“Reflections: ‘Lauda razor sharp in Long Beach – 1982 US Grand Prix West (Rd 3)’”

As the Formula One circus pitched up at Long Beach for the first of three American Grands Prix in 1982, the tensions between FOCA and FISA began to heat up once again following two heated meets in South Africa and Brazil.

“Reflections: ‘Prost victorious as Piquet disqualified – 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix (Rd 2)’”

With the 1982 Argentine Grand Prix lost due to lingering uncertainties within the sport, Formula One finally arrived in South America for the Brazilian Grand Prix in mid-March and although two months had passed since the infamous South African Grand Prix, ill feeling remained within the paddock and the outer reaches of Formula One itself.

Reflections: “Prost from the Brink – 1982 South African Grand Prix (Rd 1)”

Formula 1 loves controversy; it feeds off of it. Without the public displays of placated aggravation and sugar-coated cat calling, Formula 1 would probably fall from the public eye. At the start of 1982, Formula 1 got it very, very wrong.

A James Hunt Biopic?

The last few days have revealed plans of a biopic of the 1976 Formula 1 World Champion, James Hunt. Production company DreamWorks have commissioned the project that is to be based on Tom Rubython’s highly criticised 2010 biography of the driver, Shunt; however script writers have yet to be brought in on the work. Young … Continue reading A James Hunt Biopic?

Flying the Flag: Masahiro Hasemi

When the Formula 1 teams showed up for the final race of the 1976 season and the conclusion of a titanic battle between Ferrari’s Niki Lauda and McLaren’s James Hunt, few noticed several Japanese drivers on the entry list for the main event; one of which happened to be Tokyo native Masahiro Hasemi.

“This Charming Man: Carlos Pace”

Something that is often lost in the grey, highly corporate world of modern motor racing is charm – that ability to please and appeal to all people with neither effort or force. It was inevitable that as Bernie Ecclestone helped reshape Formula 1 into the mammoth global entity that it is today, much of the … Continue reading “This Charming Man: Carlos Pace”

Pining for the Green Hell

As Formula 1 has left Europe for the 2010 season, it is almost certain that many will gripe about some of the modern tracks that the series will visit over the next six weeks, while praising the gems that are Interlagos and Suzuka. Those two circuits have become treasures within the wider community of Formula … Continue reading Pining for the Green Hell

Paying the Way

Pay drivers in motorsport is perhaps not a subject that has come up too often in modern Formula 1. While the quality of these entrants is rarely of note, there have been occasional surprises in the history of the sport that defy such generalisations, such as Niki Lauda's becoming a three-time World Champion after he … Continue reading Paying the Way