Best and worst F1 season you watched

[JPMfan]

I was wondering what the opinion is around here, about F1's best and worst season.

I think that 2003 was the best season we had in years, not only because Montoya was so close to the title, but because of the fact that since the early 80's we had a season where at least 3 teams built a car that could win races. very interesting to watch and develop during the season.

The worst season in my opinion was 1998, with the ridiculous rule changes put through and the utter dominance of McLaren.
I actually stopped watching F1 that season, albeit only temporarily. But nevertheless it still was a sign that F1 gone the wrong way, I have been glued to the tube since the 80's till now watching every F1 race, but that year I just couldn't care less.

[El Sween]

Worst season was 2002 by far. Totally boring. Best for me was either 1999 or 2003.

[Mifune]

best for me was 93 great mix of talent, both new and old
worst? every season since then is a tie

[jens]

From my F1 watching period the worst is probably 2002. And for the best one there is a very tight battle between 1999 and 2003. And I give the vote to 1999. :)

[nik]

I enjoyed 1997 and 2003. Also 99 had it's moments. France, Europe, and Australia - classic.

2004 was awful! Trulli's win being the only highlight.

[Subaru WRX]

by far the 2002 season, Micheal Schumacher completely dominating the season and with a great GP of Austria and the most beautifull overtaking in the history of F1, when Schumy overtook Rubens with a great manoeuvre :D

enjoy with the Brazilian commentary...they thought that Barrcihello will win :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckRbshOPsG4

[Mihai]

worst - 2004
best - 1995 (also 1999, 2003 and 2005)

[sonic_roadhog]

There have been no classic seasons in years. The last season i really enjoyed from start to finish was 1993. Senna, Prost, Hill, Schumacher all winners and some great on track action. '86/'87 were also special.

Sonic :)

[millencolin]

Most people probably think 2002 was the worst... But for me i very much enjoyed it. I wasnt watching tha battle up the front, i was watching the one at the back! Webber's Debut and the First Aussie in F1 for years just made that season a treat for me... That and 1999 was also a good year that i very much enjoyed.

as for the worst, cant go past 2004! that was the only year where i couldnt be bothered to get up and watch the canadain/brazillian gp...

[Dazz9908]

Best times: 1978's to 1992 all were good presenting several race winner in a season.

Worst of times: 1988 and 2002 Dominated by one team, 1988-Car +engine advantage. 2002- tyre advantage

[F1boat]

Best year - 2003
Worst - 2002
But I enjoy all F1 races and seasons, even 2002.

[DexDexter]

Best years, 1998-1999, the worst year was definetely 1992, I remember the Brasilian grand prix from that year, Senna was 3th on the grid, about 2,5 seconds slower than the Williamses....

[jonny hurlock]

best: 1999 (also 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006)
worst: 2002(also 2004)

[Randall Flagg]

I've only been watching F1 since I was 8 years old (back in 1998), so I dont have quite the level of "depth" a lot of other posters here do. However, I would say that my favorite season was 2000, and my least favorite 2005.

Since 2002, I've not really watched all the qualifying sessions, though at least in 2006 we had a more workable one.

[Subaru WRX]

I've only been watching F1 since I was 8 years old (back in 1998), so I dont have quite the level of "depth" a lot of other posters here do. However, I would say that my favorite season was 2000, and my least favorite 2005.

Since 2002, I've not really watched all the qualifying sessions, though at least in 2006 we had a more workable one.
1998 was you 1st season ,that was a great one, but 2005 too is good with Ferrari completely KO :D

[Brown, Jon Brow]

If you read the results of the 2006 season in the Monday newspaper without watching the race it would have been a terrific season. However in reality the on track action was quite poor. Same can be said about 2005. Of the recent seasons 2003 was a good one in terms of close title battle(Schumachaer, Raikkonnen and Montoya) veriaty of teams and on track overtaking.

However my fav seaon of all time was 1996! :D Damon Hill. :cheese:

[sonic_roadhog]

If you read the results of the 2006 season in the Monday newspaper without watching the race it would have been a terrific season. However in reality the on track action was quite poor. Same can be said about 2005. Of the recent seasons 2003 was a good one in terms of close title battle(Schumachaer, Raikkonnen and Montoya) veriaty of teams and on track overtaking.

However my fav seaon of all time was 1996! :D Damon Hill. :cheese:

and now you've got to go because you've a lump in your throat! greta race!

[D-Type]

The worst - definitely 1982.

The best? Difficult - there have been several where it went right down to the last race. So I'll plump for 1964 when John Surtees, Graham Hill or Jim Clark could have taken the championship, and each would have deserved it. Or 1986 when Prost 'stole' the championship from the Williams duo. Or ...

[Storm]

Worst - 2002
Best - 2003 followed by 1998 and 1999

[Sleeper]

Of the seasons that I watched, the worst was 2004, the best would either be 99 or 03.

[rlenis]

The best for me has to be 2003. When was the last time 3 drivers from 3 different teams were championship contenders up until the penultimate race of the season.

The worse has to be 2004. Although Ferrari dominated in 2002 the BMW Williams was still very strong in qualifying that year.

1982 was a classic. Not the best, since 2 drivers were killed & one seriously injured and I have a problem with saying it was the 'best' with those circumstances.

But '82 had just about everything. Lots of winners (atleast 8), tragedies, strikes, comebacks (Lauda & Andretti), drama's everywhere and some of the best looking cars ever seen.

[Cozzie]

There are many goood seasons from the past but in this millenium I would say 2004 was crap Ferrari domination. 2005 and 2006 were awesome (Alonso all the way) and 2003 was sensational just because of Hungary!

[555-04Q2]

Best year for me was 1999 and 2003. I dont have a worst season as I love F1 too much to not enjoy it.

[mwr120675]

1993 for me is the worst and 1997 the best.

[wedge]

2002 was the worst in recent memory. Never again. At least in 04 we had terrific scraps in the mid-field and Button showing off his talents.

1995 is my favourite season during my lifetime. That was when I truly appreciated Schumi's gift to GP racing. There was some amazing wins and he had a terrific scrap with Damon Hill.

[Nikki Katz]

I've been watching since 1997, which I guess is kinda late for someone in his mid 20s.
The best season I remember was 1999. Schumacher's injury threw the championship wide open, but there were surprising results from some of the mid-field teams even without that. Frentzen's three wins in a Jordan were highly improbable, especially considering that their budget before they sold out to Midland was of a comparable size, yet they only scored a few points. The European GP (I think) where Herbert won in the Stewart was probably the most eventful race I've ever seen.
Worst was 2002. The only excitement was created by wondering which Ferrari the team would order to be in front of the other at the last corner. It was at around this point I began to detest Schumacher, in the 90s I cheered him on for winning in cars that weren't the best on the grid, even if his methods were somewhat underhand. 2004 was dull too, but Monaco was great.

[eloyf1]

2002 and 2004 were the worst... Because of my age, I can't say who could be the best... Maybe 1986...

[Dazz9908]

2002 & 2004 Bored me to tears.
2005 Was keep me interested,
But 1980 to 87, keep clinging to very race as it was a real lottery who would survive for the win or even the points. Championships always went down to the wire back then.

[V12]

Best: Any one from 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996
Worst: 1994, 1995, 2002

[penske15]

best: 1990-1994
worst: 1983, 1999, 2005 and this year, so far.

[UltimateDanGTR]

interesting topic to dig up from middle earth. nearly 3 years-blimey, thats old.

anyways,

Best: 2008, 2007, 2003-all great, tie between them all*
Worst: 2002-when schumacher bored the hell out of us..........

*If I was actually around (or alive in some cases) in the late 70s-80s, then most of those would count, but for modern era the 3 above have been spectacular.

[5001]

2000-2004 are the worst domination by Schumacher

[DexDexter]

Best: 2007/2008
Worst: 1992, again 1992.

[Saint Devote]

I can never think of f1 in terms of "worst". Best is a finite word, so I prefer to have seasons I enjoyed the most.

The most enjoyable for me was 1979.

Others are 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

[christophulus]

I'd agree with most people here, 2002/2004 were by far the worst for me because of the Schumacher dominance. Yes Ferrari did the best job but it was dull!

Personally I think all the seasons from 2005 onwards have been pretty good, I'd struggle to pick one from those. This year has been alright too!

[ClarkFan]

The worst - definitely 1982.

The best? Difficult - there have been several where it went right down to the last race. So I'll plump for 1964 when John Surtees, Graham Hill or Jim Clark could have taken the championship, and each would have deserved it. Or 1986 when Prost 'stole' the championship from the Williams duo. Or ...
Ah, some years from my youth! For the worst, 1968 and 1970 were both pretty awful, and I assume that my basis is the same you used for 1982 - terrible losses.

My favorite was 1965, but perhaps I am a bit biased. ;) I also enjoyed 1973 (a driving genius against a great car) and as an American fan of Team Lotus, 1978 was great fun until Monza.

ClarkFan

[cynisca]

The best Formula One season I have ever watched was 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007 and 2008.

The worst season I have ever watched was 2002. Totally boring.

[speeddurango]

I personally would watch F1 with passion and if it's no longer there I wouldn't watch it, thus there really hasn't been a "worst" season. Every season was a great for me, but personally, I like 2002 season the best, for not only was it the most successful year of my favorite team and driver, it was a nice year for me as well and I was always having a good mood experiencing the whole weekend of F1.

[race_director]

i though 2007 was a good year of drama , i was the best for me

[Saint Devote]

Utterly worst season was 1994 after that dreadful Imola weekend filled with death and injury for drivers and pit crew. Previously and since I have never witnessed a season effected so. It colored the season and in the end Schumaher dedicated his title to Senna. Anyone witnessing Schumi publicly breaking down when he was asked abiut his equalling Senna's win record illustrates how affected racing was.

The best for me was 1979 - Jody won his world title with Ferrari and did it in the ultimate car in the ultimate way: at Monza, winning the Italian Grand Prix in the Ferrari and clinching the championship. Can anything be more perfect for a racing driver?

And in a car that was not the best that season and with a teammate, the great Gilles Villeneuve, who was so darn quick! Villeneuve's lap at Watkins Glen, TEN!!! seconds quicker than anyone else remains the greatest in my view.

Jacques Laffite at the time and Jody when asked about Gilles, just said "thats Gilles!".

It was also the emergence of the man who defined what a Williams driver ought to be like: Alan Jones.

The no BS drivers Scheckter and Jones :-]

[Saint Devote]

Ah, some years from my youth! For the worst, 1968 and 1970 were both pretty awful, and I assume that my basis is the same you used for 1982 - terrible losses.

My favorite was 1965, but perhaps I am a bit biased. ;) I also enjoyed 1973 (a driving genius against a great car) and as an American fan of Team Lotus, 1978 was great fun until Monza.

ClarkFan

And especially as an American fan you will remember Peter Revson - British and Canadian Grands Prix winner for Mclaren in 1973. Today is the 36th anniversary of his death at Barbecue Bend at Kyalami driving the UOP Shadow on March 22nd 1974.

"Revvie" was part of that wonderful CanAm and IndyCar generation of American drivers, that included Mark Donohue and Mario Andretti the likes of whom we have not seen since in my view.

As a kid the 1974 season was my first "official" racing season as a fan!

The Tyrrell 007, Mclaren M23, Brabham BT44 and Ferrari 312B3 and T from 1974 and 1975 are still my favorite cars :D

[K-Pu]

2007 and 2008 were quite good indeed.

[Garry Walker]

And in a car that was not the best that season and with a teammate, the great Gilles Villeneuve, who was so darn quick! Villeneuve's lap at Watkins Glen, TEN!!! seconds quicker than anyone else remains the greatest in my view. It was less than 10 seconds, but in anycase, only 6 drivers took to the track and out of those 4 were in joke cars.

You want greatest laps ever? Take a look at Spa 1997 and how Schumacher in a RACE opened a gap of over 40 seconds over everybody else in just 5 laps.
Gillys meaningless lap against nobodies is insignificant compared to that.




It was also the emergence of the man who defined what a Williams driver ought to be like: Alan Jones.
So a williams driver should be someone who manages to lose the title in the best car? Yeah, that sounds about right (mansell, piquet, Hill, Coulthard, Montoya)

It was less than 10 seconds, but in anycase, only 6 drivers took to the track and out of those 4 were in joke cars.

You want greatest laps ever? Take a look at Spa 1997 and how Schumacher in a RACE opened a gap of over 40 seconds over everybody else in just 5 laps.
Gillys meaningless lap against nobodies is insignificant compared to that.


Rarely do I agree, but agree I do.

As for "Best & Worse" season, there are no such entities.

[snellman]

the best was 2007, ferrari on top while mclaren was PMS:ing like a bunch of bitches

[F1boat]

Best 2003, there are no bad seasons for me.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

As for "Best & Worse" season, there are no such entities.

I think your wrong, their are best and worse season's. ;)

For me, 2002 was the worst one, I literally stopped watching mid-season. I thoroughly enjoyed 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2007 but 2008 is my favourite F1 season so far.

[Old Eyes]

For the world title to be decided on the final lap of the final race, for me it has to be 2008. From a nostalgia point of view I loved 1987, the year I started watching the sport.

[slorydn1]

I'd have to say 2008 was the best for me (and I have been watching religously since 1999) even tho my team/driver didn't win. 2002 was one of my favorites, too for exactly the reasons most here would hate it.

But like someone else said, there havent been any "seasons' I have hated, only stupid rules packages....

Like the year they went way from the V-10...That alone broke my heart

[V12]

To be honest thinking about it, 2002 was the worst simply for what followed it, all the rule changes starting with parc ferme, race fuel qualifying, engine change penalities, so on) that continue to this day.

Yes it could be a bore-fest for some but I'm pretty confident 2003 would have been alright even had the '02 regs been kept.

[markabilly]

1967 by far the very best.

after that, wings started taking over.....and the contribution to real driving skill and the ability to control fear while being on the razor's edge on tracks like Spa became less and less important with each year.....

Those fast corners required the touch of a true master.....but with wings increasing downforce as the car goes faster and faster....no longer, no more

Reminds me of one of Andretti's comments about driving the down force cars of 1980 and the level of skill. His response was that to drive at top speed at Indy in 1967 required far more talent and skill than to drive an F1 car in 1980 at any of those tracks. And now it requires even less talent

[LadySnowcat]

The best would have to be 2007...

It had everything...on and off track...

2008 will ever be mired in the Singapore debacle...

The worst would probably be 2002 or 2004... it's hard to decide but I will go for 2002....

[Mark in Oshawa]

Best? 78 I believe when Scheckter and Villeneuve had a great year but there was fantastic competition, and you saw cars sliding and moving. Worst? A tie...but most of the 2000's....I have only really started to watch more F1 this year only because of Button's come from no where story last year which I had to admit was what got me back watching more regular.

I have always followed what what was happening the next day, and read about the politics of the sport, but have lost a lot of interest in the on track product. Based on Bahrain, I would have stayed away, but Melbourne was a good show and so was Sepang...so I guess I am again "hooked"...

[LadySnowcat]

2000-2004 are the worst domination by Schumacher

But he didn't dominate in 2003....

He won by 2 points from a certain Mr Raikkonen... and only then because the rules were "interpreted" in a way to outlaw the Michelin tyres and the redesign time and effort gifted Michael the championship as Ferrari were the only credible team on Bridgestones....

But 2002 and 2004 were pretty tedious unless you supported Ferrari and/or Michael....

I think Mika kept him honest in 2000 but Mika and Macca lost it in 2001 so that wasn't great either...

[Wild Dog]

Since i started to watching F1 in 2004 the best season has been 2007 (Kimi's WDC :D ) And the worst was... 2004.

[fandango]

1982 was a classic. Not the best, since 2 drivers were killed & one seriously injured and I have a problem with saying it was the 'best' with those circumstances.

But '82 had just about everything. Lots of winners (atleast 8), tragedies, strikes, comebacks (Lauda & Andretti), drama's everywhere and some of the best looking cars ever seen.

When I saw the thread I thought of 1982 as being both the worst and the best.

But because I wasn't a huge fan of Prost (I preferred Arnoux) and I wasn't a huge fan of Senna (not sporting enough), for me the worst season was 1987 or 1988, I don't remember, the one where McLaren won all but one race.

And really if I'm honest the best season is always the one we're in or the one that's coming.

[Instant Mash]

I would have to say that this year's season is shaping up to be great.

That being said, my favourite past season (that I've seen) would probably be 1999, and the worst would be 2002.

[Don Capps]

As for "Best & Worse" season, there are no such entities.

I think that "tamburello" makes a good point when it comes to the application of superlatives such as "best" or worst" to seasons, individuals, machines or what have you, given its highly subjective nature. However, it is apparent to even the Untrained Eye that some seasons are more "interesting" than others and, therefore, might attract more attention. For many reasons that I will not go into for the moment, I have a tendency to focus my attention on racing seasons rather than the individual events. There are, as mentioned, seasons that tend to get your attention -- and my interest is not restricted to F1 by any means.

The 5 April 2000 issue of the AtlasF1 Journal, Volume 6 Issue 14, had an article which addressed this topic from the "best" viewpoint: The Best Season Ever by Peter Goodchild and David Southworth (http://atlasf1.autosport.com/2000/san/preview/goodchild.html). For their analysis, Goodchild and Southworth developed the criteria -- factors -- that they thought were important and then developed a methodology to provide the results. One may disagree with their approach, but at least they had an idea as how to make this an objective rather than subjective ranking, so give them credit for that.

Their work covers only the Championnat du Monde des Conducteurs events from 1950 to 1980 and the "FIA F1 World Championship" events from 1981 to 1999.

For many and various reasons, the second season of the "FIA Formual 1 World Championship" -- 1982 -- wound up being one which has attracted an unusualy high degree of attention over the years. It was a somewhat Dickensian season, being both the "best and worst of times," as several have mentioned.

Of their listing of the top five -- 1st, 1982; 2nd, 1961; 3rd, 1999; 4th, 1986; and, 5th, 1968 -- the one season that I was largely unaware of was the 1999 season, given that I basically stopped paying much attention to the Formula 1 series during the mid-Eighties; even the 1986 season I did not follow all that closely.

As I mentioned at the time, whatever one might think of their project, it did provide some food for thought and also served to draw interest to various seasons that seem to fade into the woodwork. I would also suggest that even in those seasons at the opposite end of the scale, such as 1952, 1963 or 1957, there is still much of interest to be found and discussed if one does so as an historian rather than a fan.

[52Paddy]

I started following the sport in 2001 and immensely enjoyed that season. I didn't mind the Schumacher era (pertaining to seasons up to his first retirement). I don't consider myself a Schumacher fan [i.e. I was not affected by his retirement], but interestingly, I don't recall the seasons 2007 and 2008 too well. I know that I was quite busy with my personal life during that period and was also turned off by the amount of off-track drama that always seemed to crop up when I went to F1 discussion forums and spoke to people about the sport. I found it hard to keep focused on the racing.

I came back to following the sport properly in 2009 and, I must say, 2010 has provided me with the most enjoyable season I've followed so far. 3 new teams, a new track, some very nice overtaking moves, shocking incidents, 5 drivers challenging for the title for much of the year and 4 drivers in with a shot of it come the final race :up:

In relation to years before 2001, I enjoyed watching John Watson's driving through the 1982 season. The 1985 season had some monstrous machinery, particularly in the Williams. 1990 and 1993 had a handful of enjoyable races with mega talent at the front of the field. 1995 had its good moments too.

As for years I didn't enjoy, I guess that it has to go to 2007 and 2008, purely because I just wasn't interested in following it at the time, and the racing couldn't hold my attention enough when I sat down to watch it. If it's unfair to state those seasons as my mindset is as much to blame, then I'll plump for 2002. Although I didn't complain about Ferrari's dominance, I still feel Barrichello was out-done unfairly in Austria (let's not get into that please) and I found that I didn't mind missing a race weekend if something else was going on.

[Bruce D]

Don, I'm interested in applying their formula to the years after their study to see how those years rank in their chart. Should be interesting reading.

1961 did surprise me there as I thought that wasn't so close purely because Ferrari dominated but then again Enzo let the drivers get on with it so that left it close.

[Rollo]

1988 was a tedious season to watch with only 3 cars making it to the podium; McLaren won 15 from 16 races which isn't necessarily the problem though it is boring. No, the travesty of 1988 was that the World Championship was decided becuase the car which won had an overall worse season.

[Don Capps]

Don, I'm interested in applying their formula to the years after their study to see how those years rank in their chart. Should be interesting reading.

1961 did surprise me there as I thought that wasn't so close purely because Ferrari dominated but then again Enzo let the drivers get on with it so that left it close.

The common perception of the 1961 WDC season today and its reality are really quite different propositions. Had the tragic event at Monza not happened and the contest continued until the final round at Watkins Glen, who knows, it might have been even closer than it was. However, it was quite a contest with the outcome truly in doubt, there being no end of ups and downs during the season which seem to have gotten lost in the inevitable march of time.

[rjbetty]

The best season ever for me was undoubtedly my first one - 1997. It had everything. Every race was memorable for one reason or another. Everyone seemed to have their moment to shine.

There was the championship challenge of Ferrari. Eddie Irvine almost winning Argentina. Michael being by FAR the best driver. Miles ahead of Villeneuve, Hakkinen, everybody. Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher doing well for Jordan. Fisi was amazing and he became my favourite driver for all time. He beat the more highly rated Ralf in EVERY way, even though he was taken off by Ralf unfairly in Argentina. He scored more podiums, more points, highest qualifying. And that was with a bad knee injury in the first races of the season (which he didn't make drama about unlike Nigel Mansell)!

Then there was Panis (admittedly only because of Bridgestone), the impressive Stewart and Barrichello and Damon Hill almost winning for Arrows, and qualifying 4th at Jerez (Diniz shone at times too). Then there was the brilliant strong season for Johnny Herbert, the rise of McLaren. Minardi also had some good performances (15th and 17th on the grid in Australia). At each race you knew Villeneuve and Michael would be around the top, but apart from that you never knew who was going to be competitive each weekend.

1997 totally spoiled me. It was my first season and I didn't know any better. It was so good that no season since has ever matched up to it. I thought it was normal for things like Arrows to be leading by 35 seconds, and for all sorts of different teams to be very competitive at different races. Imagine my shock and disappointment when 1998 turned round, and all we ever got was McLaren and Ferrari THEN Williams, Benetton and Jordan THEN Sauber THEN Arrows, Prost and Stewart THEN Tyrrell and Minardi. And it was like that basically EVERY race. How boring.

The worst season (since 1997) was 1998 and 2002. I actually didn't mind Ferrari and Michael winning everything. It was that it was ALWAYS McLaren and Williams THEN Renault and Sauber THEN Jordan and BAR THEN Toyota, Jaguar and Arrows THEN Minardi, with drivers from one group hardly ever breaking into the group above.

[52Paddy]

I actually didn't mind Ferrari and Michael winning everything. It was that it was ALWAYS McLaren and Williams THEN Renault and Sauber THEN Jordan and BAR THEN Toyota, Jaguar and Arrows THEN Minardi, with drivers from one group hardly ever breaking into the group above.

That's a good point. I reckon that I could have been put off by that common proceeding too. It was a joy when lesser teams did break into "the group above", but it seemed to happen all too rarely.

[jens]

Yes, those mixing of teams throughout the field have been quite interesting to follow. :) I started with 1998, when I saw huge gaps between teams and got used to them, so perhaps in the future I have been kinda appreciating seeing how close F1 has by now developed and come. :)

I remember 1999 and 2001 as seasons, where reliability and general cock-ups played a big role unlike 1998 and 2000, where things seemed like "in order". In 2000 what was notable, is that while Ferrari and McLaren were miles in front, it was quite tight behind them. Williams was third in WCC, but on some circuits didn't even qualify into Top10. In 2001 teams were in sort of "order" as well. Top3 firmly in front (who was fastest depended on circuit characteristics), then Jordan/Sauber/BAR (Jordan fastest esp in quali trim, but had worst reliability), then others. Benetton managed to join the second group in the end. But the reliability issues were so significant that even Jaguar made it onto the podium, Villeneuve did it even for twice (something he had been missing out so narrowly all 2000 despite perhaps slightly better car) and Alesi in his ultra-reliable Prost made it into the points three times!

2002 seemed like a low in motorsports in general. Grönholm dominated WRC, da Matta dominated CART, Rossi dominated Moto GP. I was wondering that where have we arrived, is this the result of high-tech motorsport? Everything is boring. But then we got spectacular seasons both in F1 and WRC in 2003 and I realized that excitement is still possible. After the one-sided years of 2002 and 2004 in F1 I have actually been impressed that after 2004 we have never had a season again, where one driver is running away with the title. Seemed most probable in 2009, but still almost ran to down the wire. Unlike 2002, now very tight and closely fought seasons seem like a norm in F1. Let's see, if it will be maintained.

[Don Capps]

And really if I'm honest the best season is always the one we're in or the one that's coming.

Which, I would suggest, generally reflects the attitude of most of those who follow sports -- always looking ahead, concerned about the latest goings-on, mulling over the current gossip, speculating about the next event, second-guessing the participants, focused on the here and now. That is the lure, the attraction of sport, that one is always in the present but looking forward. It is also why nostalgia and trivia are so attractive to sports fans: the past is past, considered only in terms the present.

That "present," of course, is also the lens through which the past is focused, as well as why it might be considered in the first place. The past tends to only come into play to any extent during the offseason or gaps in the schedule or when an incident prompts the exercise of memory.

I think that "fandango" really captures the attitude that most here and elsewhere share when it comes to sport in general, not just motor racing. I rather admire that. Although I have lost that ability, I do understand it. While I do not follow or even care very much for formula one in its current state, I am now rather very hesitant to denigrate it or belittle it simply because it is both irrelevant as well as, for lack of a better word at the moment, impolite. The basics of motor racing have changed little, but the specifics of today have little resemblence or even relevance to just a few decades ago, much less many decades ago. Motor racing in general is a very dynamic sport, one that morphs routinely as time moves along.

That, of course, makes any comparisons with the past much more problematic than say, baseball, football (both the American and the fussball varieties), tennis, what have you. While the other sports have obviously changed, those changes have been relatively gradual compared to the fairly rapid changes that motor racing affect motor racing.

As someone who saw his first Grand Prix event in 1954 (at Spa-Francorchamps) and his last live Formula One event in 2002 (USGP at Indianapolis) , I am not sure that a clue as to how to even begin to answer this sort of query, so usually I do not. Beginning about the 1984 season, I began to lose interest in formula one. From the 1985 season onward, I watched few events and within a few seasons generally checked the results only out of habit. I have not missed much in my opinion, the changes that took place under Balestre and Ecclestone and Mosley not being my cup of tea, as they say. Plus, my interests had been transformed from whatever "fan" there was left into that of viewing the sport as an historian, being much less interested in the contemporary scene and its various ups and downs.

As I mentioned elsewhere, not big on the use of superlatives personally, but I do understand the inclination, especially for publications needed to fill about eight pages of issue with something. I was roped into being part of those submitting input for several of the many lists Motor Sport seemed to crank out constantly about a decade ago, before I simply refused to do anymore. Some seasons do tend to stand out for whatever reasons, such as the 1982 season which seems to get about as many votes for "worst" as it does for "best" season. Other seasons beyond the reach of memory, which is part of the request in this thread, tend to be seen as hazy and even foreign, distance times. If truth be told, most seasons are chock full of events that are rather boring processions which on rare occasions are interrupted by something almost interesting. By looking forward, we tacitly acknowledge that fact.

Something that was, admittedly, a surpise to me was that examining seasons with the cool, distant objectivity of the historian was that it emerged that even the most outwardly dull, deadly boring seasons, 1952 and 1957 as just two examples within the WCD realm, become quite interesting and even challenging when examined within a different context or simply placed outside the realm of the "fan-view" of what happened. As mentioned above, the usual view of the 1961 WCD season led to several being surprised to dscover that it was, using the Goodchild/Southward methodology at least, much more competitive than they had imagined given the way it is often presented. To an extent, I would offer that some of that viewpoint of the season may be the result of the campaign by the new Ferrari management to convince everyone that Ferrari and Formula One were one and the same, that Formula One would collapse without the presence of Ferrari. Given that Scuderia Ferrari scarcely survived several seasons during the Fifties in particular as well as more than a few in the following decades, there is sufficient reason to question such a stance, but it certainly seems to have worked for those unaware of the past.

I have found several WCD seasons worth writing about due to the interest that resulted from seeing them in a larger context: 1982, 1961, and 1959 (which is currently being approached from a different angle diven my dissatisfaction with the original) as well as several others, 1958, 1964, 1966-to-1968, 1962, and so forth as well as those in other series, such as the 1992 Winston Cup season or the USAC Road racing Championship of 1958-to-1962 and the SCCA USRRC from 1963-to-1968. I will suggest that 1967 was as good a season as "Grand Prix Legends" also suggests. That 1964 was a very, very interesting season, being, like 1958, the sort that a movie script suggesting such things would be rejected as being to far-fetched. However, one season that I have studied quite a bit that continues to fascinate me is the 1916 AAA season as well as the 1905 season. Indeed, the American racing scene from 1904 to 1920 may be much, much more interesting that of the European scene during the same general period.

But, I digress....

[rjbetty]

[quote="jens"]Yes, those mixing of teams throughout the field have been quite interesting to follow. :) I started with 1998, when I saw huge gaps between teams and got used to them, so perhaps in the future I have been kinda appreciating seeing how close F1 has by now developed and come. :)

I wish I started with 1998. My brother and sister tried to get me into it in '96, but by choosing 1997 to start I was spoiled, then got a shock in 1998. No season has ever lived up to 1997 for me. 2003 came close.

Same for WRC. 2003 Miles better than 2002.

I beat my motorsport addiction in 2007 and stopped watching altogether at the end of 2007 without almost any clue what happened since. But I slipped back in towards the end of 2009 (Belgium time) when I was shocked to find my favourite ever driver Fisichella was STILL around. I thought I was seeing things when I read he recently came second! Looks like 2008 was a brilliant season with lots of people being competitive at different times (like '97) - McLaren, Ferrari, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Williams, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Honda all had days in the sun!

[Mark]

From a purely personal point of view 1996 was very memorable for me. Only my second full year of watching F1 with Hill going for the championship against the rookie Villeneuve. Then starting Uni and going across to Newcastle literally in the middle of the night to see Damon Hill become champion.

[DexDexter]

The best were 2007, 2008, 2010, they were all excellent. The worst season was without any doubt 1992 when one team had all the electronical gismos and the others didn't.

[Lemmy-Boy]

When it comes to excitement on the track, F1 has been quite boring the past 15-20 years. Of course, there's always an odd race that keeps me entertained. But overall, most races and tracks are worth sleeping over.

The only real reason why I keep up with F1 is due to the drama and politics that happens outside of the track. A dramatic irony, since it's a lot more exciting than the actual race.