41 replies to this topic

[nja]

In light of the recent driver changes, here is a question i have....

How hard is it to change team allegiance when following your driver to a new team?

EG - As a JPM fan (ie also a Williams fan), how hard is it to suddenly change allegiance to a new team like McLaren. Eg - Karlth has always monitored Williams with interest to follow JPM's career (anlysing test times etc) and now suddenly he is essentially a McLaren "supporter" to the extent he wants McLaren to do better than Williams.

just wondering if it easy to suddenly swap team allegiance. Ie - if Michael went to Toyota, i would not be following ferrari as closely as i did b4 and would some degree be a "Toyota supporter". This would feel strange.

anyway, just a ramble......

[Slatz]

Well I haven't had that problem for a very long time as I support DC.

But if he goes to Williams, I'll probably swap camps with him. But that's a bit of a case of coming home. I prefer BMW's to Mercs mostof the time anyway, so there's no conflict of interest to support a BMW powered team. If he goes to Jag though, I will no doubt take much more interest in Jaguar's progress, but I don't think I'll become a team supporter.

[WebberF1]

I followed Michael at Benetton then to Ferrari and more recently Webber at Benetton (tester), Minardi, Jaguar and now it will be BMW.

It seems like jumping teams but I follow the driver more-so than a team. In other sports the team comes first but not F1.

Answering your question it is not that hard. I always support a team like Minardi rather than Jordan if they were in a fight, as Webber was once there and I have a past affinity for the team.

I think it would be strange being a Ferrari fan following McLaren though.

[Jack Rabbit]

I don’t think it would be too hard switching. If my preferred driver went to Williams, I'd support Williams, Mclaren then Mclaren, etc. Besides, I think you can simultaneously support a driver and a team, even if the driver is not driving for that team (if that makes any sense).

Right now though, its a little different as I just want anyone/any team to challenge Ferrari. Whoever that was I'd be supporting. Not that I hate Ferrari, but change is good; and I always like the underdog, which in f1 right now is everyone except Ferrari/MS.

[UMSLtifosi]

As you can probably tell my my name, I'm a Ferrari fan. I started following back in '90 when Alesi was new to the sport, and I loved the way he raced Senna at Phoenix that year. After that, I was an Alesi fan for life. But then he went to Ferrari, and my loyalty followed to that team (although I did hold a soft spot for Tyrell until they 'died'). During Alesi's years at Ferrari, my love for Alesi grew into a love for all things Ferrari. I was a young man who was just getting into cars, and I loved all of their cars. I read about their history and realised that they were a great team and a great spirit.

When Alesi moved on to Benetton and beyond that, I followed his career and wished him well, but I still supported Ferrari. If it came down to it, I wanted Alesi to win, with both Ferraris also on the podium. But luckily (I guess you could say that), it never came down to Alesi vs. Ferrari as Alesi couldn't find his way to a top team (that's debatable, I know). Since he retired, I haven't had the same feeling for a driver, but my love for Ferrari is still there.

UMSLtifosi

[reedemer]

The Jaguar flag on my wall will soon be replaced with a Williams flag.

[fifi]

i was a eddie irvine fan and you could call me a jordan then ferrari fan but it was purely for him, when he went to jaguar it was the same
switching didnt bother me much

[Lukin]

F1 while a team sport at the heart, is an individual one in terms of support. One person cant really make a football team, but they can make a racing team if you get my drift.

Here in Oz its a little different, its more or a brand thing, Ford v Holden.

Im glad I didnt buy any Jag stuff, the Williams shirts are much nicer!

[Henri Greuter]

Within F1 I rarely had to switch sympathy's for teams because of `my`driver changing teams. Because of being Dutch I did so for Verstappen but then we're talking about the marginal teams of course (regrettably).

I hae always been a Ferrari fan though I didn't like all the drivers they hired and on occasion I really didn't understand why they hired certain drivers at all.
I accepted Prost but not because I liked him for example. Even as a Ferrari driver I didn't like him any better. When he won, good because that meant Ferrari won and McLaren lost.
During the lean Ferrari years I never switched over either to support another team because of being more successful.
If Schuey or Rubens leave, I'll see what happens, the loyalty to Ferrari will remain I guess, it will be mighty difficult if JPM, Fisi or JVi will get into the cars.

As I've already mentioned in another thread, the only reason why I would have given up on my loyalty to Ferrari would have been if they had signed Senna. Certainly during his lifetime I hated Senna so much that had he gone to Ferrari I would have switched from team.
But I made progress courtesy this BB: Hate has become intense dislike.


But I can imagine that some fans who supported Williams will find it difficult to support Mclaren now their beloved JPM is switching teams.
I am not a fan of Webber though I do kinda like him. If he does well with a Williams, I never liked Williams but I might mellow a little because of them taking on Webber.


Henri Greuter

[skinnylizard]

i usuall support drivers and have never really supported a team. so its never been much of an issue.

[Henri Greuter]

Originally posted by skinnylizard
i usuall support drivers and have never really supported a team. so its never been much of an issue.

Don't know what should have happened with me if Gilles wasn't killed to be honest.

Henri Greuter

[Garagiste]

I'm not about to become a McLaren fan because JPM is moving, but I'll still be pleased if he does well. It won't be nearly as difficult as when Mansell went to Ferrari, that's for sure.
Primarily remain a Williams fan and will be rooting for Mark and whoever.

[KWSN - DSM]

I have no problem in my favorite driver, being in another than my favorite team.

Currently Michael Schumacher as my favorite driver, race in a car of my favorite team Ferrari.

Previous to Michael Schumacher I have ad following as favorite drivers:

Keke Rosberg - My alltime favorite.
Michele Alboreto
Marc Surer
Clay Regazzoni
Alessandro Nannini
Stefan Bellof

[Gilles4Ever]

I think it comes down to choosing if you support a driver more than a team or vice versa. I am a Ferrari supporter and something really big would have to happen for me to change teams. I support drivers who are not at Ferrari but nowhere near the level to which I support Ferrari. I didn't like Mansell and when he went to Ferrari I supported him when he wasn't at Ferrari I disliked him. I like Kimi because he is a great driver I support him and hopes he does well when he beats Ferrari I am unhappy that Ferrari didn't win but it is not the end of the world.

Mostly I have been fairly lucky with not having drivers I dislike coming to Ferrari they have hung around McLaren and Williams.

It comes down to personal preferance, can you live with yourself supporting a team you dont like just because your driver is there?

To be honest I do not know what I would have done if Gilles ever left Ferrari to drive for McLaren. (My least liked but very strongly admired).

[LuckyStrike1]

Easy - don't change ;)

I'm a Williams fan and I have never liked McLaren as a team. I also happens to be a Montoya fan. So I'm still a Williamsfan, I want them to win. But I'm also a Montoyafan so I will still hope he wins - I just don't care if McLarens wins.

If either Williams wins or Montoya wins, I'm happy.

[Gilles]

I for one only support drivers. So I really do not care for whom they are driving for.

[repcobrabham]

i've supported williams since 1980 but i've also always cheered MW as i am also an aussie
since jag and williams were never direct rivals it's never been an issue
now the two elements are coming together and i'm very pleased ... hell, i might even buy some merchandise!

[clef]

I've only been following F1 since Webber was in it (it was what introduced me to it, not because there were no Aussies before!). Because there was no chance he could win, I had to choose a top 3 team I wanted to support. I chose Williams.. and now the two have combined!

[rce]

Good question.

Not really a 'fan' of a team, that said BMW Williams will always hold dear to me and I will always cheer them on. I'm not a fan of Mark Webber - so I'm having issues with him, which will lead me to support whom ever gets the second drive.

I'm mostly a fan of drivers, Ralf Schumacher being my favourite. I will cheer him on and therefore I want Toyota to succeed. With my other favourite drivers some are moving to new teams (Jarno/Juan Pablo/Nick (who I hope has a ride next year - ditto with Jarno)), and some are not (Kimi, Fernando).

Basically I will cheer on my favourite drivers regardless of the team they drive for. I just love the sport.

[Bart]

I'm a fan of DC and a fan of McLaren. It is simply coincidence that DC races for McLaren, who I started following in 1980 when I first watched F1 and they had John Watson and Alain Prost driving for them. My support for the team has obviously increased, however, with DC driving for them.

Were DC to race for Jaguar in 2005, I'd obviously want Jaguar to do well, as DC won't have a lot of fun without a decent car under him. I wouldn't support McLaren as vocally, but I'd still want them to win races instead of Ferrari or Williams. A more difficult situation would be if DC went to Williams, because Williams are capable of fighting on the same level as McLaren (which Jag wouldn't be). So would I want the second Williams to beat a McLaren? (thinks...) Yes, probably, because I like Mark Webber, but if it were Alonso in the second car, I'd probably want him to keep missing the podium.

You can't support a driver and not want their team to do well.

[Nasty McBastard]

ive always been more of a driver guy than a team guy.

when mansell jumped ship to ferrari i had no problems with it.
when schumie jumped ship to ferrari i had no problems with it.

if ms jumped ship to renault id have no problems with it.

basically as far as rooting for a team, it basically comes down to whatever team my driver is with.

having said that ive always had a soft spot for ferrari and williams. if my driver happens to be driving for someone other than those two teams, then i always hope ferrari and/or williams finish best of the rest.

[FastMex]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter
If Schuey or Rubens leave, I'll see what happens, the loyalty to Ferrari will remain I guess, it will be mighty difficult if JPM, Fisi or JVi will get into the cars.

Not to critize you, but this is the common denominator of almost all of your (mighty long) posts... you are not a fan of true racers showing flair and personality. (I guess I criticized you anyway...sorry).

[Henri Greuter]

Originally posted by FastMex


Not to critize you, but this is the common denominator of almost all of your (mighty long) posts... you are not a fan of true racers showing flair and personality. (I guess I criticized you anyway...sorry).

In short then this time:
No problem. You're entitled to your own opinions.
(I hope you'll permit me to have mines eventhough you don't agree with me?
to keep the post short, i won't go into why I don't like JPM JVi and Fisi)

regards
Henri Greuter

[HP]

Ferrari will probably always be "my" team followed by Sauber (not because of Ferrari engines though ). Now if it happens that my fave driver is in that team as it is currently, then that's just great, else I take interest into the team my fave driver is with as well, except for McLaren-Mercedes.

[Jack Rabbit]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter
But I made progress courtesy this BB: Hate has become intense dislike.


Henri Greuter

Cool. BB group therapy.

BTW, less hate in the world is always a good thing, kudos!

[wegmann]

I have preferences for both drivers and teams, so it depends on the year. I happen to dislike Jaguar and Toyota because of the way they entered the sport of F1 ("we're going to win the championship within a couple years, so watch out everybody"), but on the other hand I like some of their past and future drivers, like MW and JT. In this case I prefer to see the driver go fast but have his machinery break down

[fissijo]

Good question, and one I have thought about a lot in the past as well.

Before drivers are brought into the equation I am a Ferrari fan, always have been as far as I am aware and probably always will be. I will support them whoever they have driving for them.

Then come my favourite Drivers, M Schumacher and Fisichella. Am lucky with Schumacher at Ferrari, and I will support Fisichella whatever team he is with. BUT if either of them ended up at McLaren I would have difficulties, would be supporting the driver a LOT more than the team there.

So next year I will be a Ferrari and Renault supporter I guess!!

[Jordan191]

About the only time my favorite team had my favorite driver was when Eddie Irvine drove for Jordan in 1994-5 I was a Jordan fan long after Irvine left.

I tend not to think of my favorite team as needing to have my favorite driver.

[tifosi4life]

Being Italian, my team will always be Ferrari, regardless of driver (and yes I was a fan way before MS came to Ferrari). Also being a MS fan since joining Ferrari, my life is really simple now. But when he retires, things may get more complicated. I enjoy almost all the teams and drivers and hope they do well (except the evil empire of McLaren-Mercedes and JPM). MW is my #2 driver and I supported Jag because of him. Now that he has switched to my second least favorite team, I will still root for him, but not the team.

Here's to 2005, it should be good. But I still want MS and Ferrari to crush the competition. It puts a smile on my face to see RD eat his words that it will take Ferrari another 20+ years to get another championship.

Forza Ferrai.

[FerrariFanInTexas]

Driver switches have never been a problem for me, as I always root for whoever is driving the Ferrari.

As some others have noted, this has led to a certain amount of cognitive dissonance.

I absolutely hated Prost and Arnoux when they drove for Renault, but had to love them and root for them when they moved to Ferrari at different times. Of course, I duly grew to hate Alain again after he unretired and went to Williams. Even after he left Ferrari I still liked Arnoux, because he really made an effort to give the fans a show when I saw him at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix (but that's another story).

I could not stand Mansell until he became a Ferrari pilot, and then grew to hate him again when he ended up at Williams (oddly I had no particular feelings one way or the other when he was in Champ cars).

Like Henri, I would likely have had a problem with Senna moving to Ferrari, but that never came to pass, so it's just a guess at a feeling.

I was nervous, at first, about Schumacher going to Ferrari in 1996, because I really did not like him when he was at Benetton. I could never understand how he could make that car go so fast in race trim, and how he was just relentless in tracking down and passing more experienced drivers and "better" cars. I was sure something evil was involved. Now that he is at SF, of course, I love him to death, and hope he never leaves.

All that being said, I do appreciate good drivers, and even have a short list of who I want to see next in a Ferrari so I can root for them.

CAC

[Nomad]

I followed Prost to whatever team he went to as I was/am truly fanatical about him.

Having become a Ralf Schumacher fan I have followed him wherever he has gone. I have a huge soft spot for Patrick Head so it wasn't difficult. However with his move to Toyota I have a problem. I prefer privately owned teams to huge corporate congolmerates and would certainly never buy any of their merchandise. Also Toyota's sacking of Salo left a bad taste (I had listed Salo in my 3 fav drivers at the time) so I don't think I can be as passionate about Ralf at Toyota as I have been elsewhere. It is much better though than having him out injured as he is now.

[The Stig]

I've always been a Ferrari fan and always will be. I respect Schumacher for what he did for Ferrari and I can't and will not deny he's the best driver I've ever seen in F1. I'm not a fan of a driver (except for Nigel Mansell) but I do respect what some drivers do very much.
F1 to me is a teamsport and not only a drivers competition. Drivers come and go, switch teams and drop back or move up the grid.

[LB]

Originally posted by Bart
You can't support a driver and not want their team to do well.

Really?

Funny I'm a DC fan that dislikes McLaren...

[Pilla]

I am a Mclaren and Jordan fan. I used to Support HHF when he raced however now I dont really have a favorite Driver, DC would have to be the one that I support the most, I also like Raikonen and Alonso really impressed me in the Minardi, I dont really know what I think of him now (he has his moments).

I also respect MS, basically I think I support the whole sport of F1 and all the teams except Sauber.

[Jack Rabbit]

Originally posted by Pilla


I also respect MS, basically I think I support the whole sport of F1 and all the teams except Sauber.

Whats wrong with Sauber?

[santori]

Unfortunately, as a Maserati fan I don't have this problem.

[#99]

I follow my fav driver more closely than fav team

for example, since i started watching F1 in 1994, my favourite team was (and still is) Williams, howeer i didnt really support a particular driver, as i didnt watch that much F1 at that time.

Before Button came into F1, i didnt really have a particular favourite, i just enjoyed the racing (and hoping for Schumacher to be beaten) so whoever challenging for the title against MS was getting my support.

Now, although i still like to see Williams doing well, i primarily support Button

[Schuting Star]

I disassociate my favourite drivers from the teams. As a Ferrari and MS fan right now I'm fine. I was never a fan of Benetton and didn't buy any of the merchandise while MS drove for them. I don't actively dislike many teams but i would find it difficult if Michael was driving for McLaren. I wasn't that impressed with Toyota over the last few years so I'm not as thrilled to see Ralf there as I was to see him move to Williams, but it won't affect my support of him.

[pippin]

I've never really had a big preference, team wise, I was always a driver supporter, but if I had to choose in the recent past it would have been Williams. The trouble is they blocked their copybooks for me when they sacked Damon Hill, whom I supported. Then they later redeemed themselves by hiring Button for 2000 and I subsequently supported both them and him that season. Then what do they do?, farm Button out and hire Montoya - back to square one again. Since then I've tried to remain driver focussed, because teams are so ruthless, they're all basically the same - one no better than the other.

I never really liked Benetton, not even when Button joined and it changed to Renault - still hate Renault (Flav in particular). As for BAR well never really liked Villeneuve so was swayed by popular opinion that they wasted lots of dough and were never going to amount to anything in F1. Now though, I've wobbled again and have a soft spot for BAR (granted this is aided a lot by them having Button), and despite my ups and downs with Williams, I do still support them more than any other team. Crazy ain't it!! So more a driver supporter (Button right now) than a team supporter, but despite everything, always seem to have a preference for Williams regardless of their drivers.

[Elise]

These are separate issues for me. I support a team and hope they will take the constructor title just lie I support a favourite driver and hope he will take the driver's title. I only have slight differences in preference for teams and drivers anyhow. Most of them have elements I find interesting and sympathetic.

[Pilla]

Originally posted by Jack Rabbit


Whats wrong with Sauber?

Nothing I just dont like them, I dont know why, and its hardly reasonable but...

[Punisher6]

I'll always like Williams but I guess I will be more of a McLaren fan now. I am a fan anyways because I liked Hakkinen and I like Kimi, so I guess it will be official now! I will cheer for Mc Laren and Williams and maybe even Renault now that they are going to get Fisi back!