F1 Fashback

 I've been a follower of F1 since I was 12 years of age.That's a very long time. I am very fortunate in that I've seen nearly all of the great drivers of the modern era race. Moss, Stewart, Clark, Brabham, Senna, Schumacher etc,etc. 

In the early years I was a very committed fan and I have been a reader/subscriber to the British magazine, Motor Sport, for over 60 years. 

My enthusiasm diminished over the years but has been rekindled in the last 8 years primarily due the Drive to Survive-the Netflix series. 

I loved the early years of F1 but much to my surprise I am really interested in the current F1 scene and in particular the technology of the current 2026 cars.

I know that the whole F1 scene is not like the old days but change is inevitable and I find the current cars and drivers extraordinary. I am also amazed at the huge following F1 is now enjoying across the world. Seeing the packed stands at qualifying for the Chinese GP yesterday really makes the point.

Here are two photos from my library. Compare them with today.

 

Firstly Pedro Rodriguez in a BRM P163 at the 1968 British GP at Brands Hatch. He qualified 13th and retired due to a crash on lap 58. Not a good day for him. No sponsorship allowed back then although given their lack of form I doubt if BRM would have attracted many sponsors back then even if it had been allowed.

The photo was taken at Kidney Bend with my Leica 3A and just a 50mm Elmar lens. My brother and I and friends were standing against the paling fence-no Armco then-and I lent over and shot the cars. It's a crop but not that big a crop. I don't have any other technical details. 

The second photo is a favourite of mine.Taken during practice for the 1981 Italian F1 GP on a very hot Saturday afternoon at Monza. Quite how I was lucky enough to be strolling down the pit lane that afternoon is a story in itself. I had my Olympus OM2 and just one 36 exposure cassette of Kodachrome. 

The photo shows the cars of the Talbot-Ligier team, sponsored by Gitanes cigarettes, being worked on outside their pit. What a total contrast to today's scene. It really could not be more different.The car nearest the camera was driven by Patrick Tambay who qualified 15th and retired on the 22nd lap with a puncture.