Formula One: The Pinnacle: The pivotal events that made F1 the greatest motorsport series (3)

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A little pretentious......soccer never took off in the USA, still it is the most successful sport in the world. On the other side, American football and baseball are huge in the US and nobody in Europe or South America cares. In fact, Piazza in Italy is still a square and Montana in France is still a US state........ Schumacher won five world titles at Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. The Formula 1 team thus takes most of the titles in a row, but above all Schumacher is the first with seven titles to set the record for Juan Manuel Fangio. Ferrari's supremacy continues, until a new talent emerges in 2005. Fernando Alonso wins the title twice with the old team of Schumacher (Renault that used to be Benetton), after which Schumacher retires at the end of 2006. Hamilton on the hunt for Schumacher

Someday we will have legitimately 22 of the best drivers in the world driving the best cars in the world I would love to know what races you've seen then, there are some races that's been rather, uhm. Interesting to put it nicely, but that's far far from the majority. I remain unconvinced that F1 is the home of all the true stars in the motor racing galaxy. No one series has, has ever had, nor conceivably will ever have a monopoly of the best drivers. The "Best" have a tendancy to spread themselves thin and clump here and there. No question that F1 definitely has some of The Best, no argument there at all, but not the whole grid falls into that category. Ditto for any of the other major series you would care to mention. Even in some of the so-called lesser series you can find a legitimate member of The Best lurking there.You see that as supbar, I see it as challenging. Just a different view on what we like in a racing circuit.

It nearly caught me out in the first session. I changed a few things in the set-up and in the line trying to get rid of it and for some reason in that lap it surprised me. It must have been the way I took the bump and it made me be a passenger. F1 was what got me interested in motor racing a LONG time ago, when it had some of the best drivers, was unpredictable, exciting, and yes, indeed a bit dangerous - and when it gave an underdog a chance to shine on his best day. None of that remains today, except still attracting some of the best drivers, but most of them have not a showball's chance in hades to win a race, ever. Therefore, F1 has gone from pinnacle to nadir for me. I deliberately missed the Spanish GP with palatable disdain for what was predictably transpiring, and was glad I did so. With 95% of all F1 races, it turns out to be the right decision to just ignore them. I think that the yawning chasms which currently exist between the various racing series is depriving folks today of seeing drivers compete outside their normal series on a regular basis and seeing just how good some of these drivers really are. I am certain that many in the F1 seats would do very well elsewhere and that there would be some drivers whose performance might well prompt a query as to why isn't he or she in F1?

The power of Bernie Ecclestone

Along with changes to circuits and the technology of the cars, this book highlights the commercial changes and the controversies that threatened to split the sport apart - such as the threat of breakaway series proposed at various times by teams. Multiple race winner and multiple times vice-champion in F1 Rubens Barrichello struggled in Indycar. Now multiple F1 champion and legend Alonso doesn't even qualify for a 33-car grid. North American open wheeler series > F1. I have no doubt that F1 cars are bloody difficult to drive for okes and gals like us, but are they really more challenging than say, a rally car. For which of the two would you need the more instinctive car control or ability. I suspect rallying. But that doesn't mean I say rallying is the pinacle either. Because there are some serious tossers driving in rallying.