Classic Australian GP - the winner
You have had your say and we have a winner for our classic Australian Grand Prix feature.
We had an overwhelming response to this idea - and we are thrilled you like it - and the massive favourites from our pick of five classic races were the two title showdowns in Adelaide in 1994 and 1986.
They were both brilliant Grands Prix, providing among the most dramatic climaxes to any Formula 1 season in history.
That being the case, the decision between the two was always likely to be close - and so it proved, with the Michael Schumacher v Damon Hill dogfight in 1994 just edging out the three-way battle between Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet in 1986.
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I have to admit that my personal favourite is '86. Dramatic as '94 was, there were far more twists and turns eight years before as the crown hovered over the heads of all three men at various stages during the race before finally settling on Prost.
For a while, I have to admit I was a bit nervous - it looked like '86 wasn't getting the support it deserved. Initially, you voted heavily in favour of '94 but, as it went on, '86 caught up and even edged ahead at one point.
In the end, though, Hill v Schumacher just edged it - by, to my reckoning, 59 votes to 55.
And you can see why it is so popular - a thrilling battle, the title on a knife-edge, just one point in it, winner (or survivor) takes all.
Schumacher holds the lead at the start, but Hill does not let him get away. Eventually, the Englishman pressures Schumacher so hard he makes a mistake, whereupon the German gives the world the first sight of the dark side with which F1 fans were to become so familiar over the succeeding years by taking his rival out of the race.
With Schumacher in the wall, Hill continues but, front suspension broken, his race is over - and with it his title dream. That leaves Nigel Mansell - who Williams have lured back in the (vain) hope he might help Hill's title bid - to win his final Grand Prix.
Now, I said in my initial piece that we would show extended highlights of the winner. But this was so close that we decided to do so for both these races.
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So you will find embedded in this blog the full highlights programme of both races.
Initially, we had planned just to offer five-minute edits of the highlights, but we listened to your requests and decided to offer the full "Grand Prix" programme from the time.
At the bottom, you will find the short edits of the other three races we picked, as well as the two front-runners.
The extended highlights will also be available on Freeview and digital satellite and cable from 0830 on Tuesday 24 March.
Thanks to your suggestions, we now also have an extensive list for the same feature again next year.
OK, on to Malaysia. In my initial post, I said that usually we would list our five choices for classic events in the week after the preceding race, and run the winner in the week leading up to this year's Grand Prix.
But as there is only a one-week gap between Australia and Malaysia this year, I am going to give you our five choices for classic Malaysian events now.
They are as follows:
1999 - controversially won by Eddie Irvine after Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher, in his first race back after breaking his leg, blocked McLaren's Mika Hakkinen. Both Ferrari drivers were disqualified for illegal cars, only to be reinstated upon appeal, thereby keeping the title race open to the final round.
2000 - Michael Schumacher's ninth win of the season, equalling Nigel Mansell's record.
2006 - when the new engine change rule gave several leading contenders problems.
2007 - Alonso's first win for McLaren
2008 - Raikkonen wins as Hamilton struggles to seventh.
It has to be admitted that there have not been that many classic Malaysian GPs in the race's 10-year history. But before you all jump up and down on me anyway saying I've missed some, we had to rule out 2002 and 2003 - which were on my initial list - because of technical problems.
Anyway, take your pick of your favourite from that list - and by all means point out any that you think we have criminally left off the list, and why they should be included.
In the meantime, here are the short (about five minutes long) versions of our five picks for classic Australian Grands Prix:
Adelaide 1986 - classic title showdown between Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet.
1991 - abandoned after 14 laps in torrential rain
1994 - Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collide, deciding the title in the German's favour
1996 - Jacques Villeneuve nearly wins on his debut
2007 - Lewis Hamilton finishes third on his F1 debut.
The love affair has blown hot and cold, but Formula One has had me in its spell for most of my life. After 16 years covering the sport, in which I have reported from more than 100 Grands Prix, I am as thrilled by its heights, fascinated by its complexities and exasperated by its idiosyncrasies as ever. I hope there will be plenty of all of them to share with you now F1 is back on the BBC. You can also follow me on
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~05~RS~)
Comments
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The Malaysian GP in 2001 should be on the list. A downpour a lap or two after the start caused chaos and made for an exciting race. Definitely better than the 5 offered above.
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Two for the price of one, thanks Andrew! It's fantastic to see how much commitment the Beeb are showing even before the season has started! Thanks for putting these clips up, even the title sequence is making the hairs on my neck stand up.
For Malaysia I'll vote for 1999 if only because I was there and have lost my VHS of the event!
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Very pleased to see both chosen.
For Malaysia, I would have preferred 2001, but out of the five, I'd go for 1999.
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Great blog and relieved to see you've put both Oz '86 and '94 on here.
I hate to be overly fussy but classic in my mind denotes something of vintage or age… Like a classic car. Thus I can’t help but feel the choices for the Malaysian Grand Prix are less classic and more just best races of recent times…
Anyway my vote goes for 1999. Michael was on fire on his return showing he was never really away. If he hadn’t broken his legs that year he would of won another championship for sure. He would of certainly won the 1999 Malaysian race if it hadn’t been for team orders.
Stuart Gray – http://www.formula1-blog.co.uk
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Malaysia 2001 was the best Grand Prix at Sepang but having followed Formula One for a few years I understand that Formula One Management don't like to show highlights or videos that might make people enjoy the sport more.
1999 was a great race so that gets my vote. Schumachers qualifying lap was stunning, any chance that can be included in the vid??
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+1 to what JPBolton said re qualifying. Schuey had been absent for a few months after breaking his leg at Silverstone, and on a new circuit which acted as a leveler showed exactly why he was champion so often.
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Fantastic that both 86 and 94 have been chosen...im looking forward to getting home tonight, pressing that red button and watching both races
:-)
As for Malaysia i'll go for 1999
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Malaysia 2001 should have been an option, but as it isn't, i'll go for 1999
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id go for 2006 at malaysia
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Yeah Malaysia not full of classics. I'm gonna be random and say 1999. Schumacher being evil just won the first vote....
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Im 21 years old and have been a fan of F1 for as long as I can remember. After watching this classic Australian GP, its quick to forget how exciting races were in the 90s rather than the procession races we've had in the last few seasons. Hopefully this years rule changes will bring the glory days back to F1 otherwise I think il'l become a permanent visitor to this blog for my race fixes.
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I'm surprised that Adelaide '86 was pipped. I was quite sure it would be out infront. People always talk about Brazil last season, but surely as title showdowns go 1986 is one of the greatest.
As for Malaysia i'm still in two minds. In all honesty I've never been a fan of the track but the two that stick out are '99 and '06.
For me, the moment of the 2006 Grand Prix is Alonso's stunning start from 7th on the grid to 3rd.
However I'll go for 1999 - The return of Schumacher, the must win for Irvine and of course the controversy which ensued after the race.
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Have to agree with the boys above, 2001 was probably the most enjoyable to watch ... but then Malaysia has never really offered a 'classic' race ... yet.
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Watching the Classic Australian GP's on the Red Button now, faaaaantastic!
Thanks BBC for the commitment shown to F1!
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Oh yeah, I forgot to say thank you for doing this beeb. Finally I have no complains in paying the license fee! ;)
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Loving this feature. For Malaysia I would have to go with 99 to see Schumacher's dominant return again. However 2001 was a far more exciting race!
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"We had to rule out 2002 and 2003 - which were on my initial list - because of technical problems"
Would that technical problem be having to use James Allen's voice?
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2006 please
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Thanks Andrew!
For a moment I lost my faith in Auntie and the season has barely started! Thanks for showing the two races.
I probably would've chosen 2003 Malaysian GP but on the list I'm struggling to between 2006 - Fisi gets a good win over Alonso even though he drove at 101% and made it look unpretty; 2007 - Hamilton showed he would be a force to reckon with.
I go with 2006 since it was more gripping to watch for the whole race and enjoyable watching Fisi driving at 101%, locking his brakes etc whereas in 2006 the excitement died down after the first round of pit stops.
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"whereas in 2006 the excitement died down after the first round of pit stops."
Sorry, typo. I meant whereas 2007 the excitement died down after the first round of pit stops
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Defiantly would have preferred Malaysia 2001, my vote will have to go to 1999 then.
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Question: As all of these races were broadcast by ITV, what will happen in this case?
Will the "winner" still get extended highlights of 40-50 minutes?
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As others have said, 2001 was the best Malaysian Grand Prix by far, both Ferraris nearly ending up in the wall after 2 laps due to a downpour, and then fighting back to take a stunning 1-2...what a race!
But out of the choices you've given, 1999 was just a master class from Schumacher in playing the team game, especially as it was his first race for 3 months after breaking his leg at Silverstone.
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I would also have voted for the 2001 Malaysian race as the others have been relatively dull in comparison. However, my vote goes to 1999.
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Firstly thank you for listening to the feedback regarding the length of the clips of archive races. The 5-6 mins initially suggested was far too short and (although I wish it were possible) I accept it is unlikely that you would/could offer the races in full.
Anway, In terms of Malaysia I guess it has to be 1999 as a showcase of Michael Schumacher's genius. Agreed qualifying lap would be wonderful too.
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Please xan we have the 2001 race, its by far the best race held in Malaysia
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Will have to vote for 1999 given the choice (Though i know the BBC may be limited on which races they are allowed to show highlights of - otherwise i'd have said 2001 and the downpour).
Really glad the BBC are making use of their back catologue of F1 footage. Its something i'd hoped they would do and its great to see them showing this old stuff instead of leaving it to gather dust somewhere. Keep it up for the season and well done.
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Get rid of the compulsory Hamilton option, and add 2001. Overwise, 1999
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My vote would definately be for 1999. Seeing Schumie on his return to racing and his qually lap were awesome.
Would a voting button be an easier way to coun our votes? Most other wbsites manage to have a simple voting system on a single mouse click, that only allows each person to vote once. Could this be an option to consider for future votes here?
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The Australian highlights were awesome I watched them all on the red button : )
1994 was a great race and so was the 1986 one, I loved the in-cockpit shots it looks so different and the gear shifting amazed me.
For the Malasian Grand Prix I would definatley have to vote for "1999", it sounds the most intresting plus I've seen the other ones on DVD.
Thanks for the highlights, looking forward to the race.
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Ok, guys, I read your comments and posts and I definitely realise what I have missed…And why my younger brother all those years had to set the alarm very early in order to watch everything in F1 those times…For me F1 then was “boring” sport, simply because I didn’t know anything clear and didn’t understand it. I was “cheating” : ) with the basketball then. That was my main sport…(but we may speak about basketball some other time : )).
Wow!! Michael Schumacher coming back from his broken leg accident at Silverstone for his “first” race!
First the / that qualifying lap in Malaysia 1999; then the race itself; the team play from Schuey (“?!” - That’s for some people, who cant believe Schumi is a team player : )); Irvine’s first win (for Ferrari or first ever win?! Help, please : ))… And then we head to Malaysia 2001. Thanks, guys, I KNOW already what I have missed : )
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23. At 11:41am on 24 Mar 2009, benjones48 wrote:
As others have said, 2001 was the best Malaysian Grand Prix by far, both Ferraris nearly ending up in the wall after 2 laps due to a downpour, and then fighting back to take a stunning 1-2...what a race!
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Wow! I was missing that too! Just CAN IMAGINE a little bit what have been the actions in F1 there and then!! In Malaysia 1999 and 2001…
Anyway it looks in the future I need somehow to find all these races and even more. May be a lot of work, etc, but who knows – can find them all at the end. One thing is certain – I will TRY; but the way I am “trying” sometimes : ) which is very hard. Hope there will be HELP on the way to find these races though : ). Or better said – A LOT OF HELP.
My very little contribution here will be an interview 2 or 3 years ago with Jean Todt. (Read it, didn’t take it, for clarification). It was very classy interview, questions, answers, etc. Hm, and one of the most frustrating things happened in Jean Todt’s life was THAT Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari crash at Silverstone 1999…They were team but also friends, you know. Jean Todt : )
As for the voting I go for both : ) 1999 and 2001 Malaysian GP! I know I cant – but I vote for both : ).
PS. And again till you get used to - for all those odd question marks, etc. and to get the clear point of the post and no misunderstandings, please, click on my username…Thanks and all the best.
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The archive races are awsome! Great to see this sort of thing from the bbc! Really looking forward to the coverage this weekend. My vote goes to 2006, altough it would have gone to 2001 if it were there.
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1999 'for sure'. Schumacher proved that day he was THE team man
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2001 was an absolute classic, I'm guessing you don't have the rights to the footage as that would be the only reason you wouldn't inculde the race.
Out of the options chosen though I would go for 1999.
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Will there be any chance of offering these highlights as podcasts by any chance? I loved rewatching the 1994 Australian GP - I had not woken up to watch it live, heard the result on the radio before watching the replay and have regretted not waking up to watch it ever since.
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For me, it has to be 2006.
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From the options I'll pick 1999, but will it have coverage of the drama after the race? Other than that I liked the 2001 race with the rain and jumbled up order.
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I'll vote for 1999.
2001 should really be on the list though. We haven't seen rain like that in Formula One since.
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Agree with many others that 2001 should be on there.
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Just watched the classic races on the red button and I love them! Well done BBC!
I also agree that 2001 should be on the list. However, out of those five my vote goes to 1999.
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I agree with many of the other posts from this blog, its got to be 1999 for me, although i think you should add 2001 into that list and abandon one of the other years!
Great blog though and great to see the tile showsowns from '86 and '94 in full, or at least as they were shown in the BBC's Grand Prix highlights show! You got a real winner here with this!
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Great blog. Really enjoyed watching the old school aussie gp's. my vote is 1999
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I think I'll go with 2008 to see the Iceman showing what he can do in a Ferrari
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2001 Malaysian GP would be easily my pick given the chance, but since it's not there, I'll go for 1999
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Id like to vote for 1999. I do not understand why 2001 isnt on here though, it was the best race ever in malaysia. Thanks for the double highlights for australia, i really enjoyed watching them.
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2001 if you agree to add it to your list, if not then 2007 as I like that race for some reason.
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Aussie GP 02 featured a first corner incident promoted by two dashing seocnd drivers flying over the top of each other and two team mates hitting each other sparking half the grid to do the same. This led to Kimi getting his first podium, Coulthard and Trulli at one point having a one-two and Webber getting his first f1 points.. in his first race.. in minardi. And Toyota doing likewise with Salo.
Aussie Gp 03 was the grand prix that Ferraris podium dominance ended, DC won from the back of the grid, JPM should have won but for a spin at the end and Kimi rounded off the top three.
Perhaps not decisive or controversial but off the richter scale in terms of action-packed.
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got to go for 99, first race, so much controversy, you just couldnt write the script could you
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1999 for me
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This is fantastic, what an excellent way to spread the coverage of F1, We can vote for our favourite races and then watch them on the BBC's red button service? This is excellent, many thanks to the BBC for getting F1 back. Oh, my favourite Malaysian GP was from 2003 Jenson Button's first podium but if that's not an option then it has to be 1999!! Thanks.
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I'd love to see some classic Alesi races. He is an underappreciated racer, and very much missed in F1.
Japan (Suzuka) 1995, European GP 1995, Canada 1995, Pheonix 1990 (dual with Ayrton Senna), Monaco 1990 all spring to mind.
Alesi fans unite!
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wow man I thought we were only getting 5 minute clips! 45 minutes of 1994 season action! niiicee!!!!
As for Malaysia....difficult indeed but I thought 2001 was good, purely for the crazy downpour and watching the Arrows lead!
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To Malaysia and I can't believe that you haven't mentioned 01. How were 06, 07 and 08 anywhere near as good as 01? Both Ferraris spin off after four laps. Everybody else does likewise. Ferraris then come back from eleventh and twelth to slaughter the field and end up as a one-two within ten laps whether tyres played a factor or not. Let's not forget Verstappen and his miraculous Arrows that race.
I think a few too many recent and Hamilton choices are coming into place because if 01 was on there I personaly think it'd beat the lot
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I would definitely go for 2001, sad it isn't an option, maybe you'll change your mind!
Thrilled with these highlights, looking forward to the season very much!
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Sorry that last post was a bit off topic - as for Malaysia races, definitely 1999. Would be good to see a 'swervin Irvine' victory!
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Get rid of the compulsory Hamilton option, and add 2001. Overwise, 1999
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I'm sorry but I have to agree with this statement. It's obivous a compulsory option has to be in place because even in the race where it's situated you insist on mentioning his name. "Where Hamilton struggled for seventh" what about where everybody else finished?
I do also agree that 01 should be an option like half the people posting here have previously mentioned
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Ah man, how fitting. I think it's only fair that you post 1986 & 1994 because it's just too close to call between those 2 classics. Great to see the old intro's too.
Now onto Malaysia. How can you leave 2001 off the list, that has to be one of the best races ever at Sepang. Montoya stalled his Williams on the dummy grid, Fisichella went into the wrong grid slot then the mother of all downpours soaked the track on lap 2. Everybody driver and team was in a panic to stay on track. So it was left to M Schumacher and Barrichello to come through the pack and show everybody how it's done in the wet, having both spun off at the same time only to keep their Ferrari's going.
So my vote goes to 2001. But if i have to pick one from your list it has to be 1999. One of M Schumacher's best drives ever, having come back from a broken leg and for once had to play #2 to Eddie Irvine, so Irvine had a chance for the title in Japan.
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Has to be 2001 for me too, that deluge completely shook the race up, and then having Jos The Boss challenging for the podium for most of the race in an Arrows... how was this not on the list?
I'm loving this feature, having never seen '86 or '91 for Australia! Although I'm with D_M_N_ in asking what form these highlights will take? Will they all be the shorter highlights a la '96, '91, and '07 for Oz or will the winner again have an extended showing?
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I'm not voting for any of the five races listed, as they're not particulary special. It's a shame that you can't broadcast the 2003 race - That's my personal favourite. Another good race was in 2001 - the lashing rain at the start caused chaos. Although I'm not a fan of Michael Schumacher & Ferrari, that was a stunning race by.
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Going to have to go with 1999 of the choices given. Although I agree with the others who said 2001 would've been a better choice.
Also many thanks for deciding the put all the video clips up on red button on TV. As good as it is on the web the quality of the video on the TV is better.
Anyway, I hope you do keep doing these votes. It's an awesome idea and yet another reason why I was over the moon the BBC got the coverage back of the best sport in the world! Much better than doing some bland preview programme!
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Please please please add 2001 to that list, I'd love to see that race! If you definitely won't relent and add/replace that on the list, 1999 then.
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id like to add my vote for 1999
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Sorry guys I mean 2004!!!!!!
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For me I think my favourite Malaysian GP was 1999, I also liked the 2004 race in which Jenson Button got his first podium. This one is tricky...
For entertainment value 1999 Wins it for me. Many Thanks to the BBC for getting F1 back again and for showing these Old Classic F1. Thanks once again.
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Like many I'd rather have seen 2001 but will happily vote for 1999 - a great return from Schumacher.
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I'd like to vote for 1999, I'd especialy like to see the footage of Ross Brawn, after the race, explaining to the worlds media exactly why the Ferrari's bargeboards were illegal. Before the next week explaining to the court of appeal why they weren't.....
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I'd also like to see 2001 if possible, but otherwise count another vote for 1999 Malaysian GP.
Thanks a lot for giving us the great footage of the 1994 and 1986 Australian GPs! Really enjoyed watching them and look forward to the rest! It was also good to see the shorter highlights for the other races which didn't win the vote.
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I would agree with many previous posts that the 2001 race was probably the better choice, but of those on offer I would go with 1999. My outstanding memory of the 1999 meeting would be the qualifying session, when Micheal Schumacher came back after his injury and blitzed the field by almost a second to claim a stunning pole position. Did we dare to think he would be anything but his best?
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If possible, 2001 would be my choice.
If not, I think 1999 is the best of the remaining options.
Thanks very much for all the historic footage so far, really enjoyed watching the highlights from some of the best Aussie GPs past.
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Just watched the full Grand Prix edits on the red button and really enjoyed them. 1986 was great with 3 drivers fighting for the title and a glimpse of what was to come with Senna at the start. Loved seeing Steve Rider (posh accent and big hair) from all those years ago!
Only 5 Chinese and Bahrain GPs have taken place so far Andrew, are you going to dig into the archive at some point and show some old GPs from countries that no longer have one (Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Portugal etc)?
1999 Malaysia for me!
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as everyone has already said, just about all of the malaysian gp's have been bore-fests except for 2001; the selection really is the best of a bad bunch.
my vote goes to 2006, its the only one on the list that was actually exciting. 1999 was only interesting because the title was at stake, and because of the appeal that followed.
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It's been great watching the classic races. Thank you Andrew and the BBC.
I vote for Malaysia 1999.
For the ITV races, could you not just use their highlights package (considering you have the rights for everything) and just use the actual race footage minus all the footage before and after the race? And dub over the post-Murray commentary as you did with the Greatest Clips video?
Once again, brilliant stuff. I've been singing The Chain to myself for the last few days in excitement for the weekend! Thanks again.
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like many have said above 2001 is best option
the races between 2002-05 were also good as well
as none of these are on the list I'll have to go with 2006
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I agree, I would prefer 2001, but of those listed it would have to be 1999.
Thanks for the brilliant highlights, keep up the good work.
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C'mon Benson.....2001 has to be an option..surely to hear Murray when Barichello and Schumacher come off and to come back to win..Im not a big fan of Ferrari but Schumacher and Barichello to do that was brilliant.
Also funny that 2002 and 2003 is missing...why?
Kimi Raikkonen's 1st F1 win and Ron Dennis was in tears...is it because James Allen is on it??
Make Malaysia 2001 an option...c'mon BBC!!!!
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Interesting how 2001 has become popular!
2001 and 2002 seasons have been erased from memory because it was so damn boring.
I remember the sudden monsoon but couldn't remember the exact year so thanks for reminding me it was a decent race.
Thank you BBC. Really enjoyed the Oz GPs this evening. Can't wait for the rest of the year and start reminiscing.
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i have just spent the last 2/3 hours watching re-runs of classic australian gp's that are being shown on freeview channel 301 today.
one piece of in-car footage really caught my eye - that of johnny dumfies in the JPS Lotus 98 changing gear with his hands using a gear lever on the right hand side of th cockpit.
anyone else remember those days? big slicks, lots of horse power, turbo engines, cars sliding all over the place when the power was put down, manual gear change, etc etc.
awesome to watch. why do we have to watch the comparatively boring cars that we have these days? why is the fun, the oversteer, the racing?
come on max & bernie. give us what we wan - proper racing cars. not 2.4 litre v8's. bring back the fabulous v12's & lots of horsepower.
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I would vote to watch the 2006 Malaysian GP
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Actually, No forget that, I want to see the 2001 Malaysian GP highlights with Murray Commentating :)
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Having both 94 and 86 Australia was absolutely awesome! Many many thanks!
As everyone else has said, 2001 Malaysia stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Do you have rights issues with some of your tapes during this period? Five Live used the F1 Digital+ super signal back then and FOM bizarrely still seem to separate this in their new TV deals - i.e. presumably the BBC have World Feed rights.
Assuming we can't have 2001, I'll go with 1999 - the day Michael returned and showed he was still head and shoulders above the rest.
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It's a shame about 2002 - the clash between Montoya and Schumacher at the start was the beginning of an eventful race. The same with 2001 - the rain shower really gave us some excitment and caused a few missed heartbeats in the Ferrari garage!
I think I'll go for 1999 - DC's brilliant move down the inside of Schumi into Turn 2, and Haikkinen overtaking Herbet towards the end of the race in what proved to be a crticial pass for his championship win.
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I vote to watch the 1999 Grand Prix
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I'd love to see Malaysia 2001 again. It was by far the most classic of all the Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Failing that, i'd say go for 1999...
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Thank you Andrew for the two full highlights programmes. Fans are hard to please, but it's so appreciated that you've shown these classics.
Like one or two others, can I ask what we are voting for because the 5-6 minute edits will be shown (if I'm right) anyway? Will there be a longer highlights program?
I'd vote for 2001 Malaysia if it were available. If not 1999. Many thanks!
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Andrew and the BBC. Thank you so much for showing not only the full highlights of the winning Australian GP from the vote, but also of the 1986 race.
Can you advise as to whether the practice sessions for each GP will only be shown once on the Red Button, or will be on a continuous loop for the remainder of the day. Obviously, the live Friday practice sessions in Austrialia are going to be shown live between 0130 and 0700. Do I need to get up to set my DVD player away? Would love to watch it live, but am concerned I may fall asleep at my desk at work on Friday!
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Well, I'll go with the flow and go for 99 with Malaysia.
Again, like many others I am absolutely delighted with the classic Aust GP's (maybe other AGP's to consider 85, 89 and 90).
Plus, for races where we may be looking at other circuits. I can only ask for circuits such as; Kyalami (original); Osterrichring (original); Zandvoort; maybe 'the Glen'; Montreal. Not to forget Dijon (79, in particular) and Paul Ricard, perhaps.
Thanks again, so far this is amazing!
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Yep 01 was a good one, rain cars off everywhere!
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Can you add 2001 to the list please, but if you can't, 1999 will have to do.
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I agree that 2001 needs to be on the list but 1999 was also a great race so unless 2001 gets put on the list then 1999 gets my vote
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It's a shame that the 2001 race wasn't included in the selection, as when the rain came down it caught both Schumacher and Barrichello out, and that got Murray very excitable indeed - more than usual. Although those ended up being the first two by some distance.
Out of the five selected, I'd have to elect for 1999. Schumacher came back and did what he could to help Eddie Irvine to try and get the world title, and with all the furore after the race, it definitely was one that had the tongues wagging!
Incidentally, the Australian races aren't on Freeview at the moment due to the cycling. If possible, it'd be good to have an idea of the times it'd be on red button coverage on there.
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I too would have preferred to see the 2001 race at Sepang. I distinctly remember Jos Verstappen - having one of his best drives - hauling his Arrows into a podium position during the rainstorm, but having the misfortune to finish just outside the points.
In the absence of 2001, I'll have to pick the 1999 race, 'won' by Schumacher for Eddie Irvine...
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Mal 1999 please,,,aslong as its murray walker im good,,,just love listening 2 his great commentary
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Who was commentating on the 2007 race? He kept pronouncing Kubica as it would be in English. Just a little annoying, certainly not a major problem :).
I'd quite like to see 2006, just to see the front runners having problems :)
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Martin Brundle had a thing about pronouncing Kubica wrong for a bit but it didn't last that long i don't think
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I'll opt for 1999 please (unless you're feeling generous and will provide us with the top two favourites again!). (Shame we can't vote for 2001.) Really enjoying this feature. More please!
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I know its not on the list but I have to vote for 2001! That was one of the best races that year, and certainly the only good Malaysian Grand Prix. If there are any highlights of this race it would be fantastic! Out of curiousity, do you have the rights to the races from 97-08 that ITV broadcast? Keep up the good work (but some better selections in this feature would be appreciated ;-))
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I would have also said 2001, by far the best Malaysian GP. Failing that, 1999 was also pretty decent. Schumi made everyone else look like a mug and then played the team game on race day.
If anyone votes for 2007 i'm personally gonna come and cut your internet in half, one of the most boring races ever!
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I guess im repeating a lot of others but:
Definately 2001, and failing that, 1999
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Well, I can't recall a really good one but I'm an Alonso fan so I suppose I choose 2007.
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Hi all,
Thanks for your comments so far, and apologies for taking so long to come back on.
I thought I'd better address a couple of things that have been coming up regularly.
First, Malaysia 2001. I mentioned technical reasons being behind us not being able to show 2002 and 2003 - and the same is the case for 2001. Added to that, there are also resources issues, all related to the fact that we did not have the TV rights, that I'm afraid make it impractical to use that race. We are trying to do the best job we can for you with this series - and I'm pleased you all seem to like it so much - but there is only so much time we can devote to it.
Second, there have been a couple of suggestions that we are automatically including races which Lewis Hamilton was in because you think we feel that we should always have some. I'd like to knock that one on the head straight away - it is simply not the case. We have made it abundantly clear that the BBC will not be focusing on Hamilton to the exclusion of his rivals this season. We aim to give as rounded a view of the sport as we can - and we all think it's crucial to the audience's understanding of F1 that people come to know and appreciate the people he is racing against.
Obviously, he is the world champion, and he is British, so we will hardly be ignoring him. But that does not mean his presence will skew our editorial judgement - and it is absolutely not relevant to this classic races series at all.
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Does anyone know whether the classic Australian GP highlights will be shown again this weekend? They didn't seem to be on at all on the red button yesterday and there's no sign of them again today (Friday).
I caught some of them on Tuesday but it'd be a shame if they're only on for 24 hours or so in the build up to a race weekend.
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Watching that Schumacher move on Hill, if that happened now you know someone would sure to be disqualified. However, if it was Hamilton not Hill that was crashed into, I'm sure whoever it was causing the crash would get away with it. There's a really wierd air about the Stewards at the moment...
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Was definately good to see the classic Oz GPS.
'86: Had a laugh at the 'novelty' value of the in-car camera. It was probably the first time I'd ever seen Senna in a Lotus or Piquet or Rosberg in action. Or Steve Rider without grey hair!
'94: Some of the commentary lines triggered flashbacks, particularly the "duelling backmarkers" one for some wierd reason.
Malaysia: No such thing as a classic Malaysian GP IMO but '99's probably the best of that bunch.
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I vote to see the 2006 Malaysian GP, also any chance of having an easy way to find the races on the new BBC F1 Site? For a youngster like me who wasnt even born when some of these races were run its great being able to see such exciting races and to be able to find them easier would be great!
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Well, seeing as we can't get 2001, I'll go for 2000, because it also wrapped up Ferrari's constructor's championship after a brilliant season.
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I'm loving the old highlights package, looking forward to seeing some classic races over the next 8 months.
Malaysia hasn't produced many races that stick in the mind but for me i'm voting for 2007, Alonso's 1st win for McLaren and the battle between Hamilton & Massa.
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Can anyone tell me where we have to go to get the chance to watch the five Malaysian GP's? I've looked on BBC red button but cannot find it (on the sports multiscreen).
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CultofHandsome, they haven't been put on yet. We vote for two to get main highlights, with 3 other smaller highlights.
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Well yes I would go for 1999. Definately echo the comments before about China or Baharian being a great oppourtunity to show the highlights of races from countires that aren't part of the calandar anymore...and Andrew I have to echo as well the thanks for showing 1986 and 1994 as extensive highlights, I greatly enjoyed it, and also well done to all at the BBC from what I saw today the coverage looks sensational for what should be a fantastic season!
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Andrew, will there be 5 minute edits for the Malaysian GPs or will there be one half-hour or so highlights for the winner? Appreciate that there are resource limitations, so if it's just edits for a few rounds that's certainly fine.
If I may request, it would be great to have one unrelated "classic" GP option for the coming rounds of China, Bahrain, and Turkey each who have limited GP histories. A few great circuits/races the BBC could feature that are not on the current calendar might be France (79, 87, 90, 92), Mexico (86), Canada (86, 89, 91, 95), Detroit (84-86), Dallas (84), Portugal (84-86), Austria (82, 86).
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Thank you all for your comments. I am going to analyse them on Monday morning and we will publish the chosen video later this week in the run-up to the Malaysian race.
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Further to other comments and reading what flukielukas has put. Other races from countries that are not on the calendar would be amazing. I've already made some suggestions on great circuits. Though I would also look at the possiblity of Long Beach (as it is in my opinion the best of the US street circuits). Keep up the good work!
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+1 to auslegal and others.
When we get to places like Turkey - and Abu Dhabi! - there's precious little in the way of historical footage so a selection of classic clips from now defunct races like Holland or South Africa would be a welcome touch.
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