If you were stranded on a desert island, which three favourite motor racing books would you take with you, and why?
Martyn Hulland
Ask Nigel
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A desert island and three motor racing books
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Maserati 250F – the best or the greatest?
I believe that the best ’50s Grand Prix racer is the Maserati 250F, would you agree?
Paul Chenard
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Greatest overtaking manoeuvres
With the new season well under way now, and with traction control banned, it was good to see the cars sliding more and the drivers having to put more input into the control of the car. It got me thinking about yesteryear and the great overtaking manoeuvres there have been, and I wondered which you consider to be the greatest?
The ones that spring to mind for me and stand out in my memory are: Piquet around the outside of Senna at the Hungaroring in 1986 – outstanding car control. Prost taking Senna, who was asleep behind a Minardi, past the Signes kink at Paul Ricard in the 1988 French Grand Prix – wonderful opportunism. Jacques Villeneuve, also around the outside, this time of Michael Schumacher on the last corner at Estoril in 1996. His Indy years coming to the fore, and I think one of the bravest passes ever.
Speaking of Indy, an overtaking manoeuvre that I feel I have to mention is the one Arie Luyendyk did on Nigel Mansell around the outside of turn one in the 1993 Indy 500. It was after the last restart I think, with about 10 laps to go. There was so little room, and the speed with which Arie flew by must have made Nigel jump!
Berger passing Piquet after slipstreaming through the Peralta bend at Mexico in ’88, Alonso passing Schumacher at 130R in Japan in ’06, Häkkinen making a Zonta sandwich with Schumacher in Belgium in 2000 before Les Combes. Mansell on Berger at Peralta in Mexico 1990 are others that spring to mind.
It’s all opinion and open to conjecture of course, but it’s fun to think about and discuss!
Mark Smith -
Bringing back the European circuits
With reference to your ‘Reflections’ in the May edition of Motor Sport, if Bernie is so concerned about European audiences let’s hold more races in Europe (and fewer in the far East). There are plenty of circuits here, enough in fact to maybe run two Grands Prix in each major European country.
Lets include Donington, Zandvoort and the banking at Monza. And of course, Reims, Rouen, Paul Ricard, Osterreichring, Anderstorp, Zolder and Kyalami in South Africa (it’s even the same time zone).
Oh damn I have just woken up – what a lovely dream – but I do go back a long way and know all these tracks from over 50 years worth of Jenks and Motor Sport magazine! I think I will go back to sleep and dream some more. Here’s hoping!
Antony Ward -
“Something unbelievable” at the Osterreichring
Looking at old footage and photos of the Osterreichring it looks like a wonderful track in a great setting. We always talk of the old Spa and Clermont Ferrand as flowing circuits and it strikes me that the Osterreichring should be up there with them. Do you agree and do you have you any memories of particular races there?
Best regards
James Davison -
An Indy return
Given the recent merger of the IRL and Champ Car series, what are your hopes for the series? Will you be tempted to return to Indy at any time in the near future?
Alex Tomlinson -
The best GP on record
In your time as a reporter for Autosport which was the best/most entertaining GP you ever witnessed?
Iain -
Bringing back a circuit
If you could resurrect just one former Grand Prix circuit and include it in the F1 calendar, which would it be – and why?
Howard Woodward -
F1 Top 10 and Moss at Pau
First of all welcome to the Motor Sport magazine.
Q1. What value do experts’ lists of the top 10 drivers have? Kimi Räikkönen was the World Champion, but Autocourse ranked Lewis Hamilton as number one.
Q2. Stirling Moss never raced at Pau – true or false? Was it because he preferred Goodwood? He went a few years back to receive an award.
Q3. What is your favourite wine?
David Baxter -
Schumacher vs Moss
Michael Schumacher is always being hailed as the greatest and most successful racing driver ever. In F1 he won more races than anyone else, but he never won anything in a grossly inferior car as Stirling Moss consistently did in old Lotus’ and 250Fs. Moss won 50-odd F1 races, only 17 of which counted towards the championship, and in sports cars he was ‘the champion’.Do you agree he was the best? Schumacher was as good as his cars. Moss would dazzle in a wheelie bin. I always thought you were the best scribe by the way and, as I have been following the sport since the World Championship began, I do have a little knowledge on the subject.
Rod Hollingworth
It’s been Formula 1 all the way for Nigel – he started covering the sport in 1971. In the mid-1970s he worked for Graham Hill’s Embassy F1 team, before joining Autosport for whom he has written over 400 Grand Prix reports. Nigel joined Motor Sport full-time on Januray 1 2008. As well as reporting on F1 for national newspapers, he has written 19 books on motor racing. His insightful writing and candid interviews with the great names in racing have made him one of the recognised authorities on F1.
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