[Kingshark]

So far, Has 2012 been the best Formula One season since when?

2012 has had 3 different race winners from 3 different teams over 3 races. It’s not clear who has the best car; but Mclaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull are looking strong with Sauber, Ferrari, and Lotus not far behind.
When was the last time an F1 season was this compitive? I can only think of 2003 – When we had 8 different race winners over 16 races; both Championships were decided in the final race; and no driver apart from Schumacher won more than 2 Gp’s.

I’ve been watching Formula One since 2002 now, and the seasons from best to worse were in this order (imo):
2012 (so far), 2003, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2011, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2004, 2002.

[David-A]

2008 was very good, with so many wet and unpredictable races, several drivers overperforming in midfield cars, 7 different winners and the title going to the last corner. That, 2000 and 2003 are my favourite seasons.

[Kingshark]

Well, I guess this season is a bit too early to be judged; we’ve only had 3 races so far. However, it’s been looking very promising. I have never been so excited and looking forward towards the Bahrain grand prix. :p
2003 was my personal favourite, simply because we had 3 very evenly matched teams, with so little to separate them. New winners as Fisichella, Raikkonen, and Alonso. So many classic races, such as Interlagos, Silverstone, Melbourne, Suzuka, and Austria. The only thing that stopped it from being a perfect season was the michelin tyre-saga. :(
2007 had a great championship but painfully boring racing. 2011 was the exact opposite.
Other good seasons were: 2010, 2006, and 2008. :)

[Calum]

2010 was the best season!

Good races, fantastic title battle.
Drama with engine blows at key points in the season, Webber backfilp, huge controversy with team orders and F-ducts.
Beautiful Mclaren and Renault F1 cars.
The return if big names to F1: Senna, and Lotus in new guises, as well as Mercedes and Schumacher.

Brilliant season.

[Slr]

Every season I’ve watched has had some attractions to them. I would say that 2006 was the best season I’ve seen. The story to the championship was very fascinating with a retiring Michael Schumacher chomping into Alonso’s championship lead late on in the season. The climax to their championship was amazing in my opinion. The races were also very good back then.

[Enigma]

It’s way too early to say. But there’s nothing so far that suggests 2012 can’t be the best one.

[GeorgeDaviesF1]

2009 Personal favourite, also the last time we had 3 great races from the start of the season. 2010 was a good one, 2011 from Malaysia to Japan were really good races except Valencia. 2008 Monaco, Silverstone, Spa & Brazil were epics, 2007 & 2006 & 2005 had good races.

[sato113]

2008, 2010

[Pamphlet]

2007 and 2008, tied. It’s damn difficult for me to consider them two different seasons. Both were perfect.

We’ve had so many “good” seasons in the last two decades. 2010, 2003, 1998-2000, 1997…

I find it hard to appreciate races from back in the pre-Schumacher eras. They had worse drivers, and the races weren’t exactly better than the ones in the “better” recent seasons. Not a fan of how the cars looked either, but that’s not a big factor. Guess it shows how much we’ve been spoiled by the recent wave of top tier drivers.

[matt90]

Depends if you separate it to think of an ideal season having a close champion fight, or good races. Or whether you’re looking for the best of everything. Purely for the title fight, 2007, 2008, and particularly 2010 were highlights (although I also enjoyed 2009 and 2005- 09 for the battle for Button to keep his early advantage, 05 for Raikkonen trying to hunt down Alonso. And 2006 wasn’t bad either- basically every season I’ve ever watched in full minus last year lol). Purely for racing? Last year was really good overall, although I thought DRS soured some races a bit, merely by its inclusion. 05 and 06 I don’t remember in detail other than the Imola races and Brazil 06. I can’t remember the races in 2007 being spectacular. 08 had some really good races though, even if all the interesting stuff came at the end in Spa and Brazil and in one case was ruined by stewards post-race. I don’t remember much from 09 other than Brazil. 2010 had some great races.

So overall, the best seasons I’ve seen were probably 2010 and 2008. A repeat of that, with a few of the individual races from last year would be ideal. I’m not sure I care how many people end up in the running for the championship, as long as I can get behind at least one and it isn’t a walkover- this is why the close title fight in 06 didn’t excite me, as I wasn’t a fan of either driver, although at the time I disliked Alonso the least.

[Alianora La Canta]

I have very mixed feelings about 2012 (one good race, one average race, one dull race and one that shouldn’t have happened). So far, it feels worse than 2011, which didn’t particularly grab me with excitement either.

So it’s the best season since 2011, to answer the title question.

Currently, I’d rank the seasons I’ve seen as: 2009, 1999, 1998, 2003, 1996, 2008, 2010, 2006, 2001, 2005, 2000, 2007, 2011, 1997, 2002, 1995, 2004, 1994, 2012 (so far). I haven’t put 1993 on there because judging a season on a third of one race is difficult.

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