F1s Greatest Drives

[TheRMVR]

I have to say that I've raised an eyebrow or two while reading this topic. Hamilton in Brazil 2008? Really? Come on guys. 60 years of Formula 1 and the best you can come up with is that...

Personally really only one race comes to mind. The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix, and in particular, Schumacher. The race was actually quit boring and uneventful. But it was a changing point for F1 in a lot of ways. Remember Senna died only two races earlier that season in his Williams. So all eyes were on Damon Hill. But the true genius that day was Schumacher. He had pole position and led the race quite comfortably when suddenly after a pitstop his car wouldn't get out of 5th gear. His racepace dropped for about 2 laps before he somehow figured out how to drive in one gear. He started taking corners different, breaking earlier and driving different lines. He was actually so quick that it took Hill about 50 laps or so (not sure) before he could pass Schumacher. But the pace he had with just one gear was absolutely mind-boggling. He finished that race 2nd. Hill won in the Williams, and that overshadowed Schumachers performance as it was the first race Williams won after Senna's death. But I remember thinking, my god that guy is incredible. He's going te be a champion one day. Senna was dead but a new king came to take over.

I know a lot of races that were better, with better fights and more exciting battles. But Schumacher had his own fight in that race, not with someone else, but with something else: his car. The analytic skill you have to have to reset everyting in your head and start over again and finding different lines while driving a race is amazing. Schumacher did it in a few laps and was faster than most guys on track. Not the greatest race but damn sure the best drive I have ever seen.

Of course I only started watching F1 in the mid '80s so what do I know? There is no greatest drive. Its ridicilous to think one is greater than the other. Who remembers the '50s and '60s here? It's difficult to compare. Besides that we all like to think romantically about the past and the 'good old days'. Truth is that we only see the good bits of those days, never the boring or the ugly ones.
So all we've got are our memories of races. And between all those great fights I've seen over the years, Schumachers fight with his own car was the 'greatest' one for me.

And I don't even like the guy

[strad]

I don't know who made the Greatest Drive in History (of course I know, but I'm not telling anyone what happened at the German 1957 GP)

..Good choice,,,the first I thought of actually.
.

In 1957 the championship arrived at the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring where it was generally acknowledge by the Grand Prix Circus that this would be Fangio's last season.He was determined to finish on top. Fangio and Hawthorn qualified one-two and the race looked set for an epic battle.The Maserati of Fangio started the race on half tanks and it was incumbent on him to build a large enough margin that would allow him to pit yet retain his lead. This he started to do, blistering the track at a record pace but Hawthorn and Collins in the Ferraris had other ideas.On the twelfth lap Fangio dove into the pits.

Even though everyone in the Maserati pits was prepared the pit stop cost Fangio the lead when both Collins and Hawthorn thundered past. Finally the work was done and Fangio re-entered the fray. All seamed loss as Fangio was now 45 seconds behind the leading duo and few thought that even the great Fangio could make up this difference. Fangio was one of the few as he began chopping off large chunks of the gap to the leaders. In the Ferrari pit panic took hold as they pleaded for their drivers to go ever faster. Fangio would later say that he drove faster than he ever wanted to drive again. The lap record came tumbling down and he would soon be lapping at a faster average speed than that with which he had qualified! Both Collins and Hawthorn continued to race at a furious pace. Peter Lewis, the famous British journalist said that "he (Fangio) might almost have been pullingthem backwards on the end of a rope for on the twentieth lap Fangio sliced eleven seconds off their lead. Fangio caught Collins first and passed him on the inside but the Englishman returned the favor and pushed Fangio back into third." The second time Fangio drew alongside and then slowly drew away. Just then Collins was hit in the eye by a stone thrown up by the Maserati's rear wheel but was saved by his goggles. Now it was Hawthorn's turn and still Fangio came on; actually driving straight on in one corner to pass force his way past Hawthorn. They would finish three seconds apart with Collins coming in third. The victory gave Fangio an unassailable lead in what would become his fifth and final World Championship.

.
short video..click photo

[TheRMVR]

I don't know who made the Greatest Drive in History (of course I know, but I'm not telling anyone what happened at the German 1957 GP)

..Good choice,,,the first I thought of actually.
.

In 1957 the championship arrived at the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring where it was generally acknowledge by the Grand Prix Circus that this would be Fangio's last season.He was determined to finish on top. Fangio and Hawthorn qualified one-two and the race looked set for an epic battle.The Maserati of Fangio started the race on half tanks and it was incumbent on him to build a large enough margin that would allow him to pit yet retain his lead. This he started to do, blistering the track at a record pace but Hawthorn and Collins in the Ferraris had other ideas.On the twelfth lap Fangio dove into the pits.

Even though everyone in the Maserati pits was prepared the pit stop cost Fangio the lead when both Collins and Hawthorn thundered past. Finally the work was done and Fangio re-entered the fray. All seamed loss as Fangio was now 45 seconds behind the leading duo and few thought that even the great Fangio could make up this difference. Fangio was one of the few as he began chopping off large chunks of the gap to the leaders. In the Ferrari pit panic took hold as they pleaded for their drivers to go ever faster. Fangio would later say that he drove faster than he ever wanted to drive again. The lap record came tumbling down and he would soon be lapping at a faster average speed than that with which he had qualified! Both Collins and Hawthorn continued to race at a furious pace. Peter Lewis, the famous British journalist said that "he (Fangio) might almost have been pullingthem backwards on the end of a rope for on the twentieth lap Fangio sliced eleven seconds off their lead. Fangio caught Collins first and passed him on the inside but the Englishman returned the favor and pushed Fangio back into third." The second time Fangio drew alongside and then slowly drew away. Just then Collins was hit in the eye by a stone thrown up by the Maserati's rear wheel but was saved by his goggles. Now it was Hawthorn's turn and still Fangio came on; actually driving straight on in one corner to pass force his way past Hawthorn. They would finish three seconds apart with Collins coming in third. The victory gave Fangio an unassailable lead in what would become his fifth and final World Championship.

.
short video..click photo

I don't want to be annoying and destroy such a great story but here's my problem with it:

First of all, none of us were there (I assume that). That means we have to believe whatever people tell us who were actually there. And as I said before we like to tell stories about the past more romantic than they actually were. The 'good old times' always seem a lot better when looking at them from right now.

Second of all, this was at the Nurburgring, a 20 kilometer long track. So to gain
11 seconds a lap does sound incredible but it is actually only about 2% of the fastest time driven by Fangio. So lets say in modern terms if a track takes the fastest car about 1m20sec. to get round that would be about 1,5 seconds in a lap.
Is that really that incredible?

He came out of the pits with a 50 second gap to the leader. If you take that as a percentage of the course that would be a gap of about 8 seconds on a 1m20sec. course.

This means Fangio had 10 laps to close that gap. And he had not only a fresh set of tires, he also had softer tires, which were a lot faster. So if you look at it from that perspective its not that impressive. It sounds like he had the better strategy.

But hey I don't want to ruin a great story, because despite this he was one of the greats.

[strad]

[Mr Alcatraz]

I think Mike's improvised 4 stopper in 2004 at the French GP was brilliant.
The look on Fred's face, and his comments during the post race interview were priceless.
I think this race deserves mention!

But I have to rate Jackie Stewarts 1968 plus 4 minute win in the rain at "The Green Hell" as tops!

[strad]

but you weren't there...somebody might be stretching the truth or lying...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
No big fan of Jackies but that was a hell of a drive and yes I was following the sport back then.

[Mr Alcatraz]

but you weren't there...somebody might be stretching the truth or lying...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
No big fan of Jackies but that was a hell of a drive and yes I was following the sport back then.

You were there... in attendance... at the race? That must have been a little uncomfortable.
Plus considering the length of the track I'm sure I saw a lot more of it than you on television.
In 1968 I was in the 8th grade. Yes I remember it well. I also remember
Gilles Villeneuve's first win. It was two years after I graduated from College.
It would be wise for you to look before you leap. I just turned 57 this week.
Of course you would know that if you checked my profile, before you shot your mouth off, and tried to belittle me!! Any opportunity for a snipe I guess?
FWIW I was a huge fan of Jackie's

I beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked in rooms or books written in a very foreign language. don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. and the point is, to live everything. live the questions now. perhaps then someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer…

[septerra]

Brazil 2006 Mike

[strad]

Sorry Tazio...I hope you now understand. My smartass remark was aimed more at TheRMVR
No I wasn't actually there..It was sooo soaking wet and miserable..I'm sure it was one to watch from the comfort of and easy chair, nice and warm and dry.

My point was that I was around watching and reading the race reports and the contempory view at the time was that it was indeed a very special drive and I've seen nothing sice to lessen that opinion.

[strad]

The 1936 Hungarian Grand Prix perhaps.. Nuvolari has the last laugh on the invincible Silver Arrows?

[Mr Alcatraz]

Sorry Tazio...I hope you now understand. My smartass remark was aimed more at TheRMVR
No I wasn't actually there..It was sooo soaking wet and miserable..I'm sure it was one to watch from the comfort of and easy chair, nice and warm and dry.

My point was that I was around watching and reading the race reports and the contempory view at the time was that it was indeed a very special drive and I've seen nothing sice to lessen that opinion.

Yea I figured it out after I reread the page. You know its really funny growing up in Southern California we didn't get much F1 Usually only Monaco, Monza, and the Nurburgring, and maybe Silverstone and Spa on the "Wide World of Sports". But Stewart was one of my Idols!

[Mr Alcatraz]

The 1936 Hungarian Grand Prix perhaps.. Nuvolari has the last laugh on the invincible Silver Arrows?

The win at the German Grand Prix in '35 was pretty special as well

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdc3hBzYF5Q[/youtube]

[TheRMVR]

but you weren't there...somebody might be stretching the truth or lying...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
No big fan of Jackies but that was a hell of a drive and yes I was following the sport back then.

That's just childish. You might try it with words, it's what grown ups do.

[andrew]

Can you guys stop ruining this thread with you childish bitching? Take it to PMs, we don't want to read you pointless squable.

This thread is to look at some of the great drives seen in F1, not to discuss "I was there..." contered with "No you were not....".

[Belatti]

To me the greatest drives ever were:

1) Cole Trickle passing outside turn 4 at Daytona, 1990.
2) Jimmy Bly and Beau Brandenburg saving Memo Moreno from the fire at the Nurbrugring lake in the 2001 Champ Car GP.

Maybe I can say that we like to tell stories about the past more romantic than they actually were and tell you that Cole had "special" staggered tyres to take turn 4 on the outside and that Jimmy and Beau had the advantage to actually see the methanol flames and avoid being burnt while rescuing Memo... still they were great drives.