7 replies to this topic

[DCapps]

Way back almost a quarter of a century ago, Peter Goodchild and David Southworth provided an article entitled, "The Best Season Ever." (http://atlasf1.autos.../goodchild.html)

 

While their methodology might not have been accepted by everyone, at least it was a literally measured approach to considering this perennial query.

 

Then again, I was bit surprised, to be honest, that most of their Top Ten made sense to me, especially given that I had already written about 1982 and was preparing a series on 1961 for Rear View Mirror.

 

Not very fond of lists of superlatives, to say the least, but this one was certainly the proverbial food for thought.

 

I have always been interested in taking a look at seasons as means of developing an understanding of various aspects of the sport, especially taking into account the "stuff" off the track and the context whatever else is going on elsewhere.

While the championship events of 1957 or 1963 might be a bit of bore, keep in mind that Maserati was facing a huge financial crisis, as was Ferrari, at the time, not to mention the impact of the Mille Miglia on things just two years after Le Mans.

In 1963, Lotus went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a few other venues, and big-bore sports car racing was beginning to take a place in the sport.

And, with 1952, the interesting thing was how fragile the administration of the Euro end of the sport was, not to mention a Certain German company back in the sport.

 

Not to mention that I doubt that 1952 is now dead last in the listing of seasons, thanks to the 2023 snorefest...

 

At any rate, sitting out there in the ether are issue of the Atlas F1 Journal, waiting patiently for you to take a look... (http://archive.atlas...h/dir.html#1995)

[Michael Ferner]

Interesting read, thank you for posting the link!

 

The methodology is, of course, not beyond reproach, but it's well explained, warts and all, no delusions of grandeur. Overall, a good effort which can be used as a starting point for similar exercises, and for lively discussions (try to imagine having a discussion about this in the Racing Comments section of this board, and then over here - I think I can figure out how those would most likely evolve).

 

Purely by chance, just yesterday I read the late Paul Sheldon's résumé at the end of the 1982 chapter in his Black Book series, with words like "this low point in Grand Prix racing" and "a dreadful season (...) to forget as soon as possible". Opinions will always differ, I guess.

Edited by Michael Ferner, 20 January 2024 - 09:25.

[uechtel]

Well, with 1982, 1961, 1999 and 1968 in the top ranking, one could get the impression, that it needs fatal or at least severe injuries to make a season interesting... 

 

Ok, sorry for my sarcasm, but like all such rankings the problem is always how much the criteria can represent objectivity. A season can not be 'per se' great, but it depends on which aspects you look at. To me for example, beyond the closeness of the title fight, also technical variety, performance density of the competitors, personalities and 'poilitical' backgrounds are important factors. This for example turns 1988 and 1989 into two of my most favourite seasons. Disregarding the McLaren dominance, the weekends were abloutely thrilling to me, starting with which team would have driver changes, which would survive prequalification and qualifying, close racing in the midfield with teams that could finish on the podium this week and end up with non-qualification for the next. Same on the engine side, with a variety of manufacturers and basic layouts it was interesting to watch who would have advantage over whom on the occasion.

 

Similar also the 1970ies with so many technical innovations, while at the same time the competitivness of the Ford Cosworth engine made sure, that almost everybody would have a chance to fight for a win if he had made his job properly.

[F1Frog]

Nice article. My own entirely subjective ranking was in Racing Comments recently: https://forums.autos...ons/?p=10477766

 

I find the mathematical formulae for comparing seasons fascinating. However, I find it a bit different to the debate about greatest drivers. For the greatest driver ever, there are many potential candidates, but there are only a handful of credible answers (maybe 15 if it is F1 only, far more if you go for overall drivers), with anyone below that level pretty objectively wrong. But the greatest season debate seems entirely subjective to me, and anybody can argue for any season as the greatest ever with their own criteria and be correct. It is nice to have lots of different winners but there is also something to be said about two great drivers battling it out. And a race where each top team seems to take it in turns to have the best car for the weekend produces many winners but not such exciting races, compared to just two teams winning but it being extremely close between them every time. The lead changes is a factor but, as mentioned in the article, pre-1972 Monza had many, many lead changes but other great races like Silverstone 1965 had zero. And the article also mentions the political factor, which is very divisive as some find it tedious but others think it adds an extra layer to a season.

 

I am very impressed that they managed to work so many factors into the model and enjoyed the article very much.

 

Personally, I think the most important factor in a great season is many fascinating storylines, so my ranking differs greatly from this objective one because you cannot work that into a model so well.

Edited by F1Frog, 19 January 2024 - 13:18.

[DCapps]

In case you are wondering, I made my debut (such as it was...) at Atlas F1 on 15 October 1997, roughly 18 months before the appearance of Rear View Mirror and a bit over two years before this forum came into being.

 

That said, Darren Galpin was there when Atlas F1 came into being. This is something that I think is quite noteworthy.

 

Also, if you take time to scan the Readers' Comments remarks from the early days, there is little doubt that some things simply don't change...

[lustigson]

I'm giving that a read. Thanks!

 

It may deserve an update after a quarter century, though. 

[opplock]

 

 

Purely by chance, just yesterday I read the late Paul Sheldon's résumé at the end of the 1982 chapter in his Black Book series, with words like "this low point in Grand Prix racing" and "a dreadful season (...) to forget as soon as possible". Opinions will always differ, I guess.

 

I'm inclined to agree with Sheldon. 8th May has for the last 41 years been black armband day. Add to that the Paletti and Pironi tragedies. I attended 4 GPs that year Monaco, Zandvoort, Brands and Monza. None of them a borefest but the thrill had gone.   

[DCapps]

Superlatives such as "greatest" are highly subjective, even when an algorithm is employed because there will tend to be questions/discussion regarding the criteria being selected and the values assigned.

 

We have been, thankfully, spared this sort thing (there are other more appropriate words, of course) of late.

 

While it is not necessarily a bad thing altogether to at times to look back and think about what may or may not have made a particular season interesting or not, or driver or entrant or whatever for that matter, a little goes a very long way.

 

What prompted mentioning the Goodchild/Southworth article in the first place, as well letting those at Racing Comments when that particular madness first saw the light of day, https://forums.autos...ts-on-atlas-f1/, is that I am beginning to feel that The Time is just about here.

 

While sitting in yet another doctor's office this past week, just before I left I grabbed a book to read, in this case, re-read. It was by someone, another Army Brat who grew up in Europe and a fellow classmate at times, who died of cancer four decades ago this year. She was a brilliant historian and a superb War of the Rebellion scholar.

 

I also grabbed a few files from the file cabinet to look at while I waited (I think more than a few here have similar means of passing time while dealing with the medical community; my time dealing with infusion sessions allowed me to go through probably at least a half dozen books and no telling how many magazine articles) and in one of the folders was "The Best Season Ever" article which I had not looked at for years. Tucked into the same folder was my first appearance on Atlas F1 from way back in October 1997. That is, naturally, a rather cringe-worthy thing to read today. Definitely RC material and a forerunner of why TNF probably came into being.

 

In April, it will be a quarter of a century since Rear View Mirror (RVM) stumbled into existence. In retrospect, that is probably what we should have named this forum since it was RVM that led directly to its creation. However, it probably such a Blinding Flash of The Obvious neither Bira nor I thought of it. Duh.

 

At any rate, I went back and skipped around the Atlas F1 Journal issues and realized just what a good job Paul and the others, and then especially when Bira arrived on the scene, did with it. Despite my falling out with Bira, which was the result of more than a few issues, most now forgotten or simply the result of two very hard-headed people bumping heads, I still highly respect what she did for Atlas F1.

 

I stumbled across the Atlas F1 Journal at some point in the latter part of 1996. Someone told me about it and I checked it out. Been here pretty much ever since, whether welcome or not (prophet in the wilderness and all that sort of thing, perhaps, or perhaps simply addicted...).

 

I think that as of November I will stack the keyboard and fade away. Assuming that I am still around (a better proposition than it was not all that long ago), I will simply observe and keep the fingers off the keyboard. 

 

For real. This forum now belongs to others and has for many years. 

 

Of course, we will always have The Argetsinger Symposium, which this forum played a big part in its creation, of course.

 

It is a long time until November so no telling what will happen until then. Probably just the usual...