Continuing out ranking of the drivers of 2005, this week we present the definitive top ten. 10 (-1 on half-term ranking) Jenson Button, BAR-Honda, 37 points With zero points at the halfway point in the season, you’d have been forgiven for assuming that Button would be happy with his move to Williams for 2006. But … Continue reading 2005 Driver rankings #10-1
Michael Schumacher articles archive
Michael Schumacher
Courting Valentino
Posted onLast weekend Valentino Rossi claimed his fourth consecutive Moto GP title and again fuelled speculation that he might switch disciplines to Formula One with Ferrari in 2007. It has been 20 years since anyone significant did this, and it would be fascinating to see how he performs. Mike Hailwood, Johnny Cecotto and, most famously, John … Continue reading Courting Valentino
Japanese Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Posted onThe Japanese Grand Prix may not decide the drivers’ championship this year, but it has done on many past occasions. Even without the thrill of the showdown the challenging Suzuka circuit is an exceptional venue, which is more than can be said for its rumoured replacement in Fuji. Fernando Alonso may be on a post-championship … Continue reading Japanese Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Schuey’s new second
Posted onTo many, Ferrari is Formula One – especially, it seems, to Max Mosley. To be a Ferrari driver is an honour bestowed to the greatest of talents and one not given lightly. So why on earth is Felipe Massa going to be piloting one of the beloved red cars next season? I’d make a case … Continue reading Schuey’s new second
BAR for Barrichello
Posted onRubens Barrichello’s move to BAR was confirmed today, meaning that either under-fire Takuma Sato or potentially Williams-bound Jenson Button will be out of the Brackley team next year. Barrichello will start his 14th F1 season with his fourth team, and the multi-year deal will take him up until at least the end of 2007. Barrichello’s … Continue reading BAR for Barrichello
Silly season 2006
Posted onUnlike the rest of Britain, apparently, I am not enthralled by the latest Jenson Button saga. For what it’s worth I hope he does drive for Williams next year, because he shouldn’t be allowed to worm out of the contract simply because the winds of fortune have changed. But the really perplexing aspect of the … Continue reading Silly season 2006
British Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Posted onFrance was not quite the reputation recovery exercise that F1 might have hoped for. Alright, nothing went wrong, but the race was rigidly dull at best. We can surely hope for better at F1’s spiritual home, Silverstone. Fast, flowing, dramatic and challenging – Silverstone is one of the best circuits in modern Formula One, a … Continue reading British Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Editorial: Who goes where?
Posted onWith BMW’s decision to move into a partnership with Peter Sauber’s team for 2006 the opening salvo has been fired in the battle for the drivers to find the best seats – and the teams to find the best drivers – for next year. So let’s indulge ourselves in a little educated (we hope) guesswork. … Continue reading Editorial: Who goes where?
French Grand Prix 2005 Preview
Posted onPut to one side the speculation over the future of F1 and the threats that, if the FIA hit Michelin with an excessive punishment, we could find ourselves watching another six-car race. If normal service is resumed in France, there is a mighty championship battle to be fought. If Silverstone, host of the first ever … Continue reading French Grand Prix 2005 Preview
2005 half-term Report: Drivers #5-1
Posted on5. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 17 pts (9) Yes, he should have got out of McLaren much sooner than he did. But now he has, and found a comfortable berth at Red Bull where he is free to stick two fingers up at his detractors and produce quality drives that give this flamboyant team a … Continue reading 2005 half-term Report: Drivers #5-1
The Magic of Monaco
Posted onNot only is the Monaco Grand Prix the most glamorous event on the motor racing calendar, it is also a living piece of F1 history. Drivers have gone to battle in the impossibly tight confines of the streets of Monte-Carlo since 1929. Nine non-championship events were run at Monaco from 1929 to 1937, followed by … Continue reading The Magic of Monaco
Schu vs Stats
Posted onIn his fifteen years of Formula One, Michael Schumacher has been the dominant force in the sport for most of the time. As such, he has led an assault on the F1 record books almost without parallel. He is notoriously indifferent to the scale of this achievement – in public, at least. Having won one … Continue reading Schu vs Stats
The Crash Awards
Posted onLike it or not, crashes will always be a part of F1’s appeal, as any form of motorsport. They are especially fascinating in F1, because these drivers are supposed to be the world’s best. It is in celebration of the fact that this isn’t always the case that we reveal the F1Fanatic Crash Awards. Every … Continue reading The Crash Awards
Doin’ it for fun
Posted onOnce upon a time not so long ago, Formula One drivers could be seen in action nearly every weekend; in non-Championship Grands Prix, Group C Sportscars, Touring Cars or even just thrashing a Saloon Car for a bit of fun. But why no more? Even in the mid-90s Giancarlo Fisichella intermittently alternated between the International … Continue reading Doin’ it for fun
Schumacher drives F2005
Posted onMichael Schumacher has finally gotten behind the wheel of the F2005 and immediately after getting out of the car told the journos from Autosport-Atlas and that this was the super-fact, razor-sharp machine that would allow him to renew his crushing domination of F1: “This car has been driven quite a lot, it’s not as if … Continue reading Schumacher drives F2005
The Nearly Men
Posted onThe Grand Prix greats are household names – even in car-hating, vegetable-munching, solar-powered homes. Ayrton Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark are legendary names throughout the world, and all three appear in our list of all-time greatest wins. But what about those drivers who never got to show their talent, had a career stuck … Continue reading The Nearly Men
The Greatest Wins: Senna
Posted onThe greatest win? Perhaps, but certainly the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park gave us the greatest single lap in F1 history. Formula One cars reached a technological pinnacle in 1993, and many of the driver aids seen that year have since been banned – active suspension, ABS brakes and more. Williams’ FW15 was … Continue reading The Greatest Wins: Senna
The Greatest Wins: Gethin
Grand Prix flashback
Posted onPeter Gethin’s 1971 victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza used to be a benchmark of speed and time – the fastest ever Grand Prix at 242.51 kph (150.75 mph), the closest ever finish with just 0.01s* between first and second, and a staggering 0.61s covering the first five cars. The modern era has … Continue reading The Greatest Wins: Gethin
The Greatest Wins: Fangio
Posted on1950s-era Formula One was very different compared to how it is in 2005. Argentine Juan-Manuel Fangio (aged 46, ten years older than Michael Schumacher is today) arrived at the sixth round of the 1957 season having already won three races that year. With each driver only counting their best five results towards the championship, and … Continue reading The Greatest Wins: Fangio
The rules unravelled
Posted onThe FIA’s new rules are designed to make the sport more affordable (or, at least, a shade less astronomically expensive) and more entertaining.