Thread: Michael Schumacher and his career...

He won lots of times.

Originally Posted by Mark

He won lots of times.

Dang, that boy was good at the moonwalk....

Errmmm, have I got the correct Michael?

Originally Posted by Mark

He won lots of times.

Indeed that's why he's one if not the greatest of all

Originally Posted by Mark

He won lots of times.

How to sum up a career in 5 short words

In the context of H&N I wonder how Michael and his achievements will be viewed in years to come. In the case of other greats like Fangio and Clark (just two examples!) we have decades of hindsight, and perhaps rose-tinted spectacles, to help us view their careers. We don't yet have that for MS and I wonder if his reputation suffers because of it.

It was amazing in Felipe's cart race, how clearly you could see his quality. Because on the small track with the small carts, and a higher viewpoint, the camera could follow MS and the cart in front or behind, as a pair.

Time and again he would overtake someone, they would cling on close behind him for two or three corners, then they would lose a metre in a corner, then another one, then a lap later they would be history. He did this to Piquet, Fillipi, everyone. And he would have won or been second in Race2 as well, if he hadn't been baulked badly twice by backmarkers - when we saw him arm waving and glaring at them, the competitive spirit still there even in a charity event.

Originally Posted by pino

Indeed that's why he's one if not the greatest of all

He's the greatest of his era.

Cheat.

For now he's still active in F1 so I'll stick to the other forum!

Who?

Best ever racer, by far. More complete than anyone else, faster than anyone else, more dedicated than anyone else.

clearly among the greatest drivers of F1, got way more help than needed when in Ferrari IMO

Originally Posted by Garry Walker

Best ever racer, by far. More complete than anyone else, faster than anyone else, more dedicated than anyone else.

You are, of course, correct. I think it's the fact that it did it all in a very workman like way without what some would consider 'style' that has lead to some not liking him. Plus it's a certainty that if you are that sucessful for so long that people will get bored.

Personally the first season I followed F1 was late 1994 when I was supporting Damon Hill against Schumacher, as we all know that ended badly

He was unique because he was far more than just a great driver - he formed an entire team around himself! Nobody else has ever done that.

Originally Posted by wmcot

He was unique because he was far more than just a great driver - he formed an entire team around himself! Nobody else has ever done that.

Else, not much team would be so kind to put their trust on the driver managing the whole team like Schumi has. It's quite a strong reason he had such great loyalties as the team control was under his hand.

Originally Posted by wmcot

He was unique because he was far more than just a great driver - he formed an entire team around himself! Nobody else has ever done that.

From 1974-77 Ferrari was built around Niki Lauda, and the combination won 2 WDCs and three WCCs in that time. Luca di Montezemolo was a key player in that team then too.

The Tyrrell team was built around Jackie Stewart, and although they ran a number of different chassis (Matra, March & Tyrrell) the combination won 3 WDCs and two WCCs between 1968-73

Lotus became Jim Clark's team between 1960-68 and they won two WDCs and 2 WCCs in his time.

What Ferrari and Michael Schumacher achieved was remarkable, no question about that, but he was not unique in F1 in having a team built around him. Lauda's achievements at Ferrari were comparable with MS's in that he lifted the team from a distant 6th in the WCC to champions within 2 years.

I bet he played with Lego & Mecchano when he was a nipper....

He is one of those rare souls that is not only naturally gifted at driving, he also has a very good technical grasp of what is required to make a car go fast. A bit like Prost, but Prost was SO good, he looked like he was going slow when he was whipping everyones hides!

Schumi also had that win at all costs competetive streaks, that meant he did some strange stuff that he thought was acceptable, but was probably a bit OTT.

Great nonetheless though, I will give him that.

Originally Posted by Mark

You are, of course, correct. I think it's the fact that it did it all in a very workman like way without what some would consider 'style' that has lead to some not liking him. Plus it's a certainty that if you are that sucessful for so long that people will get bored.

Personally the first season I followed F1 was late 1994 when I was supporting Damon Hill against Schumacher, as we all know that ended badly

For me the only reason I see him as "less great than his results", if you see what I mean, is that he was tricky. I would have thought more of him if he had only won 5,4, or even 3 championships and not had those awful unsporting moments. It's something I still find hard to reconcile, because he clearly is in many other ways a great human being, as well as a great driver.

He always avoided a fast teammate, a la Fernando (but with more success...), I wonder if he is more insecure than you would think. And suppose, say, his background had been different, say Graham Hill as his father? Would he have been the complete sporting gentleman?

Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

How to sum up a career in 5 short words

World Champion with an asterisk.

Much like american baseball 'hero' Barry Bonds. The man who not only broke a record, but now has a record as well, as far as most fans and the grand jury are concerned.

I would really like to see him race Lewis Hamilton to see which of them is the best but I think he should stay out of F1 he raced for 17 years and was simply one of the best f1 drivers that's ever been.