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That's got to be the understatement of the year - seven WDC and he's a 'decent driver'!! I don't much like the guy, but even I am forced to admit he's a little better than decent....Quote:
Originally Posted by eu
Whether or not he still has it in him to win another WDC is open to question, and a large part of that is whether the Merc is a championship contender or not. I await the outcome with great interest.
Almost word for word what I was going to write.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkmoon
He'll certainly have a better come back than, say JV or Alan Jones who both tarnished their reputations by returning to less than front running material, but perhaps not the title success enjoyed by Prost or Lauda after their returns.
What I'm interested in seeing is how his racecraft has held up. Prost was out for a year and was rusty when he came back getting his a$$ handed to him by Senna in a weak McLaren in the early GP's, Lauda was out 2 years and took a handful of GP's to look like himself - Schu's been out double that time so its going to be interesting how he copes if he's P6 and in the pack diving into turn one.
Depends on what goals he's set himself on "success". Will he be competitive? Yes I think he will but i'm not sure he's got enough to win the championship (due to Ferrari and Mac steeping up their game vs Merc), however, he could decide who does by taking crucial points off them in some GPs
He'll win a few races I have no doubt.
Unless he's being sponsored by Age Concern I question whether he has the hunger for WDC and go wheel to wheel and not lift. Schumi is now a sitting target and the young 'uns today have a bigger appetite for glory.
I don't think MS lacks appetite. That's why I've never liked him.... I find his grotesque appetite disgusting. Nothing was too much for him to get his win. I don't think people get cured from this.
That's as pointless as asking whether Fangio or Lauda would have beaten Schumacher...they didn't race together but that doesn't diminish what they achieved.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkmoon
It's like asking if McLaren and RBR had DDD from the start whether Button would have won? It's all ifs and buts. Ultimately it's meaningless.
Don't know about him succeeding or not but he knows how to make an appearance according to redbullf1spy:
:laugh:Quote:
Schumacher strode into the press conference, sat right in the middle, glaring, arms folded. It’s like Darth Vader's in the building…
Well, step number 1 in being successful for a Formula 1 driver is to beat your teammate. I believe that in the past MS usually had a clause in his contract stating that, by this measure, the team would ensure his success. Judging by the #3 on his car, it looks like he may have the same deal at Mercedes. If not, then I think he may not be successful. I think that without the team favoring MS over Massa in their last year together, Massa may have beat him. I'd put Massa at about par with Rosberg, and MS will not have gotten any better over the last few years. So it might be close, but think Rosberg will take it.
In terms of results, I predict a couple of podiums, but barring exceptional circumstances, no wins for MS. I think Mercedes might be 4th in the pecking order, behind Ferrari, Mac & Red Bull. They were already behind the development curve in the second half of last season and I don't see that changing. The days of unlimited testing are gone, taking with them one of MS's past advantages, so I think they'll be in the top end of the mid-pack.
One other thing to consider is the neck injury. It is supposed to be 100% right now, but one bump the wrong way and he could be out for a month.
During the BBC's preview show Brundle mentioned about MS's neck and the way he was turning to look around. Maybe the neck is still an issue, or perhaps MS was being careful.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstgear
Success will depend on machinery and considering that Mercedes seems to be slightly behind others at the moment, it looks like it will be a long shot to expect him to participate in the top fight, except a (crazy) wet race. The success of his performance will be measured against his team-mate - if MS is still as good as he was in 2006 for instance, he will probably beat Rosberg. But we will see.