver and a world champion troll.

This is what I want to believe.

[molpid]

..I'll be bald and say a little bit quicker..."   

[Peat]

With Magic, anything is possible. Right Paul?

 

[SenorSjon]

We will never know. It's not like he could fit in the car...

 

Or they would never get him out again. 

[GoldenColt]

*Cough* *Cough*

 

Edited by GoldenColt, 01 October 2015 - 14:39.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I don't know about the rest of you, but this gives me confidence in the ex-Driver As Race Steward role.

[Marklar]

The question is: would he fit into the car?

[FrontWing]

Humility always was a foreign concept to Mansell.   

 

I love the part about the cars today being balanced with switches on the steering wheel.....

Ironic when his championship winning car is still probably the most technologically advanced car to ever race. Apart from having traction control and ABS, with its active suspension, you could literally program it according to a specific track. The ride height was independently dynamic at all four wheels changing throughout a corner to provide maximum grip. Now that is what I call the ultimate driver aid.

 

What a car it was though...

Edited by FrontWing, 01 October 2015 - 15:13.

[Spillage]

When I first saw this thread, I thought he was implying he could match Lewis if he was the same age. Fair enough, I thought. Now I see he's actually saying that he could match Lewis' time if he hopped into a Merc tomorrow. Oh, Nige...

 

Interesting story in that clip, though, that I'd heard before but never confirmed by the man himself. If Mansell had crashed when his tyre blew at Adelaide, rather than wrestle it to a standstill off the track, the race director would have thrown a red flag and he'd have been world champion on countback. F1 history is fascinating.

[Ev0d3vil]

Maybe he means back in 1992..

[DS27]

As a Mansell fan, back in the day, I loved his driving and didn't really let his personality get in the way of that.

 

However, on reflection, and with things he has said (and is still saying it would seem), he is just a tad full of himself.

[Tsarwash]

At least Jackie Stewart doesn't still think that he could be world champion, which is what our Nig' is saying. Doughnut. Perhaps this is his not so subtle way of getting one last drive in a F1 car.

[AustinF1]

We need more of this kind of thing in F1. F1, like most sports these days, is missing the bigger-than-life personalities of the professional athlete. They're still there. They're just hidden behind corporate political correctness.

[Puhoon]

When I first saw this thread, I thought he was implying he could match Lewis if he was the same age. Fair enough, I thought. Now I see he's actually saying that he could match Lewis' time if he hopped into a Merc tomorrow. Oh, Nige...

 

Interesting story in that clip, though, that I'd heard before but never confirmed by the man himself. If Mansell had crashed when his tyre blew at Adelaide, rather than wrestle it to a standstill off the track, the race director would have thrown a red flag and he'd have been world champion on countback. F1 history is fascinating.

Not tomorrow, but with a few months of training! 

 

And after a few liposuctions.

[P123]

We need more of this kind of thing in F1. F1, like most sports these days, is missing the bigger-than-life personalities of the professional athlete. They're still there. They're just hidden behind corporate political correctness.

You need to enter the race threads, they're all about Hamilton's hair. Times change, as do fans....

[JasonSw]

This is the guy that turned up to do a recce three days early at the Top Gear track, made sure he had fresh tyres on each run, low fuel levels and unlimited laps.

 

This is the guy that at a PR event for the launch of his two sons single seater careers, raced them and beat them and celebrated it in front of the media.

 

This is the guy that demanded favoritism in the GP Masters series by having the most powerful engine.

 

This is the guy that got on the radio after a crash and told the team he was "unconscious".

 

Brilliant, brilliant racer...

 

Great guy?

[Ross Stonefeld]

Ahhh come on, you're holding back on the really good stories   

[JasonSw]

Ahhh come on, you're holding back on the really good stories   

 

Ha ha and you know it!

[teejay]

Would love for Mercedes to organise a run for him.

[shmoo]

We need more of this kind of thing in F1. F1, like most sports these days, is missing the bigger-than-life personalities of the professional athlete. They're still there. They're just hidden behind corporate political correctness.

 

Mansell bigger than life personality? This is the first I have heard anyone refer to him as that 

[FrontWing]

 

This is the guy that got on the radio after a crash and told the team he was "unconscious".

 

Brilliant, brilliant racer...

 

Great guy?

 

That one made me laugh.

 

Is there a clip anywhere??

Edited by FrontWing, 02 October 2015 - 05:43.

[JasonSw]

That's one made me laugh.

 

Is there a clip anywhere??

 

Unfortunately not, only anecdotes from the guys who were working with him at the time... Would have been great to hear it!

[Albaforever]

Nigel Mansell is brilliant, a true F1 Legend, he can say what he wants as far I am concerned  , I suppose drivers from the 1960s etc could say the same-thing about Nigel's FW14?

 

But Mansell was one of my sporting hero's growing up so I am always interested in what Nigel Mansell has to say on F1.  

[RekF1]

Mansell is the truth.

[SilverArrow31]

Does he mean now or back in 92. If he was back in 92 and had a w06, yeah he probably could. The guy held the British record for number of poles in f1 for over 20 years. If he means now, love you big Nige, but your talking out your ****

[Ross Stonefeld]

I say put him in the car. 'Young driver test'. Give him plenty of time to get ready. 

 

I have a hunch he's probably pretty good with the driving bit still. He'd have no trouble using all the brake and cornering ability. But Mansell + all those dials?

[SealTheDiffuser]

Wasn't Lauda's loud mouth plucked after h etried that Jaguar.

[sennafan24]

Nige is being too humble

 

He wouldn't match Lewis's lap-times, he would be much quicker.

[AustinF1]

Mansell bigger than life personality? This is the first I have heard anyone refer to him as that 

He was/is a big personality, no? I could be wrong. But saying that doesn't mean I agree with him or even like(d) him. It's just that he puts it all out there for everyone to see, in an unabashed, unapologetic way. It doesn't matter if we all agree with him. In fact, it's better if he evokes different reactions.

 

You need to enter the race threads, they're all about Hamilton's hair. Times change, as do fans....

Oh, I've been there. Lewis is, ah, a little different, but he's not that outrageous.

Edited by AustinF1, 01 October 2015 - 16:02.

[Marklar]

I couldnt resist...

 

[Chick0]

If this is the case Nigel,  why are you not doing it and making 30 million a year like the other top guys !   

[P123]

I couldnt resist...
 

You need to stick that in the driver MS Paint topic.

[FerrariV12]

I like to think usually I can be fairly objective, take people as I find them, call BS when I see it, etc. etc.

 

But not in the case of Nigel Mansell, he was my childhood hero who I idolised growing up, and as far as I'm concerned he can say what he wants and get a free pass, and I'm not apologising for it. 

[BoschKurve]

Never was a fan of Mansell, but in more recent years upon rewatching some of his races, I've changed my stance a bit.

 

He was absolutely fearless behind the wheel. Yes he was an inveterate whiner who never met something he wouldn't whine about, but the amount of effort he put into reaching, and succeeding in Formula 1 was unmatched by many. He was the closest we ever got to seeing a reincarnation of Gilles Villeneuve with regards to his absolute bravery, and willingness to push to the absolute limit of the car in pursuit of victory. I always think about Imola 1990 when at 180MPH, Gerhard Berger ran him off the circuit as they came out of the Tamburello, and he had that magnificent 360 degree save. The tifosi went absolutely ape **** over it. That moment to me summed up who Mansell was perfectly. Fought back at every opportunity, had spectacular moments, and was one of the only guys who refused to ever be bullied by Senna.

 

I actually like what he said about being able to match Lewis because it shows even though he is not a young man, he has not lost any of the fieriness that made him such a force in the 1980s and early 1990s. If any old driver even had a chance to match Lewis, it would be Nigel. Sad thing is, this would be an insane PR opportunity for F1 and Mercedes to do. To me it's a no-brainer to try and set this up just to see what would happen. I doubt Nigel would beat Lewis, but it would be a lot of fun to see if they did it say at Brands Hatch.

[BRG]

For those making snide comments about our Nige not fitting in the car, you should bear in mind that he is a very keen cyclist these days (and one of his sons is now a pro cyclist, so Dad has to keep up) so he is probably as fit now as he ever was.  

 

But beat Lewis?  No.  Nico, yes, but Lewis, no.

[Nemo1965]

For those making snide comments about our Nige not fitting in the car, you should bear in mind that he is a very keen cyclist these days (and one of his sons is now a pro cyclist, so Dad has to keep up) so he is probably as fit now as he ever was.  

 

But beat Lewis?  No.  Nico, yes, but Lewis, no.

 

You are even funnier than Nigel...

[Marklar]

For those making snide comments about our Nige not fitting in the car, you should bear in mind that he is a very keen cyclist these days (and one of his sons is now a pro cyclist, so Dad has to keep up) so he is probably as fit now as he ever was.  
 
But beat Lewis?  No.  Nico, yes, but Lewis, no.

I feel sorry for Nico...

[sennafan24]

 

But beat Lewis?  No.  Nico, yes, but Lewis, no.

Nico beat a 40 year old Schumi 3 times.

 

Why would he struggle to beat a 60 year old Mansell?

[Marklar]

Nico beat a 40 year old Schumi 3 times.
 
Why would he struggle to beat a 60 year old Mansell?

Thr older, the better

[Redzone]

What I remember most is that in Indy cars,  he had this reputation for going faster and faster until he reached the limit. Then to be sure he was at the limit, he would go just a little bit faster and faster until he crashed.  Then he knew where the limit was. 

 

 

BTW, I would leave both Nigel and Lewis behind in the dust on any track in the latest Merc,  except at Monaco, where I would lap them both repeatedly,  bye bye, boys,   except right now, I am too busy watching Sponge Bob, and trying to lose another 100 pounds of weight.

[LeClerc]

Lap-dance FTW!

[Redzone]

Lap-dance FTW!

I be crushing them both like a giant elephant stomping on a tootsie roll. 

 

Speaking of which, I need another one, and the old lady wont go get it so, I guess I will have to roll the wheel chair over towards the kitchen in my brand new double wide (no puns please) 

 

Like Nigel, I am fearless when behind the wheel. 

 

After all, when you leave, as in travelling and not dying,  who says you cant take your home with you but i might have to leave behind the garden for my special medication  

Edited by Redzone, 01 October 2015 - 17:27.

[Burai]

For those making snide comments about our Nige not fitting in the car, you should bear in mind that he is a very keen cyclist these days (and one of his sons is now a pro cyclist, so Dad has to keep up) so he is probably as fit now as he ever was.  

 

But beat Lewis?  No.  Nico, yes, but Lewis, no.

 

Shots fired.

 

Never was a fan of Mansell, but in more recent years upon rewatching some of his races, I've changed my stance a bit.

 

He was absolutely fearless behind the wheel. Yes he was an inveterate whiner who never met something he wouldn't whine about, but the amount of effort he put into reaching, and succeeding in Formula 1 was unmatched by many. He was the closest we ever got to seeing a reincarnation of Gilles Villeneuve with regards to his absolute bravery, and willingness to push to the absolute limit of the car in pursuit of victory. I always think about Imola 1990 when at 180MPH, Gerhard Berger ran him off the circuit as they came out of the Tamburello, and he had that magnificent 360 degree save. The tifosi went absolutely ape **** over it. That moment to me summed up who Mansell was perfectly. Fought back at every opportunity, had spectacular moments, and was one of the only guys who refused to ever be bullied by Senna.

 

I actually like what he said about being able to match Lewis because it shows even though he is not a young man, he has not lost any of the fieriness that made him such a force in the 1980s and early 1990s. If any old driver even had a chance to match Lewis, it would be Nigel. Sad thing is, this would be an insane PR opportunity for F1 and Mercedes to do. To me it's a no-brainer to try and set this up just to see what would happen. I doubt Nigel would beat Lewis, but it would be a lot of fun to see if they did it say at Brands Hatch.

 

Here here. It takes a certain mindset to do a lot of things Nigel has done in his life. He's a grade A self-aggrandising bullshitter but, lord, give him just half a chance to win a race and he'd break his back to get it done.

 

 

What a magnificent bastard.

[B Squared]

What I remember most is that in Indy cars,  he had this reputation for going faster and faster until he reached the limit. Then to be sure he was at the limit, he would go just a little bit faster and faster until he crashed.  Then he knew where the limit was. 

I remember Phoenix in 1993 when his back was broken at his first oval attempt in practice. He recovered in time to only miss this race and won the 1993 Championship. I was working for CART at the time; you'll have to remind me of all of these other crashes executed in the manner you describe. He brushed the wall late in the 1993 Indy 500 on his way to third, but practice and qualifying crashes on his way to finding the limit just doesn't seem correct. And if all of these crashes happened in the race, how on earth did he win the Championship? 

[Marklar]

 
BTW, I would leave both Nigel and Lewis behind in the dust on any track in the latest Merc,  except at Monaco, where I would lap them both repeatedly,  bye bye, boys,   except right now, I am too busy watching Sponge Bob, and trying to lose another 100 pounds of weight.

Its bed time again, Redzone

Edited by Marklar, 01 October 2015 - 17:28.

[Redzone]

Its bed time again, Redzone

Are you lonely again? 

 

I remember Phoenix in 1993 when his back was broken at his first oval attempt in practice. He recovered in time to only miss this race and won the 1993 Championship. I was working for CART at the time; you'll have to remind me of all of these other crashes executed in the manner you describe. He brushed the wall late in the 1993 Indy 500 on his way to third, but practice and qualifying crashes on his way to finding the limit just doesn't seem correct. And if all of these crashes happened in the race, how on earth did he win the Championship? 

 

No, in practice, he seemed to have a lot of brushes and near brushes with the walls, including a couple I saw at Indy in practice.

 

And stop trying to destroy my memories, wrong or right, they are all I have except for Sennafan finally getting up to get me the tootsie roll.

 

 

Seriously he was a great driver, and there was another incident had to do with some crash in the pit lane at Indy, where he told a reporter who asked about it, something rude. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I thought it it was sort of funny