Darren Maule has waited 5 months for this movie!

Chris Hemsworth will be playing F1 legend James Hunt in Rush opening in S.A. Friday the 4th of October

 

Formula 1 is not for everyone. That said, even non F1 fans will get into this movie and ladies, it's not only because Thor is James Hunt...

One of the most exhilarating, and addictive aspects of Formula 1 is not the cars, the speed or even the individual driving brilliance.

It's the on-track rivalries which keep us coming back for more.  These particular sparks possibly ensure that Formula 1 is all about balls-to-the-wall racing and not what Bernie Ecclestone wants to turn it into which more closely resembles Formula Farce.

This year has already seen some great in-team rivalries in Red Bull, Lotus and Ferrari but they pale in comparison to the rivalries of old.

Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna

McLaren, 1988-1989

Just before Prost moved to Ferrari in 1990; at the Suzuka circuit in Japan, Senna famously tried to pass Prost at the chicane, Prost "might" have caused a collision that took them both.

Alain Prost vs Rene Arnoux

Renault, 1981-1982

Sebastin Vettel obviously read this memo before going to China. Prost and Arnoux were running first and second in the French Grand Prix when Arnoux decided he’d rather win the race for himself than yield to Prost as per team orders.

Alain Prost vs Nigel Mansell (...are you seeing a pattern yet?)

Ferrari, 1990

Things didn't get any better when Prost joined Mansell at Ferrari. Nigel Mansell cried "Espionage!" as he suspected that Prost was getting the better equipment.  He even claimed that Prost had stolen his chassis  and had the number on it changed to disguise it from Mansell.

Mansel knew how to hold a grudge!  Even though he would be retiring at the end of that year, he purposely compromised Prost’s race at Estoril by blocking him with his Ferrari at the start - even allowing both McLarens to get past.

Nigel Mansell vs Nelson Piquet

Williams, 1986-7

The irony here is that a few years earlier, because of the rivalry between Mansel and Piquet, Prost was unopposed to win the championship in 1986.

In the modern era the rivalry has been more intermittent :   Montoya letting Shumi crash into him in the tunnel at Monoco;  Shumi crashing into Damon Hill to stop Hill's charge and then Alonso holding up Hakkinen on his qualifying lap.

But the most movie-worthy rivalry of all was that between the consummate professional Austrian, Niki Lauda, and gregarious English playboy James Hunt.

Niki Lauda vs James Hunt

1976

And now, finally, an F1 movie that truly shows what is so damn addictive about F1 racing (not that feeble attempt from Sylvester Stallone a few years ago).   "Rush" tells the epic tale of Hunt vs Lauda in their 1976 F1 championship  - the rivalry between Lauda and Hunt, Lauda's incredible comeback just 46 days after having most of his face burned off in a terrifying crash during the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring Race track.

The storyteller is none other than Oscar-winning director Ron Howard who brought the world Cinderella Man/Saving Private Ryan/A Beautiful Mind/How the Grinch stole Christmas/The Da Vinci Code

But wait!  There is more... who better to cast than "Thor" Chris Hemsworth as Hunt and “Inglorious Bastard" Daniel Brühl as Lauda, with "House's No. 13" Olivia Wilde as Hunt's wife Suzy Miller, and Alexandra Maria Lara as Lauda's first wife Marlene Knaus.

But where Howard really demonstrates pure genius casting (for all us F1 petrol heads) is the inclusion of the actual cars - a Ferrari 312, a Lotus 77, a McLaren M23 and a Penske PC3.

But don't take my word for it...check out the trailer.

 

Other memorable racing movies:

Epic - Days of thunder

Comedy - Talladega knights

Pixar - Cars 

 

-DSM-

@DarrenMaule

@BreakfastStack

@ecr9495