Okay, so I’ve been diving deep into Formula 1 lately, trying to figure out which seasons were truly the best. It’s a rabbit hole, man, let me tell you! So I thought to share the process I went through to determine which seasons were the best.
First I started by just listing out all the seasons I could remember off the top of my head that had some serious buzz. You know, the ones everyone always talks about – Senna vs. Prost, Schumacher’s dominance, that crazy 2021 finish. I figured that had to be a good place to begin.
My Initial List:
- 1988: Mclaren teammates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and their season long battle.
- 1994: The tragic year of both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna deaths.
- 2008: The year Lewis Hamilton won the champion by 1 point on the last corner overtake!
- 2021: That insane rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton.
After making a small list from memory I knew it, I needed more data. So, I hit up the internet, scouring F1 fan forums, old articles, and even some YouTube videos of classic races. I was looking for seasons with close championship fights, lots of overtaking, and maybe some unexpected drama. I was basically acting like a detective, piecing together clues from different sources.
I spent a good few hours just reading and watching, making notes of any season that seemed to fit the bill. My initial list expanded, and I started adding details – key races, point differences, that sort of thing. It was getting pretty messy, to be honest, like a giant F1 history explosion on my desk.
Expanding with More Data:
- 1982-Keke Rosberg’s championship despite winning only a race in the entire season!
- 1976- Niki Lauda’s near-fatal crash and epic comeback.
- 1964 – Surtees becoming champion by 1 point.
The next thing I attempted to do was to organize everything. I made a simple spreadsheet and rated each season on a few factors, like “Championship Battle” (how close was it?), “On-Track Action” (were there lots of overtakes and exciting moments?), and “Overall Drama” (did anything crazy happen, like controversies or unexpected winners?).
After watching and reviewing all those seasons, I finally felt I have my final list of the best seasons!
My Conclusive List:
- 1976
- 1982
- 2008
- 2021
It’s still subjective, of course. Everyone has their own favorite seasons and drivers, and I totally get that. But going through this whole process, actually researching and rating, made me appreciate the history of F1 so much more. It helped me form my own informed opinions instead of just going with the popular view. I strongly recommend anyone to try this.
