Best and worst moments in F1

Slyboogy

World Champion
Contributor
So - here's a bit of fun. What are your own personal best and worst moments in F1 history?

Well I have only been watching F1 since '98, so I will give the best and worst from then on.

Obviously the Worst of all are the deaths in F1 be it from drivers to mechanics to marshalls.

Best:

1. As a Schumacher fan, I thought I wouldn't find myself saying this, but in 2005 two top drivers other than Schumacher emerged and challenged for the title, and therefore ending Schumacher's dominance, great for the sport.

2. 2007, just what F1 needed after Schumacher's departure, a double world champion fighting for the championship against a driver who was regarded as the "fastest man in the world", and who could forget the first black driver in F1, a rookie, fighting among these guys for the title, a 4 way title battle became 3, and what a season it was, amazing for F1, a new fresh talent in F1, drama, and finallly one of the best drivers of the 00s finally won that title he was after in dramatic fashion.

3. Hakkinen vs Schumacher, again it was what F1 needed after a badtime in the 90s after great driver losing his life, the FIA being a bit unreasonable, Schumacher's antics in '97. These two guys showed that a rivalry on track doesn't have to involve anger, and it can be civilised, these two guys pushed each other to the limit, and gave us one of the best overtakes in F1 history (Spa 2000), if it wasn't for Hakkinen the '98-01 period would have been just as boring as 2002 and 2004.

4. The 2008 championship, One of the best seasons in F1, my favourite along with 2007, the last race brought a lot of excitement and emotions, Lews Hamilton already lost a 7 point lead in the championship to a Ferrari driver, and it looked as if until the last corner he was going to do the same. 2 underdogs emerged, Massa and Kubica, any of those 3 deserved the title that year, it's a shame BMW stopped developing their car mid-season, if they didn't I would have put my money on an even better season and Kubica to have snatched the title.

5. The safety in F1

6. Felipe Massa coming back from a very bad accident to get a podium in his first race ever since the accident.

7. Vettel winning the championship in 2010, he thoroughly deserved and finally luck came his way that season, which gave us 5 world champions on the grid this year. Along with this, the 2010 season, it is was what we needed after a boring championship in 2009, a 4 way title battle, great season, good on track action, most races where exciting, drivers outperforming in the car (Kubica, Rosberg)

Worst

1. Ehm...Kubica's accident I would have to say, if he was on the grid today, I am sure this season would have been better with this great talent.

2. Massa's accident, a driver that was getting better race by race ever since 2007 to have such an unfortunate accident was a shame, ever since the accident has he been the same? It's a big question mark, it wouldn't have done his confidence good at all...

3. 2009 season, what can I say? It was a farce, I wasn't happy with it, it I am sure put many people off of F1, from the double diffuser controversy to the split, to the boring season, totally disrupting the sport.

4. DRS, why not keep the F-duct? It was "innovative" which F1 was about, plus it wasn't "mandatory" and it could have been further developed plus both drivers can use it anytime anywhere during the race. DRS is just a horrible artificial tool...as if F1 isn't as confusing as it is this season, bringing in DRS is just going to confuse new fans. Plus you don't require skill at all to overtake, some say it's to make a faster car pass another, why? That's not F1, a driver in one specific on the track vulnerable to attack and is always going to get passed. What happened to defending? It seems as if this aspect is vanishing, a slower car can't keep a faster one behind.

For example, Hamilton and Massa in Singapore? Just came through the field because of this tool, just going past people in DRS zones...not exciting at all, what's worse is Hamilton's move on Sutil, Sutil knew he couldn't keep Hamilton behind him, so he slowed down at a corner and just let Hamilton past.

5. The Pirelli tyres in qualifying and the amount of sets you have, qualifying P18 has is a mega advantage than qualifying 11th-17th since you have at least 2 extra set of soft tyres, for instance look at Alguersuari, qualifying P18 most of the time, and because of this gets into the points, and his team-mate who out-qualifies him constantly is disadvantaged being faster than him in qualifying. The same could have been said with Petrov and Heidfeld, Maldonado and Barrichello. Webber coming from 18th on the grid to finish 3rd in China because he had extra set of fresh tyres. It's a farce, if the Pirelli tyres where in 2010 I doubt Liuzzi would have got fired since he kept qualifying 18th.

I could list many, many more - but these are stand out for me.
 
BEST MOMENTS IN F1
Plenty of nominations, as always. Fisichella finally getting his first win at Interlagos, Button doing likewise in Hungary and Barrichello in Hockenheim plus Kubica at Montreal. Brawn at Australia in 2009 was written in the stars. And though I'm writing like a Jenson fan, Canada 2011 was pretty spectacular, but China 2011 also cut the mustard - this time Lewis. And Seb at Monza was a portent of things to come. Nurburgring 1999 took some beating also.​
Winner
Lewis taking the title at the last corner. F1 hasn't had the history of the late goal/try/wicket of the ball sports, which is what made the time that it happened so spectacular. Wonderful moment for everyone who wasn't actually there (and therefore Brazilian)!​
 
I have two stand out moments, both involving Williams cars:

Worst: Imola 1994 - Senna's death following in the wake of Ratzenbergers but happening live on my TV screen.

Best: Japan 1996 - Damon Hill winning the World Championship and Murray sobbing on the commentary. Nice guys can finish first.

It's all been a bit Meh! since then.
 
I have to say, the worst moment I remember was Martin Donnelly's accident in Jerez back in 1990... Whilst he did survive the accident, the pictures that came out afterwards of his crumpled body lying on the track, still strapped to his seat, was just horrifying, and accidents like that were just not expected any more! - Even though Villeneuve's accident was very similar, I hate to say it, but violent accidents like that were more expected in the early 80s than the start of the '90s! :(
 
Best -

Japan 88 - Senna on pole, stalls on the grid but manages to freewheel down the main straight and bumpstart his car, recovers from 14th to win in a dry-wet race finishing on slicks in the wet.

Last laps of Monaco '92 when Senna held off the whinging Brummie

Donington '93 - Needs no explanation.

Japan '93 - Senna punched Eddie Irvine after Irvine held Senna up whilst being lapped. Shame no-one has done it since.

Japan '96 - Hill winning the WDC, Murray Walker's commentary - "and i've got a lump in my throat".

Monaco '97 - Barichello's 2nd for Stewart, Jackie Stewart in tears on the pit wall.

Australia '98 - The McLarens finish 1-2, lapping the entire field. Not a particularly interesting race but I remember willing them to lap the rest of the field just to see if it could be done.

Japan '99 - Hakkinen wins his second WDC - more satisfying than the first (for me) after the Ferrari bargeboard farce at Malaysia.

2001-2005 - yawn

2007 - Enjoyed the whole season, despite a Ferrari winning the WDC although I actually like Kimi.

Silverstone '08 - see Donington '93.

Brazil '08 - Hamilton's title, seeing Ferrari celebrate when they thought Massa had won it.

2009 - Although the first half of the season was dull beyond belief, the second half came alive when McLaren and the Mickey Mouse Drinks Company caught up Brawn. Although initially having no time for Button I willed him to win the title as his car fell further off the pace towards the end of the season.

Worst -

Japan 1989 - Senna being disqualified disgracefully therefore handing Prost the title.

Austalia '94 - Schumacher ramming Hill, never had any respect for him after that and still don't.

Austalia '95 - Hakkinen's accident.

Malaysia '99 - Ferrari are disqualified for running illegal bargeboards, the FIA then overturn the ruling (Ferrari appeal due to the wording of the ruling) and Ferrari are reinstated. Ferrari then practically admit their guilt by running revised bargeboards at the next race. One in a long line of FIA-based Ferrari bias.

Hungary '03 - Ferrari and Brdgestone appeal against the Michelin tyres, claiming they expand beyond the maximum width during the race, even though the rules state the tyres are only measured before a race. FIA rewrite the rules for the next race. Michelin have to scrap practically 3 season's of data and revise their tyres, Ferrari win all remaining races. Bravo.

Monza '06 - Alonso penalised for 'blocking' Massa, when in fact he was about 4 miles down the road out of his way. As if that wasn't bad enough, we had to endure everyone's favourite moron 'Mad' Max Mosely bleating to Martin Brundle that Brundle's opinion that there was no blocking was wrong because 'you don't have access to all the data'. No, but he had eyes just like the rest of us.

2010 - The emergence of Red Bull, the Manchester City of F1. Not sure what's more annoying, Christian Horner or Vettel's finger. or maybe i'm just turning into an old git ;)
 
I'm going to make a change and call Hamilton's Championship the BEST TOP DRIVER MOMENT IN FORMULA ONE so I can go ahead and give the BEST UNDERDOG MOMENT IN FORMULA ONE to Sato passing Alonso in Canada in 2007!

I'm not going to include deaths or serious injuries for this category, as they are clearly worse than these:

WORST MOMENT IN FORMULA ONE
Schumacher blocking the Rascasse, hitting Villeneuve, winning in the pitlane due to stop/go etc. Alonso and Hamilton's contretemps in Hungary in 2007 and the FIA breaking every precedent imaginable to disqualify Hamilton from the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. Austria and America 2002, Germany 2010. Badoer retiring at the Nurburgring. Formula "Elaborate Bluff" (as F1 Rejects called it). Crashgate.​
Winner
The 2005 United States Grand Prix. The most farcical farce in the history of the farcical FIA. One of the most pathetic and unedifying displays of selfishness that has ever been seen. I can understand Ferrari's position, but were the tifosi inflamed by their success in defeating Jordan & Minardi? Did the winner look like he remotely gave a toss? No. Tiago Monteiro may well have some good memories of this, but no-one else will.​
 
Best - the Brawn/Button fairytale of 2009 (I even cheered Rubens' wins in the 2nd half of the year, as it meant the car wasn't quite out of the running), culminating in the hideous qualifying of Brazil ("that's an owl!") and the splendid drive through the field in the race.
Runners-up - Frentzen in the '99 Jordan almost getting amongst the Irvine/Hakkinen duel, Lewis Hamilton putting the manners on Alonso at Indy 2007, Hockenheim 2004 and Jenson's one-handed thrash through the field

Worst - Ferrari stealing the 2003 titles by crying to teacher about the Michelins, Montoya's dismal inability to fulfil his potential, BBC wasting 2 precious seasons by making us listen to Legard, and "Sky-gate".
 
Setting aside the deaths in the sport, every one of which rates a "worst" and make all other "worsts" pale to insignificance, I would say that two events stand out as worsts in my mind:

The first is 2005 U.S. grand prix. The complete fiasco cast a very bad light on F1 and the FIA. I have always doubted that the FIA would have allowed such a farce at, say, Monaco. Or Monza, even if it had been Bridgestone and only Ferrari would have been adversely effected.

The second was the 1994 British GP and the subsequent events. It showed to me that, by giving Schumacher a suspension that was twice as long as that meted out to Mansell in 1989 for the identical offense, the FIA had reduced F1 from a sport and converted it into a mere entertainment event. The added length was obviously intended to prevent the championship from being clinched too early in the season, thereby hurting TV numbers. This convinced my that F1 was, from that point on, as stage-managed as NASCAR. My enthusiasm for it has never been the same.
 
Best Moment:
2008 - Hamilton's championship winning year, never in the history of F1 has the title been won on the last corner of the last lap at the final gp of the year. Also a couple of Brilliant wins at Monaco and Silverstone that season was just the icing on the cake.

Worst Moment:
2007's Spy scandal, Worst ever moment in the history of the Mclaren team. Also felt worse been a Mclaren fan myself, as i was so gutted that a team i love so much would go to these dirty tactics. This is possibly the worst i've ever felt been an F1 fan.
 
Best: This year, when Button passed Vettel on the last lap in Canada and seeing everybody's emotion. It just seemed a fitting way to end the most extraordinary GP of all time.

Worst: 2005 US GP. Hands Down. - although, like TBY, I'm not including death or injury.
 
I guess I should post some that don't include death or injury as well...

Best:
Brazil 2008
Alonso winning the title and ending Schumacher's reign in 2005...
Sauber buying back Sauber!

Worst:
Brazil 2008 (I was a fan of Massa back then, so despite that being a great moment in F1 which I now appreciate, I don't like it at the same time)
2005 US GP
Austria 2002
Hungary 2003 (Ferrari/Bridgestone complaining about Michelin)
 
Well not necessarily that race, but after Hungary Ferrari/Bridgestone complained to the FIA about Michelin's tires, which resulted in Michelin having to change their entire tyre configuration. Ferrari then wins every remaining race and the title.
 
Best moment has to be this at the end:


Mika's retirement I still can't get over! :D Mind you, the worst moment (barring deaths) has happened this season and will be in place next year. I am talking of course of the ludicrous Sky deal.
 
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