Your previous or Current F1 Heroes

[95 fiesta si]

From watching F1 in the 80's immediately took to Gerhard Berger, think his funny surname drew me to him, followed his career and meet him in person a few times, brilliant funny bloke. Always fancied the underdog.

Gerhard Berger 1980's-1990's
Jos Verstappen 1990's
Mark Webber 2000's
Max Verstappen 2015 to current

Just wondered what everyone else previous heroes where ?

[Eric Mc]

Jim Clark
Graham Hill
Nikki Lauda
Damon Hill

[kiseca]

"Heroes" is a strong word to apply to those I've supported. Here are the drivers I've most liked to see do well, in order from the time I became aware of Formula 1:

John Watson
Alain Prost
Ivan Capelli
Damon Hill
Mika Hakkinen
Lewis Hamilton
Daniel Ricciardo
Lando Norris

From those, I'd say Hill was probably the one I'd call a hero, for what he overcame, and for what he accomplished given the lack of experience compared to his competitors and he seemed to do it with hard work more than natural talent.

And, probably closer to heroes, those that I became aware of retrospectively:
Jim Clark
Jackie Stewart
Niki Lauda
Mario Andretti

[KR158]

He's not my "hero" but I supported Damon. Similarly, although he died before I was born, I've definitely developed an admiration & soft spot for his Dad Graham. The sport could definitely do with a contemporary "Graham", not that he could ever be replicated of course One of a kind. always thought that Gerhard bought something broadly, vaguely similar. Mischievious, fun & definitely lived the life.

[The-Wanderer]

From when I first became aware of F1 in the late seventies, my favourites and/or heroes have been:

Alan Jones
Gilles Villeneuve (I still remember my dad’s friend, who we used to go to race meetings with, coming round on the Saturday and asking if we’d heard that Gilles had been killed at Zolder; I was devastated as a nine year old)
Rene Arnoux
Gerhard Berger
Jean Alesi
Jacques Villeneuve
Kimi Raikkonen (still is!)

[Supersam83]

In order:

Started watching F1 in 1988 at the age of 5.

Ayrton Senna (3 time Champion)

Damon Hill (1 time Champion)

Mika Hakkinen (2 time Champion)

Fernando Alonso (2 time Champion)

Kimi Raikkonen (1 time Champion)

Jenson Button (1 time Champion)

Nico Rosberg (1 time Champion)

Charles Leclerc (Hopefully multiple Champion in the future)

[lauda]

Eric Mc said:

Jim Clark
Graham Hill
Nikki Lauda
Damon Hill

So much so that you can't spell his name correctly

It would have to be Lauda for me too. A sharp intellect, serious work ethic and huge talent.

I loved how straightforward he seemed to be. No filter or subterfuge. Basically the polar opposite of someone like Christian Horner.

Having read lots about him, and particularly the excellent biography by Maurice Hamilton, I'm left with the impression that more-or-less everyone who met Lauda liked him. It says a lot about the man to have achieved what he did whilst also being so respected and liked by those around him in the sport.

[Ahonen]

Hakkinen.

I was a huge fan of him as a driver from Formula Vauxhall-Lotus onwards because he was so exciting to watch and permanently flat out, plus he always seemed like a tremendously funny bloke in interviews. We're all so used to the story of Hamilton's dad working 15 jobs (and paying the mill owner to let him work there...) but Mika really came from nothing. In FF1600 he drove around Europe in a knackered old converted bus with a mate of his, spannering the car and sleeping in the bus.

Then in 2019 I worked with him a couple of times...

...and I'm happy to say he's just like he seemed on TV in the '90s. He's always ready with some dryly witty observation, friendly without being OTT, went round the garage shaking everyone's hand at the start and end of each day, thanking them for their help. When he introduced himself to me he held his hand out and said: "Hello, I'm Mika" and all I could say back was: "Yes, I know".

I'd been asked to attend some testing he was doing in Spain, to provide some engineering support as he prepared for the Suzuka 10 Hour GT race. Then, a few months later in Suzuka, we stood around and talked rubbish for ages and I introduced him to my Finnish colleague, which made her year. She used to work with Raikkonen in WRC but as far as she's concerned Hakkinen is basically royalty.

They say you should never meet your heroes but Hakkinen, Ari Vatanen and Derek Bell were all absolutely wonderful.

[LukeBrown66]

First hero was Gilles, for all the obvious reasons.

Then Piquet for some reason, then Prost over Senna as I loathed what Senna did in 1990.

Obviously being a Brit Mansell to some extent, but not Hill so much.

The only recent guy I respect though is Nando, mainly for deciding to go and do other things and walk away, bringing fans to other sports as he went, but also for being a magnificent charger in F1.

[Simes205]

I started watching F1 in 1985.

Alain Prost - was my hero, I’m half french, also the McLaren had the best livery.
Often forgotten that although he didn’t qualify well he actually had more fastest race laps than Senna.
I got to meet him at the festival of speed a few years back.

[StevieBee]

The-Wanderer said:

Alan Jones

Rarely gets the credit he deserves. Proper geezer too!

Interviewed him for a radio thing back in the A1GP days - couldn't have been a better subject and chatted for ages afterwards about racing and life. Loved watching him drive too!

Liked Keke Roseberg too. I liked Patrick Head's description of Keke.... "he'd flick his fag away, pull on his helmet, get in and win the race"

[WonkeyDonkey]

Damon Hill
Mika Hakkinen
Juan Pablo Montoya
Fernando Alonso (Renault days)
Lewis Hamilton

There's a lot of other drivers I respect for their phenomenal speed (verstappen, Schumacher etc), but just never warmed to them.

[WickerBill]

I remember the very early 90s but can’t remember having a hero.

My first was Damon Hill

Followed by Montoya, Button, Hamilton and currently really like Leclerc but wouldn’t consider him hero status yet

Looking back to before I was born I would consider Andretti, Stewart, Graham Hill as the drivers I admire the most....I should like clark more but for some reason while I utterly admire his driving it’s also the off track and personality side I like with others more

Edited by WickerBill on Monday 29th March 21:08

[LM240]

Alesi

M.Schumacher (The Ultimate... don’t care about the negative views).... Keep fighting

[anonymous-user]

First watched a race aged 5. The family were not even into F1 or any kind of motorsport.

My list

Gilles Villeneuve - Was very young but loved his style and the Ferrari. Remember watching his dead being news but not understanding.
Jacques Laffite - I have no idea why but I always thought he was good in a race.
Alain Prost - Loved the look of the McLaren MP4/2 and always loved Prost design of helmet. 1984 was a very close year with Lauda and then he was Champion in 1985.
Ayrton Senna - Very strange why I went from supporting Prost to Senna but 1989 changed my views of Prost.
Michael Schumacher - Wasn't a fan of his, to begin with, but was able to appreciate his skill and talent. Plus he whipped Damon's butt.
Fernando Alonso - Just always appreciated what Alonso does on the track. Just makes terrible decision off when joining teams. A Champion who could have won so many more.

I don't actually support any of the new drivers but Russell has been very impressive. Hope to see him replace Bottas in 2022 or maybe even 2021

LeClerc also seems pretty special.

[coppice]

I don't do the hero thing either, as putting people on pedestals often ends in tears.

But if I had a hero , there's only one candidate - Niki Lauda . I saw him race in F2 , saw him take several Grand Prix victories from trackside and his last at Zandvoort in 1985 . He was razor smart , articulate, searingly honest , very funny and as dear old Harry Carpenter put it , the bravest man he had ever seen in sport . I don't mind admitting that there were more than a few tears when he died - and my last ones had been for Graham Hill.

Other drivers who have made an exceptional impression include-

Peter Revson (coolest bloke ever seen in an F1 car ) ,

Keke Rosberg ( sheer balls out guts - or sisu , as I think it's called in Finnish ) ,

Senna (I knew he was just 'other' from the moment I saw him annihilate a FF1600 field in 1981) ,

Damon Hill (totally unlike the F1 driver stereotype - cerebral , sensitive and grown up - and nobody has written a better autobiography in this genre)

Takuma Sato ( the most spectacular F3 driving I've ever seen was Sato. Wild , mistake- prone, polite, super quick and as brave as hell)

Vittorio Brambilla ( who can't warm to the man who crashes while waving to the crowd after winning his only GP ? )

Jim Clark (there aren't the words )

Fangio (five - FIVE WDCs, in four different teams , in an era when cars broke down all the time and drivers died every week. And he was 46 when he won his last )

Of the current crop ...hmm ... so many seem to behave like children outside the car but I admire Hamilton (of course ) but the driver I cant take my eyes off is Verstappen . He has just got it.

[Eric Mc]

lauda said:

So much so that you can't spell his name correctly

Terrible omission by me - sackcloth and ashes for the rest of the day.

[Eric Mc]

Senna and Schumacher could never be heroes for me because, to me, they brought the sport into disrepute and dragged it down to a "non-sporting" level.

No matter how good you are technically, if you don't think the rules apply to you - you are nothing.

[angrymoby]

Villeneuve
Senna
Hamilton

[undred orse]

Tom Pryce.
Ronnie Peterson
Gilles