Ahhh. Time to vent.
The good: It will get mentioned anyway, but I may as well be the first. The Lotus 79 / JPS Mk4. - the original Black Beauty. In my opinion the best looking racing car ever built. Also, that early raised nose Tyrell mentioned earlier: with Braun sponsorship, I thought that was also among the most beautiful F1 cars ever.
The more good: The history also, is good. I love reading about how the drivers in the 60s used to battle on, very brave and facing death or serious injury every time they got behind the wheel. Obviously the sport could not continue like that, but it certainly produced some unforgettable characters. Stories like Fangio's charge at The Nurburgring, Clark's comeback at Monza from a lap down. Stewart in the wet, again at the Nurb. Villeneuve on three wheels. Prost testing an F1 car for the first time - a McLaren (the team manager said something like this: "On the first lap, he cruised around getting used to the car. At the end of the second lap, he exited the last corner on full opposite lock. On his third lap, he matched Watson's best time in the same car. I didn't see what he did after that, because I was in the office looking for a contract..."). I love anecdotes like that and F1 is full of them.
The also good: Watching in car footage from the '60s, '70s and '80s, esp. in the wet. Can see just how hard those drivers used to work.
Even more good: The late '70s - mid '80s, when F1 cars really did look like the fastest wheeled vehicles on the planet. That was F1 as I enjoyed it.
And some other good: the practical jokes: Senna came out to find two boxing gloves holding the wheel of his McLaren at the next event after he punched Irvine. Button's mechanic changed the name on his car from J. Button to "Rachel's boyfriend" after he had been introduced as such at some event he attended with his then pop star girlfriend. Can't remember her name though, might not have been rachel.
The bad: Rules which allow the punishment to fit the TV ratings are just unsporting. It's all too close to being staged. It's like WWF meets LA Law on wheels, and they may as well save a lot of money and decide the championship result by public vote. They could hire Simon Cowell to judge GP Idol to decide the next champion so they don't have to lose TV generated income.
The ugly: One of the most competitive seasons for ages - a rookie takes on a double champion - and the FIA and teams still manage to f:censored: it up. I haven't watched the last two races, after 26 years of support (albeit on / off support this decade), the current season has been the final straw on my support. On Sunday I watched two dozen young and hungry drivers in equal cars battle eachother for national honour in A1 GP. The racing was tight all down the field. The overtaking was ballsy and skillful. Talent and commitment were apparent. The winner worked hard for his result and the racing was, to me, as close to Moto GP excitement as four wheels is going to get. They're racing for their country so it's easy to pick someone to support, and any driver can win if they are good enough on the day. In contrast, Ferrari apparently attempted to win their F1 race by fueling up and finishing last.
👍 I dunno if anyone else has a different livery that they use for the off-season testing. Also re: the Turkey Special, was that in use for the Turkish Grand Prix or ony the testing on the track there?
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