Greatest F1 seasons

How are we all coping with the down time? Not long left now though, just have to keep it together until then.

During the time we've had off I have been rewatching old seasons, started with 2022 and went backwards, was watching the races in full and its been pretty time consuming haha. What I did realise though is how lucky we were in the 2009-2013 period to have had three and occasional four teams in with a shout of victory and, also, for all the moaning of poor racing back then it was actually pretty good. I didn't watch much of the 2014-2020 season as I still remember them quite clearly and only revisited the best races of that period.

Anyway, my question - any seasons people recommend me watching pre 1997? I've started watching the sport in 97 and for whatever reason I haven't watched any seasons from before then.

So what are the really great seasons, the ones every fans should watch in full? Doesn't have to be pre 97, can just discuss what we think are the greatest ever from any period. Just the pre 1997 is my personal blind spot.

Sorry for the long winded and probably waffling post.

Thanks everybody!

1989-91 was the best three-year sequence in the history of Grand Prix racing. It had everything, which is to say it had Senna, Prost and Mansell at their best and most characteristic. It also had an extraordinary balance of high manufacturer investment and overgrown F3000 teams occasionally having their day.

1984 rewards a revisit, like 1996 it was entertaining and competitive even though one team won almost all the races.

1986 was just before my time.

1996 was quite meh if you had no stake in Williams.

1998 had some great races between Mika and Michael.

2000 was very tense as well.

1982 might very well be up there despite its tragedies. It was a stunning season where the powers shifted more than once.

A brilliant season, recently rewatched it and its better than I remembered. Every single one of them had moments of brilliance. Webber's greatest failure.

Thats brilliant, got some already I can dive into. Will either work forwards from the earliest suggestion. I have really enjoyed going back through older seasons (even if they are relatively recent so as the memories aren't too far away). I've taken away a different appreciation from those years, ways I couldn't appreciate in my all out support for Lewis at the time.

1989-91 was the best three-year sequence in the history of Grand Prix racing. It had everything, which is to say it had Senna, Prost and Mansell at their best and most characteristic. It also had an extraordinary balance of high manufacturer investment and overgrown F3000 teams occasionally having their day.

 

1984 rewards a revisit, like 1996 it was entertaining and competitive even though one team won almost all the races.

I will go and watch those three seasons then, I have never watched much of Senna beyond those moments seared into the fabic of F1. Its criminal really how little I know or have seen of the earlier days of our sport.

Not every race was a classic (though the period starts with one of the best at Rio) but there are so many stories and rises and falls and heroic/ignominious failures. 

One other thing I'd suggest is that if you're going back before the mid-nineties it can be worthwhile trying to get hold of primary sources like contemporary magazines or yearbooks. They can add a lot of colour and texture to what could be quite perfunctory TV broadcasts. Though Murray Walker and James Hunt tried their best.

Something else I've been wondering about / trying to track in my mind is at what point the wet Grand Prix races become more interesting than dry ones. I say this having gone back to look at the 1989 Canadian and Australian Grands Prix. The first one I found mostly just confusing and hard to understand, and the second was incredibly dull for 75% of the race once everyone who was going to crash out has crashed out and the rest are cruising around far apart from each other and just trying to get the race finished.

I think probably 1993? That's the year that famously started with four dramatic rain-affected races, and from then on classic races in bad weather became the rule rather than the exception.

Not every race was a classic (though the period starts with one of the best at Rio) but there are so many stories and rises and falls and heroic/ignominious failures. 

 

One other thing I'd suggest is that if you're going back before the mid-nineties it can be worthwhile trying to get hold of primary sources like contemporary magazines or yearbooks. They can add a lot of colour and texture to what could be quite perfunctory TV broadcasts. Though Murray Walker and James Hunt tried their best.

I'd not thought about doing that, this whole thing has legs and gives me more than enough to get my teeth into. 

About wet weather racing, I don't know when the cross over was but we have definitely seen it go the other way more recently where wet races are poor. Mainly because they just don't run in proper wet conditions.

I'd suggest 1983. Beautiful cars and three teams gunning for the title.

1984 was a complete boorfest in comparison.

1986 was indeed a glorious year.

I have to admit feeling that 1988-1996 was a slog as one team usually dominated. Either McLaren or Williams, neither team I find particularly sympathetic so it was just watching race after race hoping someone else would win.

1997-2000 were also great seasons with drama and title fights. Then from 2005 onwards, the fun restarted again.

Obligatory ChatGPT answer:

Some of the most memorable seasons include the 1988 season, when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost had a fierce battle for the championship, and the 1976 season, when James Hunt won the championship in dramatic fashion. Additionally, the 2019 season, in which Lewis Hamilton won his 6th World Championship, was also considered by many as one of the best due to the close competition and numerous memorable moments.

No ****ing clue how 2019 got in there 

Edited by Jovanotti, 03 February 2023 - 13:44.

I realise the OP was asking about televised seasons, but if you are into books, mags and reading (and if anything I prefer them to TV in spite of their limitations) then I'd recommend starting in 1895, and working your way forwards. 1907 was pretty good...

No matter how it ended, nothing tops '21 for me. The most intense title fight ever from beginning to the end with nearly every race a battle between the 2 contenders. Most other seasons It's clear 1 car wins this weekend, the other car wins this weekend and there would hardly be any on track wheel to wheel combat between the contenders. 21 was just different.

Having been watching actively since 2001, I would say my favourites are:

-2007

-2010

-2021

-2012

2022 promised a lot but failed to deliver 

I'm not going to suggest a particular season as all the best ones already have been, although one tip - and it may not be for everyone, and also requires a Forix subscription, is to follow along the race (easier if watching from two-monitor PC like I do) with Forix's "Classification @ lap" data, which tends to be available for pretty much every race from the early-80s, although only sporadic races before that. It's probably redundant for more modern seasons with the live timing tower on screen, but for earlier ones that only flashed up the top 6 gaps every few laps at best, I found it helped me engage much more with the races, track battles that weren't necessarily being televised, plus little things like seeing just how the McLarens did what they did at Long Beach '83, or Prost at Kyalami the year before, stuff like that. Plus gave me more of an appreciation of how things worked during the refuelling seasons particularly.

Edited by Cornholio, 03 February 2023 - 14:18.

1986 has to be ruled out because of the death of Elio de Angelis

I realise the OP was asking about televised seasons, but if you are into books, mags and reading (and if anything I prefer them to TV in spite of their limitations) then I'd recommend starting in 1895, and working your way forwards. 1907 was pretty good...

Edited by messy, 03 February 2023 - 15:08.

1988-1991 Was just classic despite domination from McLaren.

- Watching Ferrari chip away at McLaren.

- 1988 Monza - if you are a tifosi this one was one of the best with two great Scuderia drivers!

- 1990 Mexico was simply the greatest last few laps of any race in F1 I have seen with Berger and Mansell.

- The Prost 1989 hit at Suzuka that brought in so much controversy that it made AD21 look like spilt milk.

- The Senna 1990 hit at Suzuka.

1992-1993 - Begining of the end for a generation - but wait there is more!

- Prost, Mansell, Senna, Piquet, Patresse coming to an end.

- Schumacher mixing it up with the sports best.

- Benetton moves forward/Mclaren loses Honda

1995

- Total epic domination by Schumacher

- Oh that Ferrari 412 T2!!!

- Alesi wins at Canada

2021

- Bad calls on both sides made it interesting throughout the season.

- Great battle through the season

- Finally someone taking it to Merc (and he's Dutch)

Seconded Messy.

I worked 7 races that year including the finale.

The after party at the hotel was hysterical.

Jp

1989-91 was the best three-year sequence in the history of Grand Prix racing. It had everything, which is to say it had Senna, Prost and Mansell at their best and most characteristic. It also had an extraordinary balance of high manufacturer investment and overgrown F3000 teams occasionally having their day.

1962-4.  Clark, Hill x2, Surtees, Brabham, Gurney, BRM winning the title...

Edited by noriaki, 03 February 2023 - 15:55.

1982 might very well be up there despite its tragedies. It was a stunning season where the powers shifted more than once.

I was about to write that, for all that was wrong that season, for the losses to the sport, it was a great season, part of F1 is the Gladitorial aspect, which is why 1976 deserve a watch as well.

I'd like to mention 1985, which tends to get overshadowed by the Prost-Lauda championship fight the season before and the Prost-Mansell-Piquet-Senna championship fight the season after.

Although the "championship story" of the season between Prost and Alboreto ultimately fizzled out before the final race, the first three-quarters or so of the season were quite close between them.  However, the main attraction of this season was how open it was: unlike 1984, when the McLarens were mostly dominant in race pace; or 1986, when the top results were almost monopolised by the Big Four drivers, eight drivers and five teams won Grands Prix, and less competitive teams overall such as Renault, Ligier and Arrows finished on the podium.  In a world of increasing turbo domination, it was possible for teams to make large strides throughout the season as they developed their packages (e.g. Williams, Ligier), but also for the normally-aspirated Tyrrells to be competitive on the right kind of circuit.

In addition, some other points of interest:

• The final participation of Renault as an all-French works team, and Alfa Romeo as a genuine works team rather than a branding exercise.
• The final race on the old Kyalami, the old and long version of Paul Ricard, old Zandvoort, Monaco without the slow harbourfront chicane, and Silverstone without the slower Woodcote chicane (hence Keke Rosberg's longstanding qualifying lap average speed record).
• The first race at Adelaide.
• Tyre war between Goodyear and Pirelli.
• The emergence of Senna and Mansell as genuine frontrunners and future championship contenders.
• Brabham's effective final year as a "big team" before the 1986 disaster.
• Niki Lauda's final season.
• Lots of underdog teams at (but not always) the back: Tyrrell, Minardi, Zakspeed, Osella, Spirit.
• Toleman going from not being able to enter the beginning of the season to setting a pole position with Teo Fabi.
• A fully turbocharged field racing around Brands Hatch!

All in all, something of a transitional year from the extreme openness of the early 1980s to the domination of Honda by the end of the decade, when the authorities were recognising that the turbos were too powerful and dangerous but before they had started to phase them out, and the last hurrah of some famous names with new ones replacing them.

Then [1994] contained the most undeserving championship victory in Formula 1 history as Benetton and Michael Schumacher cheated in so many ways, most seriously the illegal launch control, but also removing the safety filter in the refuelling rig, excessively wearing down the plank to get more downforce.

For me it was 1976 of course (but in my opinion the film makes Superrat a bigger hero he really was at that time).

And I liked 1980 too.

I'd like to mention 1985, which tends to get overshadowed by the Prost-Lauda championship fight the season before and the Prost-Mansell-Piquet-Senna championship fight the season after.

Although the "championship story" of the season between Prost and Alboreto ultimately fizzled out before the final race, the first three-quarters or so of the season were quite close between them. However, the main attraction of this season was how open it was: unlike 1984, when the McLarens were mostly dominant in race pace; or 1986, when the top results were almost monopolised by the Big Four drivers, eight drivers and five teams won Grands Prix, and less competitive teams overall such as Renault, Ligier and Arrows finished on the podium. In a world of increasing turbo domination, it was possible for teams to make large strides throughout the season as they developed their packages (e.g. Williams, Ligier), but also for the normally-aspirated Tyrrells to be competitive on the right kind of circuit.

In addition, some other points of interest:

• The final participation of Renault as an all-French works team, and Alfa Romeo as a genuine works team rather than a branding exercise.
• The final race on the old Kyalami, the old and long version of Paul Ricard, old Zandvoort, Monaco without the slow harbourfront chicane, and Silverstone without the slower Woodcote chicane (hence Keke Rosberg's longstanding qualifying lap average speed record).
• The first race at Adelaide.
• Tyre war between Goodyear and Pirelli.
• The emergence of Senna and Mansell as genuine frontrunners and future championship contenders.
• Brabham's effective final year as a "big team" before the 1986 disaster.
• Niki Lauda's final season.
• Lots of underdog teams at (but not always) the back: Tyrrell, Minardi, Zakspeed, Osella, Spirit.
• Toleman going from not being able to enter the beginning of the season to setting a pole position with Teo Fabi.
• A fully turbocharged field racing around Brands Hatch!

All in all, something of a transitional year from the extreme openness of the early 1980s to the domination of Honda by the end of the decade, when the authorities were recognising that the turbos were too powerful and dangerous but before they had started to phase them out, and the last hurrah of some famous names with new ones replacing them.

Most likely due to the lack of a clear title fight. But there were plenty of classic races

I don't think the first part matters much when it comes to choosing an old season to visit or revisit. Far more important for there to be lots of good races.

The first that comes to mind is 2007: on-track action, off-track shenanigans, and an unlikely but lovable champion. 

Also thinking of 1994, with all its drama.

And 2010 with four drivers still (mathematically) in the hunt for the title come the finale.

I'd like to mention 1985, which tends to get overshadowed by the Prost-Lauda championship fight the season before and the Prost-Mansell-Piquet-Senna championship fight the season after.

 

Although the "championship story" of the season between Prost and Alboreto ultimately fizzled out before the final race, the first three-quarters or so of the season were quite close between them.  However, the main attraction of this season was how open it was: unlike 1984, when the McLarens were mostly dominant in race pace; or 1986, when the top results were almost monopolised by the Big Four drivers, eight drivers and five teams won Grands Prix, and less competitive teams overall such as Renault, Ligier and Arrows finished on the podium.  In a world of increasing turbo domination, it was possible for teams to make large strides throughout the season as they developed their packages (e.g. Williams, Ligier), but also for the normally-aspirated Tyrrells to be competitive on the right kind of circuit.

 

In addition, some other points of interest:

• The final participation of Renault as an all-French works team, and Alfa Romeo as a genuine works team rather than a branding exercise.
• The final race on the old Kyalami, the old and long version of Paul Ricard, old Zandvoort, Monaco without the slow harbourfront chicane, and Silverstone without the slower Woodcote chicane (hence Keke Rosberg's longstanding qualifying lap average speed record).
• The first race at Adelaide.
• Tyre war between Goodyear and Pirelli.
• The emergence of Senna and Mansell as genuine frontrunners and future championship contenders.
• Brabham's effective final year as a "big team" before the 1986 disaster.
• Niki Lauda's final season.
• Lots of underdog teams at (but not always) the back: Tyrrell, Minardi, Zakspeed, Osella, Spirit.
• Toleman going from not being able to enter the beginning of the season to setting a pole position with Teo Fabi.
• A fully turbocharged field racing around Brands Hatch!

All in all, something of a transitional year from the extreme openness of the early 1980s to the domination of Honda by the end of the decade, when the authorities were recognising that the turbos were too powerful and dangerous but before they had started to phase them out, and the last hurrah of some famous names with new ones replacing them.

This is hands down one of my favourite F1 seasons, although I was only born the following year. 

I may be biased by all the automotive magazines my uncle had left around in my grandmas house with race reviews from that season! Spent my childhood obssessively re-reading those over and over again. Still remember all the massive photos from several angles of Patrese's flying fiery accident at Monaco (where ultimately nobody got hurt).

Also biased because Prost won! And this might've been Prost at his peak, okay he's more famous for nicking the title in the following year against all odds, but I think 85 was his "best", dominant with the best car and actually driving like apparently the best driver in the field (much more doubtful later in 89 and 93).

Edited by noikeee, 04 February 2023 - 13:09.

Add 2003 to the ones mentioned

Great F1 seasons and nostalgia are one and the same thing.

2011 may not have had a very interesting title battle, but there were a lot of really good races in that season.

In https://www.racefans...anatic-top-100/ it has 10 of the top 100 races over the past 15 years. Especially China, Hungary, Canada and Germany were really good races I think.

1997

1984

1973, 1982, 1985 ,1986

1973, 1982, 1985 ,1986

3 years with at least one fatality ......

For me 1992 was a great season. 1986 was just heart breaking. 

Since I have been properly watching:

1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012.

Ever since 2014 rulechange I have been feeling less involved than before. The mercedes strangle hold almost made me lose the will to view it anymore, just so dull. 2021 was exciting from wdc prospect, but just so toxic and so much bullshit over the whole season.

And I have viewed most of the races since early 90s and some of the 80s later ofcourse, but hard to comment on stuff that really you only saw reruns years later.

Bad seasons I think in that period are: 2002, 2004, 2011, 2013 (after rule change), 2015, 2019, 2020. Rest are ok, but like said I think the whole competition order seems locked on since 14->21. Hard to think of watching almost anything from that period again. Unlike earlier seasons.

I have happy memories of 1990, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2014

I started watching F1 regularly in 2007 and I have to say I have been very lucky, because the 2007-2012 period must have been one of the best 6 year periods in F1 history.

2007- maybe not the greatest racing overall but excellent WDC battle, lots of off-track drama with spy-gate and Hamilton-Alonso rivalry, some absolutely crazy races like Canada or Nurburgring.

2008- In terms of raw numbers, one of the greatest seasons ever, 9 constructors with a podium, 15 drivers with at least one lap led and the title battle decided in the last couple of corners.

2009- again, a bit of a different flavour to the previous two but incredibly fluid pecking order, which was extremely fun, 9 out of 10 teams qualified in the top3 at least once and were in contention for a race win at least once during the year and one of the most underdog title wins ever

2010- again, a bit of a different flavour ot the previous three, but another excellent year with pleny of plot twists and 4 drivers going into the final race with a chance to be the WDC

2011- not the greatest year overall but in terms of singular races it had some of the best I've ever seen, China 2011 and Canada 2011 easily make my top10 best races since 2007 until today

2012- another entertaining year with 8 different constructors racing for a race win at least once during the year and a tense last race, degrading tyres made for some entertaining and unpredictable races
 

Atop of that, 2007-2010 had 4 different first time WDCs from 4 different teams.

Take me back to 2007 again.

Edited by Anderis, 05 February 2023 - 18:36.

 

 

It has to be noted that Hunt really loved Senna in his final years. It's interesting because up until 1990 Hunt could actually be quite critical and fascinating in his commentary of Senna. But from Suzuka 1990 onwards he always seemed to turn the blind eye whenever Senna did something sketchy on track. I also love Senna, but for a TV commentator it would be good if some level of objectivity could be retained. Still, blind Senna love and blind Patrese hate aside, the greatest commentator of all time.

 

Hunt is very quotable but as for the greatest, you might want to fact check this but I'm pretty sure that he didn't really say that much for the most part. It would be Murray for about 90% of the time, and Hunt would occasionally chip in.