The Just Dreadful Dramas of Jean-Denis Delétraz

[@SiVlog1989]

The unique thing about both Arrows drivers failing to qualify for the French Grand Prix of 2002, it wasn't down to a lack of pace on the car, nor necessarily a lack of talent on the drivers (they had Heinz-Harold Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi), but it was (due to a dispute between the team, its sponsors and engine supplier Cosworth) the team making their drivers do minimum participation to say that they attempted to qualify, but they just did one flying lap each that was deliberately not fast enough to be within the 107%

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

It makes me laugh when people say things like "Mazispin has to be worst F1 driver of all time".....They never watched F1 in the early to mid 90s! We had Belmondo, Grouillard, Deletraz, Rosset etc

[@TheMobileChicane]

Mazepin was pretty dreadful.. but yes, the likes of Deletraz, Amati, Rosset.. they were another class entirely!

[@Eibarwoman]

It carried until the 2008 global economic crisis as the likes of Alex Yoong and Yuji Ide were around. The larger the grid, the more questionable the drivers you'd find at the rear of it either as marketing stunts (Ide) or pay drivers (Yoong).

[@plouischenu]

Taki Inoue "The Mobile Chicane from Rising Sun" deserves a mention too ^^ He had some hilarious moments too and admitted, with a welcomed self-derision sense, that he was one of the worst F1 pilots ever.

[@jean-noelcollard4583]

Grouillard took points...

[@lukasnikolic2923]

Theres also Giovanni Lavaggi aka. Johnny Carwash

[@albertorodriguezfernandez5956]

If you see the career of JD Deletraz, you can see that he's clearly a good GT driver. Two Le Mans class wins, and lots of wins and podiums in FIA GT Championship. Also won the 2007 24 Hours of Spa, beating the Maserati MC 12 with a Corvette. Definitely a very good GT driver. Single seaters are a totally different story, not everyone has the skills or the feel for it. He simply did not have the speed to be in an F1 right away, and also just run three times in F1, with little to no testing. He can't be the worst F1 driver with just three Grand Prix.

[@stephenhumphrey7935]

I totally lost it when Mr Bean showed up. I can imagine Schumacher as Mr Bean and obviously Deletraz as the old lady. Great video.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you!

[@BerserkerRohan]

I wasn't expecting to see an objective look at Jean-Denis today but here we are. I do agree that he was not F1 material since we saw how much he struggled in junior formula but at least he proved a really decent endurance racer as he had a career in that category to be proud of. While endurance racing isn't as coveted as F1, it still requires some good driving skill and it was good to see his talents be able to shine in other disciplines. It was also cool to see the impact that Jean-Denis since his slow driving introduced the 107% rule which weeded the talentless pay drivers that were quite a common sight in the early 90s and it was a better way to weed out the grid then the pre-qualifying system we saw in the early 90s. 107% wasn't perfect especially at the time it was introduced since the gap between the grid was still quite big but that gap would decrease so now I say it is works pretty good. Again, this was a really well done video that offered a new perspective of F1 which was great to see. As for other things, I found this video about the 1994 season again that I thought was lost to time and it still kind of grips my heart. We also had the Italian GP and Verstappen is making winning look really easy with that really fast Red Bull but more importantly, Williams had a great weekend. Losing Albon was a major blow and I do hope he not only recovers for Singapore but he is fine during the race since it is the most demanding on the calendar but De Vries would take his place and score points on his debut and like a lot of people, I was rooting for him to score points and that safety car at the end probably saved him so it at least did something good. Considering this performance, I wonder if you would back De Vries for that second Williams seat for next year or are there other drivers you would like to see more.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to make one, but the idea slowly morphed into that! Glad you enjoyed it. On the Williams front, I think de Vries would be a great addition to the team, and from what I've read online, it sounds like Williams are happy to sign him up. It's whether Nyck can extract himself from any WEC or Formula E commitments, and whether he wants to angle for a shot at the vacant Alpine seat. If not Nyck, I'm not sure what other candidates there are; Logan Sargeant did look a good shout, but he's been off the boil a little in F2 recently, and might need another season there.

[@BerserkerRohan]

@@TheMobileChicane It is always great to learn that a driver is more than meets the eye in these videos and I think that is what you really excel at. That is good to hear that Williams are interested in De Vries since I do think he maybe on Albon's level which might help Williams climb up the grid but we will see if he is interested. It probably is wise for Sargeant to have another crack at F2 next season so hopefully he can keep the momentum going since he did well this season and is currently sitting 3rd in the standings. Speaking of that, Daruvala got his first win this season in the Monza feature but I feel like he really needs to up his game if he wants to be in F1 but I will still keep rooting for him because of Indian pride.

[@TheMobileChicane]

@@BerserkerRohan I've been rooting for Daruvala for a while now, it's a shame that Red Bull are overlooking him in favour of Lawson currently, as I think Jehan could be a solid driver, given the opportunity.

[@BerserkerRohan]

@@TheMobileChicane That win in Monza really helped since he is 3 points ahead of Lawson so I do hope Daruvala does well in the final round since he could be the highest placed Red Bull junior by the end and seeing another Indian on the grid would be really nice. Alpha Tauri's driver situation was interesting to hear about since Red Bull are very interested to try and get Herta a seat in that Alpha Tauri but if he is unable to get that seat and Gasly leaves for maybe Alpine (which I don't think will happen), the door will open nicely for either Daruvala, Lawson or even Iwasa. Will be interesting to see what they do with Tsunoda as well as he has kind of improved from his rookie season since he is closer to Gasly now but will it be enough.

[@paulsontag9233]

J.D.D. 😂 When the ever kind Murray Walker disses you you’re bad.

[@pocketdynamo5787]

I don't think that sitting next to Michael Schumacher in the garage would've helped him much in terms of setting up his car. Famously, Michael Schumacher set his cars up in such a unique way that all other drivers found it impossible to control, with lots of oversteering.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Yes, perhaps Schumacher wasn't the best example.. I was more angling from the perspective of, if Delétraz had a top driver opposite him in the garage of the time (Hill, Berger, Alesi, etc), that their experience would have benefitted both the team and him.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Yeah the great druvers seem to have an ability to set cars up beyond what a regular amazing f1 driver can handle. Some feel or natural ability to push the limit further. Max Lewis etc seem to be very similar as their teamates struggle when they shine. Very interesting to think if J D had good teamate but a schumi max wouldnt have helped. But a couthard or berger a quick strong driver with top team exp. Hell hill woulda been decent teacher.

[@rhodriedwardwilliams]

@@TheMobileChicane Alesi just used to drift every where especially the 412 t2 v12.

[@dougerrohmer]

I'm busy reading Adrian Newey's book, and there are a couple of occasions where one side of the garage deliberately obscure facts from the other side like one guy (Mansel?) moving cockpit hydraulics adjusters before pulling into the garage to fool the other side.

[@jiboo6850]

it's kinda funny that during 2000 to 2006 era, both champions had total opposite ways to setup their cars. Schumacher was very pointy to the front AKA "loose". but for Alonso it was planted behind and massive understeer. that just shows that setup is something very personal. there's no "fast or slow setup". there's just the one that makes you feel good to push.

[@WoddCar]

“What is deletraz doing?!” Has to be one of the best commentary moments of all time, also his story was quite an interesting story for a driver

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

I didn't start watching F1 until 2013 and I'm an American so Murray Walker is someone I've only heard about but haven't actually _heard_ that much. Despite that even I somehow know the hilarious "What is Delatraz doing!?" soundbyte.

[@TheMobileChicane]

It's truly one of the iconic moments of F1 commentary!

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@TheMobileChicane Thank you for making these videos and giving me an in-depth look at a whole bunch of things I've only heard about. I especially appreciated the Michael Andretti one. My favorite Indycar drivers when I was growing up were him and his dad (because they were dad's favorite drivers). In 1993 all of sudden Michael was gone and some guy I'd never heard of named Nigel Mansell had replaced him. Then just as suddenly it seemed Michael was back and Mansell was gone. I was 12 around that time so I didn't know who went where and why but I got the impression that Andretti's time in something called "Formula One" hadn't gone too well. It was nice to have his time in Europe examined in depth so all these decades later I could learn about what happened.

[@TheMobileChicane]

@@BiggieTrismegistus My pleasure - I'm glad you've enjoyed them so much, and that I was able to clear up that Michael Andretti mystery for you!

[@zeusdamongoose1062]

The next line was even better. "It doesn't matter what he's doing"

[@leeriddick7]

“9th in Dijon the best he could muster” is a great line, had a little chuckle to myself on the bus when I heard that!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! It's one of my proudest puns yet.

[@ivaneurope]

The weirder thing is that had the Super Licence existed in its current form in the 90's, Delétraz would've never made it to F1 in any way, shape or form. This is also valid for other pay drivers of that era such as Giovanni Lavaggi, Tarso Marques and the certified meme Taki Inoue. Sure, we had the likes of Lance Stroll, Nicolas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin slipping through the cracks in recent years, but weren't as hopeless as the really cr@p pay drivers of the mid-late 90's and early 2000's. Even today F2 is a more professional series than the International F3000 was back in the day.

[@shadowperson779]

"Things aren't always as bad as they seem...unless you're a Ferrari fan in 2022." Man did that ever hit home. *cries in Tefosi*

[@TheMobileChicane]

Remember Bahrain? When Ferrari were 1-2, and both Red Bulls broke down? What times we had.

[@evonneo]

Or even in 2023...

[@AngryChristian1]

Its nice to see Louis Delétraz get a mention here, he's pretty underrated and much better than his father

[@TheMobileChicane]

It was a shame he never got an F1 opportunity, even in Free Practice.

[@waynekerr67]

Absolutely. The guy is actually quick.

[@dodolurker]

Excellent video, thanks! And also thanks for the Blackadder reference 😄

[@TheMobileChicane]

Anyone who recognises a Blackadder reference is always welcome in my comments section!

[@Hammerhead547]

Delatraz's incompetence in the lower categories was actually featured pretty heavily in a couple of the Havoc racing crash compilation video tapes.

[@RobJaskula]

Montermini was actually fairly competent behind the wheel for one of that great generation of pay drivers. Had some nice finishes in IndyCar

[@GreenHornet553]

Many pay drivers and non pay drivers who got slagged off in F1 by the 90s did fine once they weren't in the overly political world of F1 where there are clear haves and have nots. Guys like Mauricio Gugelmin, Roberto Moreno, Stefan Johansson, Max Papis, Alex Zanardi, Mark Blundell, Christian Fittipaldi, Teo Fabi, and others all performed decently with Zanardi being the best of the bunch as they competed against series regulars and local talent like Arie Luyendyk, Emerson Fittipaldi, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy, Adrian Fernandez, Bobby Rahal, Bryan Herta, Jacques Villeneuve (until he went to the other side of the pond), Scott Pruett, Robby Gordon, Eddie Cheever, Raul Boesel, Al Unser Jr., Eliseo Salazar, Jimmy Vasser, Scott Goodyear, and other drivers.

[@rhodriedwardwilliams]

@@GreenHornet553 The names on this list could have made a pretty good breakaway F1 series a lot of talent right there

[@GreenHornet553]

@@rhodriedwardwilliams they did. It was called CART IndyCar series

[@rhodriedwardwilliams]

@@GreenHornet553 Throw in a few great tracks maybe an airport circuit somewhere a trip to Australia and 900hp car's. Might be a bit special this CART thing 🤣

[@roina771]

Still the best F1 channel out there. You can make me interested in Delatraz or Sospiri but I think your best videos are about the cindarella stories like the Frentzen or Layton House video. It's not about the video per se but the story itself. At this point I think you can make an interesting video on just about anything F1 related but honestly the stories about short glory runs or what ifs are more interesting than doomed backmarkers.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Roina! Some of the more recent videos have been more backmarker focussed, but the next couple are planned to be more of that "cinderella" genre you mentioned. Although.. you did say I could make an interesting video on just about anything F1 related. How about "Top 10 Wheelnuts in F1 History"?

[@dimm__]

do it

[@TheAlphaDingo]

I grew up watching F1 in this era and I sure do miss it - imo, the minnows and new teams coming onto the grid kept things interesting. For sure there were pay drivers but you'd also get rare glimpses into genuinely talented drivers who were starting out at the back of the grid; and as you say, whenever a backmarker punched above it's weight and found itself near the front, it was a special and memorable moment

[@AS19Motorsport]

What has to be added is that Delétraz won in a class that saw just one other finisher reach the checkered flag in those respective years. The competition in LMP675 (the class) was very weak

[@engared]

I think my father raced against him in that Zhuhai race. I think my father finished 7th overall that year or something like that. Edit: Yup, he did. Albeit many laps down and in a lower class.

[@TheMobileChicane]

That's so cool!

[@alexcarolan8825]

Brilliantly made video. Interesting back story to the 107% rule

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Alex!

[@shadytube84]

‘9th in Dijon the best he could muster’… I see what you done there… Dijon, mustard lol!!

[@TheMobileChicane]

I'm glad someone spotted that pun!

[@timpeachey9394]

Deltraz finished the 1995 European GP in 15th place 7 laps down. It was Montermini that was weaving as he ran out of fuel. 15 16 Switzerland Jean-Denis Délétraz Pacific-Ford 60 + 7 Laps

[@MercyShot83]

Brilliant Video. I honestly forgot about this guy. He never even was F3000 Material but a good Sports Car driver. Sadly his son never made it to F1 although he has much more talent than his father. The 90s were a crazy time.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! It was a shame Louis never got a shot in F1.

[@Gibberish1983]

Thank you so much for this video! It got me to laugh again for the first time in a few days of a bit of a gloomy mood. I like the visuals and speaking style you use in your videos too.

[@TheMobileChicane]

I'm glad it helped pick you up!

[@simonkevnorris]

I was at the 1995 European GP standing with a view of the Veedol Chicane (the chicane before the last turn). I have no recollection of seeing Deletraz weaving like that but I was glowing inside after finding Gluewhein (mulled wine) and Schnaps. The morning warm up had been delayed due to fog. I was standing in the open and had thermal underwear (trousers and shirt) on jeans and waterproof trousers. I had a thick shirt, windcheater and Goretex jacket. I had also secured a large garden refuse bag which I had made a hole in for my head to pop through and was wearing that over my torso (only do this when you're not moving around as the plastic bag retains heat). I do recall that Jean Alesi was in the lead for a long time but Schumacher overtook him going into the Veedol Chicane despite doing an extra stop.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

Johnny Carwash - brilliant!

[@k-mc94]

😅

[@djdrastic1]

Best F1 channel.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks DJ Drastic!

[@thiscocks]

Shudder to think what Hunt would have to say about him. Never a fan of the 107% rule. Always enjoyed seeing the small teams at the back with more often than not decent drivers.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Whatever Hunt would say, I think it would've gone down in history alongside Murray's "what is Deletraz doing?" as an unforgettable commentary moment!

[@liamgbooth]

6:25 Top right hand corner. Can't unsee 😳

[@TheMobileChicane]

I can't believe I never noticed it whilst editing!

[@spacedisco612]

"Tin Top Tussles of Touring Cars" beautiful poetry - great video

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you!

[@GaryWagers]

17:31 Please tell me that is not Slobodan Milosevic sitting next to Gachot at the table. It looks just like him!

[@TheMobileChicane]

That's Keith Wiggins, the team owner! But I can see the likeness!

[@GaryWagers]

@@TheMobileChicane Whoops! Thanks!

[@PattyjoAtwork]

In all honestly, while it did let that spark of charm go, it made room for people who had it in them to drive these cars the way they should've been driven. Drivers like Deletraz were in the end quite dangerous and would be able to create a huge crash if not paying attention. Imagine if he drove todays machines with that amount of profession... I'd be scared.

[@TheMobileChicane]

A very fair point.

[@markflowers7214]

Strange how the FIA regards him as superior to multiple Indycar winner Carlton Herta!

[@McLarenMercedes]

Not strange at all. Back when he raced there was barely a super license and it was incredibly lax. It would have been impossible for Deletraz to obtain a modern day FIA super license. He never scored points in three seasons with F3000 and thus wouldn't have scored a single point of the 40 needed (allocated from the final standings by position) to be able to get one. Fact is not even Max Verstappen would have been able to enter F1 races had they been as strict back in 2015 as they are today. Max was just 17 and the present day rules stipulates a driver needs to be 18 at least. Superior? Never compare regulations from different eras. Things change. *A lot* Indycar drivers like Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Will Power can/could get a FIA Super license. But they finish consistently high in the Indycar standings or win titles. Colton Herta finished the 2022 Indycar championship in 10th. 10th is good for 1 point on the FIA Super license.

[@benjamindepew]

So good. Thanks for the amazing historical content.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Benjamin, glad you enjoyed it!

[@townicus5908]

Yay new video!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@townicus5908]

@@TheMobileChicane Sorry for late response, but yes I did very much :)

[@crystalracing4794]

I'm sure 107% rule was more related to how slow Pacific and Forti were, not just how tardy Deletraz was by his skill alone. It is surprising to see how many drivers who sucked in F1, but won a lot outside of it (Alex Yoong in A1GP, Yuji Ide in Japan, Rosset in GT). Although Mazacane has won zilch in his homeland.

[@BadWallaby]

Voice toootaly sounds like Chris Haye to me haha Love these videos! Awesome content!!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@rgb9795]

Great channel! you need to make more video abt classic f 1

[@TheMobileChicane]

That's the plan!

[@rgb9795]

@@TheMobileChicane 100% support!

[@Gigidag77]

How about a video On Ricardo "tosseR" Rosset?

[@TheMobileChicane]

A lot of people have asked for this video - it's on my list of video ideas!

[@edsmith613]

Deletraz was pretty dreadful to be honest. I dont like to talk badly about motoracing drivers as i like to try and be respectful but he was awful. Then again so was Taki inoue but to be fair to Taki he admits he was dreadful. I always wonder what James Hunt would of said about these drivers. He would of had a field day. It would of been hillarious 😊

[@TheMobileChicane]

I think we would have had a very savage version of Murray's "what is Delétraz doing?" Given Hunt had already called Alliot "the man who crashes in every Grand Prix anyway", I can't begin the imagine the insults he might have laid down on poor Jean-Denis!

[@edsmith613]

@@TheMobileChicane yes absolutely agree. It would of been very hillarious 😂😂😂

[@Billiamiscool]

To this day, I’ve still yet to find an explanation to why Delétraz was weaving at the Nurburgring

[@TheMobileChicane]

So, since making this video, I've heard that apparently that wasn't Deletraz weaving, but in fact it was Andrea Montermini! Supposedly, he'd run out of fuel, and was desperately trying to shake the last few drops to make it back to the pits! Again, I don't know how true that is.

[@timpeachey9394]

@@TheMobileChicane Wiki says: Papis, Diniz, Tarquini and Délétraz completed the field.[1] Of the retirements, Roberto Moreno stopped his Forti with a driveshaft failure,[1] while Montermini endured a fraught pitstop on lap 42. The Pacific team's fuel rig malfunctioned, and, in the confusion, refueller Paul Summerfield sustained a fractured left femur when he was hit by the car as it left its pit box.[39] Montermini consequently ran out of fuel on lap 45.[1]

[@KellieLeigh48]

Been waiting for this! Thanks Chicane!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Hope it was worth the wait!

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

It’s amazing, the 107% rule was purely based off him

[@HeavyMetalGamingHD]

You forgot to mention the most legendary driver of them all in the intro. Taki Inoue is a true legend. This guy got run over by the safety car. Later he said, that he thought f1 was very easy, because he was driving so slow.

[@michaelw6277]

“9th in Dijon, the best he could muster” Sir, you’ve earned a sub.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! I was particularly proud of that line.

[@rafleggy2fast486]

29:11 neat Peter Sauber cameo there

[@TheMobileChicane]

Haha, that one got me!

[@MrRodzilla]

this performance actually makes me respect all the other pay drivers, "at least they aren't Deletraz"

[@okeneubert7573]

Wow, what an excellent channel! Thank you so much for your interesting videos! They are amazing!!!!!!!!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you so much!

[@AlonsoRules]

imagine being so desperate for money that you pick someone who hasn't driven a single seater in 3 year

[@TOFKAS01]

That sums up the story of nearly every low-budget F1 team in history...

[@TheMobileChicane]

What TOFKAS01 said. The 90s were a time when every available seat at a backmarker, cash strapped team went simply down to a bidding war, and any racing record was a secondary issue.

[@AlonsoRules]

@@TOFKAS01 The 107% rule was brought in a few years later, specially because of Giovanna Amati, Deletraz and Lavaggi. The "low budget" teams had to actually lift their game.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

So when do we get the Rosset and Inoue deep dives then? I mean for all his fails in F1, Noberto ontana was at least a somewhat capable driver stateside. Tarso Marques as well being the driver that pulled down to help Montoya win /that/ Michigan 2000 finish too. Fontana wasn't, at least, all but kicked out of the CART series like Hattori for being absolutely horrific

[@TheMobileChicane]

A lot of people have been asking for a Rosset deep dive - privately I've been saying that if and when the channel hits 10k subscribers, I'll do a Rosset video then to say thanks. As for Inoue.. 100k? Nah, but that would be equally interesting to try and defend a man who even claims himself as one of the worst in F1's history. CART / IndyCar history isn't my strong suit, so all I could go off was judging him based on statistics alone, which ranked him only 28th in 2000. So it's good to know he was seen as a little better than that!

[@emanicstreetpreacher]

Brilliant video! Subbed. :)

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you!

[@rainergumpert5945]

I like the wall painting at 6:25min :D

[@TheMobileChicane]

Haha, I genuinely hadn't spotted that until now!

[@Sirikazy]

We need more! :D

[@TheMobileChicane]

More will be on the way, as soon as I can!

[@King_Ears]

Ah the origins of the 107% rule. As a side note this rule was hilarious in Grand Prix manager 2 when the 2 Williams cars would be the only ones inside 107% at some races 🤣

[@gdogg3710]

Worth a second comment this video…46 drivers. 46!!! I watched every race that year and was glued to every single second, yet there are some I have no memory of. Frank Legourse??? Who the bloody hell was he? What happened to Eric Bernard? Also, Johnny Car Wash? That can’t be true, surely? Haha…

[@TheMobileChicane]

46!! It's quite absurd. Bernard was quite an unfortunate case, he broke his leg at the end of 1991, and had to settle for a testing gig at Ligier after that. And when he got his shot at racing there, he was totally outclassed by a young Olivier Panis. And yes, Johnny Car Wash! It was started in the paddock, and then I believe David Letterman started calling him that too!

[@gdogg3710]

@@TheMobileChicane I remember Bernard being back in 1994. Now I think about it though, I’m pretty sure he was also missing in the Japanese GP that year and was replaced by Aguri Suzuki or someone…

[@randomfaca]

Agree on most of this, but I will say with teams having really sophisticated in-house simulators today really does help the likes of Hulkenberg step back in even with an actual lack of track time

[@Svend1500]

At least he made it to F1 :) None of us has.

[@hsttms9998]

Very nice channel and story. I still think Deletraz is one of the worst F1-drivers. Of course, he drove some awful cars. But still then the gap to his rivals was too big. He also seems too heavy and overweight for a F1-driver.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! As I said in the video, the awful cars were one thing, but even their awfulness couldn't excuse the distance he was behind so many others.

[@mrgobrien]

i say jonathan palmer was correct in that deletraz was merely a symptom not the actual disease - low ranking teams needed paying drivers not paid drivers towards the ends of seasons (due to running low on funds by that point) and so they would pick whichever driver brought the most sponsorship money with them not who was actually the best driver available - which was often not the same thing.

[@StrikingAlexa]

The car with the bonnet up is the worst design ever

[@drmnishikawa]

26:30 "Being in F1 is better than not at all". Reminds me of an interview of the great Nelson Piquet about his first contract with Brabham. Piquet said he asked Bernie Eccelstone if the contract guaranteed a race seat and, as confirmed, signed without reading the rest of the contract. When questioned by Ecclestone if the salary figures didn't bothered him, Piquet just said he has dreamt and worked his entire life so far to drive a F1 car, so he didn't bother how much he would get paid.

[@timpeachey9394]

Deletraz. F1 driver. Raced against Schumacher. Pretty impressive CV compared to most.

[@-STONECYPHER-]

Lost it at 'Harsh Browns' 🤣

[@StrikingAlexa]

Jean Denis beating Taki Inoue in qualifying who was in superior machinery in 1995 shows how bad Inoue was

[@b717]

Even with this clown F1 was still a million times better back then.

[@jackmiller-johnston8689]

Given that there's driver ratings in the F1 games now, I wonder what Jean-Denis' pace and awareness would be. In the 30, perhaps?

[@MaxScheibenpflug]

Hold up! What's that drawing on the wall at 6:26!

[@user-yk4gd1fl4z]

I was watching F1 then, I do not remember this dude. He could stand up in my porridge and tell me he is a russian ballarina and I'd be like, cool man.

[@LGP82]

Nice video about a mobile chicane. :P

[@TheMobileChicane]

Takes one to know one I suppose!

[@LGP82]

@@TheMobileChicane In iRacing I was also faster in GTs than F1 cars. The problem is the high downforce. If you can drive a GT at 90% no problem. At that time also normal for Le Mans, for example. If you drive an F1 car at 90% you are going too slow. Then you have too little grip and you keep losing your car in the corners. If you then drive at 91% you will spin everywhere. You should always drive an F1 at 98% or 100%. Then the wings give enough grip.

[@crashcourseinbruhsurgery]

more like Jean-Denis Delétrash

[@TheMobileChicane]

BRB, just off to rename the video

[@polygonvvitch]

Being F1 might be better than being nowhere, but being colossally bad in F1 is a waste of time compared to doing very well in Sports Cars.

[@crystalracing4794]

If F1 still had 30+ cars on the grid now, we'd probably would see someone like Aurelien Panis (son of Olivier) and a load of rich Russians getting lapped endless times

[@TheMobileChicane]

Almost certainly. I would love to have 15 teams, 39 cars etc, so we could have more talent coming through - but I think you're right, and we'd still be skipping over the F2 champion in favour of the guy with two 14th place finishes to his name.

[@MrSniperfox29]

The funny thing is Bernie's comment of "teams are just happy to turn up and meander round at the back" exactly describes HAAS for the previous two seasons. They had no chance of wins or podiums, virtually no chance of points, they'd turn up. set a time slower than virtually everyone else (certainly with the Mick and Mazepin) and finish last every weekend. Yes, they were making "107%", but other than that, they were there to be last and lapped (the only times they weren't were when safety cars allowed them to get their laps back).

[@gdogg3710]

Pacific and Simtek both produced beautiful cars in 1995. The exception to the usual rule that if it looks fast, it usually is fast…

[@TheMobileChicane]

I adore the MTV emblazoned Simtek livery. One of my favourites, I remember often picking Simtek when playing the original Formula One game on PS1!

[@gdogg3710]

Nick Wirth possibly one of F1’s great lost designers. He clearly had talent beyond the usual back of the pack runners…

[@stephenhumphrey7935]

what I miss about the mid 90s F1 (especially the 1994 season), was the many amazing colour schemes, like you I loved the Simtek and Pacific, also the Lotuses, Footwork, and the Ligier car. Also the mid 90s had many different engine suppliers to make things interesting, unlike today.

[@gdogg3710]

@@stephenhumphrey7935 For better or worse, booze and cig companies know how to design a good logo. Seeing anything with Camel colours on instantly recaptures that childhood excitement I had about F1 when I first discovered it. Re the regs, there is many a respected technical person out there from days gone by saying: “You can build whatever you like, bit your spend must not exceed x”…there is a decent counter argument to that in that you would get a more brazen version of what Honda have been doing in saying that parts on the engine were designed by the F1 program when the IP it was based on was actually paid for by their heavy engineering or aerospace divisions, thus circumventing the cost cap…that’s more of a problem with engines than cars I guess, but it’s still possible an aerospace division could be running CFD models for the F1 team…that though only strengthens the argument for curbing manufacturer involvement in a more affordable F1 and going back to a more privateer led model…

[@simonkevnorris]

I read somewhere that Simtek did not focus their money very well. I think they spent something like £40k on a suspension upright. I did a visit to the Pacific factory (I think in 1995) and their transporter's brakes caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel but they did manage to get the race cars out. The whole garage smelt of burnt components.

[@miguelelgueta5830]

if you watch the grid of any 1994 gp you will find that half of them were shitty paid drivers people love to romantice old times, but today at least most of the guys are there because they won in F2 or F3, even if they are actually paid drivers like Perez or Schumacher

[@simonkevnorris]

When Schumacher started in F1 in 1991 with Jordan he,was a pay driver. Mercedes put him in the Jordan.

[@rhodriedwardwilliams]

I think Jean-Denis Delétraz was a decent talent the guy got podium's in F3000 & had a great sports car career. Some of these F1 opportunities were very difficult not enough time in a car just throwing driver's in the ocean and hoping they don't sink you've gotta give a guy a year in F1 before judging him as talentless

[@somenobody8599]

How beautiful are those cars though...

[@theimmortaldavefuckinmiller]

Would like to see a video about Louis

[@willyhwang1059]

hey at least he hit no car, which is more than one can say about shoemaker

[@DuncanCunningham]

Yep. Those cars were garbage he got into, but lower formulas are, or were, full of rich amateurs.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Certainly used to be the case. A cursory glance over the history of F3000 shows a constant circulation of drivers dipping in and out of the series each year, many of which I'm certain would classify into that "rich amateur" class!

[@KingHayabusa384]

Endurance racing seems to be a better fit for him.

[@dangerdean9066]

I think so as he won his class twice at Le Mans

[@TheShadow9380]

I start watching formula 1 in 1994/95. And my favorite driver is Mika Häkkinen. But my favorite current driver is Max Verstappen. Don't care if someone dislike max or not.

[@willyhwang1059]

ironically, he's still 10000x better race driver that we will ever be.

[@vincentsouchaud6717]

3:18 It's Michel Trollé, pronounced TRO-LLAY in English. 3:28 It's Olivier Grouillard with a silend "d" at the end. Same with Eric Bernard at 3:38.

[@SultanOfAwesome]

Perfect timing with my breakfast

[@TheMobileChicane]

And perfect timing for me to respond with my morning coffee! Hope you enjoyed it.

[@SultanOfAwesome]

@@TheMobileChicane I did indeed, as always!

[@darknessesdarknesses2492]

For the racing history algorithm.

[@spencerbrayall8678]

Did ESP Guitars sponsor Larrousse?

[@tristancliffe]

One doesn't pronounce the "s" in Le Mans.

[@metarotta]

really think deletraz shouldnt have gotten a f1 seat in the first place if the junior series already proved too difficult to perform in with his abilities, also hilarious that a outright pay driver failed to actually pay people despite having the cash to toss around least he contributed to the formula 1 rules in the sense that no driver of his talents can enter as easily any more

[@puppidoggi1124]

It's always been a sport requiring money. I hate it when they talk about pay drivers. It is very Kringe. Time is money and seat time means progress in F1 . Simpler to say that the teams actually selected the various drivers every season and that's that 😎

[@alexwinfield9540]

It's very cringe that you can't spell cringe. It's true that money is needed to even reach the top end of motorsport, but pay driver refers to someone literally paying for their seat talent be damned. You are wilfully misunderstanding a simple concept just to be a dick on the Internet 😎

[@BennHerr]

On the other hand, he was probably pretty easy on tires.

[@Arkham_UK]

Lol harsh browns! Love it

[@ThegalacticusShow]

Superb

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you!

[@geraldo209]

Is he like the grandfather of louis deletraz? The f2 driver?

[@MrTopper33]

That's his father

[@waynekerr67]

You can win in sportscar if you are slow. Just hire two fast guys and the slow dude just drive up to minimum drive time.

[@ilikestuffandstuff4127]

Jean-Denis Deletraz or Bob Geldof's long-lost brother?? 😅

[@filipecoutinho5706]

Almost as legendary as Ricardo tosser

[@upthebracket26]

can't believe he drove for the williams junior team

[@TheMobileChicane]

Which team was that?

[@mudchair16]

Go-karts for rich kids.

[@joshgee8714]

Louis deletraz dad ?

[@TheMobileChicane]

Correct!