On the topic of Mario.... Driving With Mario Andretti, Who at 76, Still Refuses to Slow Down Still kicking ass...
Out of all the F-1 One time WDC's - Mario would stand out as the best all rounder, but Regardless of nationality, Mansell is also a pretty good pick. He should have won in 86 - 87 and possibly again in 91.... so he could have been a 3 time WDC. also won in Indy cars first time out... so not too shabby. However Mario, is probably the most complete driver period. F-1, Indy, Sports cars, CanAM Nascar, Trans Am, Midgets, you name it ... he won it. Phil Hill, and Mike Hawthorne are also great Talents = in that they survived as long as they did.. Hill especially since he died an old man. in an era when your life expectancy was only several hours in a modern F-1 car... per race!!! However a brit poll, with a Brit driver ... Mansell = British Bull dog! no wonder he won.
Must be a generational thing, I'm a Brit, but couldn't stand whining nige, I always cheered for his competition, especially Senna, Prost, and the likes
+1 I am in fact embarrassed to share the same nationality with that guy. He never looked very sharp, did he ?
Mansell was a great driver and racer but a drama queen second to none. In his 1993 Indycar season at Newman Haas his team mate was Mario Andretti. Nigel won at Michigan and had to be lifted from his car after the race, as if exhausted. Mario finished 2nd and looked like he had just finished a round of golf.
This is why all drivers should be silenced, and keep their helmets on at all times. We could then only judge them by their skills and bravery behind the wheel. Unfortunately the F1 Circus is more about what happens outside of the cockpit. The TT is much closer to how pure racing should be - we engage through performance rather than "personalities". For some reason the public expects F1 drivers to also be entertainers out of the car. "The Tonight Show" with Lewis Hamilton - maybe the public will get their wish one day
But why? What attracts me to a driver is his personality, more than anything else. An engaging fellow is 10 times better to follow than a stick-in-the-mud.
Hamilton is as boring as my accountant, but I only judge him by his driving. As a sportsman that's what he's paid to do. Nigel Benn was boring and moaned a plenty, especially when you met him in person. However, I only judged him by his explosive sports prowess and discipline. Plenty of "personalities" on the X-Factor.
It's not a matter of judging, but being more interested in a driver than another. I have never been a fan of Hamilton or Schumacher, although I don't deny their success, but prefer to follow someone like Perez or Ricciardo. I suppose I prefer an underdog to a successful driver ...
In his defense, and I'm not a fan, he was racing with a fractured back all season from his crash in Phoenix. Has to be painful. But I also think Mario was more fit.
Totally disagree - not only in racing, but all sports. Who they are is part of why sports are interesting. Might as well replace them with robots based on your opinion.
I was never really a Mansell fan, but I will say that I've had a personal experience with the guy that I never saw with anyone else - except Senna ... so this is back in 1991 at the Canadian Gp. I had FIA passes and Paddock Club tickets. I had an extra set so invited a good friend of mine and he son. so on Saturday after qualifying we are down in the pit lane and Mansell is surrounded by press. my friend and I are there - with his son Ian about 12 years old, and he has an old Lotus F-1 hat JPS type... and this reporter steps out of the scrum and some how we got pushed in and Ian is in front and there is Mansell, sitting on the concrete barrier between the pit wall and pit lane. he reaches over and grabs Ian's hat and says "hey I like that hat, want to trade" and takes his hat off and gives it to Ian. then takes a marker from one of the Williams guys and signs the hat - "what's your name" and puts" to Ian from Nigel 1991!" on the hat and gives him back his lotus hat. he just was sitting there, and kept teasing Ian. ( think he was avoiding the press ) he was asking him about school etc... he was super nice, way nicer than any of the others at the time. I remember being in the around and when Prost or Senna walked by, you were so ignored it was like you did not exist. ( not that I expected them to) .... but the attitude was different. so I give Mansell credit from that point of view.
Nige must have been overcome with bonhomie that weekend, that was the race he led from start to the last lap when he started waving to the crowd . . .
That's a great story. I met Nigel at both points, whilst racing, and then once he was retired, and when he was racing, just couldn't get on his side. However, as a retired racer, I found he was a much more interesting fellow, and rather engaging at times, and it does put me in two minds about him. Maybe his whining was his defence mechanism, or allowed him to avoid the press hanging around too much?
That is where it could heading if F1 goes down the all electric route. Remote control cars. Scalextric.
Yes, similar to McEnroe, his whining was definately his technique of motivation and defense. Still, Vettel has taken whining to another level now
Brits prefer an underdog. Jochen inherited a fortune at 18 to start his career. Mansell had to remortgage his house.
Impossible to answer. I always preferred Schumacher over Damon Hill, but then perhaps I'm in a minority
When i went to Montreal 1992-1998 it seemed lime every British fan I ran i to was there l for Mansell (1992-1993) or Hill (1994-1998). For me it has gotten to the point I cannot listen to BBC podcast as it is so one sided in favor of Hamilton. I find the Motorsport, Formula 1 Blog.com and F1Weekly podcast more useful as they at least attrmpt to evaluate each driver's performance fairly rather that the all Hamilton ain't he the greatest ever BBC.
