Comments on: Will any of today’s Formula 1 drivers ever beat Michael Schumacher’s records?

By: Alejandro

Alejandro — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:19:55 +0000

Oh I see, many thanks Keith. That was the link I was looking for, you see the recent f1fanatic server famine has affected my judgement

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:39:31 +0000

Yes and yes – but Schumacher, Prost and Senna have more wins. Hit rate is not the focus here – see here for more on that: Michael Schumacher stats

By: Alejandro

Alejandro — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:12:32 +0000

Oh and Jim Clark? 25/73?

By: Alejandro

Alejandro — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:59:40 +0000

Does Jackie Stewart not have 27 wins in 99 starts?

By: d

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:44:53 +0000

i have no idea

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:07:24 +0000

I think Alonso has a chance of getting 1 or 2 of the records. Kimmi certainly has a shot at the fastest lap record if he doesn’t get bored of F1, and Lewis has the potential (looking at the time he has left in his career), but Lewis has proven to be inconsistent and there are other hot shots like Vettel who have raw talent and maturity. Lewis would have my vote if he didn’t throw away points in 2007 and 2008. He won the championship and I’m happy about that, but he must look at how many points he lost to Massa/Alonso/Kimmi in the last part of the season. It really shouldn’t have happened with the equipment he had. If Mclaren don’t have the same equipment in the years to come, then Lewis will have a lot of work to do to get the records, and I’m not convinced yet.

By: Carl

Carl — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:54:47 +0000

Lewis already has 1 record Schumacher never had. Youngest WDC. And he did it in only his second year in F1. in his rookie year LH also has allot of records. But beating all Shumis records will be difficult because of all the rule changes Every year to get the cars even. In Shumis years Ferrari had a better car and was alowed to continue development on it and make it better. these days its not the same. So it will be difficult to break ALL the records but he is a great driver and will only get better and break some of Schumacher records without a doubt.

By: PJA

PJA — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:17:25 +0000

I doubt any of Schumacher’s records will be broken, as I don’t think the circumstances that Schumacher set those records in will be replicated.

I can’t see a team dominating the sport as much as Ferrari did in the first half of this decade. Even if a team did manage it a driver has to be at that team for all those years and make sure he has a weak team mate. You could argue that if Hamilton stayed at McLaren all his career he would be the number one driver in the team even if it wasn’t in any contracts, but I don’t see McLaren enjoying the dominance needed.

When people said the sport was becoming boring when Ferrari were winning everything, others said it was no different to when Williams and McLaren dominated the sport in the 1980s and 1990s. However, because Williams and McLaren usually didn’t have an outright number one driver or drivers didn’t stay with the teams that long, no one driver was able to dominate like Schumacher did.

As Keith mentioned in the article because of rule changes some of the records aren’t consistent. The poles earned during the race fuel qualifying period don’t compare to the poles set by the likes of Senna when it was a measure of the fastest driver on the day, not who had the lightest car and was fast.

The record most likely to be broken is the most points scored, because just as the points system has been changed in the past I think it will be changed again meaning more points will be on offer at each race.

By: C4

C4 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:54:59 +0000

Bernie and Max will keep changing the rules around to make sure that no driver can ever be as dominant as Schumacher. Lewis is great but he isnt going to win over half the races in any year. The competition is too strong now. Even if a driver won 12 races a year for the next five years that would still only be 60 wins which isnt even close to Schumi.

By: the limit

the limit — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:15:20 +0000

I don’t think any of the current crop of drivers will beat Michael Schumachers record seven championships, for many different reasons.
As earlier mentioned on this site, Schumacher enjoyed many years with competitive machinery capable of winning championships. From 1997 until his retirement in 2006, on only two occasions was Schumacher unable to fight for the championship, in 1999 and 2005. It can be fair to assume that if Schumacher had not broken his leg in the now infamous Stowe crash, he may well have become an eight times world champion.
This nine year stint of Schumacher’s career is without doubt the most dominant any driver has witnessed in modern motorsports. By comparison, other F1 legends faired differently.
Aryton Senna’s reign at the top lasted between 1988 and 1991, inwhich every year he had a car capable of winning the championship. Alain Prost’s long career is all the more remarkable for winning championships spread out over more seasons, and with two different teams, much like Schumacher.
However, inlike Schumacher, Prost and Senna both had team mates who at times, proved their biggest rivals, and who were destined to take titles away from them.
Michael Schumacher never had that problem. As early as 2001, it was written in Rubens Barrichello’s contract at Ferrari that he would never criticise Schumacher or the team in public. Barrichello was sworn to adhere to team orders when the occasion arose, and that almost certainly meant giving way to Schumacher.
Austria 2002 highlighted this better than any other occasion.
This was a far cry from the Senna/Prost years at McLaren, or the more recent Alonso/Hamilton debacle. Everything was in place at Ferrari to avoid such skirmishes, that would only damage the teams morale, and lessen their chances to become champions.
Marry this political stranglehold at Ferrari to superb reliability, a firm understanding of the FIA rulebook, and you have a very potent outfit indeed.
From 2001 until 2005, Michael Schumacher also enjoyed the lack of mechanical strength from his rivals. McLaren’s engines by 2001, aswell as Mika Hakkinen, were getting used to the idea of retiring. Williams had great horsepower and Juan Pablo Montoya, but not the legs to compete with Schumacher.
As with McLaren, the Grove built cars kept blowing up, often with either Montoya or Ralf Schumacher were leading races. Kimi Raikkonen, on a good day, could match Michael for pace, but like Hakkinen in 2001, often had to park the car early and walk home.
Renault and Fernando Alonso changed this trend. Marry a fast, naturally gifted driver to a fast, reliable v10 and chassis, and Schumacher and Ferrari faced the enevitable. Their reign was over!
The Ferrari team today are a different animal. This year, their second driver fought for the championship in the guise of Felipe Massa, not world champion Raikkonen. This would have been unthinkable during Schumacher’s reign.
Renault, despite two wins, were far from dominant, a concern if Alonso stands any hope of unseating Schumacher.
McLaren, to me atleast, look more like the Ferrari team of Schumacher’s time. The team is so obviously putting its efforts behind Lewis Hamilton, that you cannot help but feel sorry for Kovalainen as we did Barrichello and Irvine years ago. For this, Hamilton and his father Anthony can take credit. The relationship they have formed with Ron Dennis is without doubt the most potent at McLaren since the Hakkinen era, and without doubt, will aid them in their efforts to become multiple champions.
The key for any driver wanting to set new records is to remain in a competitive car, for as long as possible.
Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda, Mansell, Piquet, Jones, Fangio, all started with lesser teams and worked their way up. Hamilton started his career in one of the best cars on any racetrack, any where.
He has yet to experience a season in F1 in a less than competitive car. If he can avoid such experiences, then he can become a very potent challenger indeed to Schumacher’s legacy.