Dear Nigel,
I would love to hear your thoughts/opinions on Lewis Hamilton. For me, his raw talent, driving style and never-say-die attitude are strongly reminiscent of Gilles Villeneuve – I hope this is not being sacrilegious to you as I know you and Gilles were close. Anyway, at Istanbul, watching the pass on Lewis by Jenson Button when the former was clearly assuming a ‘hold station’ situation was in play, Lewis’ subsequent downbeat/subdued attitude on the podium was very reminiscent of Imola ’82… Thanks for the great articles and podcasts!
Rich Gray
Tag: Keke Rosberg
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Shades of Imola ’82?
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Two legends reunited
April 29th, 2010 | Damien Smith | 12 Comments
Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti. Quite simply, two of the greatest racing drivers in motor racing history. Even their names, which carry the resonance of Grand Prix wins from a golden era, heroic sports car feats and more, are dripping with style and class.
As far as we’re aware, these… Read more -
How Prost achieved perfection
Dear Nigel,
I confess to being a huge fan and admirer of Alain Prost, both as a person but also for his driving technique. Former team-mates Eddie Cheever and Keke Rosberg speak in amazement at how he managed to be so quick and smooth without them really understanding how or what he was doing. And former engineers, including John Barnard and Patrick Head, speak in awe of how easy on the car he was.Have you ever been privy to information or been told first-hand exactly what Prost did differently and where it was he made up so much time? Was it under braking? Was it through certain types of corner?
I would be fascinated to know, as in-car footage of Prost doesn’t reveal the secrets to his technique.
Gavin -
Nannini’s sacrifices for F1
Dear Nigel,
What are your memories of Alessandro Nannini and how did you rate him as a driver?
Sas Nader -
Struggling to stay in love with F1
Dear Nigel,
Not so much a question, but more a thank you.
I found myself at the British Grand Prix in 1984. I watched the cars go off on their warm-up lap and was blown away by the noise and power. They all stopped and went away for real, 20-odd turbo cars, popping and banging, sliding away.
From that moment I was hooked, and found every outlet that could provide me with information about F1. I discovered Autosport and read every article that you wrote. I discovered Gilles through you, bought every book and tape about him, even named a cat after him. I also noticed somewhat that F1 for you died the day he died. In my young mind I never really got to grips with this, just carried on my merry way, though still absorbing all you wrote…
Then for me, on May 1 1994, my F1 world fell apart. Although I was to attend many a race after this, my F1 world had finished. The flame had gone out and I understood what you went through at Zolder. Now I try to watch the races, but they leave me cold. Something that had touched me so deeply no longer has any meaning – it’s just cars trundling round…
Martin Poole





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