€190 a ticket seems a bit steep to watch cars whizzing past. Me thinks it’s much better watching on the box.
You need to go, at least once then. Totally different. The noise, smell of the cars, the atmosphere. And seeing them go into bends at 150mph sticking to the track, brakes glowing white hot, is unreal. Unfortunately its really hard to get that 'feel' or experience watching on the TV.
I’ve always agreed with the spectacle aspect - but it was so much more prominent with the old V8s which made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
These cars are just not as ‘wow’ for me in the flesh.
I remember watching F1 cars at Brands in the late 70s/early 80s and the noise made the ground shake as they went past.
But it's still an incredible experience even with the cars now.
I wish they'd bring back the Race Of The Champions
My dad used to take me to Brands midweek a lot when I was a kid to watch cars practicing. I think it was free to get in so was a cheap day out as all I knew was that I was watching racing cars.
He surprised me in the early 80’s by taking me to the qualifying day for the ROC. Was one of the best days out I ever had with him.
I was probably there at the same time!
My Dad used to take me to all the ROCs and GPs at Brands in the 1970s. We were often accompanied by his closest friend who, on one trip, introduced us to someone he knew who was one of the drivers in a Formula Three race taking place that day. The three of them (my Dad, his friend and the driver) chatted for a while, and I was obviously looking a bit bored. So this driver picked me up and dropped me into his actual Formula Three car.
I was absolutely beside myself, sitting in a single-seater racing car, at Brands Hatch, imagining I was driving in a Grand Prix.
As I reluctantly climbed out again, I thanked the driver and told him that, one day, I would like to be Formula 1 World Champion. He told the three of us that he did too! We all found that very funny...
...until, just after ten years later, he became Formula 1 World Champion. It was Alan Jones.
€190 a ticket seems a bit steep to watch cars whizzing past. Me thinks it’s much better watching on the box.
You need to go, at least once then. Totally different. The noise, smell of the cars, the atmosphere. And seeing them go into bends at 150mph sticking to the track, brakes glowing white hot, is unreal. Unfortunately its really hard to get that 'feel' or experience watching on the TV.
I’ve always agreed with the spectacle aspect - but it was so much more prominent with the old V8s which made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
These cars are just not as ‘wow’ for me in the flesh.
I remember watching F1 cars at Brands in the late 70s/early 80s and the noise made the ground shake as they went past.
But it's still an incredible experience even with the cars now.
I wish they'd bring back the Race Of The Champions
My dad used to take me to Brands midweek a lot when I was a kid to watch cars practicing. I think it was free to get in so was a cheap day out as all I knew was that I was watching racing cars.
He surprised me in the early 80’s by taking me to the qualifying day for the ROC. Was one of the best days out I ever had with him.
I was probably there at the same time!
My Dad used to take me to all the ROCs and GPs at Brands in the 1970s. We were often accompanied by his closest friend who, on one trip, introduced us to someone he knew who was one of the drivers in a Formula Three race taking place that day. The three of them (my Dad, his friend and the driver) chatted for a while, and I was obviously looking a bit bored. So this driver picked me up and dropped me into his actual Formula Three car.
I was absolutely beside myself, sitting in a single-seater racing car, at Brands Hatch, imagining I was driving in a Grand Prix.
As I reluctantly climbed out again, I thanked the driver and told him that, one day, I would like to be Formula 1 World Champion. He told the three of us that he did too! We all found that very funny...
...until, just after ten years later, he became Formula 1 World Champion. It was Alan Jones.
Great story. Alan Jones was driving when I went to the ROC. I’ve got a picture of me somewhere as a kid sitting in a single seater. We were in the paddock, my dad was taking photos and one of the teams let me sit in their car. It’s a formula Ford type car but as a kid, a racing car’s a a racing car.
in the in the early 2000’s we did a road trip down to the Barcelona Grand Prix. What amazed me about the cars was not how fast they went but how quickly they slowed for a corner - dont appreciate on the screen the cars capabilities.
Would argue he's better than Eddie Irvine and maybe equal to or slightly better than Rubens Barrichello; eg the main two teammates that Schumacher had when he was winning titles... Only difference is I dont see Bottas being the team player that those two were.
What is frustrating is when you hear about Russell's seat being under threat @ Williams... Couldnt understand why it was him in danger rather than Latifi, that was until I read that he's effectively another driver paying for his seat
Would argue he's better than Eddie Irvine and maybe equal to or slightly better than Rubens Barrichello; eg the main two teammates that Schumacher had when he was winning titles... Only difference is I dont see Bottas being the team player that those two were.
What is frustrating is when you hear about Russell's seat being under threat @ Williams... Couldnt understand why it was him in danger rather than Latifi, that was until I read that he's effectively another driver paying for his seat
Agree with these sentiments about Bottas entirely. Very good driver, but Hamilton is just another level.
Also, re: Russell, I was reading about this a week or so ago and this is increasingly boiling my piss. It’s just wrong that superior drivers don’t get a drive due to not having wealthy backers, but that’s how it is, unfortunately. When you look at the evidence, Russell is simply a better driver than Latifi. Nobody could argue against this. Also, Perez is, in my opinion, clearly better than Stroll. Despite this, Perez and Russell look like they’ll both be ditched in favour of these blatantly inferior performers (to be fair, we all know why Stroll’s got his drive). But what puzzles me is that surely, assuming Perez and Russell would get better results on the track, they would therefore bring financial benefits due to this? I don’t understand the ins and outs of f1 financing, so maybe those benefits aren’t very significant, but I would’ve thought that good performances and results on the track benefit the brand, leading to long term success? It just seems a bit short sighted of the teams to me while simultaneously rewarding the wrong drivers.
Went to A British Grand Prix at Silverstone with ex Lotus driver and son of Bernard Miles, John Miles. He lived in our street and it was an experience being sat alongside his son in the back of a Ford Capri 2.8i as we drove there from London. It felt like I was in a race. It was great to get into the British Racing Drivers club area too.
Another great memory was going to Brands Hatch with my dad to see Mansell overtake Piquet near the end right where we were sitting. It was a Mexican wave of cheers as the 200k fans around the circuit realised what was happening. It was a fantastic atmosphere and my dad passed away a year later which made it an even more special memory.
Mansell was my hero as a boy, but Hamilton is the greatest. Schumacher has marks on his copy book which Hamilton hasn't. Hamilton will have won the same number of titles and will have won more races and had more pole positions. You can't really compare with greats like Fangio or Clark. It is too different.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
Russell is a driver that it is clear he is decent but how decent is not obvious. Much will depend on how good his team mate is who he is blowing out of the water. He is certainly a driver I would have a punt on, if I was in a position where I needed to take a punt.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
I'm guessing Mazepin is another joining the list of Stroll / Latifi who arent in there on merit?
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
Perez in particular because a) he’s a very decent driver and b)unless I‘m mistaken he brings money to a team as well. You’d think teams would be clamouring to sign him.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
I'm guessing Mazepin is another joining the list of Stroll / Latifi who arent in there on merit?
Don’t get me wrong, all of these guys know their way around a racing car, all of them would make me and anyone I know look a mug and all of them are decent. (I know I said Grosjean is shit, but, you know, it’s Grosjean) But to drive in f1, you really ought to be the absolute cream of the crop. The best 20 drivers in the world. We all know that’s not entirely possible, but too many of these guys are just ok. I kind of think of it as being like the Premier league, which ought to contain the 20 best football teams in England, but if it only contained the best 10 plus the 10 teams most willing to bypass ffp regulations, it’d be farcical.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
I'm guessing Mazepin is another joining the list of Stroll / Latifi who arent in there on merit?
Bit harsh I think. Stroll isn't anything special but has managed some good results in his relatively short career. Unfortunately, he has too many shockers. It is true that he is only in the position that he is because of his father's wealth but he does undoubtedly have some speed. Latifi hasn't shown anything in F1 or the junior formulas to make me think that it is anything but his father's wealth that has got him where he is but it is still early days and I think that George Russell is a strong opponent. Mazepin has shown some strong form in F2 and it remains to be seen how he performs in F1, if he is given the chance. The nature of the finances in F1, especially in the current financial climate, means that more of the lesser teams need serious sponsorship to compete, if that comes from the driver then so be it. It's better that than they cease to participate. Hopefully some of the cost cutting measures will help but I remain to be convinced.
The experience was great. The rush when the cars came over the hill and passed in front of us on the first lap was awesome - our seats were on the final bend. But poor Portuguese organisation marred the day a bit. We did the sensible thing and caught the park n ride shuttle, which left every half hour from around the corner to where we stayed. Got on at 11AM, and thanks to traffic congestion (no priority give to the buses until about 300m from the circuit) a 20km journey took two hours. Signposting was shit and we had no idea what was going on as the promised commentary over the tannoy never happened... welcome to Portugal.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
Calling Grosjean shit is a bit harsh. Yes, he's inconsistent and prone to crashing, but ten podiums without driving a Ferrari, RB, Merc or McLaren is not shit driving. He's also one of the most well-liked drivers on the grid (or was, as he's now probably gonna go to that Peugeot WEC team or something).
92 wins for Lewis, incredible. Bottas is a bloody good driver but in the same car, he’s just blown him away.
Lewis unquestionably the greatest now, but it has helped that he's had several years to help get the car and team suited to him before Bottas joined. I'm excited to see Valtteri step up once Lewis retires (if he ever does lol).
When Lewis has 8 titles and 100 plus wins, maybe he will think it's time. There won't be any more targets to chase, just extending the one he is setting for others.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
It’s maybe hard on Albon because he was probably promoted too soon and it might have done for his F1 career entirely, but I can’t really see any argument for Red Bull keeping him. It’s painful watching him at the moment. Perez or Hulkenberg both much better options. Russel might be good too, but his links to Merc probably make that a nonstarter.
You’re probably right about Albon being promoted too early. He has looked somewhat out of his depth in the red bull, especially when you see how Gasly has flourished since their swap. It may be a little unfair on him, but he really hasn’t looked up to it this year. I don’t think it can really be argued that Albon deserves his spot on recent evidence, so if one of the three you mention got his drive, you’d have to say it was fair enough. The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
Calling Grosjean shit is a bit harsh. Yes, he's inconsistent and prone to crashing, but ten podiums without driving a Ferrari, RB, Merc or McLaren is not shit driving. He's also one of the most well-liked drivers on the grid (or was, as he's now probably gonna go to that Peugeot WEC team or something).
Yeah, I know @PaddyP17 It was only half serious. 😉
I have my own conspiracy theory regarding Bottas being the bridesmaid in the team. He keeps complaining that his car “lacked power” at the end of the race and disappears in a sulk, without complimenting Lewis (that is unless Lewis finishes behind him - not many times this season). As these cars are mostly run by computers, could the team be deliberately slowing Bottas’s car to ensure Lewis wins and breaks all the records?
I have my own conspiracy theory regarding Bottas being the bridesmaid in the team. He keeps complaining that his car “lacked power” at the end of the race and disappears in a sulk, without complimenting Lewis (that is unless Lewis finishes behind him - not many times this season). As these cars are mostly run by computers, could the team be deliberately slowing Bottas’s car to ensure Lewis wins and breaks all the records?
I’m sure it’s possible for them to do that but there’s no reason to. If that was all they wanted they’d do the same in qualifying to make sure Hamilton was always getting pole too. Bottas can match Hamilton on one lap pace but he can’t maintain the same consistency and smoothness in the race and subsequently is harder on his tyres. That’s why Hamilton keeps beating him in the races. The last couple of seasons Ferrari have been close and at times faster than the Mercs, so Merc would have had no motivation to handicap Bottas as they needed all the points they could get for the constructors title, which the teams care more about than the drivers‘ championship. Even in those situations, Hamilton was beating Bottas in much the same way as he has been this season.
Bottom line is Hamilton is one of the best drivers to ever compete in Formula One and Bottas isn’t. I don’t think there’s any more to it than that.
Hamilton is such a tactican!!!... He didnt know Ocon was going to retire but to stay out regardless and build that gap was superb from him
Extraordinary good fortune there with Ocon giving him breathing room, but you’re right that he and his team played this perfectly. I’d suggest he may well have taken the lead after a while anyway.
Comments
Great story.
All time wins record, 7th world title incoming.
It has to be said if he doesn’t get knighted in the new year something is seriously up.
Would argue he's better than Eddie Irvine and maybe equal to or slightly better than Rubens Barrichello; eg the main two teammates that Schumacher had when he was winning titles... Only difference is I dont see Bottas being the team player that those two were.
What is frustrating is when you hear about Russell's seat being under threat @ Williams... Couldnt understand why it was him in danger rather than Latifi, that was until I read that he's effectively another driver paying for his seat
Also, re: Russell, I was reading about this a week or so ago and this is increasingly boiling my piss. It’s just wrong that superior drivers don’t get a drive due to not having wealthy backers, but that’s how it is, unfortunately.
When you look at the evidence, Russell is simply a better driver than Latifi. Nobody could argue against this. Also, Perez is, in my opinion, clearly better than Stroll. Despite this, Perez and Russell look like they’ll both be ditched in favour of these blatantly inferior performers (to be fair, we all know why Stroll’s got his drive). But what puzzles me is that surely, assuming Perez and Russell would get better results on the track, they would therefore bring financial benefits due to this? I don’t understand the ins and outs of f1 financing, so maybe those benefits aren’t very significant, but I would’ve thought that good performances and results on the track benefit the brand, leading to long term success? It just seems a bit short sighted of the teams to me while simultaneously rewarding the wrong drivers.
Incredible achievement from Lewis , growing up in the Schumacher era those records seemed like they would never be broken.
Think that 12th might have put pay to Red Bull keeping Albon , I'd expect Hulkenberg confirmed by Bahrain 1 .
Another great memory was going to Brands Hatch with my dad to see Mansell overtake Piquet near the end right where we were sitting. It was a Mexican wave of cheers as the 200k fans around the circuit realised what was happening. It was a fantastic atmosphere and my dad passed away a year later which made it an even more special memory.
Mansell was my hero as a boy, but Hamilton is the greatest. Schumacher has marks on his copy book which Hamilton hasn't. Hamilton will have won the same number of titles and will have won more races and had more pole positions. You can't really compare with greats like Fangio or Clark. It is too different.
The thing is, some drivers are just clearly decent at f1 level and you can’t help wonder how these drivers, (like Perez, Russell and Hulk) struggle to get a drive, yet drivers that are unremarkable (like Stroll and Latifi) or just plain shit (like Grosjean) seem to hang around like a bad smell.
But to drive in f1, you really ought to be the absolute cream of the crop. The best 20 drivers in the world. We all know that’s not entirely possible, but too many of these guys are just ok.
I kind of think of it as being like the Premier league, which ought to contain the 20 best football teams in England, but if it only contained the best 10 plus the 10 teams most willing to bypass ffp regulations, it’d be farcical.
Stroll isn't anything special but has managed some good results in his relatively short career. Unfortunately, he has too many shockers. It is true that he is only in the position that he is because of his father's wealth but he does undoubtedly have some speed.
Latifi hasn't shown anything in F1 or the junior formulas to make me think that it is anything but his father's wealth that has got him where he is but it is still early days and I think that George Russell is a strong opponent.
Mazepin has shown some strong form in F2 and it remains to be seen how he performs in F1, if he is given the chance.
The nature of the finances in F1, especially in the current financial climate, means that more of the lesser teams need serious sponsorship to compete, if that comes from the driver then so be it. It's better that than they cease to participate. Hopefully some of the cost cutting measures will help but I remain to be convinced.
Here's Lewis taking the chequered flag.