Top five F1 teams.

Now this week is the anniversary of the first time I watched Formula One.

Now it's not a celebratory number like 20 or 30 years but I'm very proud to reach my 13th year of Formula One.

This post is all about the top five F1 teams.
Now as you can tell from this list.
I am a huge fan of the underdog.
It's the British side of me.

Some of these teams have now sadly gone and some teams are still going strong.
But without these five teams.
The last 13 years of F1 would have been a bit dull.

Jordan.


The first team I ever truly loved, mainly due to Damon Hill but mainly due to Eddie Jordan's complete determination and use of a press call.
You couldn't miss Jordan.
They took risks and made some great racing. Sometimes they were the wrong call but were never afraid of calling a spade... a spade.
A team greatly missed.
Eddie Jordan's shirts however aren't.

McLaren











In the first two years of my Formula one life. McLaren were my team of choice.
Dominant and always provided great racing.
Especially against the Ferrari's.
Even after a slump in the mid 2000's they still had some great inter driver rivalry's.
Alonso/Hamilton
Raikkonen/Montoya
Now with two world champions in Button/Hamilton. McLaren makes you quite proud to be British.

Sauber.

I do love an underdog. To me Sauber are the epitome of this.
Always bringing new and exciting drivers into F1. Like Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.
Even when times were tough and the team were under the verge of collapse, they always pull through.
Like Jordan, they take risks and that's what makes them exciting.
Now with Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel more exciting drives lie ahead.

Minardi

Like Sauber, Minardi were known for putting great F1 talent into there cars.
Even future world champions.
They did also put in some dud drivers. Luca Badoer anyone?
They may have been known for there great coffee rather then there great racing and they may have been the HRT of there day.
But they tried.
And I do love a trier.
Especially a Formula One trier.

Ferrari.

Now anyone who knows me, knows I have never been a fan of Ferrari.
Sometimes controversial.
Sometimes dominant.
But without Ferrari. F1 would have been a duller place.
I can say to my kids I saw Schumacher's dominance, Massa's near championship and heard Rob Smedley voice in an F1 crisis.

Your top five teams?
Feel free to comment below.

Top five F1 crashes.

Now this week is the anniversary of the first time I watched Formula One.

Now it's not a celebratory number like 20 or 30 years but I'm very proud to reach my 13th year of Formula One.

So to celebrate I am picking my top five F1 moments from the past 13 years. 

This post is the top five crashes. I don't like crashes, there are not a nice part of Formula One but they happen and luckily everyone in these crashes were okay and so with that here are the top five memorable crashes.

Fernando Alonso: Brazil 2003

In the UK the Brazilian race is at prime time on Sunday night, so on this occasion I was watching with my family. Being a huge Alonso fan at the time. When Alonso crashed into Mark Webber's discarded tyre from a previous crash minutes before. I was in bits. I was shaking and crying. I had to be consoled by my mum because in my head I thought Alonso was really badly injured. 

Mark Webber: European (Valencia) 2010

An eye watering crash, which shows how bad crashes can be if there is a dramatic speed difference between cars.
This didn't make me cry, but I pretty much yelped at this one.
Literally a few yards higher and this could of been a tragedy.




Sergio Perez: Monaco 2011

What made this crash all the more horrifying for me was the moment that Sergio put his hand against his head, bracing himself for the Monaco impact.
Then that white sheet came out.
Sickening moment.
I hope that next year something is done about the Monaco bump.



Robert Kubica: Canada 2007

I remember this crash more vividly then others.
On this day me and my family were round my sisters house to celebrate my Niece's 3rd Birthday.
The F1 got turned on the TV by all the men at the party and me.
Then we saw Kubica's huge crash.
It was the first time for me that a huge crash made me think I had seen an F1 death.
It was that bad I didn't just cry at my sisters.
I went home and cried too.

Even now I struggle to watch.



Most of the field: Spa 1998

Rain + a mistake = Chaos.

Eleven cars were taken out in one fell swoop with what has to be the most cars crashed in F1 history.
It was extremely lucky that the cars hadn't quite got up to racing speeds and that everyone got out uninjured.



Now there have been plenty of F1 accidents and crashes but those five are the ones that stick the most in my mind.
Lets hope the next thirteen years F1 safety keeps on improving and we have another thirteen years of no fatalities in F1.