1992 F1 driver line up picture

Class of 1992 at the Adelaide Grand Prix.

Some talent gathered there.


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Yes very talented group but don't kid yourself. The current F1 grid is among the best prepared, most accomplished, and most talented there has ever been. I'm all for nostalgia but there are some real duds in that group and only a few real superstars.

 

The current F1 crop, as you say, is also very talented but is not without its duds either, some of which have already been shown the door.

 

One has a No Exit clause, apparently he comes with the building?

 

OK, so who can name them all from left to right? No Google.

I can remember only around 50%.

 

I would like to think I can name probably 75%

 

I can do the first row then 4 or 5 others.

 

I can name them all. No hesitation.

 

Here goes then. Happy to be corrected if I get any wrong.

Front row L to R: Katayama, Prost, Patrese, Mansell, Senna, Berger, Brundle, Boutsen

2nd row: Schumacher, Capelli, Alboretto, Comas, Morbidelli, J J Letho, Gachot, Gugelmin, ??

3rd row: Fittipaldi, Alesi, Wendlinger, Lammers, Herbert, Hakinen, Nakagima, Zanardi, de Cesaris

 

2nd row: Is it not Nicola Larini ?

 

Corrections/additions in all caps:

Front row L to R: Katayama, MARTINI, Patrese, Mansell, Senna, Berger, Brundle, Boutsen

2nd row: Schumacher, LARINI, Alboretto, Comas, NASPETTI, J J Letho, Gachot, Gugelmin, MODENA

3rd row: Fittipaldi, Alesi, DE CESARIS, GROUILLARD, Lammers, Herbert, Hakkinen, SUZUKI, MORBIDELLI, LAMMERS

 

That's better !!

There were 33 entries for the 1992 final GP in Australia.

26 qualified and were on the grid. How times have changed !!!

Source: stats.f1

 

Yes think you are spot on with that.

 

I was a fan of Nicola Larini when he was racing for Alfa Romeo in DTM, and beating the Mercedes !!!

That was long time ago !!!

 

People like to talk about how much 'better' racing was in the early 1990's and much of that is clouded nostalgia. While the cars were very beautiful the lap times told a different story. Here are the qualifying results of Adelaide 1992. Nowadays the ENTIRE FIELD is covered by the spread of about the first 4 places back then.

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For me personally, the 80's and early 90's were a time when I was regularly attending a variety of European GP's and being an avid Senna fan, I have fond memories of this period.

 

1992 was Prost's year off.

 

The striking thing is eight Italians whereas in recent years we had none.

Only Modena, who never had a chance to show his brilliant potential, and one of my favorites, Michele Alboreto, were special, the rest very forgettable.
In fact some of them are the only ones I could not identify in the photo.

Another one who had huge but unrealized potential was JJ.

When I was racing Formula Ford 1600, Formula Renault, in England 1986-1989 he was THE shooting star, absolutely awesome in his FF2000 and F3 overtakes, magic in the rain... I thought watching him..hmmm...maybe I can't do that...walk on water, pass two guys in the outside in one swift move...

Fast forward a few years to Le Mans 1995.

In huge rain throughout the whole race he drove circles around the others and won with Dalmas and Sekija. I was covering the race for Cavallino magazine.
I spoke briefly with him at the end of the press conference, he was very calm, very Finnish, knew he'd made a major statement. A nice moment.

 

Larini was a hot shoe, and those were some of the best years of DTM. I miss those years.