Bandwagon jumping in the Racing section..

Yes, I was joking. However, Montoya's career was far from what it should have been. He became known more for his collisions than his achievements. His salty demeanor definitely didn't help to endear him to F1.

He was a productive driver, for certain, but far from the next poster boy for the series that he was proclaimed to be.

 

Excuse me? Who the hell are you, some greater authority?

My definition of promising is different from yours. It's as simple as that.

 

Mike is 100% right!

To call someone the next Michael Schumacher is always premature before his career is over.
Senna may have been a great driver but he was no Michael Schumacher because Michael broke every single one of his records and to say "..if he hadn't..." is rediculous.
Same is to compare someone that just started in the series with the very best driver of that series ever.

The only person that we can say at this stage has a shot at getting some of the records Michael has would be Alonso (and I hope that never happens, since I cannot stand that whining Hobbit)

 

...and to add this this:

I believe Hamilton is an excellent driver based on what he has shown so far. So is Massa. Both have out-shone their teammates in a huge way.

 

Having said that, would you rate Massa higher than Kimi overall?

 

C'mon Senna......the door to the Massa supporters bandwagon is wide open for ya! I know by mid season you are going to be singing his praises....;-)

 

Don't count on it.

 

This season he has shown a lot better than Kimi, no question. Last season he has shown better than Kimi. Time will if it was justified!

 

Okay, let me rephrase my question. You are a team manager. Suddenly Kimi and Massa's services are available. You can only choose one. Who would it be?

 

Based on what? Points?

Massa sat in the much better and much more reliable car. Kimi had 3 times the DNF rate of Massa yet ended up only 15 points behind. You're comparing apples to oranges.

 

More accurately, Michael Schumacher is no Senna. Schumacher is a great driver but there has been no greater driver than Senna.

Senna died at the height of his career, it is ridiculous not to consider what he might have achieved had he lived. Schumacher's statistics benefitted greatly from Senna's passing. there is no way on Earth he would have come close to those numbers without Senna's absence. None whatsoever.

If you want to speculate on Schumacher vs. Senna, don't bother relying solely on statistics. If you want to rely solely on statistics, then you will have a hard time arguing Schumacher's superiority over Fangio.

 

I wouldn't let Massa wash my car, let alone drive it...

 

See.....I told you he was getting closer to the Massa band wagon! I can feel the love starting....

 

They might have very well ended up in a 3 way tie with Fangio:

MS got two titles right after Senna died. Those could have easily gone to Senna giving him a total of 5. That leaves MS with the 5 titles from his Ferrari days at which point Senna would have retired anyway. Purely speculating of course, who knows how the championships after 94 had evolved with Senna in the picture.

 

Or 7, if you include the two that went to Hill and JV.

And that doesn't include the possibility of Senna finsihing his career at Ferrari rather than MS...

Let the flaming begin

 

LMAO!

 

Yes. Yes I am.

 

Based on performance I would pick Massa right now he has been the faster driver this year for sure.

Based on salary I would pick Massa.

I believe that Kimi has the ability to perform better but that is a big gamble right now so I would take Massa.

 

+1

 

Based on Kimi's prior record I would have taken Kimi of course but then I am no F1 team scout so I do not follow F3000 and all the other series to see the young blood that are climbing up the ladder.

It is like asking if I had taken a returning Mansel over some kid Michael Schumacher in 1993. I would have taken Mansel no question!

Reality is, I am not an F1 Team Manager and as such do not occupy myself with the question who will be my next best driver.

 

based on out qualifying his team mate, running in the front and coming home with the car, yes.
DNFs ...well, Kimi appears to have some sort of problem with equipment whereever he goes. Maybe it really is not the equipment but the driver using it? After all these seasons and all the "bad luck" that he had you have to start questioning if it is not bad luck but bad use of equipment.

His team mates always appear to have the better equipment. Strange!

 

If he had survived his crash he may have been spooked so bad that he would not be able to drive again.

All there is are "Would have..., could have..."

Reality Check...He died and he did not!

If Ratzenberger had not dies the day before Senna he would have beend 10 time world champion. He was the greatest driver ever. (of course I am purely speculating but then so are you)

 

Well Senna is not holding a single significant record in F1 anymore. The last one, 65 pole positions, was taken by Schumacher in April 06 at San Marino. I have proof, I own the driving suit he wore when he broke the record (signed and dated and "pole #66" marked . So I don't quite see where Senna was the "greatest" driver. (unless, and that is what you are doing, you add to his credits WCs that he could have won if...)

Personal likes and dislikes cloud your judgement my friend. Schumacher is the greatest to date. That does not diminish from Senna being one of the greatest and going into the history books with Fangio and alike.

 

I agree with you Martin, Senna's greatness is basically hypothetical. He accomplished three WDC's, but statistically, that's it. Should it be stated that any driver that won at least 3 WDC's is in the same category as Senna? I am not convinced that he would have had a more notable career than Schumacher had he lived. We will never know the answer, any comment either way is just guessing. He certainly was one of the 5 greatest of all time.

The irony for me is the people are OK with stating that Senna was the best based on their fantasy projection of what might have been, that Hamilton is another Senna based on fantasy projection on what might be, yet Massa is proving himself and many people still can't give him the credit he actually deserves.

 

Without any doubt in every bone of my body, Massa. Today, he is THE Ferrari F1 team. I would have given you this answer two weeks before Austrailia.

Why? No personal prejudice, I would have preferred Raikkonen based on preconceived notions, but based on all the facts that I heard pre-season, Massa went into the first race with numerous advantages.

And he continues to prove those advantages at every race.

Phil Massa, get used to it, he is Ferrari's only hope for 2007.