“9/16 – Well done Nigel” – 1992 F1 season review

This deeply embarrassing title of this video tells you all you need to know about its content.

There’s quite a difference in the production style of this video compared to many of the others. It is evident from the cover of the box and the tone of the entire video that it is geared very much towards the British ‘Mansellmania’ market.

The whole video charts Nigel Mansell’s progress towards the championship and is even presented by former BBC Grandstand anchorman Steve Ryder (partnered by the as-ever informed but overly stiff Simon Taylor.)

We get a brief insight into who drivers for the other teams at the start of the video, but other than that the focus is rigidly on Mansell and his closest championship rivals. Which is a very loose term, because Mansell walked the 1992 title, winning it earlier and by a greater margin than anyone before him, so consequently the video is lacking in quality racing action.

There is, however, a notable improvement in video quality compared to preceding tapes, and we get some lovely on-board and mounted camera shots. Usually, though, they’re of a Williams.

Tragically for die-hard F1 fans we see nothing of perhaps the all-time worst team of all time, Andrea Moda, and their long-suffering driver Perry McCarthy (latterly known as ‘The Stig’ on BBC’s Top Gear.)

If its’ only strength is the focus on Mansell then even that fall short at times – we get very little insight into the allegations of brake-testing that flew between him and Ayrton Senna at various times. And as an account of the entire season it not really sufficient.

Best bit: Riccardo Patrese’s astonishing escape after being launched over the rear of Gerhard Berger’s McLaren in the Portuguese Grand Prix.

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