Do you remember the 2000 season? Or were you yet to be born? Yep, it is 24 years ago when we all sat in front of the television in the early morning for the Australian Grand Prix. We all survived the millennial bug as we shut-down all our computers at home. The start of a new era, a new millennium, a new decade a new dominance was on the way. We deny it, though the signs were clear in 1999 that Ferrari would dominate the coming season. It is the charm of 2000, I believe, that gives me sweet vibes and warm feelings regarding the Formula One.
After being hospitalized in 1999 for a couple of weeks due to an appendix that snapped when being operated, 2000 was a new era for myself as well. It is also the first year I watched all Grand Prix’s. Besides the dominance of Ferrari, which I found amazing as a young Ferrari fan, I was also cheering for Jos Verstappen. I was cheering for the Minardi team who may had the best-looking car on the grid the M02. Sadly, the problem was the engine for the team, only if they had the same engine as Jaguar they easily would have beaten Jaguar and BAR. BAR, is another team from that era though I never felt sorry for their results on the track.
The charm they gave was lower than low this mostly had to do with their star driver Jacques Villeneuve. Tyrrell Racing was purchased by BAT with great ideas and unrealistic plans with drivers who didn’t care much. The team around Jacques Villeneuve never materialised their goals for 2000. It is something that Jordan Grand Prix sadly failed to do as well. The team gave in 1999 the Formula One the charm of the real underdog. With Heinz-Harald Frentzen doing the impossible with the 199. For 2000, the team came with the interesting looking EJ10. Frentzen stayed and Trulli joined the team. The best results were just two podiums.
The charm of 2000 as I remember it are several team bosses that were wandering around the pits in those days. It is people like Tom Walkinshaw, Ron Dennis, Eddie Jordan and Peter Sauber that colorized the sport. Most respect I had for Giancarlo Minardi he did what he could do to push his own team. Got to say I’m still charmed by Tom Walkinshaw, many seem to hate his management style. I just loved it how he managed Orange Arrows. I even like the game he played in late 1999 and early 2000. With Tom Coronel and Jos Verstappen only to gain more sponsor money. Maybe it says more about me.
It is just the overall feeling of the season that gives that special charm. While Ferrari started their domination, Schumacher and Häkkinen had some amazing battles! There was Jenson Button who made his debut for Williams, Luciano Burti replacing Eddie Irvine Austria. The looks of the cars that were and still are pure eye candy. The circuits, the merchandise that started to appear in shops, on the tracks, in the magazines. I still recall owning an Orange Arrows cap at that time it was already a lot of money.
I may remember the 2000 season wrong. Probably there have been issues like we have today. Though it seems, when Bernie was nog 90 but 60, the Formula One was a nice place to be. A bit elite, a bit untouchable. However, that made the Formula One Formula One. Oh I almost forgot to mention the unlimited testing for teams. Obviously the V10 engines that were used, pure music for the ears.
