So if he's to be slated for retiring now, how would people prefer he leaves the sport; in a fireball, perhaps?
He may not have the most popular persona of the sport, but you cannot deny the guy has talent in spades.
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I think he has been one of the most talented for many years, but i firmly believe his greatness has been hyped to a large extent by how good his car is not how good he is.
There is no denying is has been very good at what he's done, but a true great in my eye sticks it out and wins on all counts.
Personally i think it would be disappointing if he left, because it might just prove my point ;-)
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I just wonder how the views expressed on this thread would change if MS was a British citizen?
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couldnt care less. its behaviour that maketh the man. not country of origin.
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There are always rumours of MS retiring, perhaps certain people see into things what they want just to have a bash at M.Schumacher, rather than the way it actually is.
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There's a true talent. Romps everything in sight on the Yamaha as well as the Honda. Proper Champ !
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Love him or loathe him, he is one of the all time greats. Enjoy watching him while you can.
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I think this highlights how important having a good car in F1 is - it's of far more importance than the driver!
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What about Ruebens Barrichello then?
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like him or not, surely he has nothing more to prove - just a pity that he can't adjourn to Monaco" while World Champ on a high .. rather like politicians who make it to the top and can't resist the power, so get toppled.
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I have sometimes tried to dislike MS, but I can't.
He is a phenomenon we are unlikely to witness again. Some say he is arrogant but I would dispute that - assertive, yes.
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He's obviously a talented driver who has been driving some of the top cars. But the way he won against Hill by cheating, and admitting it years later, turned me off the man.
I recall that an Arab billionaire is creating a new motor racing championship where all drivers use the same cars and hence the best driver will win (subject to a bit of mechanical luck). I bet it won't go anyway as manufacturers will not sponsor it.
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Any championship where all the drivers used the same cars would be rather tedious, much like American oval racing where the restrictions on technology are very tight and people only watch to see cars hit the wall at 230mph. It is the technological battle between the teams as well as that between the drivers which makes F1 the most popular car racing class in the world.
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And the lying, cheating, bribery, skulldugery, bitchiness, glamour and intrique
Nothing can come close to F1, every race is an episode of Dallas
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Quite agree, Tom, in my opinion F1 should have as few rule restrictions as possible, car size, engine size etc. The ferrari team only reached their pinnacle due to ALL the team pulling their weight. Testing, testing, testing. I bet Michael did his fair share. It has been a treat to watch him racing over the last few years.
Look at the team's performance in Canada, Michael 2nd because he stayed on the circuit, didn't break the rules and kept his head(and wheels!). Barraccelo, 3rd, from the back row! Both in cars deemed inferior by the opposition.
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>>He's obviously a talented driver who has been driving some of the top cars. But the way he won against Hill by cheating, and admitting it years later, turned me off the man.
That would sum it up for me.
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He did not cheat, he was simply hard racer, however good you are you do not win a championship, yet alone seven, by saying "after you mate".
Senna and Prost were equally hard if not harder racers simply driving each other off the track away from the grid on occasions.
You guys who knock Schu, I assume you are true enthusiasts, you don't have to like the guy though you should realise how priviledged you have been to witness the greatest F1 driver in history. I would have loved to see the likes of Fangio race, I am sure the same will be said about MS. Along side Pele, WG Grace, Jack Nicklaus, Bjorn Borg and (although I detest the sport) Mohammed Ali etc he will be revered by future generations.
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Quite agree with you Mark(RLBS)the man has a ruthless streak.
ndbw
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They say you make your own luck but I think he has been a lucky driver. He has had far fewer mechanical breakdowns than anyone I can remember. He is the best in the wet though.
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Gary Player said "the more I practice the luckier I get", sums up Schumacher's luck very well.
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The point about Michael Schumacher (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Senna) is that he takes the competitive edge toits natural conclusion: it isn't good enough just to win, you have to destroy your opponents in the process.
I remember the wet race at Spa a few seasons back that proved to be Damon Hill's last win (and the one and only for Jordan). Before Hill inherited the lead Schumacher had been way faster than anyone else on a pouring wet track. Hill excepted, who was a better than average wet racer in his day, Schumacher was taking 6-8 seconds out of everyone else on each lap. It reached the point where even Martin Brundle started to wonder out loud whether Michael wasn't over doing it.
Sure enough, a couple of laps later, he took out his front end on the back of David Coulthard's McLaren.
It was another example of the character trait that saw him take Hill out all those years ago in Australia and try to take Jacques Villeneuve out a few years later. He simply couldn't bear to lose.
For my money, the Villeneuve incident was the worst of the two. The Hill clash was desperation, the Villeneuve clash sheer cynicism.
None of which changes the fact that on his day, in his time, he has been far and away the best there is.
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Rest assured that all the Germans I know are much more interested in drinking beer and being sociable than being ruthless.
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Gary Player said "the more I practice the luckier I get", sums up Schumacher's luck very well.
Gary Player's success wasn't subject to the whim of mechanical breakdowns though. No matter how good a driver he is, if his car isn't reliable, he won't win many races. I reckon that over a prolonged period of time he has had fewer breakdowns than anyone else.
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On the subject of the Damon Hill incident, did Schumacher ever suffer any penalty? I have always thought it was a deliberate act but I have a feeling he got away with it.
What happened following the Villeneuve incident?
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Gary Player's success wasn't subject to the whim of mechanical breakdowns though. No matter how good a driver he is, if his car isn't reliable, he won't win many races. I reckon that over a prolonged period of time he has had fewer breakdowns than anyone else.
All part of the same philosophy, 1/ recognising that the car has to be in one piece to get to the end of the race and having the ablilty to not over stress it and 2/ having the technical ability to work with the team to ensure that car and driver are in close harmony.
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I find people very odd. I like Schumi. (I did not like The Pod!)
Perhaps we the British, deep down, are resentful of overwhelming success - not very sporting and takes too much trouble.
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I find people very odd. I like Schumi. (I did not like The Pod!) Perhaps we the British, deep down, are resentful of overwhelming success - not very sporting and takes too much trouble.
I agree - his only crime is to be better than everybody else. As to whether he has a charming personality or not, that is not the business he is in - you might as well criticise David Beckham's ability at table tennis - and within the politics of F1 he always seems fairly straightforward to me.
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Intersting comparison.
Reckon Messrs Beckham and Schumacher might both be pretty good at table tennis, quick reflexes, deft touch, competitive instinct.
However I reckon Schu would do an infinately better job playing in midfield for Real Madrid than Beckham would at Indy for Ferrari.
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Deliberately driving into somebody to ensure you win is OK then?
Years ago footballers could get away with the professional foul (I even saw Dave Mackay commit a blatant example once and get away with it). Not so nowadays, as they are sent off.
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Hey hey, before we all start castigating Herr Scumacher, let us not forget the late great Senna deliberatley driving Prost off the track at the first corner of the last GP of the season to win the championship.
That with out doubt made Schumachers cheats look like the efforts of an amateur.
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I am not defending any such action by anyone. I would suggest there should be a penalty imposed. After all, we have just had a team and their drivers suffer a ban and deduction of points for a rule infringement, that probably wouldn't have altered the result of the race. In the last Grand Prix, we had Montoya black flagged for a rule infringement. So, what is to be done with someone who deliberately crashes into another car?
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>>the man has a ruthless streak.>>
That's usually the difference between winning and being an also ran...:-)
The majority of sporting heroes, top businessmen etc have all had an arrogance and ruthless streak that drives them to be top dog.
I'd rate Schumacher certainly in the same street as a driver as Moss, Fangio etc whilst remembering, at the same time, that the latters' remarkable achievements were gained in technically less able racing cars; what's more there was also a far more sporting approach to your opponents at that time.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Some of these incidents can be seen or judged to be racing accidents. Where it is a deliberate or reckless act, then penalties should be applied.
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