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I know I'm a little late with this one -- fifteen days late, to be exact -- but I couldn't let it go unsaid. Ayrton Senna died fourteen years ago this month, on May 1st, 1994, at Imola. He died behind the wheel of a Williams FW16, and while some question the guy's conduct, there's no arguing that he possessed heroic, almost superhuman levels of talent. (On top of that, he was also against the application of driver-aid electronics in Formula 1, even going so far as to praise Ferrari's Luca DiMontezemolo for the team's fight against the digital-help revolution.)

Anyone else got any fallen heroes? Sadly, I don't find much to love in the current crop of F1 jocks; aside from Lewis Hamilton, none of them really get me that worked up. Who's the long-dead driver that you desperately wish hadn't passed on?  

Ronnie Peterson, because then I wouldn't have to listen to my Swedish husband regale me with tales of Peterson's driving exploits.

But really, the way he died was tragic--his injuries (1978 Monza) were not reported to be life-threatening, and so it was a huge shock when he died. I believe that after his death, track safety procedures were much more strictly enforced.  

James Hunt, without a doubt. While I'm not saying that every F1 driver should start drinking and smoking, Hunt brought an honest, fun loving, and outgoing personality that is so lacking in modern, professional motor racing.

That said, watching F1 this year reminds me that there is a refreshing lack of sponsorship chit chat. It was so nice to see Ron Dennis go on about the size of Robert Kubica's nose two races back and joke about the subject again at the last meeting. It is also wonderful that a driver is honest about his car's abilities and talks about sector times, not his Goody's McDonalds Home Depot Ruby Tuesday sponsors. Just once, I want to hear Boris Said or Jeff Gordon say that they're sick of drinking Coke and that Goody's Headache Powder is a crock.

The racing in F1 may not be as good as it was 25 years ago but at least it ain't full of the commercialized nature of NASCAR.