New F1 season kicks off this weekend (Page 27 of 33)

When F1 is on its annual hiatus Austopsort generally deleves back in time to remind the reader of classic seasons of the past and last weeks issue featured 1973.

I have to say that the 70's were my favoured period, although gruesome, mainly because aerodynamics had not 'changed' the game so much at that point and mechanical grip with fat tyres was still king.

It was a great season'73 but ultimately a tragic one, with the loss of both Roger Williamson and Francois Cevert in awful crashes as well as the F1 career ending injruies for Andrea De Adamich.

Tucked away in the mag though is a link to a fabulous film ' Champions Forever: The Formula One Drivers'.

At 87 minutes it is a brilliant piece of historic F1 viewing. Most of the footage I have never seen before and there is masses of it. Up close footage of all the classic cars and drivers of the era. A lap of Monaco on an ISO Marlboro. Jackie Stewart talking and driving us around the Nordschleife in a Rolls Royce!

Extensive interviews with Francois Cevert prior to his untimely death at Watkins Glen. The Glen itself is featured in all its '70's glory with the crazy fan antics it was famous for. At Monaco they were still building the hotel over the tunnel and from the seat of the ISO that tunnel is unbelievably dark.

Narration is by Stacey Keach and he does his best with a cheesy script but there are some valid points. At around 56 minues there is a sequence of Grand Prix starts from the season which are quite breathtaking and I have to say, disorderly. 57 minutes features the moment when Jody Scheckter dropped it at Silverstone at the start of the lap and then chaos ensures. It is filmed from the pitwall!

The aftermath of this near disaster is almost comical with flag waving marshals wearing nothing more than jeans and T-shirts dodge through smouldering wreckage. Then you have to admire there bravery as the cars that had made it through thunder onto the straight to start another lap................I think there is even Colin Chapman on the circuit picking up bits of car.................

Comparing all this to F1 in 2013 and you have to admire the work that has been done to make all forms of racing safer and rightly so. Williamsons gruesome death is shown in its entirety here. It is appalling both in terms of the inadequacies of the circuit and its marshalling as well as the ignorance and callousness of the other drivers who continued to drive past the scene and failed to assist David Purley in his rescue attempts.

Ceverts contributions are poignant given that shortly after he made them he lost his life. However, at least he was racing at the front end for wins and honours. Much of the footage features lesser known drivers in lesser equipment and it is great to see them being given equal billing for a change. And that is what this film is all about. The drivers. I found it very enjoyable.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Clc7tzDcs&hd=1

MikeH

Thanks Mike! I love it.
Rick

Yes it was a direct quote of Stewart's and it was a fact too. There's an interview in the film with Mike Hailwood who recounts rescuing Clay Reggazzoni from his burning BRM after they tangled. The footage is pretty dramatic too with Hailwoods gloves and overalls going up in flames. Other cars continue to circulate.

The races were not stopped then. There were no clear lines of responsibility in those days. National clubs without the necessary expertise were responsible for staging the race while dodgy promoters trousered the dosh.

There is a picture in Autosport from the scene of Cevert's accident. 3 cars are passing while several people wait nochanantly by the wreck. One of the cars passing is Stewart himself. Cevert's car lies upside down having landed directly on top of the barrier. Cevert is still in the car. Stewart did in fact stop at scene and as he said himself "I stayed too long, but not long enough.........."

Stewart got back in the car and drove back to the pits. He was already World Champion and his best friend was dead. Later he even practised his car again lest the team thought it had been a mechanical failure. He thought they needed that. Tyrrell withdrew the car that evening and Stewart's F1 career was over.

You look at the recent outcry over the Pirelli tyre failures; drivers threatening boycotts and so on. They are right to do so. There is no point in learning from these tragedies and then failing to act when something happens.

It was a fantastic era, true lionhearts behind the wheel, with unbelievable passion and courage. They should have been better protected

Spa.

Not the challenge it once was now that the run off at Eau Rouge provides the necessary comfort zone for the drivers to take it flat without a second thought. Pouhon is now the corner which at least makes them think and possibly lift, a bit.

That said it is a drivers track and it the boys with balls that excel there. Not many make a move stick at Eau Rouge and when Mark Webber put his life in Alonso's hands a couple of years ago it was necessary to hold your breath for a second. Mark is gonna be missed next year.

Vettel has dyed his hair blond so he will be hoping he doesn't have a 'blond moment'. He probably starts as favourite but if Mercedes has used this 4 week break to good advantage then I fancy him Lewis to be right in the mix.
Weather here in Europe is fair and I reckon it could be a dry weekend, but if it does rain then Alonso will be in with a chance as well.

F1. Good to have it back................

Just on RUSH again, looking at the photos and shots on the website German actor Daniel Bruehl is an absolute ringer for Lauda. He has the mannerisms and look to a tee.

If the film is a hit then Bruehl could be catapulted into the A league. I've seen him in a number of movies and he is a well respected young German actor and worthy of the accolades.

I wonder what the movie will do for F1. Again, if a commercial success it could really give the sport and enormous injection of general interest. Some would argue, isn't already high profile enough? In a way, but currently only 3 teams are actually solvent, even with all the money they get from the sport. A far cry from Hesketh in 1973 taking their F3 team and buying a March and putting James Hunt into F1, with 3 DFV engines costing 9000 quid each.

I wonder if the film will show the two a little later in life. Lauda as ever the savvy businessman, returning to the sport to earn some cash to save his airline before retiring finally as one of the grandees of the sport. James on the other hand commentating and having to sell his Mercedes to pay the gas bill before dying way too early at the age of 45.

I really hope Ron Howard has been able to do justice to it all.

Spa is one circuit I'd really like to go to one day.  Slightly dull race in many ways and particularly disappointing for Hammy when the charging Bull waltzed past him on the first lap.

Anyway, another weekend another country and what should be a thrilling race at Monza.  Ferrari ought to have the home advantage and Alonso needs the win if he's to stay in contention for the title.

Return of the Iceman!

Who would have thought that was a possibility after he won the opening race this year so convincingly. But Kimi has got his mojo right back on track and now he is going back to the team where he seemed to lose it.

I'm never too sure about returning to a team but I have to say I find this one interesting. I don't think Ferrari can actually engineer 2 cars to the same standard. They have always, always seemd to favour 1 driver over the other and on the face of it, it cannot work. However, they have been without a team title for so long it makes sense to bring a guy that nearly always brings the car home in the points.

He will challenge Alonso, no question. They are both top, top liners and this line up makes Ferrari stronger, no question about that. They must now up their game. They will, of course, take points off each other, and it may make for some uncomfortable moments as the season (2014) goes on. But if Ferrari are true to their nature they shouldn't worry about that, for as long as ferrari win the title then they shouldn't really care.

With this development, who knows? Maybe Alonso won't finish his career there after all?

Not exactly F1, but vintage F1 will be represented. Goodwood is streaming live this weekend. The promo had a vid of very cool GT40 Fords from past events charging about. Enjoy! http://fortyonesix.com/news/1384/watch- … -live-here
Rick