94 replies to this topic

[Victor]

Enzo Ferrari created the most famous team ever. Fangio’s records were unbeaten for decades. Jackie Stewart was crucial for safety in F1. Colin Chapman was a genius who made several technological innovations. Bernie Ecclestone made F1 what it is today.

Who was the most important personality in F1’s history and why?

 

[PlatenGlass]

Damon Hill.

 

No explanation needed.

[PayasYouRace]

Person or personality?

[Con1]

It is Jackie Stewart for me. Without him pushing for the safety changes, god only knows how many other drivers would have died. And he had to fight against the teams, the track owners and other drivers to get those changes made.

[dissident]

Love him or hate him, the first name that came into my mind was uncle Sprinkler aka Bernie Ecclestone. 

Edited by dissident, 07 September 2020 - 21:35.

[DeKnyff]

It is Jackie Stewart for me. Without him pushing for the safety changes, god only knows how many other drivers would have died. And he had to fight against the teams, the track owners and other drivers to get those changes made.

Seconded

[shure]

Who knows  if F1 would even be here without Bernie.  He took a  fairly amateur operation and turned it into a multi-billion dollar business. He is Mr F1.

[Spyker]

It has to be Bernie, he made it what is.

I'd add Michael Schumacher to your list. He was the first of the modern drivers, and changed the culture. And Lewis Hamilton. He's brought a completely different fan base to the sport.

[balmybaldwin]

Charlie Whiting should be on the list

 

James Hunt - Brought the playboy image

 

Lauda - Brought the Grit

[jonpollak]

Jacques Villeneuve.
Hands down.
Jp

[Lights]

Reminds me of the fan vote based series F1.com ran on this topic just a few months ago. Here's the full result brackets. Schumacher beat Ecclestone in the final.

[FLB]

Jo Siffert

 

 

Introduced Philip Morris to the sport.

[jonpollak]

I'll recast my vote (we get to vote twice right?)

 

For Bernie.

 

 

Jp

[jonpollak]

Person or personality?

It says it in the title !

Jp

[ATM]

If we’re going for the emblematic figure, I would say Ecclestone. Love him or hate him, the man built something big.

[PayasYouRace]

It says it in the title !

Jp

 

Yes but many of the people proposed had all the personality of a wet sock.

[milestone 11]

Bernie Ecclestone just a margin ahead of Sid Watkins.

[jonpollak]

Yes but many of the people proposed had all the personality of a wet sock.

That’s your opinion.
Based on your interpretation gleaned on television.
Or am I missing something?
Jp

[milestone 11]

Reminds me of the fan vote based series F1.com ran on this topic just a few months ago. Here's the full result brackets. Schumacher beat Ecclestone in the final.

I can't for the life of me understand how Schumacher gets consideration at all. The only driver of note is Stewart. There again, the level of discourse on that site is akin to Reddit as can be witnessed by the driver of the day votes and their infamous list.

[doc83]

Who knows if F1 would even be here without Bernie. He took a fairly amateur operation and turned it into a multi-billion dollar business. He is Mr F1.

Hands down. He left not so long ago and F1 is already in a downward spiral.

[ExEd]

Charlie Witting ,S. Watkins ,surely among the great contributors.

Ron Denis, changed the way an F1 team works as business forever.  

The old man Enzo , definitely a strong personality that played a great part on F1 myth.

Bernie, same as Ron but in sport level. 

Edited by ExEd, 07 September 2020 - 22:26.

[AustinF1]

It's Bernie. Not even close, imho.

[garoidb]

 

James Hunt - Brought the playboy image

 

Lauda - Brought the Grit

 

I was going to say Niki with James as a supporting character. They both brought something different, and it really created drama for F1. However, the name and story of Niki Lauda was known by people who knew nothing else about F1 in the 70s and 80s. I have posted before about how F1 trades on legends from decades ago for a big part of its appeal because the new ones are not so compelling. Niki is central to that. There will never be a highlights reel of F1 that doesn't feature him.

 

I agree with the mentions of Bernie Ecclestone (for the commercial development of F1, which made it accessible to me) and Jackie Stewart too (for safety, his US television work and for creating the team that became Red Bull).

[dissident]

I can't for the life of me understand how Schumacher gets consideration at all. The only driver of note is Stewart. There again, the level of discourse on that site is akin to Reddit as can be witnessed by the driver of the day votes and their infamous list.

 

Schumacher was very, very popular.

 

Especially after he joined Ferrari and won their first WDC in ages. Everyone, F1 fan or not, knew who Schumacher was and he set the standard for the ultra-competitive modern F1 driver.

[ArrowsLivery]

Who knows if F1 would even be here without Bernie. He took a fairly amateur operation and turned it into a multi-billion dollar business. He is Mr F1.

I am sorry but Ecclestone was a huge net negative for F1.

[Atreiu]

Senna

[jonpollak]

I am sorry but Ecclestone was a huge net negative for F1.

Please
Jp

[danmills]

F1 today is what it is because of Bernie. For all the negatives, the fact we have all these venues to go to is thanks to the at times bizarre and questionable array of dealings that he made happen. F1 was a sport. Bernie made it a business.

 

F1 lives today only because its a business. Take that away, it simply would not exist.

Edited by danmills, 07 September 2020 - 23:31.

[PlayboyRacer]

Bernie, Niki and Ayrton.

[Loosenut]

Murray Walker (to me anyway).

[Squeed]

Sir Frank and Ron Dennis are in the conversation.

[HerbieMcQueen]

I can't for the life of me understand how Schumacher gets consideration at all. The only driver of note is Stewart. There again, the level of discourse on that site is akin to Reddit as can be witnessed by the driver of the day votes and their infamous list.

 

I'm convinced the Formula 1 subreddit is populated by people under 18 years old. Or grown adults who never matured past 18, it's the most insufferable collection of confidently ignorant know-it-alls.

 

My vote here goes to Bernie. It was a semi-amateur gentlemen's club which he turned into a global brand.

[Pascal]

I have no fondness for the guy, but Bernie Ecclestone is the one person who shaped Formula 1 to become what it is today. A few other people left a strong mark on F1's history, but Bernie is the one who had the most impact on the sport over the course of several decades. That's hard to beat.

[Leibowitz]

Bernie without dobut

[JordanIreland]

Jacques Villeneuve.
Hands down.
Jp

😂😂😂

[THEWALL]

Senna was important. Possibly the first time an F1 driver was so idolized, mainly in Brazil. But also because of his insane speed and almost spiritual approach, and for his controversies and death on track.

Schumacher was the first F1 global superstar, the Ferrari reviver, the big talent coupled with the incredible work ethic.

Edited by THEWALL, 08 September 2020 - 01:36.

[KLF1F]

F1 today is what it is because of Bernie. For all the negatives, the fact we have all these venues to go to is thanks to the at times bizarre and questionable array of dealings that he made happen. F1 was a sport. Bernie made it a business.

 

F1 lives today only because its a business. Take that away, it simply would not exist.

 

 

I disagree about Bernie. Lots of other sports managed to go through a sequence of modernization thanks to the additional income due to televisions being able to transmit them (and their sponsors) into every household. F1 would have become the global behemoth that it is today with or without Bernie.

 

The negatives (especially the ridiculous, questionably-legal television deal that took billions of dollars out of the sport) far outweigh the positives.

[loki]

David Croft...

[ehagar]

Jean-Marie Balestre. I am partially trolling in mentioning his name, but he was quite the piece of work and was certainly memorable. He did *some* good things, but Oswald Mosley’s son replaced him for several reasons....

[MarshalMike]

  Professor Sid Watkins

[PlayboyRacer]

😂😂😂

Well JV is one of the most iconic drivers. Has the sport ever had a driver so brutally outspoken and non conformist to the point Jacques was?

Perhaps James Hunt. But JV was one of a kind.

[Trust]

Jacques Villeneuve.

[Baddoer]

Paul Di Resta

[Nobody]

Personality?

 

The voice for F1 - you know who it is

[pitlanepalpatine]

It is Jackie Stewart for me. Without him pushing for the safety changes, god only knows how many other drivers would have died. And he had to fight against the teams, the track owners and other drivers to get those changes made.

 

I agree with the reason but I'd give it to Sid Watkins instead.

[balage06]

Yuji Ide

[lustigson]

Bernie Ecclestone, no doubt, with honourable mentions for constructors like Ferrari and Chapman, drivers like Fangio, Stewart, Lauda, Senna and Schumacher, and people like Watkins and Whiting.

[smitten]

I don't really think the question makes sense.  Most important in what context?

 

If you mean best known to the general public, then currently Hamilton/Vettel.  Tens years ago maybe Senna/Schumacher.  Ten years further back then ..........

 

If you mean most influential on current safety then maybe Stewart/Watkins

 

Most influential on design then maybe Murray/Chapman/Newey

 

Most influential as TP then maybe Williams/Dennis

 

But none of these guys (nor the hundreds not name-checked) exist in a vacuum.  They all influence and are influenced by those that when before and those around them. Without any one of them, we would be in a different place.  Without the guys that started it all, we might not be here at all.

[PlatenGlass]

Yes but many of the people proposed had all the personality of a wet sock.

Plus the text in the opening post doesn't refer to their personalities. And with e.g. the British Sports Personality of the Year, personality doesn't really come into it so there's at least one precedent that personality doesn't really mean personality with these things.

[PlatenGlass]

I'm surprised Charlie Whiting is being mentioned. He just filled a role (and presumably because he worked at Brabham with Ecclestone). He didn't in any way "transcend" his role and generally wasn't even considered very good at it.

Arguably track limits are what they are now because of what happened under his leadership. And worse than that, drivers still under pressure to race under yellows leading to what it did.