Home F1 Podcast: Brundle ranks best F1 cars of all decades, Ferrari & more

Podcast: Brundle ranks best F1 cars of all decades, Ferrari & more

16/05/2020

Martin Brundle was the guest on this week’s F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, discussing the different cars of the sport’s storied history.

For a 70th anniversary Beyond the Grid podcast, it had long-time F1 pundit and driver, Brundle as the guest. With his experiences driving, shall we say unusual cars, he was the prime candidate for discussion about the best cars of every decade the sport.

Here’s all what was discussed on F1 Beyond The Grid podcast with Brundle:

The Beyond The Grid podcast with Brundle looked very different to a traditional episode, with the Brit going through a list of the best F1 cars of each decade, while also discussing some differences between the eras.
Chronologically, the first era talked about 1950, with it being the first championship season. Brundle recalled stories of him driving 1950s cars, as he took listeners through what it was like to drive one of these cars, where he selected the 1954 Mercedes as the best one.
He then talked about 1950s cars and the differences between front and mid-engine F1 cars, where Brundle outlined some contrasts.
After this, it was the 1960s where Brundle spoke about driving Dan Gurney’s 1966/1977 car, and how his chance to drive that came to be – he said this was the best of the era due in part to its great looks. He discussed in detail some of the major differences between 1960s and 1950s cars.
The 1970s were next on the block, and here there was plenty to talk about with an era which saw a burst of technological innovation. He spoke primarily about Niki Lauda’s cars, and James Hunt’s McLaren M23. For the former, he recounted a story of driving Lauda’s cars when Sky Sports did a piece when the ‘Rush’ movie was coming out.
Naturally, the 1980s were next, and understandably the MP4/4 took the cake as the best car of the decade.
After this came the 1990s – a decade that Brundle raced in plenty. He said that, by far and away, his favorite machine of the era was the Benetton B192, it being a car that he raced and enjoyed thoroughly.
Next came the Ferrari-dominated 2000s, where Brundle talked primarily about the Ferrari F2000. This led to talks about Ferrari’s importance in F1, and a question about Brundle’s favorite race to commentate – the 2008 Brazilian GP
After the 2008 Brazilian GP conversation, Brundle spoke about the McLaren MP4-23 – a car that he felt was on rails
Post this, it was onto the 2010s, and here Brundle talked about the Red Bull RB7, telling the story of driving with Mark Webber at Silverstone. Primarily because of the blown diffuser, he ranked this car high on the list, saying that this particular development provided a ton of confidence.
However, it didn’t top his ranking; the top spot, instead, went to Lewis Hamilton’s 2015 championship-winning Mercedes – a car that he said had ‘relentless, linear’ acceleration, even in the wet.
Interestingly, the Brit said that driver influence on success was at its peak in the 80s and 90s, before the podcast ended.