With five wins and a third place from the first six races, Jenson Button has made one of the best starts to the world championship ever seen in F1. His achievement equals Michael Schumacher’s in 2002, and is bettered only by Schumacher in 1994 and Nigel Mansell in 1992.
Nigel Mansell articles archive
Nigel Mansell
Australian GP history 1985-1995 (Video)
Posted onF1 Fanatic guest writer Journeyer looks back on the history of the Australian Grand Prix. It’s back! F1 2009 is about to get under way, and so are we! I’m back for the new season, ready to share with you the history of the sport. Let’s kick things off with the season-opener, the Australian Grand … Continue reading Australian GP history 1985-1995 (Video)
The five things that made me an F1 fan
Posted onIt was pure chance that I happened across a live broadcast of the British Grand Prix on BBC Grandstand in 1989. That first glimpse of Formula 1 captivated me, aged seven, and over the coming years the sport got under my skin. How did I turn into an F1 fan? Here are the five things … Continue reading The five things that made me an F1 fan
Michael Schumacher vs Adrian Newey, 1991-2008 (F1 in numbers)
Posted onMichael Schumacher?óÔé¼Ôäós biggest rival was not a driver but a designer: Adrian Newey. So said K last week in the comments on an article about which driver won the most races. Journeyer suggested a graph showing how the seven-times world champion compared with the man who designed title-winners for McLaren and Williams.
F60: another name change for Ferrari
Posted onFerrari’s new 2009 F1 car launched yesterday may mark another change in the team’s somewhat esoteric approach to naming its cars. Here’s a brief guide to how Ferrari have named their F1 cars from 1950 to 2009.
50 years of British champions in pictures (Autosport International 2009)
Posted onOne of the first exhibitions I wanted to see at the Autosport International show today was the celebration of 50 years of British world champions. Sadly there was no car belonging to Mike Hawthorn, the first British world champion in 1958, because many early Ferrari F1 cars were used to build later racing machines. But … Continue reading 50 years of British champions in pictures (Autosport International 2009)
Lewis Hamilton loses Sports Personality of the Year Award for a second year
Posted onHe may be the youngest ever Formula 1 world champion but the British public snubbed Lewis Hamilton in the voting for Sports Personality of the Year 2008. Hamilton was beaten by cyclist Chris Hoy, who was supposed to be racing Hamilton in the Race of Champions at Wembley today. That event was cancelled due to … Continue reading Lewis Hamilton loses Sports Personality of the Year Award for a second year
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix flashback
Posted onWhen McLaren turned up at the first race of 1988 with scarcely any testing miles on its new car, few expected the MP4/4s to dominated the season the way they did. But at the Brazilian Grand Prix hopes of a closely-fought season were wrecked as McLaren dominated. Guest writer Andrew Tsvyk tells the story. This … Continue reading 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix flashback
A brief history of pit stops in F1 (video)
Posted onSteve suggested I write an article about how pit stops have changed in F1 and, following the controversy over Ferrari’s pit stop at Valencia, I thought now would be a good time to take a look at it. When the world championship began in 1950 pit stops were fairly disorganised affairs. But as the sport … Continue reading A brief history of pit stops in F1 (video)
How the end of Nigel Mansell’s F1 career led to the start of Lewis Hamilton’s
Posted onNigel Mansell fans would probably like to forget the embarrassing end to his career in 1995 with McLaren. After sponsors Marlboro encouraged Ron Dennis to sign the star, Mansell missed the first two races because he couldn’t fit in the car. Once that was sorted he only appeared for the team twice before refusing to … Continue reading How the end of Nigel Mansell’s F1 career led to the start of Lewis Hamilton’s
100 F1 race winners part 8: 1982-1993
Posted onF1’s 79th Grand Prix winner was the man who would go on to win more races than anyone in the history of the sport: Michael Schumacher. With the likes of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell doing so much winning in the late eighties there were only three new winners between 1985 … Continue reading 100 F1 race winners part 8: 1982-1993
Last-lap losers (p2/2)
Posted onYesterday we looked at four races that ended with the leader losing the race on the last lap ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ this after Felipe Massa came within three laps of winning the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Here are four more tales of woe involving Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.
F1 blogs & more: Mansell comeback?
Posted onA round up of highlights from F1 blogs and other sites including: Is Nigel Mansell about to make another comeback to international motor sport? How would the 1994 season have ended if Ayrton Senna hadn’t been killed? And why is Ralf Schumacher struggling so badly in the DTM?
Ferrari’s 200 pole positions
Posted onKimi Raikkonen achieved Ferrari’s 200th pole position in qualifying for tomorrow’s French Grand Prix. The Italian team are far ahead of their rivals in terms of total pole positions, with McLaren on 135 and Williams on 125. Here’s a complete breakdown of their achievement including every driver who scored a pole position for Ferrari.
CART drivers who raced in F1: From Andretti to Zanardi part 5
IndyCar
Posted onOne of the biggest names to cross from F1 to CART was Nigel Mansell – who did so after winning the 1992 F1 championship and claimed the Champ Car title at his first attempt. He wasn’t the only F1 champion to try his hand at CART – Alan Jones did as well, though only for … Continue reading CART drivers who raced in F1: From Andretti to Zanardi part 5
Video: Monaco GP history 1974-2008
Posted onGuest writer Journeyer concludes his two-part guide to the Monaco Grand Prix. If you thought part one yesterday was great, then you’ll love part two! This covers some of the more recent Monaco magical moments from the 1980s up to 2007:
Spanish Grand Prix: memorable races
Posted onThe response to my invitation for guest writers was fantastic and I’m very happy to share the first of these new articles today. Journeyer, a long-time contributor to the comments and Live Blogs on F1Fanatic, covers the history of the Spanish Grand Prix. Formula 1 has been around for 58 years now. With it goes … Continue reading Spanish Grand Prix: memorable races
2008 Australian GP facts & stats
Posted onNelson Piquet Jnr’s first race 2008: qualified 21st, retired after 31 laps Nelson Piquet Snr’s first race 1978: qualified 21st, retired on lap 31 Here are more facts and statistics from the Australian Grand Prix weekend – post below any interesting stats you’ve spotted…
How an Indycar merger might affect F1
Posted onWith the American open wheel racing seasons not far away it’s the time of year when we’ve come to expect rumours of a reunion between the warring factions in US racing: the Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League. But this time there seems to be genuine cause for optimism. Both series have … Continue reading How an Indycar merger might affect F1
F1 circuits history part 10: 1985-9
Posted onIn the late 1980s it often seemed like good tracks were dropped for safety reasons, and less good tracks found their way onto the calendar because money talked. How else could you explain a circuit like the awful Phoenix street track holding three Grands Prix? Or why the slow and dull Hungaroring remains on the … Continue reading F1 circuits history part 10: 1985-9