Favorite F1 Decade

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

I dont know if its been done before, but whats the best F1 decade in your opinion? Why? What about the cars drivers makes it the best? did you like it with more or less restrictions?

[motorsportnerd]

Hard to choose between the 1970s and 1980s. The 70s were a decade of massive change in F1 on all fronts. At the start of the 70s F1 was still a realtively relaxed, semi-professional sport. By the end of the 70s it had been transformed into the highly-professional sport that it has been for the last 25 years. It was the decade where most teams used the Ford-Cosworth DFV and the turbo engines made their first appearance in the Renaults. At the start of the 70s, the wings and slicks era had just started. By the end of the 70s the ground effects cars were racing. It was a decade where safety issues began to become important. Then there were the drivers: Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Giles Villenueve, Alan Jones, Ronnie Petersen, Jody Schekter and Mario Andretti. Some of the sports greatest and most characterful drivers.
Then theres the 80s. Powerful 1000 bhp + turbo cars. The decade where TV and Bernie Ecclestone took control of the sport. Two of the best ever drivers against each other in head to head battle: Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. Other drivers of the calibre of Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Michele Alboreto, Keke Rosberg and Niki Lauda - all top drivers. Safety transformed, with only one driver dying between 1983 and the end of the decade (Elio de Angelis killed in testing in 1986).
On balance I prefer the 80s - mainly because that's the decade I grew up and mainly because I remember the fiercest ever battle in F1 - the battle between Prost and Senna.

[taz_rocks_miami]

It would be kinda nice to go back to the days when you didn't have turbos, ground effects, paddle shifted gearboxes and other electronic doodads. Give the control of the car back to the drivers

[blackcat77]

60s -- Colin Chapman, Jim Clark. Dan Gurney and no aero nonsense.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

80's. A world chamion that people actually liked dominating the series. Incredible cars, lunatic capacities.....

[derekthetree]

got to be the 50's for me. stylish cars, fangio, ascari. thats real racing!

[Spastik_Roach]

80's. A world chamion that people actually liked dominating the series. Incredible cars, lunatic capacities.....

w3rd. 80's rocked for motorsport. Group B rally cars, turbo'd F1 cars, crazy ass DTM cars...

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

apologies for not checking back earlier. motorsportnerd makes a very good point, but i still like the either the 50's or the 60's-probably the 60's because i dont think there was any one dominating driver. the few rules around at the time allowed for very different desighns in the just-starting-to-be-explored areodynamic feild. an wxample is the huge wings on the lotus' at the end vs. the weird tail McLarens had.

[dydzi]

i'd go for 80's, very interesting period of f1 history

[Matra et Alpine]

60s and 70s.

Lots of differnet engine configurations. Flat 12, V12, V8 then the TURBOS
Lots of teams trying unusual aero configurations - anyoen remember the STP car with the funny oval wing up on a stick at the front ??

[Mustang]

70's and 80's for me

[RS6]

I agree with Derek, I would go for the 50's. Proper racing, and Fangio was a very talented driver, much better then Schumacher, plus he raced in his forties.

[aNOBLEman]

I'd say the 50's or 60's because of Fangio and Colin Chapman and Bruce McLaren and the many others. Those were the days when the cars were being driven without any aids of any sort.

[labomba]

I have the DVD 'The worlds greatest F1 cars' and it covers from the 30's right up until a couple of seasons into BMW's latest involvement.

I can't help watching it over and over again, and to be honest my fovorite years where not the When Ferrari or Mercedes were dominating. If anything it was the seasons when Ferrari didn't have the best car, but were taken to the Championship due to the genious of their drivers.

It has to be the 60's when BRM and Lotus were up there fighting and Chapman made the breakthroughs in chassis design. Jim Clarke Graham Hill, Surtees in the Ferrari racing with 1500 V8's -and then the change to 3.0' V8's and at the end of that decade, the birth of the DFV in the Lotus '49.



My own F1 memories start in the late 80's with Piquet, Prost, Senna and Mansell, those were some fantastic years aswell! Right at the end of the Turbos.

I would have loved to have been watching when Gilles Villeneuve was racing though! When it was still possible to drive the cars sideways



But to be honest I love it all...

[henk4]

60s and 70s.

Lots of differnet engine configurations. Flat 12, V12, V8 then the TURBOS
Lots of teams trying unusual aero configurations - anyoen remember the STP car with the funny oval wing up on a stick at the front ??

the March (not to be confused with the Larch )