1999's NEARLY MAN! The Formula One Career of Eddie Irvine

Irv the Swerve was one of those playboy lads in a similar mould to James Hunt, only more 1990s. Despite having a reputation as a crash merchant in his early years, his time at Ferrari showed that he could be a decent number 2- It's that stats don't tell the full story as can be seen in the first couple of Ferrari years where he was finishing almost as expected.
He's also the last British driver to drive for Ferrari before Hamilton (full time that is, before you tell me I 'forgot' Bearman). So it makes sense to have a video on Irvine as Hamilton turns his first laps in a Ferrari... Well... about that... He's just walled it...
So was this guy better than we thought? I think I'll leave that to you to decide.
Enjoy! And remember to like and subscribe for more!
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[@AidanMillward]

I got the loyalists/unionists thing almost the right way round 🫣

[@zerogee768]

A spot of eggshell treading there 😅

[@LewisSkinner]

🙂

[@_bstr_ct1832]

The original British bias

[@richardcondon8738]

Okay, you are definitely going to have to re-edit that : Loyalists & Unionists are the same, it's the Republicans / Nationalist who wanted to be United with the Republic of Ireland and make the Country whole again! 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@geofftestpilot9076]

So relieved that everything in Northern Ireland is resolved now😂

[@regen9918]

It shouldn't be understated how Irvine stepped up in 1999, bear in mind that for HALF the year he had been playing the number two while all Ferrari's resources were directed toward Schumacher and yet he'd still tallied up enough points to bring himself into contention. Sure it helped that McLaren and Hakkinen were doing all they could to throw it away, but Irvine's win at Austria where he overhauled Coulthard with some Schumacher-esque quick laps during the pit stop phase was a genuine championship contender worthy performance

[@marguskiis7711]

The Merc engines loved to blow up a lot.

[@TheFinalMeowntdown]

Better challenge than another curly-haired pseudo-Brit of recent memory. A prick, but a very solid driver. 😅

[@crunchyfrog555]

I've always admired Eddie Irvine. You're right in that he was never a top of the line driver but he was a solid number 2. The reasons I liked him are simply because he managed to do a job really well, and indeed with zero fucks to give, but also he managed to manouvre himself in work in F1 with aplomb. If I were in his shoes, I couldn't think of a way of doing it better.

[@geofftestpilot9076]

Eddie Irvine was too arrogant to be intimidated by Michael Schumacher😊

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@geofftestpilot9076 Maybe so, but how's that a bad thing? Show me any successful F1 driver that isn't arrogant. It's part and parcel of the competitive "win at all costs" make up of such people.

[@pliiatz7534]

@@geofftestpilot9076 Plus, he knew the limits of his talent.

[@geofftestpilot9076]

@@crunchyfrog555 my whole point of my message was your point exactly. Eddie Irvine was so arrogant he wasn't intimidated by one of the greatest drivers ever. Even though he has to beat him every week, and almost always lost. Have you seen those interview shows he's did in the last couple of years?? Some of them are pretty good. He looks just like the kind of retired Formula One driver I thought he would be, healthy, wealthy, and getting more than you can count

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@geofftestpilot9076 I haven't seen interviews lately, but I saw a couple a couple of years after he retired and as you say, he seemed very happy and settled.

[@harrypreece6680]

My abiding memory of Steady Eddie was 1997-1998 when every other sentence Murray would opine words to the effect of “if you speak to Ross Brawn or Jean Todt they’ll tell you that Irvine’s performances in the Ferrari are consistent with the quality of that car relative to everyone else, and that Michael is just sensational”

[@TheRaceSpace]

If the 1999 season had the current point scoring system, Eddie Irvine would've won the title in 99'. And yes I've done many seasons and it brings up some surprises. I'm boring 😂

[@simontravers2715]

Irvine throwing a towel & water at Hakkinen never gets old! *Eddie, I’m sorry* 😆

[@jonihamalainen2228]

Dont disturb us FIN:s on the Press ;) xD

[@simontravers2715]

Mika was so funny, chases him off camera with a jug full of water while Eddie screams like Stan Laurel! *The circus continues tomorrow* 🇫🇮

[@TonyStone3000]

That pass he did at Suzuka was one of the best passes I've seen in my 33 years of watching F1.

[@fearghus66]

Growing up as an Irish F1 fan in the late 1990s/early 2000s Eddie Irvine was my hero!! So much so I have a painting of the 1999 Australian Grand Prix win on my sitting room wall! The greatest day in Irish F1 history with Irvine’s win and Frentzen finishing 2nd in a Jordan!!

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

Eddie was quite the bloke to admire, earned big money, drove Ferraris, still drinking loads of beer and after that he even scored Pamela Anderson, the guy lived the dream

[@burkezillar]

You could never dislike him for any of it either.

[@simracer1256]

He was a smooth operator and has made an absolute fortune since leaving motor racing.

[@Fail84-nv7qh]

Imagine history if Eddie Irvine was the man to break Ferrari’s previous championship drought instead of Michael and also Mika Hakkinen only being a single time champion.

[@geofftestpilot9076]

@@Fail84-nv7qh I was just thinking about that, I was wondering, if Irvine won the drivers championship in 1999, if Schumacher would be so pissed off he might have stormed out?? Probably not, but remember what Luca de(look I have 4 women always) Montebello did to "The Michael" to get him out of Ferrari. 🤔Not a very happy, smiling family actually.🫣🤫

[@lordhenrywotton95]

I really like these stories of drivers whose careers might get overlooked because they were a level below the drivers who always get talked about. My favourite thing about Irvine is that he was happy to move over for Schumacher as long as he got the bonus as if he hadn’t. Could you do a video on Nick Heidfeld? The driver with the most podiums without a win, who compared well to teammates including Kubica, Raikkonen and Massa.

[@user-it1gw3sq6n]

Suzuka 97 always seems to be overlooked,such an epic drive from him and great strategy from Ferrari. It’s worth watching the highlights of that and how Murray and Martin are stunned by the fact that he’s somehow overtaken two cars in one corner

[@cyberfutur5000]

2:20ish Thanks for clearing that up, with Irvine I was always very confused, since even F1 couldn't get it together and sometimes showed the Irish flag and sometimes the Union Jack on the podium.

[@AidanMillward]

@@cyberfutur5000 he wanted a neutral flag and anthem for a time because it wasn’t worth the hassle. As a kid I remember hearing the term “Real IRA” a lot.

[@ic3man]

@@AidanMillwardneutral as in what they had Nikita Mazepin race under of neutral as in UK anthem?

[@simonjohnson2103]

Always rated Irv! And I remember seeing him riding out of the Silverstone Jordan Factory on a trail bike with two beautiful girls, one sat behind him, one sat in front of him... we were all impressed!

[@Erik_The_Viking]

I loved watching Eddie Irvine - he had a personality and was genuine. He was a solid driver, maybe not at the Schumacher level but a great wingman.

[@saintuk70]

I still have Eddy's Ferrari sitting behind me .... can't remember the model maker but it's the one with the signature in gold.

[@cyberfutur5000]

I think I had the Schumacher version of this, but it's long lost in some house moving black hole.

[@kevinprior3549]

Does it have an Irish flag on it or a British flag?

[@saintuk70]

@@kevinprior3549 my mistake, it's the 1:18 F310 with "Eddie" and not the later model and the only flag is the Italian one.

[@tescopepsi9679]

Loyalists are more extreme unionists, nationalists and republicans are the ones who want to be a part of Ireland.

[@AidanMillward]

@@tescopepsi9679 so the internet lied to me? Why would it do that?

[@matthewpotter8491]

I can concur that this is right. Nasty internet mislead you lol. Great video as usual though .

[@Thunderbird1803]

Thank you! Keep up the good work!

[@dpause10]

Regarding 1999, you gotta give Irvine credit for stepping up in Michael Schumacher's absence. His good early season form really helped him in this regards. But let's also be real here: Out of 4 wins he scored that season, 2 were gifted by his team mates, including 1 by substitute driver Mika Salo. And anyone who suspects a conspiracy behind Hakkinen's win at Suzuka at the final round, keep in mind that Irvine finished a 1min35s behind Hakkinen in distant 3rd. This was the same Suzuka where Irvine routinely excelled. The championship was there for him to win. But he just wasn't good enough.

[@theF1oracle]

Being from Northern Ireland, i gotta say you did a great job explaining the whole Ireland/N.ireland situation Aidan. It's still very confusing for some people who live in N.ireland lol

[@AidanMillward]

@@theF1oracle wait til we get on to the Brexit back stop 🤣

[@kevinprior3549]

Is it confusing to you? Do you consider yourself British or Irish (southern Irish).

[@theF1oracle]

@kevinprior3549 It's not confusing to me, but to some, it still is.

[@anthonyryan30]

Except where he said Down is north of Belfast.

[@AidanMillward]

@@anthonyryan30 I know what happened there. The description had the word “north” written above the word “east” on the next line. Guess which one I read like a dick.

[@nige1975]

He once said, jokingly, his helmet was green because he was Irish and orange so he wouldn't get in trouble/shot by the Orangemen at home in Northern Ireland! He was a character.

[@RebelTXWrestling]

"The Shooter" Eddie Irvine, as I called him, for his candid comments and interviews is a good driver that can get a job done. He can be a star driver if focused on it but loves to be the no. 2 where he can do the work if told and coast on his drives. He got paid good that he is well off after his driving career ended

[@Aubergineman18]

Its Sheddie Irvine!! As Jimmy would say

[@caphowdy666]

4:23 Ironic his choice of helmet considering what would happen between him and the owner of that design a few years later.

[@ixque]

Glad someone else also knows the 1996 VHS video by heart

[@kebabaluba]

Would be fun to have Eddie as a world champ

[@Christophee1987]

Assuming I'm remembering correctly, he has the record for most GP victories without a pole position, and all those wins came in one season.

[@HammerHeart3229]

Considering Ferrari was absolutely Schumacher's team back then, Irvine definitely stepped up to the plate in 1999 when The Michael broke his leg. Imagine if he won the driver's that year, Irvine would have gone to Jaguar the next year with the Number 1 on his car! Would have been a Damon Hill to Arrows type situation!

[@chrisrose4407]

Great video, one of the sports more colourful characters. Missed in the sport.

[@tangerinedream7211]

Eddie was a character, wheeling snd dealing like E Jordan esquire, read Irvines book on holiday a few years ago, a great read . Saw all of his runs at Le Mans in period as well.

[@gmay8493]

Eddie Irvine is another of those 90s/Early 2000’s British (well, kinda) drivers who *could* have easily won a championship if fate had gone their way…Talented enough to be up there regularly and get signed by top teams, but not necessarily one of the true greats. Coulthard, Hill, Irvine and (although slightly later) even Jenson Button. Put all four of them on a roulette wheel, spin it 20 times and all four of them or none of them could have won a title. You could even have included Jonny Herbert and Martin Brundle on that list if their legs and ankles hadn’t been smashed up to hell in their promising early careers. As it happened, Hill and Button just happened to be the ones who had the stars align via just the right combination of team, talent and lack of injury to win a single title, but any one of them could have done it, to be fair. It’s fashionable these days for people to bash Nigel Mansell and Lewis Hamilton because of the whole ‘BuT BrItIsH BiAs’ thing, but if you look at their careers, you can see that they’re at another level in that they were consistently very good over a long period of time. That consistency is the difference. Mansell could VERY easily have been a three time champion (and then he goes and wins the Indy car world title and *almost* the Indy 500 at his first attempt and casually comes back for a few races in 94 and wins one of them). If you hold his career up against someone like Nelson Piquet or even Fernando Alonso, it actually stands up pretty damn well and actually way better in Indycar…Lewis we all know about, of course. Irvine is still an interesting guy though and certainly a noteworthy driver.

[@jasonrushton5991]

Well Done! Another great video Aidan & All! To me, deff should of had the 99 championship. Earlier in the season he gave MS a place, MS should of done the same for Ferrari at the end of the season. BUT, it didn't happen. Well done Eddie for being you.

[@Slikx666]

I miss Eddie in F1, he was a character. 😀👍

[@TouringCarsAndStuff]

Northern Irishmen mentioned 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 but seriously, Eddie Irvine and John Watson are one of the reasons Northern Ireland is known in f1 for a good reason despite the lack of drivers from there, although Martin Donnelly would’ve been a great driver I feel

[@AdamTheMan1993]

Richard Lyons and Colin Turkington are also decent drivers from Northern Ireland as well

[@TouringCarsAndStuff]

@@AdamTheMan1993i was only going by the f1 drivers but you are correct they are great drivers

[@dkins8]

As an Irish man I can say that saying that the North of Ireland has ‘background’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting lol. Not having a dig or anything but I’ve genuinely never heard it out like that before 😂 Love your videos, they are always very well researched and entertaining

[@AidanMillward]

@@dkins8 I need to look more into it at some point cos I used to hear the team “Real IRA” a lot as a kid and had no idea as to what was going on. But for my parents it was almost normal.

[@dkins8]

@ I was born in 87 and in the south so it was something I heard on the news and was for the most part finished by the time I would have taken any notice. You researched it really well and went into more detail than I was expecting. You could nearly make a KZbin channel just explaining the different branches and off shoots of the IRA. It’s definitely something worth looking into though if this video has peaked your interest

[@nige1975]

The correct term is Northern Ireland....show some respect and don't be a plonker.

[@karlbassett8485]

As Dara O'Brian describes it, "the great unpleasantness".

[@jbeattie02]

"10 miles North of Belfast" - you might want to get a map out again. Eddie is from Newtownards, almost directly east of Belfast

[@willyhwang1059]

those Jordan cars all looked so good

[@elliot1111]

Like yourself I’ve always liked his take no crap attitude and he was quite an aggressive driver. Also have you watched the documentary on his ‘99 season? It’s a very good insight into both his mindset and those around him during that manic phase.

[@gra326]

I remember those races when Schumacher returned from injury and thinking he didn't want Irvine to win the championship.

[@ruledtrendy5066]

I remember the documentary about Irvine at Ferrari. He was booked for a photoshoot for a sunglasses company. He was arguing with his manager about the amount of time he had to spend there. They wanted him for three hours. He said "fuck that, it'll be half an hour of work and two hours of fucking about. I'll be there for half and hour and they pay me the fifty grand" Nice work

[@snowtrooper8817]

I personally always thought they should’ve kept Alesi on for Eddie’s stint. I felt like he was shafted in ‘95 and didn’t deserve to get thrown to the kerb. Also his and Michael’s driving style were very similar with the super twitchy front end.

[@BBQLIFE]

My favourite back in the day. Got all the die cast helmets and cars in the loft.

[@realroadrunnr]

I don't remember much about Eddie, but I do remember that of all the team mates Schumacher ever had, I liked him the most.

[@brickspace9]

Irvine was quite a character and knew how to play the game. Best number two to Schumacher in the early years of making Ferrari a championship contender.

[@saintuk70]

It's always quite amazing reviewing the results table - more retirements and crashes than a 2024 Williams. Shows just how far reliability has come.

[@ic3man]

Really, Irvine should’ve won the championship in 1999. Ferrari screwed him over, especially at Nurburgring. Consistency should be awarded more in Motorsports and F1’s 1999 season is one of the examples of how the wrong champion was crowned thanks to an extremely flawed points format/unnecessary big points increments between the top positions.

[@john-kl3ux]

no he shouldn't. Hakkinen deservedly won the title. Irvine lucked into it. How many times that season was Hakkinen comfortably out front until a wheel fell off, engine blew, or he was punted off the track? The Ferrari was not near good enough to the Mclaren for most the season (especially in Irvines hands)

[@ic3man]

@ Hakkinen threw away at least 2 races where he would’ve at worst gotten a podium finish. Interesting how you didn’t mention that in your comment. 🤔

[@minibus9]

Great video, Irvine was a pretty denct driver during his career.

[@kallecarlund]

sadly no mention of him being the setup and testing god that he was, a trait he developed in his time in japan who are notorious for their attention to that and leaving no stone unturned. same applies to barrichello, both of which were crucial to ferraris successes, nobody nowdays would believe the kind of mistakes schumacher did in getting his car ready to drive. then again, irvine would be the first to admit that when the car was there or thereabouts hed never be able to match schumacher. quite an honest and outspoken, genuine character on an off the track, which makes him very likeable.

[@pietvanvliet1987]

Irvine is the reason I wanted to improve my English as a small boy. Just to understand what he just said without waiting for subtitles or Olav Mol trying to translate it into something fit to air. Some day, I might be able to say thanks.

[@ANTONSV5]

There's also comments made that Ferrari's sudden lack of pace at Italy and Belgium was caused by a warped chassis that Eddie had been using for a while. Had it been fixed before, maybe there's a better chance of Eddie winning.

[@1greenMitsi]

honestly between Eddie and DC I prefer Eddie DC might have had the edge in raw speed over one lap however Eddie was less less error prone and more consistent than DC

[@AC_702]

The funny story about Eddie Irvine at Jaguar was that at the Ford board meeting Bill Ford asked Jacques Nasser "do you know who the highest paid person at Ford Motor Company?" Nasser, a little bit embarrassed said "I guess that would be me." Bill Ford said, "No. Its some guy named Eddie Irvine. Who the hell is that?"

[@nowind37]

You mean the Premier Automobile Group?

[@deanpierce9048]

I think it’s very clear that if Eddie was treated like the number one driver from the start he would have absolutely won the championship that year, just as if Michael had been injured he would have won the championship that year! Having to change priority halfway through is clearly what cost Ferrari

[@DannyTheGFP]

been an F1 fan and in the last decade a 'follower' and Eddie is one of my top 3 drivers with Button & Mansell, all have the tude and all were on their day brilliant but 2 titles between them is a disgrace

[@Bezza49]

Many at Ferrari did not want Irvine to win in 1999. That tyre committee meeting was far more than ineptitude.

[@Spike-sk7ql]

Miracle is an UNDERSTATEMENT when talking about Brundle walking away from that crash. Watch it. Its here on YT. Pay close attention to Martins head. Shoulder to shoulder bouncing, multiple times, VERY hard. Its a miracle his head didnt come off from the centripetal force.

[@marguskiis7711]

John Watson was also called "Irish" driver although during his heydays in McLaren he was always promoted as "British driver in the British car!"

[@kevinprior3549]

I think Watson is more British than Irish... and I think Watson himself would agree.

[@deabreu.tattoo]

19:40 "a solid #2" 🤣

[@MrCiaranplan]

Always regret that, in the end, Irvine lost the title because of a plastic bag at Interlagos. I guess thats some poetic justice from how his career started.

[@chifurbr]

iirc Eddie requested a neutral shamrock flag to be flown after the death threats, FIA in their infinite wisdom obviously rejected it, also in the motorport-total interview he said he wasn't bitter about '99, after The Michael's accident Ferrari wrote the season off, but Mclaren kept choking and all of the sudden they found themselves in championship contention

[@AidanMillward]

@@chifurbr that and they had to shift things over to Eddie’s side which they probably weren’t prepared for.

[@Housetian2]

I didnt really know much about Irvine until this video. You who id really like to see some videos/stories about? SUPER MARIO. Please, please put up some Andretti content.

[@corbinselanne7990]

I think the real reason Eddie Irvine didn't win the 1999 Formula 1 title was because he couldn't get past Marc Gene at the European Grand Prix for sixth, because if he had there's a chance Michael would've let him past at Suzuka because Eddie would've had the one point needed to beat Mika (who had the advantage in the tiebreakers)

[@VenusDoom891]

I do think Irvine if he'd been around today would have been the perfect solution for the supposedly cursed No 2 Red Bull seat. He wouldn't have any delusions of beating Max like Checo did, or Botttas with Hamilton or Rubens with Michael while rubbing rivals' noses in it. We'll see but think Lawson might have some of those qualities.

[@tomastoth4018]

There are loads of theories where could Eddie score more points than he actually did. The Nurburgring blunder is definitely the biggest and mostly remembered. But because he loved the Monaco circuit and secured Jag's first podium there in 2001, this race can also be mentioned. What if he won instead of Michael and collected 4 extra points, for example? Of course, we are talking about ONE CHAMPIONSHIP POINT missing from the first 15 races, because Eddie, finishing 2nd at Suzuka, would only euqal Mika's point tally, 5:4 against Eddie (race wins). Mika saved his skin, dragging his McLaren back to 5th at Nurburgring. However, if Luca Badoer's geatbox did not fail and he managed to deliver 4th place with his Minardi, he would have finished 6th. And we found the MISSING CHAMPIONSHIP POINT there, Eddie's 76 (if Michael lets him take 2nd) against Mika's 75 after Suzuka.

[@AidanMillward]

@@tomastoth4018 France and Nurburgring definitely the main two.

[@anemicroyalty8764]

Frentzen was the best driver in 1999, and nothing will ever change my mind (sure, that doesn’t necessarily mean “worthy champion”)

[@josephotoole9088]

He's a great example of just because a driver isn't a champion doesn't mean they were a bad driver

[@simontravers2715]

Wow Eddie you played Ford like a fiddle fella! *Who’s this Edmond Irvine guy!?*

[@stevenmoran4060]

Irvine knew what his contract said and was a good driver. He probably made more money from F1 than Schumacher did as well and still does!

[@38shaun]

F1 always needs its characters. I always liked him. He definitely wasn’t a robot sponsor pleasing kinda guy. Yup, he got my interest from the Senna Suzuka overtake. I seam to remember an aerial shot of replay. Or maybe I dreamed that one up? The guy knew his station, and did his job well. To be honest Ferrari’s poor form a couple of seasons back reminded me of Irvines pitstop in Germany. Sitting their with only 3 wheels, was like watching time stand still. Then willing him to the championship for those remaining races. Painful. I think with Danny Ric gone, and being a Kiwi, Lawson might be a bit more entertaining than people think. He’s a bit more like Eddy than people know. He’ll be happy with his seat. Run good shotgun for Max as well. Mexico showed he’s not really bothered by the home town fan fav lynch mob. And past champs like Alonso, also Hamilton in wet at Brazil this year? Well, they know he can drive just fine. He’ll probably never be Superstar, but in time a respectable driver. My prediction. Watch for that surprise team swap to McLaren when the timing and money is right. Thanks for the Memories Redbull. Eddie Lawson, there’s a familiar ring to that? Wishful musing, with a bit of yet undiscovered insight to a funny guy in a great seat, just where he’s happy to be for now. Thanks for the great content as usual Adrian. 👍

[@thearsenalmisfit2414]

Had today's points system been used back then Eddie would have won the title ,238 to 221 over Hakkinen ,

[@eamonahern7495]

Eddie Irvine: Born & raised in Ireland, lived in Dublin during his F1 career, raced for Jordan - British anthem and union jack when he won. Ralph Firman: Born and raised in England, raced for Jordan under an Irish racing licence, Irish flag on his screen graphic on TV. 😆I just think it's funny. No hate for Eddie. County Down is to the south of County Antrim. They're both on the east coast of Northern Ireland. Belfast is in County Antrim so Eddie is from south of Belfast, unless I've got specific points of the county bounds wrong because of the UK council jurisdictions.

[@burkezillar]

Fairly sure Schumacher spent many a holiday as a boy on the Shankill Road. So there was no way he was going to let Irvine through at Suzuka.

[@Athrun82]

Another note about Hawthorne: he is the first F1 champion to win a title with only 1 win to his name.

[@RacingRam13]

If I ever cross the Atlantic again, I’d like to have a beer with u and Peter Windsor

[@yuki-marii]

People who identify as "Loyalists" are Unionists in NI and come from predominantly protestant background. Republicans/Nationalists are predominantly from catholic background and wish to be part of the Republic of Ireland. It's definitely confusing from the outside if you don't have an Irish background or some family connection to the Island aha.

[@geofftestpilot9076]

❤This 1 Aidan! I remember after "The Michael" got hurt, &Mika Salo subbed.(Marc Gene,Luca Badoer as well??) Salo I remember, was not only one of the last cigarette smokers in F1, but somehow he managed to get 1/2 his lungs filled with carbon brake dust!🤯. I wonder what happened to him?? Was this common to a lesser extent woth others? Regarding Eddie, when The Michael got hurt I was still cheering for Ferrari, & I thought he had a real shot. But then Schumacher came back (NFW I know!!), and I said to myself "get real, politically, inside ferrari, there's no way that Eddie is going win the first Formula One driver Championship since 79". Somehow I was right. 😂 Are you going to do that show about the infamous 1973 Indy 500?? I sent you some notes about watching it while recovering from a serious second degree & bit of 3rd degree burns just 8 days before? 11 years old, hand badly burnt, watching cars explode, & even sent blazing fuel into the stands.😢 Yes, it was a different age, & thank God it ended!

[@donnypopovski7251]

I haven't watched the video. Has Irvine allowing Schumacher pass for minor position at the end of the French GP been mentioned?

[@benoitracine3441]

Tks for anwsering my wish

[@Chongo_657]

Eddie was more than slightly above average.. as was Coultard. Both were really good.. just not Great. Both maybe could've/should've won a title.. But the Schumacher and the Hakkonen were both Great drivers..

[@Poult100]

Eddy was good for F1 in the way anyone with personality is good for anything. People like him are the spice when the food would otherwise get a little dull. He was a bit of a chilli pepper. He made me laugh when others felt his heat! 😅

[@ClaretHorace]

Mika has Eddie to thank for his second WDC, and a tyre barrier at Silverstone.

[@dominicbarden4436]

Peter Collins was from Kidderminster, and he's buried in the nearby village of Stone, where I grew up!

[@AidanMillward]

@dominicbarden4436 my dad did his telecoms engineer training in Stone

[@dominicbarden4436]

@@AidanMillward I assume that would be the town of Stone in Staffordshire? Because all there really is in Stone, Worcestershire are a couple of lanes with several houses, the A448, the church and the Stone Manor Hotel.

[@AidanMillward]

@ Staffordshire yeah.

[@dominicbarden4436]

@ Cool. It's funny because my parents lived in Stone, Staffs, for a bit in the 90s. Then they lived in Warndon in Worcester when they had me, and we moved to Stone, Worcs, in 2002. There's another village named Stone in Gloucestershire as well, on the A38 down towards Bristol.

[@danni260382]

Is it a english youtuber thing to pretent they don't know who the really famous driver is. I mean it's getting more and more fun every time, and not annoying at all

[@CortinasAndClassics]

I liked Eddie, even if he was brash and outspoken. He had a huge character

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

1999 was one of the most exciting seasons to watch. So many ebbs and flows. McLaren was the better car, but Mika’s luck was no better than in 2001. I’ll never believe that Ferrari sabotaged his final race in Japan.

[@AdamTheMan1993]

1999 was the year nobody wanted to be F1 world champion

[@chrisclee6693]

This was my favourite driver from the era. Zero f***s given from Day 1. First driver I played as in F1 95 and I had so many hopes for his Jaguar move only for Ford to screw it up. Still think Ferrari sabotaged his 1999 season though - couldn't have Schumacher not win their first title in a decade.

[@calumclark1719]

He was a good driver and had enough to win a world championships but it just didnt fall his way, i was the same as you i liked him he was off the cuff and reminded me of all the stories i had heard about James Hunt, the biggest shame is Jaguar had they got Newey and left Paul and Jackie to run it then they could have had something special but never did. He should have tried for another drive but since he had the cash never needed to Some of his performances in that Jag was ridiculous considering how piss poor it was

[@JohnSmithShields]

4:52 That Hill description. Ouch.

[@chrisdavidson911]

I was indifferent an unbothered about Irvine. At Monza 1994 Herbert qualified his Lotus 4th - between the Williamses - and at the first chicane of lap 1 Irvine punted him off, damaging the Lotus and Johnny had to restart from the pitlane, in the spare car which didn't have an updated engine. Since that moment, as far as i'm concerned, he can burn in hell.

[@nickjacobs1770]

John Surtees won his motorcycle world championships with M.V. Augusta.

[@andrewbullivant8936]

Always loved Eddie, and I remember getting up very early to watch those last two races of 1999. And I do believe Michael sabotaged his last race!

[@alanheavey]

Irvine is my favorite almost but never drivers. Didn't Schumi 'borrow' a lot of Eddie's setups? Or is that urban legend?

[@AidanMillward]

@@alanheavey for Suzuka he definitely did.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Do we get the 1992 Le Mans story? That sounds like a good story.

[@stanny_polyglot]

Many positive comments, but actually Eddie underperformed at Ferrari, even taking into account that he was a number 2. Before 1998 it was like the last year of Sergio Perez. And in 1998-99 things got slightly better: totally outqualified by Schumi, in 1999 Frentzen (and sometimes Barrichello and RSC) had a higher pace. Only reliability kept him in the running for title. Only 1 win of his 4 was on merit, the rest gifted by teammates or earned through retirements. Jaguar: the same, his pace was on the level of de la Rosa.

[@LJW1912]

Talking about the Troubles? Rather you than me

[@areasquirrel]

How does Ireland's Greatest Year™️ compare to 1994 in terms of stories? I always call '99 that, of course, because The Two Eddies united the island for one glorious summer, surely giving the Republic's national broadcaster its highest F1 ratings. They had Prodigy's Firestarter as the theme tune. *That's* a racing theme, BBC. Take note. "And Eddie Ir-jordan is gutted!" Murray also gave us another awkward line at his last (TV) race, "As an Englishman, I have fingers crossed for Eddie Irvine in the Jaguar." Can be explained, but, yyyeah... The F1 games allow the Ulster Banner, Northern Ireland's 'flag', except it isn't, the Union Jack is. As if people from other countries weren't confused already. As Irish, well on the passport anyway, I was mixed too. Same feelings, 'want the national hope to win, but I like Hakkinen'. Irish bias. His, erm, 'lifestyle' if that's the word, and his tendency to spout, erm, 'opinions' meant we didn't actually like him that much beyond the national connection, and in addition for me, not being Schumacher. You say outspoken, I say, well... Rosset. Put another way, if Eddie was Alex Higgins, then no thanks, I prefer Steve Davis. Pub trivia again. Rosberg beats Watson in '82, Hakkinen beats Irvine in '99. Driver from NI beaten by a Finn. Something something curse.

[@marguskiis7711]

Watson is still annoyed and calls Rosberg "average" to this day. Although he himself could not beat even Pironi then fighting in hospital for his legs.

[@kevinprior3549]

6:15 that's Stefan Bellof... could have been the 1st german world champion not the Michael?

[@dominicbarden4436]

The photo's actually of Thierry Boutsen.

[@simontravers2715]

Eddie only got 2 podiums…………………..in a Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggg

[@LiamNI]

Bangor is about 10-15 miles East of Belfast. Not North. That would be Carrickfergus or Ballyclare. Unless I'm totally mistaken and thought he was from Bangor since that's where he opened his kart track...

[@LiamNI]

Ah, just checked. He's from Mutant-Ards (Newtownards), but that's next door to Bang-yer-sister, so still east, not north.