Doing this kind of thread requires careful moderation, so hopefully this well go as well as the 'Ranking Senna's Cars' thread I started last year. So let's follow the rules below and as per Rule 1, I will lead the discussion!
Thread Rules
1. We will discuss the ranking of ONE CAR at a time.
2. Please reply to the newest posts, NOT the older ones.
3. See Post #2 of this thread for the rank. I will continuously edit as the discussion evolves.
4. At the end, we'll discuss all the cars as a group, make sure we're happy and then settle the final order.
Full-sized cars
1980 and Early 1981
1981 to Early 1982
Early 1982 to end of 1982
Early 1983 to mid 1983
Mid 1983 to end of 1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1994
1995
(Tags)
@Everso Biggyballies@kals@Antonov@John@Monteverde@Michael Ferner@DoubleFart@erwin greven@Cheeveer@caneparo@Michkov@Circuitmaster@Picci@JBT@White six@P. Cornelius Scipio@Ruslan@Star@Vassago@jimclark@XcraigX@lollipop dan@Tom@Xstatic3000@motorsportandi@Manfred Cubenoggin@sadsac@theracer120@Scuderia CC@Finix
That car managed two podiums, and 4th in the Constructors standings. The 1980 Lotus in comparison managed just a solitary podium and 5th in the Constructors standings. It should be bottom because it's fucking ugly, but it's a results business and the Mclaren outperformed the Lotus.
Gavle Yule Goat Predictor 2018, 2019 and 2021 Champion
MonteCristo wrote: ↑2 years agoVettel: Not a fan at all on track. But off track, good guy.
The Essex lotuses look like coffins on wheels, to coin a phrase. I'd agree with Df, worse cars. Performed in the wet a bit, but mainly with EDA. The unreliability of the grid in 1980 also flatters the lotus in terms of results
The mp 4/10 was just designed for drivers that weren't Mansell lol
I always thought it was his massive head he couldn't fit into the car, but apparently it was his body
Last edited by White six3 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
The board equivalent of the Jody scheckter chicane. Fast but pointless
The Lotus 81 was driven by Mario Andretti in 1980 and I understand it was a horrible car, so it is definitely a contender for the worst two. The other teams must have been hopeless for it to have finished 5th overall though.
@DoubleFart Was it the the hideous MP4/10 or the updated MP4/10B which achieved those podiums? Not that there could be much difference between them, aside from that horrid wing. (Or are the model numbers confusing me a little here...)
The hate for the 95 McLaren is so big - I never got it. Sure, the car looks ‘heavy’ (so did Mansell, lol).
But this was the first year of partnership with Mercedes, and Mika got some podiums out of it and sometimes drove it in the lead (Monza, Suzuka). Results and performances McLaren could have only dreamt of a few seasons ago.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Mansell on course to score some points with it in Imola? (His debut race)
Honesty requires me to say I know too little of the first row of cars (1980-1983).
But what I do seem to understand is that Mansell wasn’t exactly good friends with Lotus management.
Antonov wrote: ↑3 years ago
The hate for the 95 McLaren is so big - I never got it. Sure, the car looks ‘heavy’ (so did Mansell, lol).
But this was the first year of partnership with Mercedes, and Mika got some podiums out of it and sometimes drove it in the lead (Monza, Suzuka). Results and performances McLaren could have only dreamt of a few seasons ago.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Mansell on course to score some points with it in Imola? (His debut race)
Honesty requires me to say I know too little of the first row of cars (1980-1983).
But what I do seem to understand is that Mansell wasn’t exactly good friends with Lotus management.
That seemed to extend from the Monaco crash, 4 full seasons in. I don't know if there was trouble before that, but of course he was hard work generally
To be fair to him can you stay at a team for 5 seasons if you are at loggerheads all the time. I doubt it
The board equivalent of the Jody scheckter chicane. Fast but pointless
Antonov wrote: ↑3 years ago
Honesty requires me to say I know too little of the first row of cars (1980-1983).
But what I do seem to understand is that Mansell wasn’t exactly good friends with Lotus management.
Well, the 1982 Lotus 91 was a Grand Prix winner while the 1984 Lotus was a very good car indeed and finished 3rd in the Constructors'. There's a possibility these will be well up the list, so we will come to them later.
The reason it gets a little foggy is because in 1983, they used three cars - the Lotus 92, the 93T and the 94T. I discounted the 93T from this because Mansell only drove it in one race, but I do not know the difference between any of the three above or why they ran so many cars in one season.
And frankly, 1983 is a year I have avoided learning anything about because I bought the full races on DVD about 15 years ago and planned to watch them one day without spoilers.
PTRACER wrote: ↑3 years ago
So, let's start with a real easy one - the car at the very bottom of the list.
The worst car Mansell ever drove in F1 was this, hands down. Any objections?
This is the car Mansell repeatedly whinged on the radio about to his race engineer at Spain
saying how many "laps left" and "i don't wanna do this anymore " before parking it
So for him i would say it definitely wasn't top of his list
PTRACER wrote: ↑3 years agoI discounted the 93T from this because Mansell only drove it in one race, but I do not know the difference between any of the three above or why they ran so many cars in one season.
Iirc the 93T was a big heavy monstrosity, hardly in keeping with the Lotus ethos, and was replaced pretty quickly once Gerard Ducarouge was recruited to the team.
