silvercobra68 said:Look, I’m no kid, son. I could easily be your grandfather. Or at least some old geezer you'd want to avoid.
If you've been following this sub for a while, you might have noticed that I'm one of those rare users who almost always praises Prost. In my book, he’s arguably a more composed driver than even Ayrton Senna.
First off, that’s your take. Second, I remember Niki Lauda from back in the early 70s when he was young, arrogant, and—if I dare say so—actually quite bad. Look, the guy has guts; there’s no denying he pushed those March and BRM cars way past their limits. But let’s be real: if Jackie Stewart had stayed in F1, if François Cevert hadn't died, if Jochen Rindt hadn't been lost, and if Emerson Fittipaldi hadn't faded out, Niki would never have become what he is today. He’s just the one blade of grass left standing after the rest of the meadow has been mowed down.
Let’s run a quick thought experiment using Sergio Perez. Imagine a scenario where both Vettel and Hamilton are taken out of the equation—a totally plausible outcome given how things looked back in the 70s with drivers like Cevert, McLaren legends, or Rindt. Now, imagine Button sees a colleague go down and decides to walk away from racing entirely, much like Stewart did after Cevert’s accident. To top it off, let's say Alonso moves over to drive for a backmarker team, similar to how Fittipaldi went to drive for his brother Wilson. What does that leave us with? We end up with a powerhouse like Red Bull or McLaren picking up Perez. Does he snag two championships? Sure. But does that make him a better driver than Hamilton, Button, Vettel, or Alonso? Of course not. That’s exactly what I mean when I call Lauda a hypothetical version of Perez.
What else can I tell you? Look, there’s a massive difference between reading statistics, interpreting them, and actually living through it all firsthand. Back in 1972, when I was just a nineteen-year-old kid, I moved to America because the government here back then had basically stripped my family of everything we owned. My old man had to work for Union Pacific, waiting on trains and signaling them with those handheld flags. My mother spent her days working hard just to keep us afloat while I was growing up. I had two choices: spend my whole life as a low-level track worker and end up like some local drunk—who, mind you, comes from a pretty noble lineage, though that means nothing when the state decides to seize everything—or head out into the world to see what it’s all about. I started at the bottom, cleaning swimming pools for a service company. At the time, I didn't know a thing. I was just a simple guy who knew how to scrub moss off a liner; I barely even spoke English. But things shifted once my boss discovered my background. By 1974, he actually put me in charge of one of his companies—he owned several, and this one handled the cleaning supplies. Through him, I slowly began to understand how the world works. By 1975, I made my first trip to Indianapolis, and I was hooked. Some might wonder what a former pool cleaner could possibly know about American open-wheel racing. Well, it’s true, but it counts. My boss was a major figure within USAC, and one of his companies actively sponsored dirt, sprint, and midget car drivers throughout the 70s, along with several IndyCar entries. That’s how I got my foot in the door. I even met Emerson Fittipaldi when he came to drive CART, so I’ve actually stood face-to-face with men who went toe-to-toe with Niki Lauda. You can rest easy knowing I’m closer to the actual history and the people involved than you could ever imagine. There is plenty more to tell, but I’ll share it all in due time. Just do me a favor: don't call me "kid."
Best regards,👍🙂
Look, "grandpa," I’ve got plenty of years on me too, so you might be barking up the wrong tree here...😉 I have to disagree regarding Lauda. The way he drove was nothing short of pure fantasy. I haven't followed everything closely, but we definitely agree on Prost. Even Senna once remarked that Prost possessed a truly unique and superior technique for navigating corners. Do you remember that legendary race at Brands Hatch😁 back in the 80s—maybe '83 or '84—where he practically crossed the finish line on fumes? He had to wiggle the car left and right just to keep the engine fed, and then he pulled it off in those final meters... Those were the days. Real duels. As for Senna? I never really cared for him. He lacked a certain sharpness and tended to overcook it when he had a half-lap lead (just look back at Monaco in '89). It’s easy to win when you're sitting in the best car on the grid. Rindt was really a one-season wonder who flew under the radar. Now, the elder Villeneuve was much, much better. And do you remember who he collided with before his accident at Spa? I’ll never forget the footage of that shoe coming off. Then there was Pironi. That man was something else. If he hadn't broken, he would have been a world champion before meeting his end at sea in '87...
EDIT: It just occurred to me about Carlos Pace's death in '77. Von Stuck got caught out in the same spot where Pace went down. I loved watching Carlos; he was genuinely gifted. Such a shame he didn't make it. Von Stuck was a legend, sure, but his talent in the 70s never quite got the recognition it deserved...