Hiya Ive just joined from Muzz606 I posted this on Muzz and 606 yesterday and got some great replies so I thought I'd start off with it here as well. you often here (well maybe not here but on bbc606) some members use things like "I bet you only started watching F1 in 2007" as insults to other members intelligence and maturity. Personally I don't see it this way after all everyone who watches had to "start" watching at some point. And surely the more "new fans" there is then the better for the sport as a whole. And if Lewis Hamilton is the reason for many new fans then that can only be a good thing? Actually I'm interested to know when people did start watching F1 and what it was that drew them to it, not so I can use it to insult them - I'm just curious. Personally I have watched it as far back as I can remember. My parents are both casual fans, so it was natural that I would watch it. I recall Hakkinen winning his championships at which point I would have been around 8 haha. Needless to say I dont have a perfect memory of the time its a bit vague - all those seasons have sort of blended into 1 big season. I watched casually from around then to around (and its pretty bad timing) the end of 2004 when I got bored of Schumacher/ferrari dominance and stopped watching . Like I say bad timing I watched about 1 race in the whole of 2005/6 Can you guess which one? "Jenson Button wins for England, Jenson Button wins for Honda, but most importantly Jenson Button wins." I started watching again in 2007 when some rookie came along and did rather well and since then have become one of the hardcore forum fans lol. So what about you guys? what drew you into the sport? PS: apolagies about the essay
welcome to the forum, I started watching in 1991, but not full interest. My Brother in law and my dad used to have it on and I would be playing with the toy racing cars in front of the tv. I guess the interest started getting bigger and then you pick a guy to support. 92 was Mansells year the Red number 5!! After Mansell it was Damon Hill. I used to only watch qualifying and the race and now I have to get my F1 fix on fridays and pre season =) My first race attendance was in 2000 at silverstone and have been 3 more times since. Brilliant!
I watched intermittently during the Senna/Prost years but really just to humour my then girlfriend's dad. It wasn't until the Williams dominance of the early 90s that I started watching for myself, and it wasn't really until Schumacher became Schumacher in '94 that I finally 'got it'.
This is what did it for me Keith Duckworth, Colin Chapman, Jim Clarke and Graham Hill and the legendary 49 I think it was about 68 Silverstone or Brands I can't recall for sure. Sea-man, sorry, welcome !
I'm quite similar to you sea-man. None of my family were really sports fans, but both parents liked F1, and their parents liked it as well. So I suppose I started to watch as soon as I was born. My mum liked Hill, my dad liked Schumacher, so it used to get quite intense. I liked Ferrari so I only really got excited when it rained and Jean Alesi came alive. My dad was really pleased when Schumi joined Ferrari because I kind of became a fan of his by default. I loved the battles between him and Hakkinen, and initially loved the Ferrari domination in the early 2000's. In 2001 I began supporting Raikkonen as well as Ferrari, he was the first driver I actually supported rather than just inherited because they drove for Ferrari. I grew tired of the Schumacher dominance though, and in particular, Ferrari's treatment of Rubens. The final straw came in the 2002 French Grand Prix at Magny Cours when on Rubens and Montoya could deny Schumacher the title (on paper that is, Schumacher was miles in front and the title was a formality). Rubens was left on the jacks on the grid to stop him challenging Schumacher. As soon as it happened I said "that's it, I'm not a Ferrari fan any more, just a Raikkonen fan". As it happened that became Raikkonen's breakthrough race, he led for much of it before slipping off the track on some oil and finishing second behind Schumacher who claimed the title. In 2007 I began supporting Vettel as well as Raikkonen (and Kubica, who I'd grown fond of that season). Vettel had always caught my eye with his practice performances for BMW, but it was his 4th place in China for Toro Rosso that really made me a fan. He started 17th but clawed his way up the grid. As 2008 went on I gradually began to warm to Vettel more than Raikkonen, and I'd say Vettel became my first driver when he won his first race in Monza. I'd been telling everyone he'd be something special, it was nice of him to justify me saying it that day.
My earliest memory of F1 is 2000 - I don't know which place but it was qualifying, and no-one could beat the fastest time. Then Michael Schumacher came onto the track and was fastest on his first attempt. I have been a Ferrari fan since then. My dad watched it regularly and I would usually be in the room when it was on. From 2003 I started watching it more often. I know Rubens was being treated unfairly but at the time I didn't care, I just wanted Schumacher to win. I started watching regularly in 2005, and every race I liked Alonso more and more - his driving was exciting, consistent and (at the time) he was not involved in any controversial matters. My support grew for him so much, that when Schumacher and Alonso battled for the title in 2006, I was supporting Alonso. In 2007, I felt Alonso was being treated unfairly by McLaren - nothing against Hamilton, at first (but that's another story). Now that my favourite team and favourite driver are together, I support them to the death. Forza Fernando! Forza Ferrari!
Around '03/'04 Watched it during dinner most Sundays and saw that I loved it. My dad liked Schumacher so I automatically dislike him. I chose Alonso because of his performances in the bad Renault. The next few years he 'dominated' which I started getting up for every race. Waking the whole house whenSchueys engine blew in Suzuka too
PART TIME: Young boy, remebered Jean Alesi in a Ferrari at some point in my life, reckon around 1992. FULL TIME: 9 Years old watching Monaco GP in 1996, father was a Damon Hill fan, I liked the colour red and supported schumacher afterwards father disowned me afterwards etc... Carried on watching F1 until around 2004ish? was becoming a yearly routine watching schumi win, hated Mika Haikkinen with a passion until he left. 2005, went to first GP at Silverstone watching Jenson nearly get pole Ferrari vs McLaren aside we all cheered him almost doing it. 2006, working all the time not much chance to watch F1 let alone listen to it but always knew Alonso was the enemy for that season, gutted schumi didn't get the 8th on the last GP with a puncture and with his final race with ferrari, huge hole left to support a driver now, brother then stabs me in the back and becomes an Alonso lover and just like my father disowned him etc... 2007, Didn't think much of Alonso-Lewis matchup a first, didn't like Lewis' underhand tactics pushing out his own teammate off the circuit, still backed Kimi to win the title, vettel doing well in the USA and China caught my eye quickly made him my schumi replacement, never knew how good he actually was, more focused on Kimi fighting dominant McLarens. Exploded with joy when Lewis/Alonso failed to get WDC with Kimi beating both of them by 1 point. 2008, Raged on Lewis regarding pit shunt on Kimi, reckoned that's what ruined his season in the terms of mindset. Vettel getting pole and the win at Monza assured me of my new future choice, already dibbed him to win the WDC in the future. Disliked Glock after Brazil, really thought Massa deserved to win the WDC on his home turf while Lewis looked to choke again on the last hurdle. 2009, Only person out of my family backing vettel for title contention, gobsmacked with Brawn GP's performance, so happy Lewis was struggling with the car, about time he felt what other drivers had to go through but he did stick it through the hard times. Went to Spa-francorchamps, greatest trip ever IMO, gutted that Red Bull screwed over Vettel at Brazil for the WDC, he knew himself he lost it after that, congrats button. 2010, Dibbed Vettel to win the WDC and youngest ever, mother stabbs me in the back becoming a Webber fan and bitching like one as well every damn Grand Prix, bro still stabbing me in the back with engine punns. Go so silverstone again, won't do it again since full of twats booing anybody who isn't British, Massive low at Korea couldn't believe how lucky Alonso was, felt vettel was never going to get a break, with media trying to destroy him mentally. Abu Dhabi exploded with joy like never before, lost my voice in the process of telling my whole family to shuve it up their asses, people next door wondering what the hell was going on etc trolled a few times on other fans. And here we are 2011... don't just support 1 driver now more like 4 now: Vettel/Nico/Perez/Di Resta/ =Kobayashi
I'll be honest and admit im fairly new to f1 (by most peoples standards anyway) in that i only start watching F1 as a hardcore fan since 2009 probably motivated by the sucess of Jenson and Brawn. Before that i have fleeting memories of F1. Mostly of either watching a race with my dad (my earliest is Being told how Schumacher will "definitely" win the race). I have tried to educate myself on the sports past and history though.
@Alex Tbh I can respect and talk to fans who started to watch F1 since 09 more so than the people who only watched it because of reasons in the 07/08 season. You can talk in far more debt about F1 to a newer fan now. Rather then that lot because they only care about 1 thing, to them the whole sport is boring without him involved which I find laughable to an extent. The reason why I'm not bringing up his name is to stop having immense amount of fanboys coming this direction looking for a F1 fight which they wouldn't win at because all i'll hear is comparison to Ayrton Senna.....BORING YOU GUYS BORING! I have no quarrel to F1 fans before 07/08 since they can clearly see the talent but do know and admit he does have flaws like every other driver on the grid, developing into becoming the best driver you can be is a real ace to have up your sleeve in the long run, he is getting there but he's still only 26 compared to another driver who is younger than me.
To verge on off topic I don't think it matters when you started to watch F1. As long as you can respect other drivers (and their fans) then you can expect to be respected yourself. Not always true but at least you've done you part. Me, I started watching in the early 90's, nothing major till 94-95. Always good to hear views from other era's
The first World Champion I remember was associated with me getting hooked into wanting to become a racing driver. I'd rather not be too precise with an exact date or name but I'm back there with Ernie in the 60s. I very clearly remember the news that Jim Clark had died at Hockenheim - my first tenuous understanding of mortality and immortality in the same breath. Everyone I knew, knew that Jimmy was the best, and under the circumstances, that made a very big impression. Like anyone else, life has had ups and downs ever since but that era very much shaped things for me.
These four guys founded 'modern F1' and pioneered the era of rear engined propelled cars that we still have today, left to right Keith Duckworth, one half of the engineering partnership Mike Costin/Kieth Duckworth who fortunately for us approached the Ford Motor Company with the brilliant Cosworth engine concept. Next up, Colin Chapman genius engineer and entrepreneur who founded Lotus, then the legendary Jim Clarke arguabely the best driver ever to sit in a race car, a very quiet man, who never sought out publicity, and last but not least, Graham Hill the only man to have won it all, Indy 500, Le Man, and F1 WDC, a man with a sharp wit and tongue should things not be going to his liking. All are dead now, Duckworth died age 73, Chapman expired due to a heart attack, not surprising considering the pressure he used to put himself under, Jim Clarke we all know about, Graham Hill killed himself and the members of his racing team attempting to land his aeroplane in the fog. If you enlarge the photo, both drivers appear to be deep in thought, I wonder what they were thinking.
Nice post Ernie. I wasn't alive back then but their legacy lives on. Their influence is evident throughout motorsport and engineering.
AG: Thanks, I put it up because I see there are many younger member appearing, 'which is a great thing' who may not be aware of the origins of modern F1 . That picture tells a thousand stories. I imagine Hill is thinking "yes, Colin its very nice but which bit is going to fu**ing break first"
When in my teens weekends could be really boring. Hardly any football ever on telly - I didn't 'believe' so no church for me. I found scouts a load of cissies. Everything was too expensive. F1 seemed a lot of fun. Come 1963 one of my older sisters had a boyfriend, to become husband, who had been to Silverstone for other motorsports. One day he asked did I fancy coming with his mates - one of them had dropped out. We used milk crates and boards to see over the crowds. That did it for me. Must have been 1963 the Jim Clark win. FANTASTIC. The queue to park, and the growing sense of excitement in everybody. The noises, the crowds, the make-do food we took with us. The roar as each of the leading cars came by plus the cheering. A long drive there and back, but I was smitten. No going back - I was an addict.
Hey, Berg remember when we used to take our own box section scaffolding, we used to perch on top with half of the crowd hanging of which other bits they could cling too. Used to roll up with fully laden Land Rover, also brilliant for intimidating your way out of the car parks.
I think we went in his Dad's borrowed 1959 model lowline Ford Zephyr. Was the bees-knees at the time. First car I ever drove properly on public roads (instead of empty firm carparks) at 15 !! Naughty. Took some lessons in an A35 and passed the test once I was 17. I was never bothered about motorbikes. Ah! memories.
My earliest memory of F1 is a hazy recollection of James Hunt in the McLaren and the Wolf, but my clearer memories really start in the early 80's, with the dominant Parmalat Brabham and Piquet. I get my love of racing from my dad, who had raced rally cars before he met my mum, and started going grass track racing about this time. Sundays would normally be spent at some grass track circuit in the south east, my dad would try not to hear the F1 result so that he could watch the evening highlights and be surprised, this generally didn't happen, but gave rise to one of his favourite jokes if a certain driver won. When getting home he'd walk in and ask my mum (who was at home with my baby brother and sister quite a lot in those early years) Dad: who won? Mum: Lauda Dad: WHO WON? Mum: LAUDA it would go on a couple of times longer geting Lauda and lauda, until my mum twigged, but she'd fall for it every time . The mid to late 80's were for me the halcyon days, I was always a bit of a McLaren fan, and when prost joined from the constantly engine blowing Renault I had my first F1 Idol. I loved Prost with almost the passion the Hamelots have for Lewis, and, therefore, detested Senna. This all changed at the chicane on lap 46 at Suzuka and i have never, or will never, hold a human being in the same regard again, after that I was a staunch Senna fan. loved the racing of those days, until the invention of active-ride, traction control et al ruined racing (for me at least). Missed most of the schumacher years while i was abroad trying to earn enough money to go back to Karting, which I'd started in 93. I was a definite 'Senna-boy' and I would either win, crash going for the lead or get dsq, I was undoubtedly fast, but undoubtedly slightly crazy too!, until one day all my dreams turned to smoke as first my, then 2 engines I'd borred went pop, pop, pop. I had to give the owner of the other engines my Kart to pay for the damage, I've never sat in 'proper' one since (i had wright rotax combo which was the 'bees-knees' back in the day). during my wilderness years I did manage to catch a few races, missed Senna dying, but when i found out later that day tears of sadness came. A year or so later and tears of happiness as the GB & italian GP were won by Johnny H, who'da thunk it after his f3000 accident at Brands? Many races, many teams & many drivers have been and gone since then, I generally have a favourite, (kobay atm) and then a bunch of other drivers I like to see do well, but really all I care about is a good race. I have no idea why, but my favourite ever driver is Mark Blundell, and I nearly always have a panto villain in there somewhere (generally in a ferrari, just a coincidence that Prost, Schumacher and Alonso all moved there after they became my villains), but even then if they make a good race what's not to be applauded? At the end of the day for me it's not so much about the cars and drivers for me it's about the racing, so I'm absolutely loving it atm, even my dad, who had gotten bored of the procession F1 had become has returned to watching it. a few times a year, on christmas and birthdays, we all go for the family & friends race at either a rally course, a Kart track or, new to this winter, F1 simulator race.
