My Fantasy F1 Team: Peter Nygaard

Photojournalist Peter Nygaard (Grand Prix Photo) shares his fantasy Formula 1 set with us and explains why.

The car:

Definitely the Maserati 250F! Was there ever a more beautiful F1 car? I have talked to a few of the drivers who raced the 250F in the fifties, and they all agreed it was not only extremely good-looking – it was also a pleasure to drive. Nice, forgiving and fast – what more can you ask for?

The drivers:

My number one would be Michael Schumacher. I covered almost all his F1 races and he was just extraordinary. With Michael on the grid, you never knew what to expect – he was one of the few drivers in modern F1 who could create miracles in not-so-competitive cars. For the second car I will make an unusual choice: Jan Magnussen! To me, he is the great, lost talent of F1 and I would love to see him in a competitive car. I am certain the Maserati 250F would suit his driving style! If Kevin´s dad had got into a decent car back in the 1990s, Michael Schumacher would have been forced to work much harder for his world championship titles with Ferrari…

The team owner:

Bernie Ecclestone, of course. By far the best ‘organiser’ in Formula 1!

He was a genius in an era when the rules were not as restrictive as today, and he revolutionised F1 more than once.

The designer:

Colin Chapman or Adrian Newey? Both brilliant but I will go for Chapman. He was a genius in an era when the rules were not as restrictive as today, and he revolutionised F1 more than once. And I am sure my team owner Mr E will ask Chapman to make the cars a little less fragile.

The Team Principal:

Martin Whitmarsh. I think he did a good job under difficult circumstances with McLaren. The team became much more ‘human’ during the Whitmarsh era. I know they didn´t win as much as they would have liked, but it would be wrong to blame Martin. Let´s see what he can do with my Dream Team!