If all you want to do is to win anything is fair. Not pretty but welcome to professional sports in the twenty-first century.
People like Clark, Stewart or Brabham didn't need to play dirty to earn their spurs. I don't recall either Surtess, or Fittipaldi receiving much criticism for their track antics. Even Hulme or Jones, who weren't push-overs, never received much blame. Was Piquet a 'dirty' driver? I don't recall. What about Lauda? Bad behaviour on the track came with the increase in safety: when people think they can't get hurt, they start to play up!! In the 50s and early 60s, most shunts were terminal and many drivers died from track accident. Hardly the case now, when constantly racers keep 'leaving' the track without consequence.
You are absolutely correct. I would add that raising the rewards in terms of money and celebrity has an effect in increasing the arrogance as well.
I agree but they're not what the young fans of today consider heros. Back in the day drivers would switch cars mid-race to help a team-mate today people have fits if team-mates allow a pass. Sportsmanship and chivalry are indeed dead.
since Senna, the only one to come close was MH when he crashed badly in Australia in the late 90s, Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone and there may be the odd big shake up like Webber had a few weeks back and Ralf and Rubens in Australia but if that had have happened in the 50s or 60s the consequences would have been much more dire. I think this is why Fangio and Brabham's WDC count more, they had less chance of surviving the accidents, their legs were sitting out front with almost no protection unlike the modern F1 cars that can protect the drivers in phenomenal crashes, rollovers in the older cars would have been terrifying
I always admired Collins for giving up his car to Fangio .... could you imagine the uproar if Rubens pulled in to give his car to Schumacher Fchat would explode
Server meltdown. Guaranteed. It is the perfect example btw. I often think about it when I hear all the whining about team orders.
I think there are many around and we often don't know what good deeds they did. But one that comes to mind is: Mika Salo giving up his one and only victory to Irvine in Germany 1999. Of course also Schumacher comes to mind giving up his Sepang victory to Irvine in 1999. Not an easy to answer question.
That;s why its a good question. M.S, may be a heartless SOB on track but when it comes to his private life he's one of the most generous athletes ever. Senna too did good deeds in Brasil (which his family continue).
Mika Hakkinen I liked him don't know why, just did. Currently I think Button is a fair all round sportsman, he likes competing in triathlons ..
Well they both have names that are fun to say. By sportsman I was thinking of a driver who kept his perspective when it came to racing. Someone who didn't take it too seriously and realized that it was supposed to be fun. That there were more important things in life than just winning.
He may well have been the last. As F.Scott Fitzgerald said "live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse".
Villeneuve Sr. was racing beyond Hunt's career and was the last to give up a WDC because of a gentlemen's agreement and ultimately died in his rage after having been betrayed by somebody who didn't honor such an agreement. ...and for whom Karma was a biatch.
True and I'll always admire him. He was able to combine the passion with sportsmanship like none since. No wonder he was one of Enzo's favorites.
I don't buy he's sorry. He isn't. Guys like him never are. Guys like him will do whatever it takes, no matter what the cost(his life, someone else's) to win. Whether you agree with some of his moves or not, he is the only 7 time world champion and there is a reason for that. He isn't satisfied unless he wins. There are other guys in other sports who are like him. The crap Brett Favre pulls this time every year in football. Retire, not retire, etc. Bottom line is, HE WINS and is exciting to watch. Michael Jordan was ruthless, but he was a winner. He did whatever he had to do, to win. Dale Earnhardt, pulled some of the most controversial moves ever, how many cups did he win? He was a winner and did whatever it took to get that stature. And Senna, in our own sport. ETC. There are more, but not many. Why? Because only the best athletes in history, no matter what sport, have the same quality...Will win no matter what the cost! Whether its right or wrong, it's the way it is. I don't agree with his move on RB on sunday, but it comes with MS. Nobody was hurt, he got penalized, move on. He is very competitive and he may have took it too far sunday, but that's the way it goes. Life goes on. Alex
Eddie Irvine? He couldn't give a f**k, refused to be intimidated by Schumacher and had a ball, and plenty of women, I am told!!
Not being intimidated was one thing...preventing himself from getting his ass handed to him on the reg from MS was another altogether...let's just say he wasn't quite so successful there.
