1996 f1

[Mark]

Just watching highlights of the 1996 Australian GP. Man I do miss the sound of those engines. Something you don't appreciate until it's gone! Those V10s were awesome.

Wide cars with wide tyres looked good!

Murray Walker! Those were the days!

[anfield5]

Don't know if you will agree Mark, but even better than the sound was the vibration in the air that your whole body felt because of the sound, you could literally feel the noise of the engines in every bone in your body. With less of the bullsh#t regulations the racing was better, drivers could actually race without the fear of being black flagged for any little thing.

[steveaki13]

Don't know if you will agree Mark, but even better than the sound was the vibration in the air that your whole body felt because of the sound, you could literally feel the noise of the engines in every bone in your body. With less of the bullsh#t regulations the racing was better, drivers could actually race without the fear of being black flagged for any little thing.

I agree. The first times I went to see F1 cars live, the sound was ear piercing, the vibrations were bone rattling. Awesome.

Plus as you say, slightly more physical racing. That does annoy me know. Always must be someone to blame. I mean look at Malaysia. Perez was at high speed and could not stop a tad of natural understeer. Also Hulkenberg was unfairly penalised. Both racing incidents in which the other drivers could have avoided too.

[jens]

Aww, 1996.

I have been watching some of the old qualifying sessions. Murray Walker, but also Eurosport's Ben Edwards-John Watson is a classic commentary as well. And I don't know, but if I watch a random quali lap driven by Montermini, Lavaggi, Inoue, or whoever else was there at the back, it creates a unique nostalgic feeling.:D

[zako85]

The energy-saving power units is where the manufacturers wanted to head. The same situation is in the top LMP1 class in WEC. Audis pass by with a whisper and Porsches sound surprisingly sedate. Only Toyota still sounds like a proper race car.

[Tazio]

The 1998 047D trhat was sort of a Ferraris Suzuka special, produced 800 crude normally aspirated Bhp. I saw the 2006 BMW Sauber traveling show as I've mentioned on here before, the car driven by a very young Graham Rahal. I was so close to that exhibition that I swore that thing was a v10, but at that time I was on a forced vacation from this forum, and someone on another forum pointed out that that was actually a detuned v8. :o :laugh:

http://i.imgur.com/Ra9jlr5.jpg


Sorrry ... :angel:

[Storm]

Just watching highlights of the 1996 Australian GP. Man I do miss the sound of those engines. Something you don't appreciate until it's gone! Those V10s were awesome.

Wide cars with wide tyres looked good!

Murray Walker! Those were the days!
oh yeah.

My 2+ yr old likes to watch a couple of videos on my phone - '96 and '98 season review. I tend to fall into nostalgia at the sound/look of those cars.....they howl and scream and give me goosebumps even in a 2.:30 video

:( sad to see what a joke the cars are thesedays...look bad and sound worse.

[journeyman racer]

1996 Australian Grand Prix. The peak of popularity for the race in this city. We loved taking it off Adelaide. Did you know, round about the same time, Sri Lanka beat Australia in that year's Cricket World Cup final?

What I don't get from the OP. Is that why get excited over the engines from that time? Watch videos from the early 90s if you're serious about engine noise. The throaty roar, rumble from a genuine wide variety of engines.

[journeyman racer]

Plus as you say, slightly more physical racing..
Tbh, I remember those times being particularly processional. In the 96 AGP, Hill didn't even attempt to pass JV's failing car til it was particularly bad.

[Mark]

Tbh, I remember those times being particularly processional. In the 96 AGP, Hill didn't even attempt to pass JV's failing car til it was particularly bad.

Agreed, I remember when I was watching the particular race live, that it was all rather boring until JV started having issues.

[Big Ben]

The 1996 Australian GP is actually the first one I've ever watched. I don't remember much of it but boring or not I liked it enough to follow F1 to these days. It's true I've lost some interest in the last couple of years. I'm following what happens now from articles mostly. I can take boring or quieter engines. I can't take all these gimmicks, the drs, the semi frozen engines, double points, tyre rules, constant changes to 'improve the show' etc. I would honestly like to hear one driver just say '**** this sh1t, this is not the F1 I was dreaming of growing up. I'm out'

[jens]

Tbh, I remember those times being particularly processional. In the 96 AGP, Hill didn't even attempt to pass JV's failing car til it was particularly bad.

You are right that it is easy to romanticize the past. In reality the main things in which F1 of those days looks superior, were aesthetics - sounds, looks of cars, and things like that.

But other practical things have often been there - including domination, sparse competition, politics behind the scenes, etc.

[MrJan]

Am I the only one who likes the racing now and actually enjoys the sound of the cars? Guess all those years standing in forests waiting for 6R4s mean that I have a soft spot for a 6 cylinder, to me the V10s are a bit shrill and OTT.

[journeyman racer]

Am I the only one who likes the racing now and actually enjoys the sound of the cars? Guess all those years standing in forests waiting for 6R4s mean that I have a soft spot for a 6 cylinder, to me the V10s are a bit shrill and OTT.
The type of sound doesn't bother me. But I do like that they're quieter. Like I said in the AGP thread, they were loud enough when they went past you. You couldn't hear them two corners away, and that was good.

Personally? The best engine noises were from the 3.5 litre era. But it's more important to me in F1, that it's a natural/understandable progression of the automotive industry.

[Roamy]

I was sitting in the stands in Portugal when JV set up and passed Schumi on the outside of the big sweeper. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Bring back the 10s and the wide car!!!!

[Doc Austin]

I would honestly like to hear one driver just say '**** this sh1t, this is not the F1 I was dreaming of growing up. I'm out'

That almost sounds like something Jacques Villeneuve would say.


Am I the only one who likes the racing now and actually enjoys the sound of the cars?

It's still the Formula One World championship. It's not perfect but it's the best thing we have. It's still good enough to deserve my support and enthusiasm.

[journeyman racer]

I was sitting in the stands in Portugal when JV set up and passed Schumi on the outside of the big sweeper.
Wow! We have someone who was there! One of the memorable moments in GP history. All we need now is someone who was at the 1991 Spanish GP!

[The Black Knight]

A few memorable moments for me that year were:

1) DH’s Williams being covered in oil from JV’s Williams after he ran wide in turn 1.
2) Schumacher’s final lap in Imola where his right front wheel wouldn’t turn or after qualifying on the Saturday where his suspension broke
3) Schumacher’s formation lap engine failure in France
4) Schumacher’s incredible Spanish GP drive – showcasing his skills and teaching the rest of the grid a lesson on how to how to drive in the rain along with his two wins in Belgium and Monza.
5) JV winning in Nurburgring that year. His first F1 race with Schumacher hunting him down right to the end, quicker, just not having the grunt in the Ferrari to pass him.
6) 1996 Monaco GP – only 6 finishers if I remember correctly. Schumacher made a stupid uncharacteristic mistake in that race as well on the first lap iirc. Olivier Panis’s only win.
7) Finally, of course, and as already mentioned, JV's pass on Schumacher in Portugal in a fantastic move.
8) What I missed most after the 1996 season was the loss of Ben Edwards and John Watson as a commentary duo. It was great.

It was pretty obvious, with Schumacher’s move to Ferrari that year, that Damon Hill was going to be WDC but at least JV kept him honest throughout the year and made it somewhat interesting.

[Caroline]

6) 1996 Monaco GP – only 6 finishers if I remember correctly. Schumacher made a stupid uncharacteristic mistake in that race as well on the first lap iirc. Olivier Panis’s only win.


I guess if you are only going to win one GP in your career then winning at Monaco has to be pretty special! Always felt that Panis was a good driver who never quite got the right seat at the right time.

[anfield5]

I guess if you are only going to win one GP in your career then winning at Monaco has to be pretty special! Always felt that Panis was a good driver who never quite got the right seat at the right time.

Agreed. Olly was one of the many who had the talent to be in F1, but even way back then the money behind probably wasn't enough to get him into a really goof team early in his career, and sadly his career kind of petered out.

[Whyzars]

...even better than the sound was the vibration in the air that your whole body felt because of the sound, you could literally feel the noise of the engines in every bone in your body.


Memories. I remember feeling a bit nauseous from the air being pushed out and sucked back in behind a car as it missiled past. (Could've been the 50 beers but I'll go with wobbly air). :D


Before Melbourne stole it, the Grand Prix was held in Adelaide at a far superior circuit.

There was a spot between turns 1, 2 and onto 3 - the cars came through at blistering speed. The flick change of direction at those corners defied physics.

Unlike the 50 yards or more of today, in those days we could actually be within a dozen feet of the cars. The noise and vibrations and the air throw of that era hurt my face so much that I was left with sore teeth.


Nobody wanted to talk, why talk during an F1 race - feel the power was what it was all about. Whenever I read that today's "quiet cars are good because it allows us to talk during the race", I throw up in my mouth.


F1 needs to die so that it can be re-born in its old likeness.

[Whyzars]

...The best engine noises were from the 3.5 litre era.

Superb.



But it's more important to me in F1, that it's a natural/understandable progression of the automotive industry.

I don't understand this statement. Historically, any technology developed for F1 may be adopted by automakers as a consequence.

The problem that I see killing F1 is the madness around energy recovery systems. That appears to have been driven by the automotive industry and has been a costly, environmentally damaging and fruitless exercise.

If you doubt what I say look to see how many actual hybrids there are on the roads so many years after the sky started falling.

These auto makers have changed F1 in a way that it may never recover from. I fully support Formula E being incorporated into the F1 weekend. I do not support the incorporation of ER systems in F1 that will likely only find a home in long distance freight.

[MrJan]

If you doubt what I say look to see how many actual hybrids there are on the roads so many years after the sky started falling.

Maybe for you guys, but in the UK I'm seeing more and more hybrids on the roads. I even saw a Nissan Leaf this morning and quite often see a Renault Twizzy on my way to work (and that's in the country bumpkin land of the South West). Are they a majority? Hell, no, but definitely becoming more prevalent.

[journeyman racer]

Superb.
I don't understand this statement. Historically, any technology developed for F1 may be adopted by automakers as a consequence.
What don't you understand exactly?


The problem that I see killing F1 is the madness around energy recovery systems. That appears to have been driven by the automotive industry and has been a costly, environmentally damaging and fruitless exercise.
There are bigger problems than that. Too numerous to mention, unless asked.