Nigel Mansell

[DodgyAgent]

I once saw him sat on the beach at Paignton eating fish and chips with his family.

I asked him if he was Nigel Mansell and he said yes and kindly gave me his autograph.

Nice chap.

He didnt offer you a chip?

[Old Hack]

I remember when he pinned Senna to the pitwall by his neck for his dangerous driving. Those were the days when drivers still caught fire and got killed, so dangerous driving was worse.

I think I'm in a minority who thought Senna one of the most dangerous drivers I've ever witnessed in F1. He used to position a car in such a way which was saying, if you dont let me pass, we crash, your call, I'm not pulling out. Regardless whether he had a position to do so or not. I guess I am probably brain washed by H&S, but I always thought he was destined to meet god earlier than most folk.

Like you said, dangerous driving was much more likely to kill you back then, which is why Alonso probably had a point last week.

[Doggy Styles]

I think I'm in a minority who thought Senna one of the most dangerous drivers I've ever witnessed in F1. He used to position a car in such a way which was saying, if you dont let me pass, we crash, your call, I'm not pulling out. Regardless whether he had a position to do so or not. I guess I am probably brain washed by H&S, but I always thought he was destined to meet god earlier than most folk.

Like you said, dangerous driving was much more likely to kill you back then, which is why Alonso probably had a point last week.

You aren't the only one. Other drivers have whispered that he thought he was God.

Imagine what would happen today if someone pulled that stunt that Senna pulled on Prost to win the world championship. Schumacher had his critics for his deliberate prangs, and got penalised for it, but for some reason Senna didn't.

[SupremeSpod]

You aren't the only one. Other drivers have whispered that he thought he was God.

Imagine what would happen today if someone pulled that stunt that Senna pulled on Prost to win the world championship. Schumacher had his critics for his deliberate prangs, and got penalised for it, but for some reason Senna didn't.

Yes he did, he paid the ultimate price.

[VectraMan]

Yes he did, he paid the ultimate price.

You mean being disqualified from the championship for "cutting the chicane?"

You have to admire Senna, but to be honest, I spent most of my teenage F1 watching years willing him to crash so that Mansell could win. Non TV-Freetards can watch an excellent Sky F1 interview with Mansell, where he talks about how if he'd crashed when his tyre famously blew at 200mph, they'd have stopped the race and he'd been champion. But because he kept the car out of the wall, he lost out to Senna, in whichever year that was. There's also an hour long programme with Mansell, Murray Walker and Damon Hill.

[d000hg]

Yes he did, he paid the ultimate price.

You mean being disqualified from the championship for "cutting the chicane?"

I think maybe he means crashing and dying.

However he didn't crash due to any incident, did he? You can say that today he would be penalised but today the rules are different, like in any sport things change. You ARE still allowed to give the other guy nowhere to go if you have the line, aren't you... so he has to back out or hit you?

[BigTime]

..Mansell, where he talks about how if he'd crashed when his tyre famously blew at 200mph, they'd have stopped the race and he'd been champion. But because he kept the car out of the wall, he lost out to Prost.

1986 choo-choo

and for the edit I had a niggling recollection it was 180

http://en.espnf1.com/onthisday/motor...tory/2529.html

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I think I'm in a minority who thought Senna one of the most dangerous drivers I've ever witnessed in F1. .

Not at all - anyone sane would surely agree. Where Schumacher was a cheating and outstanding driver, Senna was a geezer apart gifted but also very strange.

The documentary film was outstanding IMHO

Mansell was/is a top geezer so what that he wasn't a grinning git like Schumy?

[Bunk]

Kimi Raikkonen makes Mansell sound like Mr Charisma.

[Old Hack]

Kimi Raikkonen makes Mansell sound like Mr Charisma.

I have been fortunate enough to meet Raikkonen in a personal environment and liked him a lot. I admire Raikkonen as he simply doesn't do PR. Boullier has described him as a wild animal, and I kind of agree. He is so different than todays drivers, for it to be untrue. Jenson Button, whom I loathe, does triathlons, Alonso Cycles, Hamilton (whom I rate) does playstation, Raikkonen enters snowmobile races under psuedonyms (one was James Hunt if I remember), goes out and gets drunk in strip joints, and is healthily unobsessed with his image. He's more of a 1970's F1 driver that I have ever seen. Incredibly quick when he can be arsed too.

You also have to admire a man who, when he was noticed missing from the line up sending Schumacher on his way in 2005, was found by Brundle and asked why he had missed the presentation. He replied 'I was taking a tulip' on live TV. He's not as anodyne as he makes out.

You do tend to get fed up listening to the drivers all thanks their mechanics, managers, sponsors, tyre manufacturers, etc, etc. It's almost got American now.

As for Senna, I just thought he would do anything to win. And, as someone pointed out, he once said I feel like I have god with me in the cockpit, it's as though he is guiding me to be quicker. However, he did have some skill on him. If you're into F1, you'd know about RBR Exhaust Blown diffuser being remarkable. Most of the skill was taken away from the driver by this being managed by the ECU. Barnard (and Newey in his previous places of employment), experimented with an exhaust blown diffuserin the 80's, but didn't have the sophisticated electronics of today, so it was up to the driver to do it. If you look on you tube, you can find pictures of Senna mid corner, tap tap tapping away at the accelerator to keep the engine on boost (turbo days) and keep the exhaust flowing mid corner, giving him more grip all the while keeping control. Few drivers could do it, so could be made to look massively slower in similar machinery. Even the legendary professor, Prost, couldn't master it.

No, he was a super quick driver, just feckin dangerous