Damon Hill in review

[ArrowsFA1]

We knew the quality of Schumacher in F1 before his accident. We didn't know the quality of Herbert in F1 before his accident.

Therefore, it's fair to say we can make a more accurate predictions of what Schumacher would achieve if he had an accident as bad as Herberts...

Predictions...maybe...but any prediction like that would be based on pure speculation

We know Damon Hill was the 1996 World Champion mokin:

[raphael123]

Predictions...maybe...but any prediction like that would be based on pure speculation

Mmmm, I think they are quite different. But rather than explaining it again, I'll just let you re-read it, and you can ponder on that for a while

As I have understood, Herbert's crash was much worse than Schumacher's, weren't his feet completely shattered?

Yes Erki, it was much worse than Schumi's.

Johnny's crash was a double-impact affair. The first impact was into the guard-rail, nose-first.

The thing with early carbon-fibre tubs is that they were only strong for one impact.

Unfortunately for Johnny, the car then re-bounded across the track into the parapet of a bridge, again nose-first.

When Herbert was air-lifted to hospital, the surgeons were initially considering amputating his right foot.

That's much worse than Schumi's leg-breaker. At no time was Schumi likely to lose a foot.

[raphael123]

Tamb, I hope you realise that I wasn't comparing Johnny's accident to Michaels in terms of injuries? Otherwise you've completely missed the point.

My whole point was we knew what Michael could do in F1 before that accident. We didn't know what Herbert could do before his crash, which is why it's all speculative

I wish I never mentioned Michael Schumacher now lol!!

Tamb, I hope you realise that I wasn't comparing Johnny's accident to Michaels in terms of injuries? Otherwise you've completely missed the point.

My whole point was we knew what Michael could do in F1 before that accident. We didn't know what Herbert could do before his crash, which is why it's all speculative

I wish I never mentioned Michael Schumacher now lol!!

No, I wasn't comparing the two....just replying to a question.

Although I do find it odd that you consider that Michael wasn't the same driver after his Silverstone 99 crash. Could I ask on what basis?

Considering that he won another 5 titles and some 50-odd GP's after that, to say that he was somehow affected by his accident is surely, as Arrows has pointed out, utter speculation?

[raphael123]

No, I wasn't comparing the two....just replying to a question.

Although I do find it odd that you consider that Michael wasn't the same driver after his Silverstone 99 crash. Could I ask on what basis?

Considering that he won another 5 titles and some 50-odd GP's after that, to say that he was somehow affected by his accident is surely, as Arrows has pointed out, utter speculation?

I think most people would agree Schumacher's approach was much different from 00 until he retired, compared to his style from 94-99. However I think that was more to fact he had the best car after 00, compared to before when apart from in 95, he had an inferior car, which required different methods to get the success he did (some of them very questionable!).

I don't think I've stated he was any weaker, just a different kind of driver. I think I said he was different. I actually even said 'he was still immense. If he never reached the same heights again, you could maybe say that that accident meant he lost out on some more success'.

So I've said he still reached the same heights. But I stick with what I intended to say, that Schumacher of the 00's was a different Schumacher of the 90's.

[wedge]

Revealing Damon Hill interview:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle1782099.ece

[futuretiger9]

Tamb, I hope you realise that I wasn't comparing Johnny's accident to Michaels in terms of injuries? Otherwise you've completely missed the point.

My whole point was we knew what Michael could do in F1 before that accident. We didn't know what Herbert could do before his crash, which is why it's all speculative

I wish I never mentioned Michael Schumacher now lol!!

I remember being very frustrated when it became clear early in Johnny's F1 career that his injuries would probably prevent him from reaching the VERY top. By the time his feet recovered some more, the vital early momentum had been lost.

[savage86]

Who would you put Hill alongside then? The likes of Prost? Senna? Or the likes of Hakkinen, Kimi, Alonso? Or anyone else?

Of course Damon was not as good as Senna, but Senna was killed and Damon then had to fight for the title.
One telling point about Damon was that when Shumi was banned for a few races for ignoring the black flag Damon won them all. He closed the title gap right down, and without Shumi Bennaton were way back I’m not sure if they even scored any points.

This persuades me that Damon was at that time the second best F1 driver in the field.
Unlike JV Damon also won races when he went into slower cars, leading in Hungry by over 30 seconds over Mclarens, Ferrari’s, Williams. JV never did anything like that he never got even a sniff of a win. I’m a bit bias because Damon was always my favorite and no way is he as good as Shumi but in my opinion he was better than JV and most of the other drivers around 1994 to 1997. Maybe Mika and him are a close match, who knows what Damon could have done if Frank hadnt sacked him.