71 replies to this topic

[DS27]

My favourite five was definitely the red one on Mansell's Williams

[PhilArny80]

I've always rooted for the Brits so my favourites reflect that.

All time

Mansell
D.Hill
DC
Button
Hamilton

Current

Hamilton
Russell
Norris
Ricciardo
Sainz

[PlatenGlass]

All-time (not current drivers):

 

Prost - He was my favourite when I got into F1 when I was 5. He drove a yellow car, and he was winning races, unlike Cheever and Winkelhock. The next year I followed him to McLaren rather than supporting the Renault drivers and he was always my favourite after that.

 

Schumacher - I found myself rooting for Schumacher during Prost's year off in 1992 and after a drought of true top drivers coming through (the new drivers from 1985 to 1990 won five races between them), he was the obvious new driver to support. By the time it was clear how dubious some of his driving was, it was a bit too late to completely drop my support!

 

Frentzen - I was really impressed with him at Sauber and thought he could be the next big thing, but unfortunately when he got to Williams it didn't happen. He at least had that decent year in 1999 afterwards to sort of make up for it.

 

Hakkinen - After thinking that Frentzen would win the championship in 1997, Hakkinen was my pick in 1998 after his strong second half to 1997 and with Newey on board. And he made it, vindicating me!

 

Trulli - I was impressed with his stand-in performances for Panis in 1997 (including leading at Austria). He seemed to go a bit anonymous over the next couple of years, but when partnered against Frentzen at Sauber he gradually gained the upper hand. In 2001, I even rated him as the second best driver on the grid. Martin Brundle in commentary complained that he used to go backwards in the races after qualifying well, but that seemed to be down to the rear tyres going off, and it wasn't as if Frentzen or later Alesi did any better. But as his career progressed, it became apparent that it was a thing. (I maintain that Brundle was right by luck though, as his evidence was weak.)

 

Honorable mention: Jean-Pierre Jabouille - I didn't watch him race live, but having watched old races back, I enjoyed watching his peformances in the turbo yellow Reanult. He was unlucky to only win two races with bad reliability. He got six poles though.

 

Current drivers:

 

Alonso - At the end of 2004, I decided that he, not Raikkonen or Montoya, was the best bet for the future. And I was right! I was very impressed with him in races. However, I started to go off him in 2007. Initially I was supporting him against this new guy Hamilton, but then he had this weird outburst against Massa after winning at the Nurburgring and then Hungary happened, and I decided that he might be slightly psychopathic. But since he rejoined McLaren and was struggling badly I started to want him to return to the front, and I would like him to win another title, however unlikely it may be.

 

Hamilton - While I don't really have favourite drivers any more, he probably was the last one, and I certainly supported him from about Nurburgring 2007 up to some point. I still like him now but I don't particularly root for him over everyone else.

 

Ricciardo - I saw him as a potential champion after beating Vettel and the races he won were always really good, but Verstappen has damaged his career a bit now.

 

Perez/Russell/Norris/Sainz - I dunno. Looking forward to seeing Tsunoda more than Mick Schumacher or that other lunatic at Haas as well.

 

Edit - Not forgetting the soft spot I have for Damon Hill that I've largely developed since his retirement.

Edited by PlatenGlass, 31 December 2020 - 15:44.

[JRodrigues]

Just for fun, while we all get through our leftovers in the Crimbo Limbo, who are your favourite five drivers and why? Let's make two lists, one for all-time faves since you started watching F1 and one of the current grid. No judgement , just an honest expression of opinions.

 

 

 

disclaimer: don't like drivers/riders that do the marketing stunt

 

All Time:

Kimi Raikkonen- Faster than anyone on his day; cool as ice

Jean Alesi - Faster than anyone on his day; hot as lava (yeah, I know...opposite of Kimi- same, same but different); it was the time I started watching F1 and had a great impact on me.

3rd, 4th, 5th - don't have anyone else

 

Currently:

Kimi Raikkonen - because above;

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th - don't have anyone.

 

Other motorsports:

Juha Kankkunen

Colin McRae

Richard Burns

(you can see the common line in all of them)

Casey Stoner

Tony Stewart

 

honorable mention: the man himself, Ricky Bobby.

Edited by JRodrigues, 31 December 2020 - 02:34.

[BRK]

MSC 

Hakkinen

Alesi

Fisichella

Massa

Kubica

Kobayashi

 

Seb

Max

Danny Ric

Russell

Leclerc

[Taxi]

F1 fan since 1983:

Piquet - Who was  the fastest driver from 1980-1985. He was the benchmark: fast, inteligent, technicaly amazing. Iconic helmet design, nonsense, brutally honest and excentric guy. 

Hakkinen- The oposite to Piquet in terms of personality. But exceptionaly fast and precise in racing. A gentleman. 

Kimi- Great in his prime 2003-2009 and a street wise type of driver: Cool, composed, and not obcessed with winning at all costs. I guess it reflects a bit my own personality. My 6 year old daughter asks me why I still root for the driver who finnishes 15th and not for Hamilton who wins all the time. I shrug my shoulders and tell her she'll understand when she's older. 

 

It's just 3, but I can name two other drivers I root for lightly: Prost and Vettel.

 

 

Current Crop

 

Kimi - of course.

Verstappen- Because he's the best

Vettel- Because he's a great human being and with the right car he's top notch

Grosjean- Because he's quite fast and gets a lot of crap

Mazepin.  

 

 

 

I'm joking, not Mazepin. 

Edited by Taxi, 31 December 2020 - 11:49.

[Rumblestrip]

All time

Mansell

Berger

Alesi

Hill

Button

 

Current

Leclerc

Norris

Sainz

Ricciardo 

Russell

[H0R]

All time:

Gurney

Clark

Moss

Rindt

McLaren

 

Recent:

O'Ward

Herta

Castroneves

K'Naan

Satooo

Edited by H0R, 31 December 2020 - 18:31.

[aportinga]

All Time:

 

Gerhard Berger - Just love his attidude and fun play - even when partnered with some of the most sanctimonious team mates.

Nigel Mansell - Loved how he wrentched the car around by the neck and then went and did the same think in CART.

Daniel Ricciardo - Just love the energy - regardless of the results. On and off camera this is a guy I would lover to party with!

Jean Alesi - All heart - all the way - to the detriment of his own career in some cases. When I see pics of Alesi and Berger these days - it really just puts a smile on my face.

Mika Hakkinen - Head down and get the job done.

 

 

Current:

 

Daniel Ricciardo - See above.

Lando Norris - Shows a solid human side and genuine love of the sport with probably the most innocence of any driver that I can recall.

Esteban Ocon - Comes from smaller beginings (unlike most F1 drivers) and like Norris seems very genuine.

Max Verstappen - We're part Frisian so I have to go for the home boy!

Carlos Sainz - As mentioned with other drivers - he seems to have a genuine passion for the sport with a human face.

[HeadFirst]

All Time (not including active drivers)

J Clark

B McLaren

R Peterson

P Tracy

G Villeneuve

 

Active

K Raikkonen

F Alonso

L Hamilton

D Ricciardo

R Grosjean

 

and many others ..... 

[Alex79]

F1 All time

Niki Lauda -  from paydriver at March to multiple worldchampion at Ferrari and Mclaren. Cold, analytical, stubborn and also a good driver ánd party-animal (the film Rush painted him as Mr Antifun, but he shared an apartment with Hunt in the early days. Go figure)

Damon Hill  - agreed, it was more the #0 car than Damon himself. But I remembered being a backmarker going nowhere and suddenly he had a star seat. Always thought he got the 'Zero' to state that he had 'zero' chance of winning something, but that was before I knew the regulations

Jim Clark - just give him a car, and he makes it go fast, don't matter how bad it is

Alain Prost - also a personal choice, he looked a lot like an uncle of mine :rotfl:Turns out he was a very good driver as well

Patrick Depailler - test and development driver of my favorite F1 car, the mad P34 sixwheeler. Also an idiot for ruining his career with a hang-glider accident

Current Drivers
Lando Norris - hope to see him battle for a World title in a few years
Max Verstappen - followed him from his karting days and thought: either he's gonna make a splash in the F1 scene, or he makes a scene when something goes smash Mostly it was option A, sometimes it is option B
Daniel Ricciardo - Liked him a lot next to Vettel and Max, because he kept them honest. Chased away Vettel, but maybe should have stayed at RBR. Can't wait to see him at Mclaren
Sergio Perez - already liked him a lot in his Sauber years, idiotic of Ferrari not to consider him. Too bad about Mclaren but he (mostly) redeemed himself at Force India. Seemed a sensible choice for RBR, luckily Dr Marko saw that

George Russell - Was a fan of George in his F2 campaign, and it's too bad he only can excel on the saturdays at Williams. Hoping Bottas quits in a rage at the end of '21

 

 

Non-F1

- Sebastien Loeb: being quick is good, being spectacular is good, being to be quick and not to make much mistakes is very good in rallying

- Timo Salonen: The total Rallying Antihero and a bit of an inspiration for a certain 8 yo kid. Overweight, Chainsmoker, enormous glasses, but so incredibly fast in a car. Drove an absolute dog of a Nissan in the early eighties and was poached away by Peugeot for his consistency. Originally a backup for for Vatanen but after a horrible accident "Löysä" (meaning Loose for his one-handed style) stept up.

- Ken Miles: unsung hero of the enduro races in the sixties. Got a bit of extra attention thanks to 24h War docu and Ford vd Ferrari film

- Scott Mclaughlin: I was a Supercars fan already when Ford vs Holden was taking place, but I was a bit more interested when Brad Jones got into a partnership with Volvo. Of course like everyone I laughed and cracked a few Volvo-jokes, but I laughed even harder when Scottie turned himself into a nuisance for Whincup and Van Gisbergen. His Ford years were also impressive, despite a bit of controversy around the new Mustang.

- Walter Rohrl: one of the best drivers ever: in Rally, in IMSA, in GT, in DTM. Too bad he did not like open wheelers. Also his abrasive personality worked against him sometimes (like losing a big fat Mercedes contract because he was convinced their Rally program was sh*t and he readily told them so)

[Taxi]

Eehe Alex: Salonen looked like our  80's regular portuguese public servant. Fat, smoker, lazy oversized glasses. And then... bang! I always had a soft spot for underdogs and Timo sure was one of them. Great choice. 

[Papaya]

I started watching the odd race in 97 as a 9 year old. But my first full season is say was 98. Here it goes, top 5 all time from 98;

Mika Hakkinen: McLaren have been my team since day 1 so it stands to reason he was my first favourite. Firstly as a great driver, but also the only driver that could stick it to the enemy (Ferrari/Schumi)

Jenson Button: I remember the hype of a then 20 year old (unheard of) joining the grid. Bit of a playboy in his early days and I consider his the first real career I've seen start to finish. So I've seen the extreme lows of 2001 and Honda to the highs of his Brawn and early McLaren days

Juan Pablo Montoya: The only relief from the dreaded Ferrari dominance. His speed and aggressive style together with his fiery personality made him a firm favourite with me. I'd have loved to have seen a Williams championship win courtesy of JPM 😑

Kimi Raikkonan: Was very quick in his day, but for me his personality really shines. Reading his autobiography especially the Lotus days, it's crazy. I'll always remember Martin asking him about seeing Pele in Sao Paulo and he replied with "I was having a ****". Childish yes, but I love the anti establish ment vibe he gives.

Can't really think of a fifth that stands out so I'll make a quick list of current driver's.

Danny Ric: fast and funny, you can't hate this guy
Lando Norris: fast and funny, you can't hate this kid
Kimi: see above
Seb Vettel: he's grown on me, seems very philosophical and genuine as he's aged. Hope he can beat Stroll
Carlos Sainz: underrated for me. Hope he gives Charles a hard year and punishes Red Bull for dumping him.

[Bloggsworth]

Gerry Marshall - He looked after the wife and girlfriend of people he didn't know after Greg Hodges crashed at Snetterton.

Howard Heerey - Lovely bloke.

Gabrielle Koniig - Charming

Peter Arundell - Quiet and unassuming.

My late wife - She was so good I would read a book as she drove.

[Sterzo]

I'm a bit grumpy about the idea of being anybody's fan, but I am an admirer of every racing driver who achieves anything at all. However, here are five of my favourites. In all cases their stories read like a work of fiction, and they made astonishing progress through an unlikely route.

 

1. Rudolph Caracciola - became the greatest of his time after smashing his legs, from which he never recovered. Famously unbeatable in the rain, when it's less physical.

2. Juan Manuel Fangio - raced hacked about old Chevvies on rough roads in Argentina, the war blotted out his prime years, and surely he was too old to be switch to a top line single seater drive, but...

3. Graham Hill - a nine-year-old me saw him in a yellow Lotus XI at my first race meeting. He was also too old, but up and coming, and hey presto I was able to follow him through two world championships.

4. Lewis Hamilton - saw him in his first year of car racing and was blown away by the way he raced. A seventh sense enabled him to avoid contact in wheel to wheel battles, which he always won. And he has done rather well since.

5. Billy Monger - a feisty racer in Ginettas and F4, who looked about ten in his programme pictures. Then came the accident. Subsequently saw him in the F3 paddock chatting casually to all and sundry. Was initially queasy about C4 adding him to the commentary team, but he's a great pundit and I could listen to him all day.

[1969BOAC500]

I'm an unabashed fan. Here are my favourites and why - 'live views' only, so as I've never seen the current crop of F1 drivers up close, I'll pass.....Sorry if they're a bit 'TNF', but being very close to the tracks did lodge things in the memory bank......

 

1 ) Ronnie Peterson.

Peterson through Woodcote, flat-out Lotus 72, Silverstone International Trophy practice 1973. And then - driving absolute rings around everyone else on the track in torrential rain in a BMW 320i Gp 5, Silverstone 1000kms, 1977 ( last half-hour ). i still miss him.

 

2 ) Stefan Bellof.

Last minutes of practice, Silverstone 1000kms 1983. You didn't need   a stopwatch, and even if the boost was turned up to 10 bar, you knew you were watching someone who was ****** quick.......

 

3) Ayrton Senna.

Out in the country at Brands Hatch, Lotus-renault turbo, practice for European Grand Prix 1985. Truly unforgettable - I can see it now.

 

4) Frank Gardner .

Absolutely anywhere in that Boss 302 Mustang, 1970. ( Sorry - but schoollboy memories can last a long time ! )

 

5) Jacky Ickx.

Many places including four times at Le Mans and Spa 1000kms 1973 ; but I just can't forget the round-the-outside-of-Lauda-at-Paddock-in-the-wet 1974. Me soaked to the skin, shouting to my Dad : 'He can't do that !'

And then he did.

Edited by 1969BOAC500, 02 January 2021 - 16:04.

[cpbell]

I'm an unabashed fan. Here are my favourites and why - 'live views' only, so as I've never seen the current crop of F1 drivers up close, I'll pass.....Sorry if they're a bit 'TNF', but being very close to the tracks did lodge things in the memoru bank......

 

1 ) Ronnie Peterson.

Peterson through Woodcote, flat-out Lotus 72, Silverstone International Trophy practice 1973. And then - driving absolute rings around everyone else on the track in torrential rain in a BMW 320i Gp 5, Silverstone 1000kms, 1977 ( last half-hour ). i still miss him.

 

2 ) Stefan Bellof.

Last minutes of practice, Silverstone 1000kms 1983. You didn't need   a stopwatch, and even if the boost was turned up to 10 bar, you knew you were watching someone who was ****** quick.......

 

3) Ayrton Senna.

Out in the country at Brands Hatch, Lotus-renault turbo, practice for European Grand Prix 1985. Truly unforgettable - I can see it now.

 

4) Frank Gardner .

Absolutely anywhere in that Boss 302 Mustang, 1970. ( Sorry - but schollboy memories can last a long time ! )

 

5) Jacky Ickx.

Many places including four times at Le Mans and Spa 1000kms 1973 ; but I just can't forget the round-the-outside-of-Lauda-at-Paddock-in-the-wet 1974. Me soaked to the skin, shouting to my Dad : 'He can't do that !'

And then he did.

I'd love to have been there for most of those!

[BlackCat]

Favourites since I started to follow F1 - it was not easy behind "iron curtain" but still possible.

1 James Hunt - a real role model in his time, proof that if you risk your life you can get the prettiest girls and the best of everything
2 Jochen Rindt - my first racing hero
3 Francoise Cevert - almost as good as Hunt in every way
4 Gilles Villeneuve - his method of learning new circuits: not from slow to fast but from too fast to fast
5 Jarno Trulli - got his first name for the same reason I named my firstborn

Current

1 Kimi Räikkönen
2 Charles Leclerc
3-4 do not care very much about anybody else
5 Lance Stroll - but Vettel making a deal with that mentally ill girl dropped my opinion of all the Aston Martin project, so in 2021 I'll root a bit for Nikita Mazepin


And there are compatriots to root for:

Ott Tänak - hope you've heard of him
Jüri Vips - hope you've heard about him too
Martin Rump - racing Audis in Asia and was my granddaughters classmate
Hannes Soomer - in WorldSSP
Anastassia Kovalenko - multitalented young woman, lawyer and also pretty good biker

[Nobody]

I was/am particularly fond of (and all in McLaren colors at some stage as well of course)

Sen
Hak
Rai
Ham
Sai

[SophieB]

All time:

 

Damon Hill

Fernando Alonso

Lewis Hamilton 

Ayrton Senna

James Hunt

 

As a sport, there are many, many drivers that I can intellectually appreciate, but I have never really *cared* about many other drivers other than the above, even though some of them I would be the first to admit are/were flawed people. (Although If we’d been allowed to pick six, Lauda would have made the cut, seven and Prost would be there.) Allof the above were/are interesting to me on the human level, which was the deciding factor, as well as them being massively talented. 

[Taxi]

Seb Vettel: he's grown on me, seems very philosophical and genuine as he's aged. Hope he can beat Stroll
 

 

If he can't do that might as well retire in the spot and return his 4 championships. 

[Gambelli]

Since 1986 when I started watching..

 

Mansell - I was young okay!  10yo, and hoodwinked by British media bias, therefore I never really appreciated Senna till he was gone....

 

M Schumacher - First driver I saw come into F1 whist I was already watching, I was a fan immediately....

 

Mark Webber - Aussie bias - and his first race was a fairytale that took a frustratingly long time to match in terms of joy

 

Daniel Ricciardo - More Aussie bias, I wondered how he'd go against Vettel, and if he'd only get 1 season, then he came out and got P2 in that first race, and sure he was DQ'd but it didn't matter, I knew from that day he'd be sticking around a long time

 

P5 - I don't have a clear 5, I have just transient drivers I supported as my '2nd' for a few years - Frentzen, Panis, Ralf, Jacques, Montoya, Vettel, Verstappen

 

If you ask again in a year, I'd probably say LeClerc, I had been watching him come through the ranks so I'd say he may well already be my #5

 

 

Current, in order

 

Dany Ric

 

Charles LeClerc

 

Max Verstappen

 

Seb

 

Lando Norris - I know, he's British... I'm a little ashamed, but I really like him