113 replies to this topic

[Risil]

Well... were you?

[George Costanza]

Yes.

[F1matt]

I attended the British GP the week before he was born. Wow I am old. 

[Beamer]

Since 1988. As he won his 1st karting race.
Non related event 🙂had to look it up

Edited by Beamer, 25 July 2023 - 18:02.

[F1matt]

Since 1988. As he won his 1st karting race.
Non related event had to look it up

 

 

He won his 1st Kart race aged 7? No wonder he is so good!

[SophieB]

Yes. It was a terribly dull race. I would have found it very hard to believe if someone had told me at the time it was likely to be his final race victory but if they’d convinced me, I would definitely have paid more attention to it as a spectacle.

[SophieB]

He won his 1st Kart race aged 7? No wonder he is so good!

The great drivers often like to demonstrate past prowess in tiny cars when barely out of the cradle.  Sort of motoring Mozarts, I suppose. Still, I think I’d be equally impressed by people who never started racing until much later in life. Less experience. Like Graham Hill.

[Collombin]

Still, I think I’d be equally impressed by people who never started racing until much later in life. Less experience. Like Graham Hill.

Don Parker, GOAT!

[George Costanza]

The great drivers often like to demonstrate past prowess in tiny cars when barely out of the cradle. Sort of motoring Mozarts, I suppose. Still, I think I’d be equally impressed by people who never started racing until much later in life. Less experience. Like Graham Hill.

And Damon Hill too.

[milestone 11]

Wow, seems like a lifetime ago but in another breath, could have been last week. Dunno when it was, I'm trying to work back and have decided on Ferrari.

[Afterburner]

Yes, and I still remember vividly thinking that he might actually beat Vettel to the WDC in 2013. He outdrove Vettel that race and Ferrari outsmarted RBR (the whole field really—imagine that happening these days!) by pushing like hell on the cheese Pirellis and making a ridiculous number of pit stops (it may have been 4) while everybody else was trying to stop them from melting down. They seemed unstoppable that weekend.

 

That may have also been the last time the winning tyre strategy in a race was something like M-H-H-H-H. I remember the hard tyre was orange back then.

[Touchdown]

I was following F1 the first time he won a Grand Prix...

[F1matt]

At least his last win wasn't Germany 2010, that would have been cruel. 

[aportinga]

I think I left around 2002 and came back around 2017

[jwill189]

I still remember Alonso's outside passes on Kimi and Lewis on the first lap into turn 3 as it were yesterday. His race craft and intuition reminds me why I'm a huge fan of his.

[Risil]

Yes, and I still remember vividly thinking that he might actually beat Vettel to the WDC in 2013. He outdrove Vettel that race and Ferrari outsmarted RBR (the whole field really—imagine that happening these days!) by pushing like hell on the cheese Pirellis and making a ridiculous number of pit stops (it may have been 4) while everybody else was trying to stop them from melting down. They seemed unstoppable that weekend.

That may have also been the last time the winning tyre strategy in a race was something like M-H-H-H-H. I remember the hard tyre was orange back then.

Oh yeah, when Mercedes qualified 1-2 and got lapped. 2013 was a weird year.

[Jerem]

I was in the grandstand the day he won his last GP. Hope for him he doesn't need me to be there to win cause I sure as hell am not attending this year!

[PayasYouRace]

The last time and the first time he won a Grand Prix.

[IrvTheSwerve]

This might become a Willy waving contest. 

 

Can’t remember when his last win was, tbh, but I did watch it. I remember his first win better. Or his debut. Quite scary to think that was 22 years ago.

 

What prompted the question, Risil? Quite random!

[AustinF1]

Yes.

[Jellyfishcake]

Considering the medium that a forum is, i.e almost outdated really in the modern social media world, I'd guess even without the poll results that the vast majority of the members here have been watching F1/Motorsports for a long time 

[Grippy]

Yes, and the first race. There was enough chatter about him prior that I put him down to score points in Minardi in Aus in a fantasy F1 game I ran, followed by a flurry of texts from other entrants - 'FA?' He completed the race so I got points

[Collombin]

Needs a "don't know" option, I had to look up which race it was and having done that I can't remember if I was or not! I'll abstain.

[Anderis]

Knowing the demographics of most internet forums these days, the poll results don't surprise me in the slightest.

 

I was not following F1 the first time Alonso won a Grand Prix, though.

[pacificquay]

I’d imagine almost everyone on here was.

 

This forum doesn’t seem to have many members under 40

[PayasYouRace]

Needs a "don't know" option, I had to look up which race it was and having done that I can't remember if I was or not! I'll abstain.

It’s a factual question, so if you don’t know, you can find out. It’s not asking an opinion.

[Collombin]

It’s a factual question, so if you don’t know, you can find out. It’s not asking an opinion.

How can I find out if I don't remember? Not everything factual can be googled. Obviously if I posted in the race thread at the time that would be a big clue but not something really worth checking.

[PayasYouRace]

How can I find out if I don't remember? Not everything factual can be googled. Obviously if I posted in the race thread at the time that would be a big clue but not something really worth checking.

Were you watching F1 before 2013? I’d imagine you remember when you started watching. There’s your answer.

[Collombin]

Were you watching F1 before 2013? I’d imagine you remember when you started watching. There’s your answer.

Ok, but that's not exactly what was asked eg see aportinga's answer above - to me that should be a no, whereas by your definition it's a yes. I'm sure lots of people have drifted in and out over the years.

[GlenWatkins]

Since 1988. As he won his 1st karting race.
Non related event 🙂had to look it up

 

He was a cute kid:

[azza200]

Yes been a fan since 94 and i remember when he got into F1 along with Kimi etc the peak era of F1 screaming V10's and when the tracks on the calender were decent and not car parks and classic tracks like Silverstone, Spa had not been sanitized & butchered and lost their soul 

Edited by azza200, 25 July 2023 - 21:04.

[RPM40]

I didn't watch his first win live, but I saw his last win.

Edited by RPM40, 25 July 2023 - 21:22.

[noikeee]

Since his first, which technically by the science of biology makes me a dinosaur.

[PlatenGlass]

Yes, and a long time before as well.

[jonpollak]

I’d imagine almost everyone on here was.

This forum doesn’t seem to have many members under 40

97% of respondents voted in the affirmative.
Jp

[GuilhermeMach]

None of them DTS whippersnappers round here, I see. And yes, his last, his first and everything in between.

 

(Since last year, all people I got to meet who were into F1 - and I met a lot of people, as I moved to a different country - got into it via DTS, unfortunately. So this poll is really interesting as a demonstration of internet forum demographics)

[Widefoot2]

I attended the British GP the week before he was born. Wow I am old. 

I attended the Watkins Glen F1 race seven years before Fernando was born.

 

Matt, I am your father...

[dave34m]

Good memories, I also remember his first victory in 2003 as well, he beat the long-standing record of the youngest winner Bruce McLaren. (1959)

[noikeee]

None of them DTS whippersnappers round here, I see. And yes, his last, his first and everything in between.

 

(Since last year, all people I got to meet who were into F1 - and I met a lot of people, as I moved to a different country - got into it via DTS, unfortunately. So this poll is really interesting as a demonstration of internet forum demographics)

 

Why is this surprising, there's nobody without grey hair in here.

 

This is an ancient relic from a time the internet was different. Forums don't exist anymore.

Edited by noikeee, 26 July 2023 - 00:07.

[JeanAlesi27]

Yes. It was a terribly dull race. I would have found it very hard to believe if someone had told me at the time it was likely to be his final race victory but if they’d convinced me, I would definitely have paid more attention to it as a spectacle.

 

"Terribly" dull race? I don't remember it that way...   Alonso started 5th, passed Lewis, Vettel and Kimi to win at his home race.  All World Champions... 

[JeanAlesi27]

Well... were you?

 

Indeed.  I remember his Minardi drives... 

[Brawn BGP 001]

Esteban Gutierrez lead laps and secured fastest lap in that race.

Edited by Brawn BGP 001, 26 July 2023 - 00:21.

[WOT]

Yes, but I was also following Formula One when Jim Clark won his first Grand Prix.

[DRSwing]

Yes, still remember it vividly, and still believing his next win will come!  #33 

[George Costanza]

He will win number 33 soon.

[GuilhermeMach]

Why is this surprising, there's nobody without grey hair in here.

 

This is an ancient relic from a time the internet was different. Forums don't exist anymore.

It's not surprising at all, I just find it interesting, a statistical confirmation of the obvious imbalance in this forum's age group. I'm in my early 30's and I feel like one of the youngest around here.

 

Honestly the fact that forums barely exist anymore is what keeps me coming back - it's a niche community that can only exist in a place like this.

[GreenMachine]

I remember his first F1 race - Forza Minardi!  Barely scratches the surface though ...

[Outsider]

same here, i saw and remember Alonso's first race.. 

[Nova]

Don't remember, probably not. Started watching F1 long before Alonso started, but had a long period not watching F1 (after the Schumacher / Irvine thing) and also with the engine freeze. Now watch now and then, but not like before.

 

More of a MotoGp man, where I at the moment can wallow in self-pity and despair over the current state of affairs.

[GunnarN7]

Yes, and time has really changed my perspective on that particular win.

 

At the time it didn't seem to be very impressive. It was an Alonso home win, but this was his third already, and the one he had only a few months prior in Valencia made this one look unimpressive by comparison. But it's still one of the three ever wins a Spaniard has achieved on home soil, and it might be the last for a very long time. This alone is significant from a history perspective.

 

It was also one of those 3-4 stops races that were common in the first part of 2013, I recall starting to get tired of all that Pirelli nonsense. Nowadays I only wish we had more tyres like those, as opposed to the usual 1 stop snoozefest.

 

It could also be the last Alonso win, but that better not be the case after all the hype behind the 33 meme. It's going to be a letdown for all, fans or not, if he doesn't end up back at the top of the podium.

Edited by GunnarN7, 26 July 2023 - 05:50.