Magnussen: F1 was purer in the early 70s
- Published on 20 Aug 2019 14:35
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Kevin Magnussen says that Formula 1 was purer in the early 70s, when the sport wasn't "perfect" and driver safety wasn't an important factor.
F1 has been working for a number of decades to improve the standard of safety, with the latest major change coming in 2018 when the 'halo' head protection device was introduced.
MORE: Mid-season driver change for Haas would be a 'desperate move' | Magnussen: Haas has had some 'pretty high moments' in 2019
The teams also now have large teams to build and develop the cars - which has led to some criticism due to the extent of analysis that a team can do on aspects of the car in order to improve their reliability and efficiency.
"I especially liked the time of the early 70s," Magnussen told Auto Motor und Sport. "Formula 1 was still something new back then. It was very puristic.
"At that time the job was harder for the drivers. Today everything is so perfect. Every little thing is thought about. It's all so safe. I don't mean to say that safety is a bad thing. But there are also some negative aspects."
Magnussen added that he would like to race at better circuits, believing that there are circuits out there that would be more fun than some of the current venues.
"I'd wish for better circuits," he stated. "There are so many great circuits in the world that would give us a lot more fun. Don't misunderstand: We already have a few good tracks in our calendar. But there are also some that aren't among the best."
Would the Nurburgring Nordschleife be an attractive option for Magnussen?: "Yeah, I'd be right there. Let's do that," he said.
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Replies (9)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Ma , KMag is a lot llder than he looks, to have raced in the 70's.... Gotta get some skincare tips from the bloke!
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Pure? Oh please. F1 has always been about the ultimate racing machines. Tech and all. If he doesn't like that then there are more, "pure" categories. He might actually be great in Indy. Very low tech,, very fast, and safety is a joke. He'd love to see how people still get seriously injured every other season.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
I'm not really surprised he would say this though seeing how he is one of the drivers with his elbows out the widest. I think what he considers just having balls and being part of racing others think of as him being an unsafe driver. But his record does speak for itself in that he is one of the drivers that has the fewest crashes into other drivers and less penalty points. Now that you mention it, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he goes to Indycar after F1, or maybe rally racing.
JuJuHound
Posts: 352
I think it's very unfortunate to say today's F1 "It's all so safe" since it is safe because some drivers sacrifice their lives in times when it wasn't so safe. I don't want to sound sublime or blame Kevin. But it's still hard for me to swallow this Sunday 1st May 1994.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Especially when such an unfortunate accident happened as recently in F1 as 2014.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
True, but when you consider in the 70s there was roughly 11 fatalities or more than 1 per year on average, and for the past 3 decades there have been around 1 every 5 years, so one could safely say the sport is a lot safer. Frankly I consider this story more as one of the slow newsweek stories that probably wouldn't be considered post worthy if the racing was on. If he wants more danger then he'll probably find it elsewhere after F1. More power to him, but it's not what F1 is about in the modern age, and that's kind of what he seems to be saying.
JuJuHound
Posts: 352
I think Jackie Stewart has to speak with Kevin to tell him the real story about safety in F1 back in 70's.
Pistonhead
Posts: 556
He doesn't know what he's talking about. Speak to Sir Jackie,
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
People with strong nostalgia has an upper ceiling to their achievements, like KMag.