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When did you first watch an F1 race and what were your impressions?

The first F1 race I watched was the 1999 GP from France in Magny-Cours, aged 11. Needless to say such a spectacular race got me very interested in the world of F1 straight away. I remember supporting Barrichello at the time, who was handily leading the race in the Stewart, in the wet. I didn't pick in until after the shower hit the track. But I remember clearly that I felt Barrichello was in a position he shouldn't be in and that I wanted him to do well. What I also remember was the coloured visor of Rubens, which I liked a lot.

This was the race that really got me hooked to F1. There had been previous short encounters which interested me but didn't result in an immediate and continued interest. The furthest that I remember was Mika Hakkinen taking the flag to win the 1998 Monaco GP. I also remember a very small part of the Canadian GP of that year, and I equally remember Mika Hakkinen taking the flag to win the 1998 Luxembourg GP with very dark clouds looming in the background.

I'm very interested in reading your experiences and how you got interested in the highest category of motorsport racing.

It's hard for me to say which race was the first I saw. I have memories from Senna's crash, but I don't know if it was the race or in the news, but I think it's safe to say my first race was around 1994. I remember watching races in 1995 and 1996 but I became a die-hard in 1997. It's safe to say that I haven't missed a race since, either live, delayed or downloaded. Stupid TV contracts has messed with how I get to watch, but I still do.

The first race I can clearly remember is China 2004 when I was really ill and stuck in bed. It didn't strike me as particularly exciting at the time but I remember liking the sound of the v10's. I only then got properly into F1 after being taken to practice in Bahrain in 2007, after which I haven't missed a race since.

I can remember watching bits of F1 but the earliest memory is Brazil 2003. I thought that was an amazing race, but I didn't start watching properly until 2004.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

First one I properly remember was Japan 1995 although I was still very young because I thought Gerhard Berger "retiring" signified him to be some kind of pensioner to be imminently presented with a bus pass - my uncle had recently taken early retirement and this was clearly the only meaning for the word to carry, and chose to support Williams because their cars were blue ... I still really like to see them do well ever since that became less of a regularity in 1998/99 and even moreso recently.

I would consider myself a fan from Monaco 1996 onwards. Having watched the first part at home, we left to go shopping for something - the Sunday Trading Act still providing something of a novelty at the time - at the Clarks outlet centre and I spent all afternoon trying to peer at distant television screens in various shoe shops to see what was happening ...

By 1998 I was buying Autosport and my brother and I did Fantasy F1 ... for some reason I picked Hakkinen and McLaren, either based on pre-season testing or because that combination represented something of a bargain with the 40m budget (which seems a little unrealistic now) based on their 1997 form and I couldn't really afford Williams - I probably didn't foresee them having a world beater with Adrian Newey having recently joined the team from Williams. Either way, I beat my brother ... and have never been any good at Fantasy F1 since.

Well, the first F1 race I saw was the 1997 Austrian GP. I was 6 years old and didn't knew anything about the rivalries and championship standings at the time. I was rooting for Hakkinen (and did so until 2001 season finale) but his engine failed to complete the first lap and blown up while Mika was leading. Jarno Trulli had an awesome race as an underdog but his engine also failed. And I also liked the overtake by Michael Schumacher on Hill in Remus Kurve for the final point of the race. Villeneuve won easily over Coulthard.

That year I only saw the Jerez championship battle in highlights but since 1998 I've started to watch F1 on a permanent basis.

Some race during 1991 or 1992. Was 2 years old. Can remember snippets from Hockenheim and Estoril 1992, possibly even 1991. They spoke about this "not very nice new-comer Schumacher". Earliest taped race I still have is Spa 1992.

So yeah, you can absolutely say that motorsports has been a life long obsessions of mine.

The first race huh??

I can recall bits and pieces from the mid-late 80s. I can recall a Senna in a yellow Lotus but not sure if it's just pictures or races.
I clearly remember seeing Berger crash at Imola. From that point I slowly started to watch every race. I remember Chesterfield Lola's, Fitipaldi flipping his white Minardi. Patrese getting airborne because of Berger.

The earliest I can remember is Monaco 1998, aged 7. A race that had me hooked ever since. I remember so clearly Alex Wurz's crash into the chicane.

First pictures of F1 cars racing i think i saw it at Belgian GP 1992, but i only remember the helicopter was following a Mclaren i think it was Senna. But in 1992 i wasnt interested in that. My parents watched the race, and i tought what do my parents watch every sunday after lunch... so i took a look at TV and i saw it...
But first race that i watched is Adelaide 1994 the fight for championship. And since then never missed a race on TV. Oh well i missed 7 races but i was live there

The first one was in 2000... but I was only 6, so I can't remember much
I only remember that our commentator said that Irvine and Barrichello changed their seats, while there were two red cars driving into a hairpin... Hockenheim maybe?

I saw bits and pieces maybe as far back as the late '90's, but the first race I can actually remember watching the start of was the 2003 Australian GP. It wasn't until the 2006 Australian GP, though, that I started getting into F1. I've only missed a few races since 2007.

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"Every day you get up you should live your life like a fucking star" - Liam Gallagher.
"Not bad for a number two driver" - Mark Webber
"First lap nutcase" - Mark Webber on Romain Grosjean

goddammit!! will you kids stop making me feel old?? late 90's, early 00's....6 years old......and I remember at least way back to 1989 and probably a lot earlier :X

6 years old sounds late too me!

Can't remember much of it, but it was at the end of 95. All I remember is a Ferrari parking the car alongside the guardrail in the grass.

I can't really remember what was the first race I saw. One of my earliest memories is first-corner crash where Senna was involved. Later I have felt it can't be anything else than Japan 1990. First race I watched completely was in 1992.

I guess I was already watching F1 as a five year old during 1987, because I remember being excited about the 'Radio Times' F1 preview pullout at the beginning of 1988. (Strange what you remember) And I remember watching races during 1988, and being disapointed how slow Mansell's Judd powered Williams was compared to the Honda power the year before! The first race I remember distinctly was the 1988 British GP. We had set out a Scalextric track in the lounge and were playing on it whilst watching the GP.

Must be similar age to you Micha...

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No one from my family was interested in F1 (and I'm still the only one) until I accidentally stumbled upon the sports while visiting my late grandpa at nursing home in 1999. The race the old people were watching on TV was Canadian GP. As I didn't have anything else to do I watched the race. And boy, was it an action-packed one! Crashes and SCs all the way and Mika Häkkinen ultimately winning it. No wonder I had to watch the next races (French & British GP - both very dramatic), after which I was to be a big F1 fan forever.

The German Grand Prix 1990 is my first clear memory of watching a live race. I was 16 then. For me Formula One came late. After the drugs and booze and women.

hahaha... to be honest I would like to swap with you, living in the 90's must have been a nice thing
watching Senna, Mansell and Prost racing, great!