Team player? It's really easy to be a team player when your teammate isn't allowed to race you as per his contract. What happens the first time they try to give him a fast teammate at ferrari? He retires Image Unavailable, Please Login
Luis, you missed out that Hakkinen was not allowed on the team the first time out, and it created a lot of animosty with LUCA.
My take is that MS was no longer at the top of his game. Started making mistakes. I believe that SF wanted him to retire near the top of his game. Rather than stay on too long, he agreed it was time for he and the team to move on.
Some pictures of arguably the greatest F1 race drive to ever live. A team player dedicated to Ferrari and the sport of motor racing. BTW Schumi is the one holding the ITALIAN flag. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Interesting. My take is that he didn't want to get beaten by Kimi with no team orders and retired so he wouldn't have to. He actually should have stayed. The time it's taken Kimi to adapt to the Ferrari MS would have been off and running. He'd probably be leading the world championship right now. The fear of losing to an equal opponent seemed to work against Michael in this case.
Very arguably. I have him at around 4th or 5th on my personal all time list. The only team he was ever dedicated to was his own. Once Ferrari was no longer dedicated solely to him he bolted like a rat. Team player indeed.
Schumi seems to be rooting for Ferrari at the races this year. Very supportive IMVHO. Alonso on the other hand is UNHAPPY.
hmm, i like how so many people (especially on F-chat) know the ins and outs of another human being's thoughts and feelings. I never dare even pretend to assign fact to such things. I don't spend my time opining or speculating on why/how he retired...then use it to bash/accept his decision.
MS retired because he was getting old. He spent his last year grooming FM and the team was in great shape for new blood in a number of areas. SF had become like an aging NFL team that was champion 2 years ago, capable of flashes of brilliance but the end game is clear. KR was a fantastic hire. FA was a non-starter for so many reasons but the key one is that king LM doesn't like him. LH was never an option. MS's plans? Who knows. He clearly is remaining close and maybe has his eyes on team principal. Most drivers make lousy TP's but MS may well be the exception
Not once have I ever read or heard Michael Schumacher bash any branch of his own team, not during his short stay at Jordan, not during his Bennetton days and certainly not during his Ferrari days, not even in 2003 or 2005. The same can not be said about many of the past champions (Prost & Mansell) in the era before him or current title holder (Alonso). IMO, that's class and being a team leader and a team player. He stayed with two teams (Bennetton & Ferrari) and helped in building them into champions before his departure from the teams. As oppose to other previous champions (Except for MH and FA), they all asserted themself into an already great situation to become WCs. As in Prost and Senna's at McLaren or Mansell at Williams, none of the trio had to build a team around them from ground up. Again, IMO, this shows class, leadership and being a team player. While many would argue about team-order in MS's days, I say that it is necessary in today's F1 to have a clearly defined team order to win titles. None of the WCs of that past 15 years had a team-mate who are within the same class ( FA >> GF, MH >> DC, JV >> HHF, DH >> JV (rookie), AP >> DH, NM >> DH, AS >> GB etc ). Even today, as good as LH may be, FA is still better, at until LH can prove otherwise. Basically, one will have to go all the way back to AP-AS days at McLaren to be able to honestly say that a team had two best drivers on the grid. And how long did that situation last? only 2 years. And how long does it take for the bickering to start at McLaren in 2007? only 2 races. On the topic of MS being a dirty driver, IMO, he made mistakes that he shouldn't have in his career. He was no saint but nor is anyone of us. For the same reason that one shouldn't judge Prost or Senna's career by their back to back Suzuka crashs, don't bash Schumacher's career by the mistakes he made. See their career as a whole, not in milli-seconds during an intense competition. Schumacher was a product of an era that you take no prisoners on the track. One can say that Schumacher was ruthless, you can also say that his main opponents (JV & DH) were too optimistic in their passing abilities. Isn't it funny how Mika never had a issue with Michael? IMHO, Mika and Michael were the true, worthy adversaries for each other. One last thing, to some of the Senna-fans here, who for some reason, feels threaten by Schumacher's career. Allow me to re-assure you that Senna's place in F1 history and the Pantheon is safe and sound as we all know how great he was. There is no need to bash Schumacher every chance you get, we know MS is not perfect, and nor was Senna or any other WCs before them. We know who your hero is, as most of us here do know how to read and we can tell just by looking at your FerrariChat handle. Before Senna died, he commented on Michael's abilies and talent, even after the run-in they had. IIRC, Senna said that MS is still young and still has a lot to learn, but he also sees MS as a talent and as a future WC. IMHO, Senna was right on both account. MS also has great respect for AS, even know that he did not attend Senna's funeral which he later explained why. I honestly can't blame MS for not being there and I completely understands why he can not be there. Michael's respect for Senna in public was obivious at Monza(?) in 2000 as he broke down during press conference and again in Brazil, 2006 as he visited Senna's grave. In fact, IIRC, he actually visits Senna's grave in private before the Brazilian GP every year. I guess what I am saying is, please don't bash one great WC just because of your loyalty toward another great WC. If your hero, the great Aryton Senna can show respect and admiration to Michael Schumacher, shouldn't you at least show some respect for Schumacher's career as well? Thank you for reading this long post, for some reason, I just felt it is needed as I am just so sick and tired of reading all these anti-Schumacher posts that are more based on emotions rather than reasoning.
MS was makin lots of mistakes since 2005 season. he often says ( said ) that when a faster younger blood comes along, and starts beating him on regular basis, then thats the day he'd hang up his helmet. and that young guy happened to be Alonso. whether or not MS was forced into retirement, or he didn't want Kimi as his teammate, we won't know. maybe, the forcing part, in years to come. but i don't see the logic here of him not wanting Kimi as his teammate. he knew, deep down he had the whole team backing him up, and that Kimi would have taken time to settle in the team, as would Alonso in Mac. 2008 WDC could have easily been his. still, it's a mystery
amazing isn't it? they talk like they're best mates with him and understand his every thought. reading those people's comments make you sort of realise that, probably, everything they say is ridiculous. i'd never actually thought of that...but yes, you're right. brilliant post btw
great great post. probably the best i've read in a long time. personally, for me, Schumi and Senna both can't be compared. both had the same ruthless desire to win. both were dominant, both were awesome to watch on the track, wet or dry track. and yea...both had the same controversies. and finally, both are champions and great drivers.
LG: The FIA covers the Code of Driving Conduct on Circuits in Appendix L, Article 4. They do not perscribe a distance that one has to be by before "owning" a corner. The also do not differentiate blue flagging for a position vs. being a backmarker. If the car behind is faster, you are to give way. http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...pendix_L_a.pdf
What do you think Senna did at Lotus? As far as being a team player is concerned, let's not forget the FACT that Schumacher refused to support Irvine's championship run in 1999 until ORDERED back to Ferrari by LdM. Schumacher told the team he was unfit to drive and it was only after the team found out that Schumacher was back home playing soccer that they told him he had to drive. Had it not been for that, Schumacher would have sat out the season. Schumacher didn't care about Ferrari winning the championship, Schumacher cared about Schumacher winning the championship. Team player? Only if that team was named Schumacher. No one is saying that Schumacher was not a great driver, I freely admit that he is among the top 5 greatest drivers in F1 history. In my mind, what keeps him from being as great as Senna is the fact that Senna willingly drove alongside the best drivers of his time as teammates. Schumacher on the other hand has never allowed a competitive driver in the same team. Senna never ducked competition, Schumacher has and even retired rather than drive alongside Kimi when his attempts to keep Kimi out of the team failed. That in my opinion, along with Schumacher's on-track antics, is what keeps him from being the greatest driver in F1 history.
Read the post. I said MY TAKE, not i know for sure, just like the post that i was responding to said it was HIS TAKE.
You must know something that the rest of the world doesn't, and must be ready to change your handle to Senna4xWC, IIRC, Senna won 3 titles and all 3 came while he was with McLaren-Honda, not Lotus-Honda. As for the 1999 season, last time I checked, Ferrari won WCC title that year, did they not? Regarding Michael's injury, as a pyhsician and you can also ask any physician, broken bone will need at least 6-8 weeks to heal and f/u by rehab, regardless of one's physical or health condition. That's just how God or whoever you believe in made us, and that's for people to return to normal function, and being a F1 driver is hardly a regular, normal profession. As for what really happened, no one really knows for sure. IIRC, MS never actually got the medical clearance to drive, and as for the soccer game, it is possible that he was feeling pretty good that day and with his love of soccer, he wanted toplay a little and see if he can handle it. It was not like he was competiting in the World Cup, he was playing in his own backyard, for crying out loud. we all know that LdM can be a little bit of a drama queen with an ego to boot. I wouldn't be surprised if LdM wanted to take some credit in having Ferrari winning the WCC in 1999. Truth is, none of us really know what was going on there. You are certainly entitle to your opinion, and from what I have seen so far here, you have never been shy about making them know, either laced with profanities or not. In fact, in a way, I would have been disappointed if you had not reply to my post. Anyway, I respect your opinion but I can not say that I agree with your view of Michael Schumacher.
+1 Many people have very good reason for bashing Schumacher. He may have resurrected Ferrari but he did so for himself. No other driver in modern F1 history ever had a contractual number two. That had always been decided on the track. MS trying to weasel his way out of helping Irvine in 99 also deflates the whole MS was the ulitmate team player theory as well. If people want to call him the best of his time, the best ever, or whatever, that is fine. But take off the rose colored glasses. He was a sportsman, and very selfish. He got away with it because of his skill, but he was all for himself. He said what the media wanted to hear and never bashed the team so he could maintain his position within the team. Why would you bash a team built all for you in the first place. MS was a skilled politican as well. MS never spoke his mind to the media. Not once. As an aside, apparently during the Alonso-Massa row, MS rushed in and told Massa to cool it and say no more.
