Five best amateur F1 videos from 2007

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It’s well known that Formula One Management are total killjoys when it comes to F1 video on the internet. Not only do they tear down any official F1 videos that is uploaded, but they don’t offer even a paid video service themselves.

On top of that, even amateurs videos shot by F1 fans at races are removed under FOM’s brutally tough copyright controls.

Thankfully many of them slip through the net and one almost played a role in determining the outcome of the championship. Here it is along with four other excellent amateur F1 videos. Enjoy them before Bernie’s boys get their hands on them…

Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber

The controversial moment from the Japanese Grand Prix captured by an amateur cameraman that led to Lewis Hamilton being investigated for his driving standards behind the safety car. Hamilton was later cleared of blame, as was Vettel.

Spa-Francorchamps

Stationary, hand-held cameras can often give a better impression of speed than FOM’s long, wide shots. Watch the cars blast towards the bus stop chicane at Spa-Francorchamps.

Kimi Raikkonen, United States Grand Prix

Stunning close-up of Raikkonen’s getaway at Indianapolis.

Felipe Massa spins, Silverstone testing

This fan caught Massa slithering off the track on the exit of Priory at Silverstone during testing.

Bernd Maylander dodges Vitantonio Liuzzi

For me the most astonishing video of the lot. Watching this single camera shot from the first turn at the N?»???¢rburgring race, shortly after the heaviest rain fall, you have to ask why the race wasn’t red-flagged immediately. It seems clear from watching this clip that the track was briefly impassable.

The safety car was instead deployed and only quick thinking by driver Bernd Maylander dodged the spinning Toro Rosso of Vitantonio Liuzzi. And it was sheer fortune that stopped the car from hitting a crane that was on the track. Speaking of which, you can see Hamilton’s controversial crane ride beginning as well.

Spotted any more great amateur F1 videos? Post your favourites below…

NB. I haven’t been able to find any more copies of the shocking video of Robert Kubica crash, shot by a fan sitting on the opposite side of the track from where the well-known FOM video was shot.

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Tags: f1 / formula one / formula 1 / grand prix / motor sport

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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10 comments on “Five best amateur F1 videos from 2007”

  1. The FOM really needs to smarten up! If YouTube is such a bad thing for them, why on earth can’t they set up their own similar service on their own official site? Surely it would be well within their means to do such a thing. And the promotional value of having more people visit the official site to view videos can’t be a bad thing either! I had the misfortune of missing the final race, and I can’t for the life of me find any decent video footage anywhere, with the exception of a few vids on YouTube of footage some fan filmed off their TV. It sucks! It sucks! It sucks! Why do they make it so difficult?

    C’mon Bernie!!! Your the so-called pioneer who brought F1 into the TV age, why can’t you do thing same now that we’re in the internet age? F1 fans deserve far better!!!!

  2. Kubica crash in Montreal. Deleted from YouTube :(

  3. Looking at the Vettel Webber crash again. Its so obvious the safety car took a different line into the first corner that slowed it down. Hamilton took evasive action because the safety car was still slow through the next corner.

    Whats amazing in the video is that, Webber was almost 5 car lengths behind the safety car just before the point of impact. Its still Vettel who was somehow to blame.

  4. I think this also shows we need better camera postioning on the TV feeds. It’s not often that you get a real sensation of speed and braking. That clip from Spa is amazing.

  5. re: tonio at the Nurburgring, he did hit that crane, I still have it on my DVR. He didn’t hit it hard, but he kissed it as he came to a stop.

  6. AmericanTifosi
    23rd October 2007, 23:05

    That clip of Luizzi was hilarious! It’s a shame you can’t get good F1 videos online. Stupid FOM snipers.

  7. AmericanTifosi
    23rd October 2007, 23:07

    The last clip shows the desperate need for an Audi RS4 Quattro as the Safety Car! Wouldn’t mind an R8 either.

  8. “The last clip shows the desperate need for an Audi RS4 Quattro as the Safety Car! ”

    …or, a speedboat :-D

  9. sorry, but i’m a bit confused because unless i am seeing things, one of the cars reverses back???? do some f1 cars have a reverse?

  10. All F1 cars have reverse gears, it’s required by the rules.

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