Comments on: Formula 1′s lost nations: New Zealand

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:29:24 +0000

Hamilton is the youngest F1 championship winner. Vettel is the youngest F1 race winner.

By: Pink Peril

Pink Peril — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:14:00 +0000

Daniel @ 0933 “just thinking when us aussies will claim Breandon Hartley as an Aussie”

hehe was thinking the same thing myself. Tell the Kiwi’s we’ll swap, they have can Russell Crowe back

By: scunnyman

scunnyman — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:05:53 +0000

Sorry to be a pain in the arse or anything, but isn’t lewis hamilton the youngest ever f1 winner now. Feel free to correct me if i am wrong anyone.

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:59:47 +0000

Amon did win a F1 race Keith, just not a championship race. It was the race of Champions at Brands Hatch, but I’m too lazy to go the bookshelf to establish which year.

Very true!

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:59:30 +0000

I have met him actually, nice bloke, though it was in the paddock at Oulton at the first round last year after he’d been beaten by Algersuari in qualifying and he was not in a good mood!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:33:21 +0000

just thinking when us aussies will claim Breandon Hartley as an Aussie

Hampton Downs would seem like a good place for F1, though i believe the track is not certified for F1, only the safety will be.

An Auckland street race at night would be ideal for F1.

However i do not see NZ hosting a GP in the near future or not for another 20 or so years.

especially in these current economic times.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:00:37 +0000

Amon did win a F1 race Keith, just not a championship race. It was the race of Champions at Brands Hatch, but I’m too lazy to go the bookshelf to establish which year.

I heard the Hampton Downs rumours as I left Taupo, but when I drove past Hampton Downs a few days ago, the track had been graded, but no surface laid. As far as I could see, only the residential buildings had moved forward since I passed some months ago.

I fear for the future of A1GP, both in NZ and in general. There were rumours at Taupo of the NZ seat holder having to donate large sums to have the cars flown from Malaysia. Also I estimate the crowd this year was 30-40% down on 2007 (the first A1GP race in NZ)

A great pity. I like the series and the concept.

By: Steven Roy

Steven Roy — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:38:39 +0000

It seems that as long as countries have one or two GP drivers they keep producing drivers that make it to F1 but as soon as they go a few years without one drivers from that country struggle to get a break.

Thackwell should have had a long and successful F1 career. The guy was a fabulous driver and made so much money in F2 that he bought a plane. Imagine a GP2 driver now being paid so much that he could buy a plane.

Brendon Hartley may be the next NZ driver to make F1 but he could be unlucky in his timing as they have been so many young drivers recently that F1 may go through a period of driver stability where it is difficult for a young driver to get a break.

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:26:12 +0000

Indeed Hartley seems set, along with Robert Wickens, to be on the fast-path to F1, following in the tire tracks of fellow Red Bull youngsters Vettel and Buemi.

And if you look at the really big picture in terms of Kiwi pride, don’t forget that Scott Dixon has been tearing up IndyCars for the past few years. All in all, New Zealand has been doing much more in international motorsports with far less than many other nations have been pullng off.

By: Gman

Gman — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:20:16 +0000

Good one Andy – I had not heard of Bamber before. Best wishes to both on their prospective F1 careers.

Indeeed it seems the Kiwis have gotten ahold of the driver-producing formula- any chance you folks can ship it to America as soon as possible?