| Readers' Comments | |
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| Updated: 18 September 1997 | Italian Issue |
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Dear Atlas,
I was just wondering if there were any other people out there who share
the same feelings as I do with regard to the Williams team. In the past,
I was always an avid Williams follower; being English, it was easy to
love them since they had struggled to the top, now having the best cars
and, in my opinion, the best drivers. As I was saying, I am English,
so I always went for Mansell and Hill. When Mansell became aware that he
was no longer needed for 1993, the feeling of anger was not apparent
because they had just announced that the son of former World Champion,
Graham Hill, was to join. "Great," I thought, "How nostalgic... this could
really be a chance for history to be made." 1993 went by and Damon Hill
scored three victories and everything was in place for the same thing to
happen in 1994. The tragic death of Ayton Senna led to the placement of
David Coulthard and then Nigel Mansell as his replacement. My reaction to
this was that Williams was a patriot, employing British drivers to beat
the world in a British car; It sounded wonderful.
Then in '95, we missed out on the return of Nige, but the gap was filled with the resigning of Coulthard. Poor pit stratergies and unreliabilty of the Williams car for that year led to poor old David Coulthard copping the wrath when it was apparent that it was neither drivers fault. At least we still had Damon in the car for next year It appeared that he knew what to do to get the Williams back on top, which he did in the most glorious manner. Then in 1996, we learned that leading the World Championship was not enough for good old Damon and that he had to be sacked. I don't know if anyone else feels like I do, but I think that we as British people have been betrayed. There was no need to sack Damon and it now looks as if Franky is paying the penalty for his crimes. I am no longer a Williams fan and I never will be -- no matter if they get another British driver behind the wheel. What is the point when they are all going to be sacked in the future? I wrote this to ask if there are any other people out there in Britain who use to be avid Williams supporters, but after Damon was sacked now feel like telling them to go to hell. Until the return of Lotus in '99, I will be going for Arrows, no matter if Damon is there or not. At least I can be sure that they have some British pride in them, something which Williams lack. Remember Lotus, when you return you will have most of the former Williams supporters behind you, so go for it.
John Fulbrook
I was amazed to read that Damon Hill was criticizing the revised Austrian Grand Prix track. If it is a stop-go circuit then surely that would make it similar to... Hungary? And, if Damon has already been to the circuit, then wouldn't that give him a small advantage over the half of the field or more that haven't? Oh, well. Who ever said that Formula One was supposed to make sense?
Toby Rowallan
Dear Atlas: I've just read the readers' comments and would like to comment on sphere@microtec.net's letter. I am also a F1 fan that is always reading magazines, checking the web and watching TV, trying to be up to date with the circus. In fact, I have been doing this for more than 25 years, when Internet coverage of F1 was not even dreamt of and live TV broadcasts were nonexistent (at least in my South American country: Uruguay). I still remember my highschool days in the early '70s when noisy SW transmissions of Brazilian radios, with Emerson Fittipaldi's father as comentator, were the only means I had to be "real-time" informed of the European races. But back to the point, "sphere's" opinion made me write this letter, since telling only part of the truth is also a way of telling lies. His suggestions, making Villeneuve look like the victim of a plot to enable Schumacher becoming World Champion irritates me. Has Mr (or Ms) "sphere" forgotten that Villeneuve blasted out of the pit entrance in the wrong direction in the last curve of the last lap of this year's French Grand Prix, almost colliding with Alesi who was driving correctly? Does "sphere" know that this situation deserved a two hour discussion of the commissaires, after which he was once more forgiven? Hasn't "sphere" considered the possibility that lots of people might think time has arrived for Villeneuve to get a "valid" ban after constant rule breakings: such as not obeying yellow flags, not keeping distances from pace cars, etc? Some may not agree that he has only been given "suspended" bans. And talking about pace cars, has "sphere" forgotten that the pace car condemned Schumacher out of the Argentinian race after the incident of the first lap, where two cars were very dangeroursly placed in the first curve? "Sphere" has surely forgotten, that unfairly the same criterion was not applied in the previous Brazilian race. Villeneuve, after spoiling the tires in his first lap's excursion to the gravel in the Senna S's (I was in K sector of the Interlagos stands), was gratified by a stopped race because there was a car that did not start in the middle of the straight, not representing any risk to other competitors. (Remember?, it was local driver Barrichello in his Stewart). What is my point? Honesty above all. It is easy to blame on incorrect decisions of the ones that rule this sport, if we only tell those that support our statements. Yours truly,
Luis Gasperini
PS. Paul Kaizar's answer to Anders Axelsson's letter made me wonder if people like Sacha J Woodward Hill are living in the last years of the 20th century or in the Inquisition times. Let's hope we can have Atlas Team for a very long time. Dear Sirs, First of all, many kudos on your fine page. I used to contend that good F1 coverage was hard to find it the U.S., but the more I surf and find pages like yours the less that position holds true. In reading some of the comments by your readers, and also of the reviews of the Monza race, all I can hear is that the race was boring, no passing, not close, etc.. Well, maybe it is more difficult to get covetrage in Europe, but if all you are interested in is close racing watch NASCAR (or even CART). There is so much more to F1 racing, or any form of racing than just close finishes. I'm speaking of the sheer asthetic beauty of a race car passing through a tough corner, the way it glides, slips, grabs, and slides again. Or watching the amazing talent and bravdo of the modern drivers as they maneover their cars through the challeging circuits that have an unequalled heritage and provenence to them. To me, in car camera shots are the stuff of dreams. Never mind if it is Micheal or Jos or whoever. All of these men have the talent of a fine musician only their instruments make the beautiful sounds of speed. Basicly all I am saying is that if the race happens not to be close, step back and enjoy the spectacle from a different perspective. Look for the beauty in F1 in a different context. There is so much there. Sincerely,
Ky Eric Boe
I have to agree with Marcio Oliviera from Montreal about the Italian GP. As a long time fan of F1 who used to criticise CART, the tables have turned recently with the addition of ex F1 drivers to CART. The Monza race needed gallons of coffee to get to the end. I'm surprised the pit crews were still awake. Whatever FIA change in future years, they should be forced to watch that race as they make their decision. That was not racing, it was a parade.
Roger Jubinville
RE: Sauber F1 and other topics. One team that many forget about is the Sauber team. They really aren't too bad. Johnny Herbert is one of the best drivers on the F1 circuit. I will admit that Sauber is a midpack team, but to say that Stewart will achieve before Sauber is ridiculous. Herbert looks to be staying, and odds are that Sauber will have a decent second driver next year. Whether it be Berger, Wurz, or Gianni Morbidelli again. Katayama to Stewart? Why? I like the Minardi team a lot, and Ukyo has done nothing. Trulli outperformed him and he isn't doing much better than Tarso Marques. Tarso might pass Ukyo up soon. It will be nice when Minardi loses the underpowered Hart V8 and gets the Ford V10, even if it will be slightly below the Stewart's engines. This is true for Tyrrell too. If Tyrrell has the same drivers next year, which I doubt for Salo, they will be rather good. Hill will likely move to Prost and be with Panis. Leaving Trulli out, and of course Nakano out. Trulli is in trouble maybe at the end of this season, although I think Minardi will take him back, unless Mugen Honda lets Prost release Nakano and keep Trulli. Trulli could fall a ways. Maybe back to Minardi, who will be much better. Everyone will be now that it will all be V10 engines. Everybody might be within three seconds at most tracks. That would be pretty good. I'd say Salo goes to Arrows, and Diniz stays at Arrows too. Which means that Tyrrell probably has Verstappen and Magnussen. Assuming Stewart does take Katayama. I'm not sure whether to take that seriously or not. Might be just for the Mild Seven sponsorship. Leaving Minardi with Jarno Trulli and Tarso Marques. Not too bad for the lesser teams. Of course Williams is pretty much set, as is Ferrari, and McLaren. I bet that Benetton does not get Fisichella, so they keep Alesi and Berger, and why not. So Jordan keeps Schumacher and Fisichella. While Sauber has Herbert and convinces Wurz to race for them. Leaving Morbidelli in the cold, along with Nakano. Hopefully, Greg Moore can win the CART champioship next year and go to F1 in 1999. Dario Franchitti is a driver to watch, and Gil de Ferran is still rather good. Of course Zanardi rocks, but he might just stay in CART and rule for a while. While I am American, I must say I enjoy F1 over CART. Can't want for Lotus to be back in '99. Also, here's hoping that either Zakspeed, Wolf, or Pacific get their stuff together and come back. Of course, Pacific has sponsorship from Petra and would only need some more sponsors. Maybe make a return to F1 in 2000. Good for BMW, and Honda is coming in too. Finally, enough good engines to go around!
Terry Wey
I have been watching the F1 circus for quite a while now (maybe for too long). I watch the races, I read the magazines, I check the web, making sure that everything is accurate and fair. Honesty is something that I always look for in everything. However, when I watch F1 now, I feel something as seriously gone wrong. All the technology is there, veterans and rookies share the track for that great fight for the title, but somehow some drivers seem to have a smoother way to that same title. The rule book seems to be written in different languages from one garage door to the other. Traction control in English means no, but in Italian it means maybe. So, everybody ought to take a crash course in Italian to have a chance to catch up that red fish that swims so well on those wet tracks. I guess a great driver is even greater in a faster car, legal or not. How about those 31 tires in Canada? If other teams used more than 28, I would like to know because I would be more then tempted to think that the red rocket was generously helped from some friends. The same friends that stopped the race because of a dead driver was having a hard time pulling himself out of his blue wreck. What it the use of the safety car? Maybe it is to make sure the track is dry enough so those with full wet tires get screwed before the race really begins. Safety is a big concern these days, so a lot of things have been done to protect our beloved drivers: sanctions for various violations like speeding under a yellow flag. I know it is pretty difficult to judge a situation from my TV set, but when I see somebody get away without even a warning after using his yellow snake to push a competitor off the track, it makes me wonder. Anyway, enough paranoia, it is OK to keep your act interesting. But, if you pull some strings (who doesn't these days), be more delicate. I will still watch the show for those beautiful pieces of machinery and, once in a while, see a wheel to wheel battle. However, I really hope the new regulations for 1998 will keep the show interesting. If not, how many awkward moments will we have to witness? P.S. looking back to '94, I think a lot of people wanted a Briton to win over the Teuton, but the actual King who was Prince at the time, forgot the last line of the last act of that great tragedy. God of the circus dies and his teammate takes over to save is honor. Well, sorry! Don't forget this is just a comment. There's a lot of things more important in life than freaking out over some comment made by some unknown joker. Dear Atlas, Olivier Panis' comeback this week, scoring the 1m14s500 at Magny Cours and equalling Michael Schumacher's pole time last June makes us think of what this season "could have been" if the Montreal accident had not happened. At the beginning of the season, Olivier slowly out-performed every driver, first the small teams, then the mid-field, and then Schumi, having only Jacques left in the front. Remember Argentina and Spain? With the second half coming down on Villeneuve, and Panis rising confidence, performance and technical improvement of his car (directed by himself) we could now have a much more interesting championship. I do hope Olivier comes back, but at the correct time. If he has to wait until Suzuka, it will be OK for me. He has to come back at his top level (even improving that lap time of Magny Cours) to fight for the title for him and Prost Grand Prix from the very beginning of 1998. Allez Olivier!
Santiago de Tezanos
RE: Paul Messham's article about Arrows Good, interesting article. Well done. Wouldn't mind having a go myself! Let me know if you'd be interested in yet another armchair critic's-eye view from the Antipodes. Regards,
Frank Fowler
Dear Atlas, I (belatedly) have decided to make some comments about the television coverage that Formula One recieves in Canada. We receive F1 coverage from our national sports network, TSN, who gets the feed from ITV (Murray and Martin RULE, Martin is pretty funny for a guy that's supposed to be deadpan to Murray's excitement). Anyways, our "esteemed" sports commentator, Vic Rauter, made some comments after Michael Schumacher's brilliant drive at Spa. He said he wanted to see Schumacher in an inferior car, or words to that effect. The reasoning being that Jacques Villeneuve (the blonde missing member of Prodigy) could have a better fight. What a totally assinine statement. First of all, Michael had a real part in making the Ferrari as good as it is at this point. Esteemed drivers like Berger and Alesi combined for 2 wins in various red cars during the years they were at Ferrari. Michael won three times last year (in a crappy car) and has devolped the 310B into a real competitive package. Secondly, Villeneuve couldn't beat Hill in the Williams last year and the Williams was the best car last season. Anyways, Vic Rauter, you should stick to curling. P.S yes Mitch, indeed I am a Canuck... Forza Jordan!
Cecil King
RE: Monza Review Was it that boring that Max can't figure out how to write about it???
Tracy Roketta
Dear Atlas, I'm sorry for all F1 fans (myself included), but I have to say that, having barely kept myself awaken to watch the oh-so-boring 7 a.m. broadcast of the Italian GP (here in Montreal) I felt really upset to find out that, in terms of excitement, the 3 p.m. Indy race was much, much better... It's really sad that the so called 'pinaccle of motosports' have become so boring and predictable, that we, the real fans, start to wonder if it's really worth even waking up and wasting a few precious sleep hours to see a race with no excitement at all, no passes (except Coulthard's on the pitlane), and when somebody finally tried to do something, what happened? both cars out of the race (Ralf and Johnny). If anyone taking the time to read these few lines has also seen the Indy race he (she) knows what I'm talking about: that's excitement! that's real racing! with the first 6 cars swapping positions, with alot of passing (actual passing, and also pit stop passing)...and a superb driving by zanardi, which was more concerned in winning the race than in his championship (that was really cool). To conclude, I would like to add that I'm already looking forward to the next F1 season, with the grooved tires and less grip, maybe then F1 can reclame it's position on the 'pinnacle', which now is taken by storm by Indy's fierce competition... au revoir,
Marcio Oliveira
Monza was a boring race. At least for us spectators. Coulthard said that it was funny drive around 300km/h in a row of 6 cars. But the incredible was that only 12 seconds separated the first 6 competitors. At the same time, in Laguna Seca, on a race without yellow flags, the difference between the first and the 6th on arrival was of 54 seconds. Many times people argues that CART is more competitive than Formula One, etc, etc. But thanks to a fenomenal work made by Bernie Ecclestone and FIA, Formula One is regaining competitiveness and power. We can foresee a bright future for the sport. Jordan is arriving at the top, meaning a 5th strong team. Prost seems to follow the same track soon and Stewart will do the same. Formula One keeps the best cars, best drivers, best tracks and best competition. That's what all of us want to see.
Marko Petek
I have been watching F1 racing off and on since about the mid 70's and have seen a lot of great drivers come and go. I am in my early 30's and have a 2 year old son who loves to watch the races with me. I have been watching it more now since there is more coverage of the races on Canadian TV stations that are broadcasting it. I am a big Villeneuve fan, watching him go from Indy lights to Indy, now CART, to F1. This guy can really move with a car, but the Williams team has to do something abount their cars in the rain. Villeneuve could have won the race in Belgium had they used the correct tires, but thats racing. I have since noticed that this was to be the year for him to win the F1 Championship but Michael is close with only 4 races to go, so GOOD Luck Jacques and the Williams Team. I wish also to ask from Atlas if I could get a book on the History of F1 Racing from the beginning. To know the tracks, drivers and cars that have been developed from the very first race that started it all. If there is any way that you could get this information for me or help my find it I would really appreciate it. Thanks for opportunity to say a few words.
Dennis Bosnyak
Dennis: Atlas has frequently referenced the Grand Prix Data Book 1997 by David Hayhoe, et. al. for historical data by track, driver and team. I believe we may be able to make the book available through Atlas very soon. Please check back when our Atlas F1 Endorsed Products page reappears.
Paul Kaizar Hello. I just wanted to say thank you for a superb page (Atlas) and your excelent coverage of the Formula One scene. Michael Viveen's news is the best help possible too keep up with the current standings and events. Becouse of the poor Formula One coverage in the media, your page has become the only and (therefor) best source for information. It would be nice if your page containd a more indepth look behind the sceen with profils and longer interviews with owners, drivers, team bosses and other important people. A history section would also bee nice with some great moments from the world of Formula One. Once again thank you for a great page. Anders Axelsson Anders: We too would love to bring in depth information to Atlas F1 readers. We've contacted the FOA (Formula One Administration) twice within the past year regarding credentials so that we could get in and talk to teams and drivers. However, Sacha J Woodward Hill from the legal department at FOA will have none of it. The FOA claims exclusive rights to all Formula One electronic media via the FIA site and other sites sponsored by Tobacco companies who pay for the privilege. Recently, sites like F1 World have been attacked by Bernie Ecclestone and the FOA in an attempt to start extinguishing non-accredited Web efforts. They only thing that bends the ears of Bernie Ecclestone is money, so I feel contacting them by you or I is a lesson in futility. However, if you ever feel compelled to voice your opinion over future site closures and the contempt by which Atlas F1 and other Web sites are treated by the legal department of the FOA, contact Sacha J Woodward Hill, Formula One Administration Limited, Number Six Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, London SW7, Tel +44 (0)171 584 6668, Fax (0)171 589 0311. Do I sound bitter? I am. My apologies to you and our readers.
Paul Kaizar |