IF ONLY THE RACE COUNTED! The Story of the 1981 South African Grand Prix

[@AidanMillward]

I love this hoodie but no matter how much you lint roll it, it's still got stuff attached to it. Suppose it's an excuse to get another one... Also 8 bots in an instant. WTF KZbin!?

[@JohnSmithShields]

At least the bots have pretty profile pictures, mostly.

[@simontravers2715]

At least no “pissing” adverts played this time (for me anyway) You could make an entire grid of “Almost champion but never, still gr8 driver” drivers, Reutemann, Moss, Massa, Coulthard, Ickx, Heidfeld, G. Villeneuve, Kubica etc.

[@JohnSmithShields]

@@simontravers2715 COUGH Moreno COUGH

[@Claggyt]

Are you sure they were bots? Maybe the first comment was from a genuine hot female fan who thought that each contribution adds a new dimension to the discourse, like pieces of a puzzle coming together to form a coherent picture?

[@simontravers2715]

@Claggyt I genuinely read that as if I were Barry from Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Gr8 brummy accent by Timothy Spall “West Bromwich District Building So-Soy-eTAY”

[@rars0n]

"I'm not a comedian." Don't sell yourself short. You always make me chuckle at least a couple times in every video.

[@DerGeraet205]

Nice to see Reutemann being talked about, definitely someone who deserves a bit more credit than his stats show. He also did the Argentina rally during one of those years and scored a podium! I'm a bit biased though, being from Santa Fe, Argentina😂

[@FMAlchemist2006]

Paisano santafesino!

[@l1a146]

"Last time a Skirt caused a retirement"? The red Bull drama isnt over yet. 😂😂

[@MrSniperfox29]

You can't really complain about the race not counting to the world title when they didn't run it to legal F1 specifications

[@JohnSmithShields]

And that pretty much kills all legal arguments, it wasn't ran to the proper rules.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@JohnSmithShieldsI assume the teams knew it was never going to be an F1 championship event so they just said "sod it, we'll put on a show"

[@AidanMillward]

Yeah, you’re not going to turn up with illegal parts if it was going to be an official race

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@AidanMillward Especially if the plan was to show was a rival series could do without the interference from FISA

[@gustavomarques4097]

Great video once again, Aidan👏🏻👏🏻 How about a "franchise" about the non-championship races from the past? As we know, back in the day there were the n°1 source of income for the drivers. Guys would race anything with wheels to be able to make a living, as F1 races didn't pay as well until a certain Bernie Ecclestone came up.

[@eamonahern7495]

First Australian since 1966. Denny Hulme was from New Zealand.

[@AidanMillward]

Through 1967 Brabahm was the reigning champion since he won in 66. Same way Jones was through 81 as he won in 80.

[@eamonahern7495]

@@AidanMillward oh I see what you mean

[@LucasGonzalezA]

As an Argentinian, let me tell you Aidan, people in this country are still upset about this. After Lole passed, all the motorsport media were talking about this season. Thanks for the vid.

[@heliumtrophy]

Bernie's comments about stealing Lole's therapist to work on Nelsinho must've caused a stir.

[@FMAlchemist2006]

@@heliumtrophythey did, specially on his daugther

[@heliumtrophy]

@@FMAlchemist2006 I read her comments. I can understand how she felt. Also felt it was very dignified of her given what we have now.

[@Torero2901]

One of the most GOAT actions I think was Reutemanns very first race, his home race in Argentina, no less. If you can put your car on pole (as a rookie!) outqualifying the great reigning champion Jackie Stewart, you must be an absolute boss.

[@MsZeeZed]

4:18 - Montreal in Autumn was a stonker of a race, if you’re a fan of drizzle-mist, cars out of control on cold tires and well lots of car-car collisions! Also the wall of champions didn’t exist and this tight corner (T4 then) had a grass slope & fence between the track and the lake. Its memorable for Gilles Villeneuve continuing on despite having no forward vision, his front-wing jack-knifed 90 degrees upward in front of his cockpit, for what was his last race at the circuit now named for him. *Salut Gilles*

[@AidanMillward]

Drizzle, mist, cars crashing into each other. That’s just Birmingham on a Tuesday.

[@terminateshere]

@@AidanMillward Well, Brum is sort of a phonetic approximation of a race car engine sound....and I do remember your vid about the F3000 street race there.

[@AidanMillward]

@@terminateshere was also a kids show.

[@palm92]

@@AidanMillward It's usually not too bad in September there. October is when the really bad stuff starts.

[@terminateshere]

@@AidanMillward Oh, yes, it was. A few years after my time but I like Toyah so it's all good.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

He was a cracking racer and, well, it's hard to say anyone _deserved_ a championship but no one would have argued if he'd got one. Fascinating stuff, Aidan. I'd forgotten about that race completely. Maybe it wasn't on TV? I just remember the whole FISA/FOCA stuff in general. You've been filling in the blanks of my memory rather nicely!

[@simonkevnorris]

I'm fairly sure that was the first race shown live in Australia using the BBC coverage. Thanks to AJ's championship win in 1980. We also started to get Motorcycle racing in 1988 thanks to Wayne Gardner winning the 500cc championship in 1987.

[@MyUrbanExplorationOnline]

Aidan Wilward, what you could do is a video on the person that could be the greatest checked flag waver in all of the F1 history. The great Glen Dix. Glen was known for being the checked flag waver when then Australian F1GP was in Adelaide, and instead being place somewhere just off the circuit and causally wave the checked flag. What Glen did is to go out on the circuit and do wave the flag that is more on the kin of a one man Flamenco.

[@BungleBare]

Lole is one of that rare breed of F1 driver who were among the best of their era, but somehow never managed to bag a championship. I’d add Moss, Gurney, Ickx, Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, and Montoya to that list. All drivers who those who actually gained championships knew could beat them. Up until ‘92 it looked like Mansell couldn’t catch enough of a break and was going to join the group too.

[@SirTaffy-]

Keep up the good work Aiden. Ur video's are always interesting and informative

[@Porsche962C]

Not sure if I misheard or misunderstood at 12:52, but I think Carlos Reutemann made a mistake leading at Long Beach over a chicane. This allowed Alan Jones through to lead and Reutemann didn't re-overtake, Jones winning, not the other way round. Then came Brazil...

[@leandroboado8430]

Indeed it was like you said. I'd even add, the infamous rule (if the number 2 is less than 5 seconds from the number 1, the number 2 must relinquish the position), was on from the begining of the season. As i'm writing this it came to my mind something: My father who saw the race in Long Beach back in the day, belives that Carlos lost it deliberately. "El diablo sabe mas por viejo que por diablo", Martin Fierro would say. Brazil came as a follow up from that, triggering of the feud between Reutemann and Jones/team

[@studlydudly]

End of the 1980 season was when skirts, sliding or fixed were banned. Fixed skirts with rubbing strips, were allowed back for the 1982 season.

[@felipesantossomavilla2320]

I like your channel a lot. 👌

[@bmf97ss1]

Mid 70s-80s is without a doubt the most intriguing era in F1

[@leandroboado8430]

I was expecting, some day one day, that this video might appear in your series Aidan. Thank you. Carlos's daughter, I think, is trying to achive something similar as Massa is trying to do. All beacuse of Bernie Ecclestone controversial declarations. Bernie being Bernie, I know...

[@MrSniperfox29]

Unfortunately she has no chance Bernie was never in a position to make any claims of the race becoming legal, and the teams themselves decided to run the cars in a way that was illegal in F1.

[@leandroboado8430]

@@MrSniperfox29 She was taking about an episode in the Las Vegas GP, than showed up in the Bernie's series Lucky. Of course, it's a lost and a useless battle, no one, not Reutamann, Piquet, Massa can or would like to win a WDC in an office.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@leandroboado8430Massa can at least claim he was completely legal and it was other teams who cheated. Reutamann has no such defence as the race he "won" wasn't ran to legal specification and was known to be a non-championship even before it occured

[@Durbanite2010]

Of course Andrea de Cesaris retired from this race due to an accident... Reutemann possibly also felt vindicated in leaving after all of the terrible accidents that occurred in the 1982 season. If he had stayed though, he likely would've won that World Championship instead of Rosberg.

[@mrkipling2201]

1980's F1 is my drug.

[@zanemurcha9742]

I think Carlos could have been world champion in 1982 if he didn't leave after 2 races.

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Soon as you said Zolder, I instantly went wait, did you cover the clusterfuck of a weekeend the 1981 Belgian round was? EDIT: Mo Nunn, who would go on to lots of success in the 90s with Chip's boys, Yes. That Mo Nunn. Kind of bites that both times he had great drivers, his cars had horrific crashes, those being Clay Reggazoni and then Alex Zanardi Also by this time, wasn't Chapman caught up in the affairs of Mr. DeLorean as well? He absolutely was in 1982, I forget how far into it he was in 81

[@carlhague9102]

The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix is a video in itself. Drivers refusing to do a warm-up lap, a mechanic still being on the grid at the start of the race and getting hit...

[@AJZulu]

South African summers in the Transvaal is when rain showers happen the most. Winters are cold and dry...mostly. Note. Transvaal back in the Apartheid government. The Transvaal is now split between 4 provinces. Gauteng, where Kyalami is situated (Johannesburg, the capital, is here). Limpopo, the northern most province. Mpumalanga, the province bordering on Mozambique and Swaziland/Eswatini. And then the North West province...the western part of the old Transvaal. So yeah. The inland provinces normally have dry winters and wet summers. The Cape provinces have it the other way around. Mostly West and North Cape provinces.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

A little known fact about this particular race for American fans is that it was the first ever F1 race televised on ESPN even though it wasn't sanctioned. Bernie actually paid ESPN to air this race as a giant middle finger to the "Big 3" US TV networks of NBC, ABC & CBS who Bernie accused of being FISA's side & for not giving F1 enough attention on their sports compilation shows especially when compared to CART & NASCAR who made up most of the auto racing content for the "Big 3" networks. At the time, only the Monaco GP along with the US GP got airtime. For ESPN this was absolutely huge for them as they were far from the giant they are today & had only started televising motorsports the previous year with a small number of CART races. ESPN took full advantage of this opportunity & sent a full camera crew & commentary team to South Africa to cover the race. Because they did a great job, Bernie would give ESPN the commercial rights to air the majority of F1 races the rest of the season with the exceptions of Monaco (which was aired by ABC), Austria (which was aired by CBS) & the Vegas GP (which NBC got the rights to).

[@gokingsgoful]

Aidan, you do know that it's still nice weather in Montreal through November or so, right (wait, didn't you live in Canada for a while? Am I losing my mind)? In September even back then it was probably around 15C.

[@AidanMillward]

I have never lived in Canada.

[@wibbers01]

I've always wondered why the 2000 British GP was in April. Maybe an idea for another storytime.

[@mikesummers-smith4091]

Fun fact - FOCA was F1CA until someone told them why everyone who spoke Italian was sniggering.

[@JohnSmithShields]

You cannot leave us hanging here.

[@paulreilly3904]

​. It means Pussy 😁 in Italian

[@mikesummers-smith4091]

@@JohnSmithShields Enter "fica" into Google Translate...

[@PaperBanjo64]

Yes why were the Italians sniggering?

[@TheGalantHamburger]

Because fica means pussy in Italian

[@fuller9x]

It would be great to focus on the HobGoblin and his take over and rule of F1 and the Mosely FIA years

[@hippyjason]

Hobgoblins are the much taller, stronger 'cousins' of goblins. Bernie is much closer to being a plain, old, goblin.

[@4517onlyglory]

Balestre probably the biggest villain in f1 history

[@djh29971]

Carlos was a complete enigma. All his bosses said the same. If everything was perfect, he was untouchable. But F1 cars rarely were in his days and cars often had issues that needed lady like treatment. That aspect would spin round this head and he couldn't deal with it, whereas Jones was much more savvy. He was also superstitious. Despite being well in front half way in '81, he said he would not win the Championship - and he didn't. I remember Nigel Roebuck saying Carlos' capitulation in Vegas is of the like he had never seen. He thought he had a gearbox problem and just drifted back and let Piquet pass him with ease, much to the surprise of the Brazilian. There are endless conspiracy theory's from anyone in South America that Williams deliberately sabotaged Carlos car, which is ridiculous. Yes they loved Jones and Frank always preferred the WCC to the WDC, but the gearbox was stripped down after the race and other than being a bit worn, was fundamentally fine. Carlos blew it, because he head told him he would lose and he lost. Carlos also like to jump to the best team. Brabham to Ferrari in late '76 to replace Lauda, but Niki came back and took control both on and off the track. Carlos was Number 2. Jumped to the all conquering Lotus in 79, would not develop the 80 so stuck with the ageing 79 and tailed off. Carlos was Number 2. Went to Williams in 1980 to again play second fiddle, this time to Jones. Played second fiddle in 1980, but somehow expected that not to be the case in '81 despite having a clear Number 2 contract. While the Falklands must have been a factor, Carlos originally retired after Vegas. With Jones also retiring, this led to Frank desperately trying to persuade both drivers to stay and it worked with Carlos which meant the the option on Jean Pierre Jarier was not taken up. However, Keke Rosberg as a Number 2 driver outqualified Carlos in the first two rounds of the '82 Championship and for me, this put the lid on it and Carlos was out in a season where he could have won. As a postscript, Jarier missed out on the Williams drive again as the option on him had ran out, so he had to stay with Osella. Frank then tried to get Mario for the rest of the season, but wouldn't commit, so it was Warwick or Daly for Carlos' seat and they went for Daly, who got blown away by the eventual and unlikely WDC, one Keke Rosberg.

[@cosmostrek2001]

peter windsor always talks about how this race was supposed to count. then there would be a different world champ. he says that it should be investigated. bernie wanted it that way. Carlos Reutemann is the 1981 f1 world drivers champion.

[@VonBlade]

I always find the "they might have driven differently" argument to be a trite one. Zero racing drivers would drive differently. Pootle along and/or drive like lunatics depending on the situation. The only drivers I can recall doing anything close are Damon's last race and Lauda in the Japan monsoon.

[@domformula1]

A comment for another thread perhaps, but I’ve always understood the Massa case to be about a world championship table including scores from a fraudulently manipulated race - whereas his argument is all points scored at that race ought to be nullified.

[@JohnSmithShields]

So this is what would happen if F1 decided to do Can-Am?

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

Poor, unfortunate, unlucky fella. I didn't consider the effects of the Falklands war on him

[@Dat-Mudkip]

What's your two cents on the current Williams debacle?

[@JohnSmithShields]

Two cents would probably help right now. I say that as a Williams fan.

[@alexlazebat839]

what about michelen to goodyear at the french gp only Piquet and Jones won a race with Goodyears and is that why Falke is on the Williams FW19

[@ic3man]

Carlos deserved it more than Piquet imo. Can’t say I’m surprised Carlos quit after 2 races in 1982.

[@19megamustaine85]

He did not , he became a politican asshole.

[@Ross205]

Story Time Universe!!!

[@Eagleracer38x]

Yeah, but did someone other than Ferrari and Bernie actually make money after the FISA-FOCA war?

[@JohnSmithShields]

Mosely?

[@sebastiangomezbattista6260]

Neither Bernie nor his team wanted Lole a world champion. Besides his mood changes, he is definitely one of the champions without a crown.

[@MrSniperfox29]

Well Bernie was running Brabham so why would he want a Williams driver as a World Champion?

[@sebastiangomezbattista6260]

@@MrSniperfox29 based on what I read, Bernie actually promised Reutemann that the SA GP would count towards the championship. Obviously I can’t confirm how much of truth is there, but does sound like a Bernie move, which I think makes it at least questionable in terms of sportsmanship. Also, when I said “his team” I was actually making a reference to Williams, not Brabham, sorry about that mishap 😅. I mean, even with Ecclestone against him, I still can’t figure out why Williams didn’t do more for him.

[@sebastiangomezbattista6260]

@@MrSniperfox29 based on what I read, Bernie actually promised Reutemann that the SA GP would count towards the championship. Obviously I can’t confirm how much of truth is there, but does sound like a Bernie move, which I think makes it at least questionable in terms of sportsmanship. Also, when I said “his team” I was actually making a reference to Williams, not Brabham, sorry about that mishap 😅. I mean, even with Ecclestone against him, I still can’t figure out why Williams didn’t do more for him.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@sebastiangomezbattista6260 Sorry but that sounds like bullshit (apologies for the word) Bernie may have told the teams in FOCA "Look, let's do this and we'll sort out the details later" but the chances of him going to a rival teams driver and promising something is extremely unlikely Especially when said teams turned up and ran an illegal race. Had they all turned up with legal 1981 spec cars I could understand the logic, but to think they would run illegal cars and then have the race count is a bit of a fantasy

[@gerardkhachaturyan4814]

If only the race counted, Reutemann would be a world champion, Argentina would be a racing nation, and both Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi would be irrelevant (and Argentina would be a one-time FIFA World Cup champion in 1978 only)

[@Batters56]

So how come Balestre threw his toys out of the pram over the race date in the first place?

[@AidanMillward]

Power. If he got to move it, it would show Bernie and FOCA who was truly in charge.

[@Batters56]

@@AidanMillward Thanks!

[@beachmountain8834]

Why not take a look at Ronnie Petersson? Possibly the finest driver of them all.

[@yeg466]

You have a PO box? Would love to send you a baseball hat from Edmonton

[@billy54bob]

Is there not some very odd story about him throwing the Las Vegas race because of some mystic/fortune teller/psychic or some other odd person convincing him that if he won the Championship it would bode I'll for him? We watched it and were astonished at how little he tried to win it.........before we had heard any spooky stuff 1👻

[@FMAlchemist2006]

The problem was that he had a totally destroyed gearbox. He made the pole, and "misteriously" on race day the gearbox was failing massively. On the other hand, Lole was a gentleman and didn't even think in taking Piquet off the track, something that would have given him the title. Also, there is a comment from Mansell that was right behind Lole for some laps, mentioning that the camber of the rear tyres was set exactly the opposite of how it was meant to be.

[@palm92]

Great season, but really I was pulling for Laffite. Also, equally as responsible was Reutemann's absolutely dogshit drive at Las Vegas. PU! (I think he is a brilliant driver, however.)

[@FMAlchemist2006]

The problem was that he had a totally destroyed gearbox. He made the pole, and "misteriously" on race day the gearbox was failing massively. On the other hand, Lole was a gentleman and didn't even think in taking Piquet off the track, something that would have given him the title. Also, there is a comment from Mansell that was right behind Lole for some laps, mentioning that the camber of the rear tyres was set exactly the opposite of how it was meant to be.

[@palm92]

@@FMAlchemist2006 I’ve never heard that so it would explain why he was so weirdly off that day. Jones won pretty easily. It was an uncharacteristic drive - so it makes more sense in that context.

[@zinddy]

Have you ever clicked on aiden millward video thinking its an old one but realising its on half an hour old?

[@AidanMillward]

Nope.

[@zinddy]

@@AidanMillward wierd🤔

[@hardlydank932]

Yep.

[@DiscGolfLeagueMVP]

An Argentine man named Reutemann. Alright.

[@AidanMillward]

Yeah the meme of Germans moving to Argentina is alive and well here.

[@wolfsruhm]

Again you have to put a 'but' into all this. Since it was from the get go a libre race, they all used stuff that wasn't legal, and also the manufacturer teams weren't there. So could 'Reutemann be world champion 1981? Possibily, but not guarentied,a s the race may have ended competely different

[@DropkickNation]

Most chill motor-sports channel on YT.

[@quilmesdave]

I'm Argentinian, and I was so hopeful, he will win the championship, but, in my opinion, he lost it ,with a terrible drive in Canada. I know the conditions, were horrible, but that was the place, he needed to secure it. Despite getting the pole in Vegas, the race after, the team, was against him, or they didn't help one bit.

[@seancassidy795]