What do you guys think of this? Not bad for an ”old timer”!
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Some people instantly write Michael Schumacher off and say he´s over the hill… Me, I think he´s still one of the greatest…. Here´s a clip I just saw that made me chuckle a bit… I know it´s a whole different ball game but just goes to show the REAL talent this guy has and in my opinion… sets things straight but I guess I´ll get flamed and even get called a troll for trying to create controversy but, I just think that if schumi had a competitive car, he would still be up there… AND I guess this video really shows the difference the car makes…
Schumacher’s win over a full-power Vettel in the latter’s best RoC car was the surprise of 2011 for me, especially after Michael threw almost every race in the team event.
Yeah, many people write him off too early. He may not be the most likable person on the planet but I think he’s easily one of the best of all time. Pre-retirement MSC would even qualify as the greatest imo. He HAS lost a bit of his skill since his return, though…
His case is the opposite of Senna’s – Ayrton’s personality and ‘spirituality’, if you can call it that, has caused many to consider him the best of all time, while it was the other way around for Michael – his collisions with Hill and Villeneuve, his near-murderous defense against Rubens in 2010…
@Jack I completely agree. I still think he is very good and is doing very well in the Mercedes. I don’t think he has lost it at all really and given the car I’m sure he could win again.
I would love to see what Schumacher can do if Mercedes give him a race winning car. I think part of the reason why Schumacher seemingly hasn’t been the driver he was, is because he isn’t the greatest at racing in the midfield. I remember Japan 2003 where he spent the whole race getting into trouble with the midfield pack, wheel to wheel racing was never his specialty. Of course his qualifying needs to improve also, but if he gets that sorted for this season, I definitely think Schumacher can beat Rosberg.
@Pamphlet I agree in that he has lost a bit of skills….. maybe not driving skill BUT driving aggression. He used to be more aggresive defending and attacking althought we saw a bit of both in Monza 2011. He defended really well IMO against LH. When Lewis got him, he got him right back going around him! Not a bad pass if you ask me! hehehe
@Hollis Graham I also agree with you Hollis. He has been improving in Mercedes and at the end of 2011, he seemed to be recovering his old form. I think this year will be much better for him. Who knows, maybe he will even get a race win this year!
@Slr Wow, you really think Schumi isn´t good in wheel-to-wheel racing?? Wow, just go back to Brazil 2006…. starting from the midfield, puncture included, he managed to finish 4th!!! If THAT isn´t good enough proof for you then I don´t know what is! Also in this last season, I don´t remember the track but he was right there waiting for the right moment and when the guy in front made his move on the next guy , Schumi took BOTH of them on a whole different line! That is very VERY good in my opinion!
About qualifying… sometimes this season, he constantly made it into Q3 but sometimes he didn´t even go out to set a time… not because he couldn´t better the time, he just didn´t go out to save a set of tyres! There´s some strategy for you! Not nice for the viewers but hey, I understand!
Mercedes REALLY have to step up their game…. they need a competitive car in order to have Schumi and Rosberg up there. I honestly believe that age just comes in to play IF the person is not phisically fit. Schumi obviously is! The reflexes, the mind never quit on you regardless of age… I think he needs a little more training to be 100% but i believe he´s right up there phisically so I really don´t think age has nothing to do in his case… He just needs a better car… I tell you… If he had something like an RB7… it would have been a whole different ball game!! Although I´m not sure if the aid of EBD and engine mapping that the RB7 had would´ve helped his driving style… I know Merc. had EBD but not as aggresive as in the RB!And just to prove the point that age makes NO difference, watch this!! NOT BAD for an old timer! He even rolls it!
@jack22 Schumacher can be very good at wheel-to-wheel racing, but he can also be very bad at it. All I said was that wheel-to-wheel racing isn’t his strongest trait, he’s very inconsistent when it comes to wheel-to-wheel racing. Also with Brazil 2006, most drivers chose not to put up a fight against Schumacher, it was only until when Schumacher was in the points were drivers actually trying to defend their position.
With qualifying, he definitely needs to stop allowing Rosberg to outqualify him race after race. I personally don’t mind when drivers stay in their garage to save tyres, and I agree that Schumi and Mercedes were being smart on those occasions.
@Slr I agree in that he can be bad at it sometimes… I guess he just gets over anxious at times… It´s like he know´s that the guy in front sucks and he doesn´t want to waist time behind him but ends up paying for the mistake… First guy that comes to mind is Petrov, which I think he´s an OK driver and has potential but he just kept holding MS up.
Regarding Brazil 2006, I don´t particularly agree with you 100%. The drivers that didn´t put up a fight where the ones he passed in the front straight. The rest of his passes where done in different parts of the circuit under brakng or in curves. He really REALLY earned his pay check THAT day… If he hadn´t of had had that puncture… either he wins it OR it would´ve been a Ferrari 1/2. But hey… it´s only an opinion.
About qualifying… I understand what you mean but seriously…. I don´t see a big deal about it. I mean of course it´s basic in order to have a better chance of fighting for the win but, it´s not THAT important. There have been many come-from-behind victories (Not recently but there have been a few) and I honestly think he´s more than capable to do this. I understand your point of not being beat by his teammate but, Michael has proved a couple of times that he is able to beat Nico, This season Nico barely beat him… Not bad for a 40 something guy that took 3 years off!!
And I agree 100% about Merc. being smart about the tyres…. Too bad last season´s car destroyed the tyres too quickly… I hope they solve that issue with this car… It was a heartbreak seeing Schumi lose out the podium in Australia I think it was because of the tyres being done! THAT was a hell of a race!!! Proves the old guy still has it! He just needs a better tool to work with!!@Jack22 Im glad to see Im not alone in thinking Schumi`s still got it. GO SCHUMI GO!
I think Michael’s loss of form is mostly down to the emergence of restricted testing. Michael’s greatest skill in the past was testing for hundreds of miles to understand and develop the package he had. But with that no longer possible, he’s pretty much stuck with what he’s got. Struggling to stay in the simulator for very long doesn’t help his case, either (staying in it too long makes him nauseous, and he always preferred on-track testing anyway).
As for his qualifying struggles, it’s disappointing, but not surprising. Even though he has the most poles of all time, it was never really his strongest suit, preferring to hone race pace instead (usually to devastating effect). Also, we’ve seen this story before. Alain Prost demolished Niki Lauda in qualifying in 1984 – but Lauda beat him to the title anyway.
That said, Schumi has managed to learn a new trick this late in his career – the race start. He used to be bad at that (would lose 1-2 places from time to time) – even awful on occasion. Now, he normally gains 1-2 places at the start – minimum. It’s quite a pleasant surprise.
As a young boy growing up in the middle of schumachers dominance I used to be a hardcore Schumacher fan. His style, his aggression when overtaking it simply appealed to me. So when he retired I was devastated and was in need of a new hero to follow, but I couldn’t find one, so I decided to become a neutral f1 follower and tried to rate every fairly and give everyone a descent chance.
When his comeback was announced in 2010 I felt it might not go as excpected for him. It turns out I was right, although that’s what I thought. In the 2011 season I saw some of those good old Schumacher actions: Italy, Canada, Belgium all excellent races. The new Schumacher might have lost some aggression, but for me this is because Schumacher decided he doesn’t want to be like that anymore. He doesn’t want to be at the stewards office every weekend. He has gained two weapons: super starts and he is enjoying himself. Combing these with his super skills I believe Schumacher will have a much better 2012 season. How much better I don’t know, perhaps some podiums or a single victory, or who knows ………..
A Schumacher victory would be truly magical. I think I might shed a tear if it happens, as I’ll be so happy for him. :D
@pielighter same here :D
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