When did you start watching / your first F1 experience?

Joc?

Joc?

Not A Dude
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I'm just curious and I couldn't find a thread like this :)
Since when have you been an F1 fan, what's the first thing you remember about it?

I have a brother who's 3 years older than me I remember that he usually watched the races when I was 8-10 years old (so around 1997-1999). I often went to his room, looked at the TV, asked him how the hell he could enjoy watching this and then went out of the room to play something. (He still watches the races but he's never been too interested, he wouldn't read a single article about F1...)
At that time, I knew there was someone called Schumacher in a red car and there was another one called something like H?kkinen...

The first race I clearly remember watching was 1999 Malaysia, I was 10 years old. We were at my grandma's house with other relatives, and F1 was on in the TV. So I watched it. I actually liked it I think but I didn't watch the next race which was actually the title decider in Suzuka...

I got interested in 2000. By mid season, I regularly watched the races although I wasn't really frustrated if I had to miss it for some reason. I was really sad when the season was over and found out that I had to wait more than 4 months.

During the winter break after the 2000 season, I read a lot about about F1, got to know all the teams and drivers and couldn't wait for the 4th of March to come. 2001 was my first 'real' season as a fan, that year will be close to my heart forever :p

My interest has been growing since then and although I'm sometimes (or should it be often? :p) irritated by stupid rules, boring races or results not to my liking, F1 remains my favourite sport. I love it :)
 
Can't remember when I started watching F1, but it was a while ago.

But the level of obesession grew over the years, from watching the race every now and then to stay up late, just to catch the live coverage.

The more you know, the more addictive it gets.... F1 is seriously like a drug :p
 
Can't remember when I started watching F1 too.
I remember that i was very disapointed of the german drivers like Stuck and Danner. Then someday in 1991 Bertrand Gachot sprayed pepperspray at a cabdriver and was replaced by a certain Michael Schumacher ...that changed things a bit :mrgreen:
 
I don't suffer from F1 obsession, I can easily skip the live coverage. The only sport obsession I have is football. I like F1 very much though. The first season I got interested to F1 was 2004 or 2005. When Kubica joined BMW Team, it was big event for me and now I watch the races mostly for him.
 
It was ages ago, mid eighties probably, Senna was my hero. Used to watch pretty much every race until like 2000 or something. My interest faded and it got really boring too. Now I watch it occasionally, usually the first and last 5 laps...

MotoGP though, I watch religiously!
 
I remember the airtime when Mario Andretti won the title...but mainly when ESPN started carrying F1 in 1985 is when I got hooked.

Steve
 
I got hooked around the Damon Hill early years, and watched it since. Cousions took me to Silverstone to watch Mika Hakkinen win. Many people as me why go and see the cars live, "all you see is them zooming past", but you have to see it to belive how fast those things are. Plus the overall spectacle is amazing. My interest waned in the late Schumacher domination period but has picked back up loads lately. The Hamilton effect I expect ;). Last season was immense.
 
The first F1 race I watched was the 2006 Hungary Formula One race. I started to get interested in F1 in early 2000, but never had coverage and the internet connection sucked (lived in another country). In US I wanted to watch F1, but the basic TV had no F1 coverage and at the time I didn't even know Torrents or Live Streaming existed. So finally my dad paid a little extra in 2006 to get SPEED TV and I was hooked.

I'm starting to catch up with the history of F1, by downloading old F1 races. Right now I'm watching the 2000 season.
 
First Grand Prix I went to was the 1985 Adelaide Grand Prix - Was on my 10th Birthday - what a present! I fell in love with the Black JPS Lotus on that day and also with it's fearless driver - Senna.

I think my dad let me stay up to watch some of the european races that year in the lead up so I'd know what was happening. I still miss those turbo cars of the mid 80's..

haven't been to a race since 1995 (the last Adelaide Grand Prix) but have plans to head to an overseas race sometime in the future - most likely Malaysia or perhaps even Singapore...
 
maateuszz89 said:
I don't suffer from F1 obsession, I can easily skip the live coverage. The only sport obsession I have is football. I like F1 very much though. The first season I got interested to F1 was 2004 or 2005. When Kubica joined BMW Team, it was big event for me and now I watch the races mostly for him.
Click to expand...

Same boat as you I got into it during the Reanult vs Ferrari..Shumi vs Fred.

Once Robert got into F1 since I'm Polish well I had to watch :D
 
I was always aware of F1 in a vague sort of way through-out the mid 90s and I knew there was a red and white car (McLaren) that I liked because of its colours. That probably originates back to a game on the old 386 computer where you had your choice of the red car, the red and white car, and the yellow blue and white car. Obviously the red and white car was the best!

In 1995 I became aware of a driver called Mika Hakkinen who drove the red and white car, but crashed heavily in Adelaide and nearly died. Since then I sorta followed his progress but never watched any of the races until the 1998 Australian Grand Prix. He won that, so I tuned into the Brazilian race to see if he could do it again. Then it was just a case of watching each race to see if/when Schumacher would catch him for the championship. Since he retired I've never really followed any other driver, still just a fan of McLaren.
 
My first Grand Prix experience was around 1982.

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I "knew" of F1 around the 1990 season but really didn't start watching it till 1998 or so and didn't really get into it until around 2003.

So far I have only been to 1 GP and that was the 2007 Canadian GP. I wish to attend another GP, but it all depends on funds and timing.
 
I think I started to watch F1 around 1995. I distinctly remember some races from Damon Hill's WDC season, but my parents say that I actually started watching it earlier, maybe even from the time of Senna's death. All I know is I've been watching it fanatically since '97 or so.

And my first real F1 experience was the Hungarian GP last year.
 
A younger version of me loved watching F1 whenever I saw it on TV. But it wasn't until last year that I followed a season and watched every race.

I was very fortunate to be able to attend qualifying for the 2006 USGP before Michael Schumacher retired and before the race died.
 
Monaco 2006, but I've downloaded and watched all races after 2000...
 
My first memories are from off-season 1990-1991. Back then I used to watch the 1990 season review from tape time and time again. I also remember the news if Mika H?kkinen sealing the deal to drive for Lotus in 1991. I was six years old back then. At around that time I got really interested in motorsports, and fortunately Finnish TV started airing all F1 races live at around that time and a motorsport magazine programme started on TV, which made it possible to follow other motorsports around the world.

Since those days I've watched most F1 races live through telly. Still haven't been in the grandstands, but there will be time for that...
 
Ive always had a passing intrest in F1 ever since Mark Webber got his seat at Minardi. But I only started watching full time this season.
 
The first thing I can remember was wanting Villeneuve to beat Hill to the title in 1996 (I was young and foolish). Another early memory of F1 was seeing Panis break both his legs in Canada '97.
I started watching it properly during the '98 season.
 
I remember when I was a kid in the early to mid 90s hearing about this thing called F1 and wondering why would anyone be interested in that. Then in the lead up to the 2002 season I remember hearing about this Australian who was going to make his F1 debut at the Australian GP. I got curious and decided to watch my first GP (the Australian GP) and watching Mark Webber finish fifth on debut with Minardi, instantly becoming a fan of Webber and F1.

I would not watch another GP that year, as I was in school still and most of the GPs are on late Sunday nights here. But I would alway keep up to date on the season and especially Mark's progress or lack of. I would look forward to March every year, time for the Australian GP. I haven't missed watching one since 2002, following each season and Mark's progress throughtout the years. In 2005 & 2006, I started watching a few more GPs over the season where I could. And in 2007 I watched the my first full season, and haven't missed a GP yet this year (and don't plan to miss any).

I attended my first Grand Prix at Melbourne this year and loved every minute of it. I hope to attend a few more GPs as time goes by.
 
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