Not a mutant in sight...

Fixed media, stereo, 2001
1999 was a good year in Formula One (unless you were Michael Schumacher). Instead of the usual Michael Schumacher / Mika Hakkinen battle for the championship, fans were treated to a third contender for the title in the shape of Eddie Irvine. A great start to the season and a (un?)lucky accident at Silverstone found Eddie Irvine in the no.1 driver seat at Ferrari, with a good chance of winning the drivers championship. With Schumacher out of the picture for most of the remainder of the season, all of Ferrari's resources were thrown behind the Ulsterman. Everything went well - Irvine consistently finished in the points, Hakkinen had a run of dnf's (did not finish) - and the title appeared to be coming to Irvine.

However, as Murray Walker so often claims, anything can happen in Formula One ('and normally does'). After a run of disasters for Ferrari and better performances by Hakkinen, the title chase continued all the way to the final race. Hakkinen won, and took the championship by 2 points.

Legions of loyal Irvine fans were left with many what-ifs ('if is F1 spelt backwards') and conspiracy theories - what if Ferrari had that fourth wheel ready, could Schumacher have driven faster in the last race, what if Schumacher didn't return at the end of the season - could it be that the German wanted the glory of bringing Ferrari its first drivers championship in ages instead of letting an arrogant young upstart from Conlig take it?

Not a mutant in sight... develops this theme and explores the feelings I experienced at the time. It is in two distinct parts, each lasting just over 4 minutes; the first section is quite restrained and slow moving, the second section is free and aggressive.