Hello,
I'm 19 years from Switzerland. I basically speak french, so my english isn't very good. I subscribed to AtlasF1 on spring 2002 and I'm coming daily to look at the news and pictures. I'm reading the forum only since 2-3 months and I was surprised to find very interesting discussions, particularely about technical stuff.
I'm looking F1 on TV for over ten years, but only became a addicted since 2001. Before, I liked both Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. I remember that I was supporting also a white-red car, whose driver was called Hakkinen. I liked this name... but he wasn't winning races, so it was bad. Then came the 1st May 1994 when I saw live the Senna crash. I was so terrified... It scarred me a lot and then there was a german, Michael Schumacher, that was winning all the races. I supported Hill, but didn't looked as many races as before Senna's death. I heard then that Schumacher did some unfair manoeuvres. In 1995 I was another time scared when Mika crashed at Adelaide. Schumacher was still in front... I looked at him on the podium and I didn't liked his face, his arrogance and his antisportive wheel-turns on the track. So I started hating him... In 1996 I was so happy when Hill finally had his WDC title. After that in 1997, I was supporting Jacques Villeneuve, and he was so brilliant. Schumacher tryied to hit the Williams, but he failed. I remember I was laughing like crazy.
In 1998, I was back with Mika. I was a great fan of him as he was finally winning races and beating Schumacher. I was really happy for him when he became champion in Suzuka. It was all the same during 1999, but it was a bit easier as Schumacher crashed in Silverstone and was out. Irvine hadn't enough speed to come along Mika and he won his second title at Suzuka. Irvine was funny after his crash in the race. Mika was funny as well and I liked when he was doing the gesture of winning, with the arms in sqare, with the fist in the air, in front of the team enjoying his victory behind the barrier, after Mika comes out of the car. I liked that very much...
In 2000 it wasn't very good at the start, because Schumacher was back, winning all the races. Coulthard was doing better than Mika, and I was impressed by David's job. I thought he could maybe win once a championship... but finally Mika came back and struggled for the title again. Unfortunately, Mercedes engine's failure in Indianapolis was the end of Mclaren good times and Ferrari won the title with Schumi in Suzuka. That was really disappointing, because I felt that it would come.... Ferrari was growing since years and the finally did it.
At this point, I became really a F1 fan, because before that, I was juste looking the races on TV with my father, since I was child in fact... In 2000 I started looking also qualifying and after the 2000 season I discovered F1-Live.com site and I became addicted to Formula 1.
Talking about teams, I like Sauber very much, because I'm so proud of them, being swiss. I admire Peter Sauber, because he's a really good personality for motorsport, an especially F1. I did such a big job, that's impressive. I also like McLaren since many years... since Hakkinen in 1994.
So, it was in september 2000, when I looked at the news on F1-Live.com and I saw someone called Räikkönen, testing the C19 at Mugello. I remember again the time.... something like 1'27''1 and Schumi was running at 1'26''3, and the driver called Räikkönen was Finn and did only karting and Formula Renault. It was the first sign that came to me, this 0''8 between them. I remember feeling something special in my mind when I realised what this driver was doing... I didn't knew Peter Sauber very well at that time, and I neither knew Kimi. He continued doing good test session and the swiss team was impressed by him. That was the second sign. Eeckelaert was telling that Kimi was amazing and that was incredible for me. After that, when FIA gave him only the superlicence for 4 races, I thought that they were right because Kimi was so unexperienced.
The third and last sign was Melbourne 2001. He qualifyied 13th I remember and he was something like only three tenths behing Heidfeld. And then he finnished 6th and said he wasn't satisfied because there were five driver in front of him. That was incredible, I was so suprised. I realised that this driver had a huge potential and that he would be world champion one day. All the people working with him were telling the same things, and I was happy also because he only was 21 years old.
Since then, I'm a huge Kimi Räikkönen Fan and I collect all the news, pictures, videos and all the stuff related to him. I'm also member of the official Kimi Raikkonen Fan Club. I'm posting on different french F1 forums to fight for Kimi, for his credibility. I remember it wasn't easy in 2001, because they all were focussing on Montoya. And then in 2002 it was difficult too because they all said "look at the placing in WC" and he was behind DC because of all the failure of the car in the race. I was so happy when he fought with Montoya in Hockenheim and Hungaroring... and times goes by... now he's has won his first race, he has finished all the time on the podium except Barcelona and he's leading the WDC and it so strange because there are more and more Kimi fans. But in 2001 there was nobody on the forums.
So, when I read AtlasF1 forum, I'm only stopping rolling the thread when I see a post of HSJ.
No, I'm joking. I read all of you, but you know my favourites.
it wasn't until i was 13 in 1982 that i learned of the existence of f1. i borrowed a copy of a friends ROAD & TRACK magazine and saw a race report. i was hooked, and have been ever since. it was more than rare for an f1 race to be televised on the states at that time. if one ever was it was usually from monaco, and never live or complete in coverage. ABC has a long history of story telling instead of proper coverage.
im a mclaren fan here. go KiWI yeah yhays the driver i root for not the fruit 
I didn't (and don't) fell like supporting any driver(s), decided to stick just to the team instead (McLaren that is). Anyhow, I always believed that teams (and thus the Constructors Championship) are more important than drivers, since the former constitute a much more deep value throughout the years (they come & go much less frequent than drivers do). I realize this is not common logic amongst the fans of the sport, but then again, neither the FIA's, the drivers' and/or the constructors' behavior always conforms with common logic, does it 