F1- The Killer Years (on BBC iPlayer)

[Laurel]

An interesting watch for all the F1 fan on here. It is absolutely sickening to see how many deaths occurred - and filmed on live TV. Drivers were just left to burn in their cars.

Haunting.

[s2driveruk]

real danger, real men...they drove for the thrill and revelled in the danger. Today's drivers are cossetted and protected it's more dangerous to play at a kids playground

[Laurel]

I do prefer todays F1 though. The value of life was abismal back in the 60s 70s. They mentioned that one of the races only had a nun with a first aid kit for any accidents/injuries. No fireproof clothing, HAY BALES instead of tires, leather helmets....it's stupidity!! Jackie Stewart "I knew that whenever I raced....I had a 1 in 3 chance of survivng......that means I had a 2 in 3 chance of dying...that's something else"

[s2driveruk]

yep...thats balls True it was a stupid era for safety but you had massive respect for them entertaining in the way they did....

[merlin's S4]

I watched this last week and it was a superb program. The scene at the end where a fellow racer desperately tried in vain to save a coleague from his burning car whilst others drove past was extremely harrowing.

[DJones]

It is a supperb program and puts into perspective how safe the sport is today with Senna being the last death, unbelievably seventeen years ago...

It's strange how time move on, probably all of these drivers would have known some one close that was lost to war, an unknown father or uncle or both etc.. let alone the organisers view of death.

Life has become a lot more respected as the years have past us by.. You only have to look at the space program in the similar era unbelievable amount of losses... which would not be accepted today.

[Jonnybravo]

It was a very moving program, I think the comment about drivers wearing lucky charms rather than seat belts summed up the safety aspect. Shocking stuff.

Thanks god that things have moved on although it took until Senna was killed for some real changes to be made

[s4boy]

Yes very moving stuff".....and with out them doing what they did and that sadly includes dying, we won't
Have the current levels of safety in motorsport and as a spin off road cars.

[chezz]

It was a very moving program, I think the comment about drivers wearing lucky charms rather than seat belts summed up the safety aspect. Shocking stuff.

Thanks god that things have moved on although it took until Senna was killed for some real changes to be made

Let us not also forget Roland Ratzenberger!

[mcandmar]

It wasnt half scary in those days. The 1960's era always scared me with silly power and no grip, and when you see the cars in real life they were tiny little aluminum tea trays with an engine sticking out the back. You crash you die.

The most incredible lack of health and safety i have ever seen was from a 1940's GP, car pulled in for a pit stop and a mechanic handed the driver a cigarette while they filled the fuel tank just behind his head. Amazingly as the tank filled up he tapped the driver on the shoulder to lean forwards as the tank overflowed down the back of his seat, he then casually flicked the cigarette away and drove off

[chezz]

A bit lke this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCykFawdq40

[Jonnybravo]

Let us not also forget Roland Ratzenberger!

Ofcourse, it was a tragic weekend, even though I was young I would be watching the F1 anytime it was on.

The senna movie sums up some of the thoughts on safety around that era.

If you haven't seen it watch it, brilliant yet very sad movie.

[Ian Simmonds]

Watching that, I feel Jacky Stewart was ahead of his time, a voice from the future speaking words of wisdom to those whom knew no better... It's amazing how just sometimes, a luminary from the future appears.

[S2central.net]

I watched it at the weekend - some horrific scenes and tales of woe. To think that Jackie Stewart felt safer by sticking a spanner to his steering wheel speaks volumes.

It is ridiculous to think they had ~400bhp in the 1st F1 Cosworth engine... that makes a ~2ton S4/S6 a pretty quick car in anyones language - but when bolted into a biscuit tin with wheels and a seat it is just insane !

[Laurel]

I still can't believe they actually filmed it all - the one with the driver's charred corpse being lifted out of the car....Ross and I were watching the show with the kids! There was no warning on the synopsis that it would be quite so graphic. Although, oddly enough it looked incredibly fake....funny that.

You wouldn't see a scene like that on the 10 o clock news...

Which is a funny thought actually, I was flicking through the channels one day, and came across a Russian news channel....dead bodies laying in the street glaring back at me through the TV. Bit of a shock.