When was Shumi at his best?

[Mark]

I reckon rebuilding Ferrari era. There is no doubt in my mind that he would have been WDC in 1999 if he hadn't broken his leg.

I think there is pretty much no doubt about that. Considering Irvine ran Hakkinen to the title down to the final race at Suzuka. MS had way more points than Irvine before Silverstone, so I don't see any scenario where MS wouldn't have been champion in 1999.

However the only difference it would have made is that Hakkinen would have only won one championship and Schumacher eight.

As to the question, I think the stregth of Schumacher is that he didn't have a good or bad time, I'd say the entire time from 1995 to 2004 he was at the absolute top of his game.

Up to and including 1994 he was still a youngster, a bit where Hamilton is now, and after 2004 I think after getting a kicking from Alonso he'd grown tired of Formula 1.

[Mark]

The rebuilding years IMO as he got a fair few race wins in an under performing car and showed his true talent. The glory years were just the fruits of their labour from the previous seasons and by an experienced driver by this time.

Remeber of course that he came within a whisker of being champion in 1997 if it wasn't for the infamous Jerez incident.

1998 it went down to the final race, and of course 1999 he broke his leg.

The only year he wasn't in (or could have been in) real contention for the championship was 1996, his first year at Ferrari when Williams dominated, and yet he still managed to win.

[jens]

-- I'd say the entire time from 1995 to 2004 he was at the absolute top of his game.

I tend to agree and it's difficult to really divide that era of 10 years into smaller pieces to find out, where he was 'better'. For half of it he had an inferior car and later on often superior. Of course in either occasions the driver of MS was shown in different light in different situations, but results were in both occasions similarly impressive.

[Garry Walker]

I think there is pretty much no doubt about that. Considering Irvine ran Hakkinen to the title down to the final race at Suzuka. MS had way more points than Irvine before Silverstone, so I don't see any scenario where MS wouldn't have been champion in 1999.

.

Well, to be fair, before Silverstone MS had 6 more points than Eddie and after Silverstone, they were equal.
Schumi would have probably won that year though, but it is irrelevant now. He won plenty after

I`d say his best years were from 95 to 97. After that he was still brilliant, but without slicks not as dominating as before. But still dominating.
Funny how in 2002 he did not impress me anywhere near as much as during some other years, where he won much less.

[jens]

Funny how in 2002 he did not impress me anywhere near as much as during some other years, where he won much less.

He was often driving away from the pack together with Rubens, so it was difficult to 'impress'. And considering all those gifted wins in the second half of 2002, it was clear Michael was performing far from his best that year as he didn't need to be at his best.

[Garry Walker]

He was often driving away from the pack together with Rubens, so it was difficult to 'impress'. And considering all those gifted wins in the second half of 2002, it was clear Michael was performing far from his best that year as he didn't need to be at his best.

Even when he was pushing, he did not have the pace over Rubens in quite the similar way he had in some other years.
Rubens loved the F2002, it suited him really well and he was quite the threat to MS that year.

[PolePosition_1]

I'd say he was his best between 1996 - 2002.

Amazing performances, undoubtably a great talent and very much missed.

[555-04Q2]

When he was winning. Austria 2003, when he recovered from a pit lane fire to Win (I was on honeymoon at the time in Italy, and had cunningly paid for my wife to spend the day at the health spa....) is one that sticks out for me.

Money well spent

[Sonic]

I've sat on the fence long enough now.

IMO he showed greatness throughout his whole career, his win in '92 was AMAZING considering he did not have the advantage of active suspension and all the rest of the toys enjoyed by the FW14B.

Strangely I thought his performances in 05 and 06 were his best. After so much success how he motivated himself with poor tyres in 05 and a weaker car in 06 I don't know but races like imola 05 and brazil 06 stick in my mind.

[TheFamousEccles]

I liked him best when he was running into his competitors to prevent them from beating him