[Lucas Wilson]

Last year, F1Racing celebrated its 200th issue. In it they asked readers to rank the years 1996-2011. So I though i’d try it here. What have been your best, worst and average years :-)

16: 2004
15: 2002
14: 2001
13: 2011
12: 1996
11: 2005
10: 2006
9: 1997
8: 2007
7: 1999
6: 1998
5: 2003
4: 2009
3: 2010
2: 2008
1: 2012

[Kingshark]

17.) 2002
16.) 2004
15.) 2011
14.) 2001
13.) 2005
12.) 2009
11.) 1996
10.) 1998
9.) 2000
8.) 2007
7.) 2006
6.) 1997
5.) 2008
4.) 1999
3.) 2012
2.) 2003
1.) 2010

2002 was as bad as it gets, even though as a young Ferrari fan at the time I enjoyed it, in hindsight I can see just how boring it was. While no season was perfect, 2010 was probably closest to it.

2003, 1997, 1999, 2008, and to some extend 1997 were all very close for the second spot, I had a hard time ranking them.

[Kingshark]

@full-throttle-f1
You are missing the year 2000 on your list. 1996-2012 would be 17 whole seasons, not 16. ;-)

[Lucas Wilson]

@kingshark

I knew I’d missed one! xD

[Todfod]

17) 2002 – The year I almost stopped watching f1. Austria 2002 was my last race for a while
16) 2004 – Ferrari and Rory Byrne kept me off the sport
15) 2011 – Car above else season again
14) 2009 – Car above else and 2 mediocre drivers driving it
13) 2001
12) 2000
11) 1996
10) 2005
9) 1998
8) 1997
7) 1999
6) 2003
5) 2006
4) 2007
3) 2008
2) 2010
1) 2012

[Diceman]

17.) 2002 – Boring. I guess even the most fanatic Ferrari fans agree with this.
16.) 2004 – Boring, but at least there was something to follow behind Ferrari.
15.) 2001 – There was flashes of WDC-battle at the beginning of the season, before Schumi ran away (his best season IMO by the way).
14.) 2011 – Like 2001
13.) 2005 – While Alonso didn’t exactly dominate the season, his title never was under real doubt.
12.) 2009 – Stupid first part of the season, but the second part was actually quite good. Only thing it needed was someone else winning the championship.
11.) 1996 – I always think this was year when Hill dominated the season, but the championship was actually decide in the last race. And, of course, there was the legendary Monaco race.
10.) 2000 – Quite good WDC-battle, but I have always felt it lacked something. Don’t know what though.
9.) 2007 – Championship battle can’t get much more exciting, but the races were quite boring.
8.) 2006 – Quite good season with quite good championship battle. Had Schumacher’s car not broken in Japan, it had been a thriller.
7.) 1998 – Japan 98 was were it all started for me. Great WDC-battle between two great drivers, and some great races too.
6.) 1997 – One of the best, if not the best WDC-battle between two drivers. And Jerez had probably the best qualifying-session ever.
5.) 2003 – Only thing it needed was Räikkönen winning the title in the end. Fantastic season.
4.) 2012 – The first part was best there has ever been, but the second part wasn’t so great, if we ignore Interlagos. Great season anyway
3.) 2008 – I always hoped that after Hamilton had passed Glock his engine had blown 100 meters before the finishing line. But anyway, it was great season, although somewhat depressing if you were Finn. First all the joy for having two Finnish drivers in the two top-teams, and then watching how their team-mates fight for the title.
2.) 2010 – I like open WDC-battles, and we surely had one in 2010. There were so many turning points in that season that I can’t even count them. But man, do I wish Webber had won it…
1.) 1999 – First full season I followed, and what a season it was! Great championship battle with Frentzen teasing the top-drivers, and also great races. Plus, all the joy for Stewart making it to 4th in the WCC.

Since 2008 every other season has been great and every other rather dull, so 2014 should be epic one.

[knightameer]

17. 2002
16. 2004
15. 2011
14. 2001
13. 1996
12. 2005
11. 2009
10. 1998
09. 1997
08. 2007
07. 2006
06. 2000
05. 1999
04. 2008
03. 2003
02. 2012
01. 2010

[David-A]

1. 2008
2. 2010
3. 2003
4. 2000

5. 2012
6. 2007
7. 2006
8. 2001

9. 1999
10. 1998
11. 2011
12. 2004

13. 2009
14. 1997
15. 2005
16. 2002
17. 1996

[AdrianMorse]

I see there’s not much love for the 2011 season. Perhaps the lingering memory is that of Vettel dominating the championship, especially as he has kept winning since, but I think the races were actually rated pretty highly. Keith might have the figures, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the average rating of races on F1Fanatic was never higher than 2011. Of course, these individual race ratings barely take into account the one-sidedness of the championship battle, but still, isn’t good racing important also?

[Nick]

17. 2001 – Despite not winning the WDC sooner, Schumacher was always going to win this one. However, Barrichello was nowhere, Hakkinen was nowhere for a large part of the season, DC was inconsistent, Williams was inconsistent, while teams like Jordan and Benetton had pretty bad seasons as well. Apart from Schumacher and Verstappen, none of my favorite drivers did really well and I have most trouble remembering this season.

16. 2002 – Same as above, but with added dominance. While I loved Schumacher and Ferrari for having such performance, it’s a shame there was no-one to respond and Barrichello had to be shamed in Austria and the USA.

15. 2004 – Had my first race I turned off the TV from at Hungary. Hasn’t happened before, only happened after one time (Indy 2005). More happened behind Ferrari, but like 2001 and 2002, the grid was at such performance gaps, Ferrari led, then it was McLaren, Williams, BAR or Renault depending on track, then the rest, then Jordan, then Minardi.

14. 1996 – Only seen from Season Reviews and magazines; but it was going Williams’ way no matter what. Not to mention, a lot of drivers and teams had a lot of terrible luck that year. Ranging from Schumacher retiring before the race even started in France, to Alesi and Berger having a lot of DNFs, while easily beating Ferrari at the beginning of the season. Tip: don’t ask Eddie Irvine about 1996 and mention the word ‘engine’.

13. 2009 – Great ending, but with Brawn dominating the early season and the midfield being nice and tight, we went to battles for the lead and a boring midfield. It was a fun season I kindly remember, but I wouldn’t want another any time soon.

12. 2005 – With Ferrari and Bridgestone failing massively and Mercedes producing one terrible engine, Raikkonen and Montoya were my main recipients of empathy that year. Alonso won fair and square, but Fisichella was impeded by Briatore in a very dirty fashion, despite being at his best this year.

11. 2011 – Despite Vettel’s dominance we saw some interesting races and had a nice midfield. I enjoyed the races more than the years listed above, but can’t say it’s anywhere near my favorites.

10. 2006 – A season with a 3 way battle for the WDC, but Raikkonen suffered again from his team and engine, while any odds of an epic finale blew up at Japan. It was nice to see 3 teams fighting for victories, though, but they were still miles apart from the midfield, which had some very poor drivers, might I add.

9. 2008 – With the title race going down to the final corner, I think this was one of my biggest heartbreaks in F1! Still, the title challenge was very interesting, while the races weren’t always as good. Still, with BMW Sauber challenging for wins and podiums, there was a lot to look out for.

8. 1997 – The first race I saw was at Jerez that year. The crazy qualifying, the incident and Hakkinen’s first win make it a very memorable one. One of the seasons I have researched most, it had an epic title battle (with Schumacher looking set to win at times) and some crazy races like Monaco.

7. 2007 – Ferrari and McLaren having an all-out brawl, the McLaren in-team fighting, Raikkonen coming back from a slump, an interesting midfield and the many laughs I had at Spyker that year. That year’s GP at the Nurburgring is one of my favorite memories of F1 as well.

6. 2003 – Probably Schumacher’s most hard-fought championship. With Raikkonen and Montoya in the mix (at a certain point even Ralf), emerging talents Webber and Alonso, the crazy race in Brazil, the WDC going down the wire and Schumacher emerging victorious, probably one of my favorite seasons to remember. The racing wasn’t all that, though.

5. 2000 – I think Michael Schumacher winning his 3rd title was the happiest point at my life at that point. We saw fierce competition between Schumacher and Hakkinen, Ferrari and McLaren and Mika’s pass at Spa that year remains one of the best I’ve ever seen. At the same time, this was the time of ‘overtaking only happens in the pits’. Special mention to Verstappen for dragging his Arrows into the points twice, especially at Monza with a stunning 4th.

4. 1999 – I remember crying when Schumacher broke his leg! I was pretty impressionable at 8.. Still, we saw a crazy season with the field never really figuring itself out. Hakkinen broke under pressure a couple of times, Irvine couldn’t lead Ferrari like Schumacher had, Stewart did really well, Jordan did really well and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the European GP that year..

3. 2012 – Again the field needed a lot of time before the usual gaps formed. The top teams really needed to be aware of midfielders like Sauber, Force India and Williams, while Ferrari played catch up and McLaren went backwards. Despite feeling terrible about the outcome (no disrespect for Vettel, but there is a huge Ferrari fan in me somewhere) I will remember this season for many years to come.

2. 1998 – My first season and also the reason I kept enjoying F1 less and less between 1999 and 2006. It had a very dramatic championship, with Schumacher and Ferrari clawing back after being a second behind the McLarens at the start. The way the season developed for Williams, Benetton and Jordan was intriguing, while the racing was utterly dramatic (in a good way) as well. Schumacher clashing with DC in Argentina, Schumacher winning in the pit at Silverstone, his dominance in the rain at Canada, Hakkinen dominating at Monaco, Schumacher striking back at Monza, Hakkinen nearly knocking out Schumacher at the Ring and the dramas at Suzuka.

1. 2010 – Another 3 way for the WDC, being a 5 way at an earlier point. There were dramatic retirements, drivers proving themselves, a very interesting midfield battle, only a little politics, the start of the Webber/Vettel feud (which never happened, of course), the royal f-up by both Alonso and Webber in the final race and fun, exciting races.

[Kingshark]

@adrianmorse
Generally speaking, most people prefer a good championship fight over good racing; because as we saw in 2011, good racing cannot make the championship any more interesting, but a good title fight can certainly make the racing more exciting.

In 2004 we also had a handful of great races such as Monaco, Montreal, Silverstone, Spa, Monza, China, and Interlagos; but that didn’t change the fact that the title fight was virtually non-existent, so why should 2011 be regarded any different?

[Lucas Wilson]

@kingshark

Why have you taken my topic and started it on the autosport forums?

[Author]

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