Hypothetical question: What if..............

It wouldnt have happened but if it did I think you would have seen the red cars drive side by side in quite a few corners with MS coming out in front most of the time. There would more than likely rub themselves the wrong way at times but cooler heads would prevail. Would have been something to see thats for sure.

 

Unlike Alonso, MS would not have allowed a rookie to have equal status. That is of course if both were Ferrari drivers.

 

We would have a 2 man race for WDC instead of a four man one because Alonso wouldn't have split the McLaren wins with Hamilton and as said above MS would never have tolerated such an upstart team mate.

 

Schumacher would have never given Hamilton his setup information. If you've noticed since Alonso stopped giving Hammy his setup info, Hammy has done little to nothing. Schumacher > Hamilton.

 

MS was on another level - way way waaaaay above Hamilton, way above Alonso, way above ANY of the current drivers.

In equal cars, there is nobody on the grid who could touch him - even right before he retired. MS would be leading Hamilton in points by the same % gap that Heiki is leading Fisichella - the skill difference is around the same, too.

 

Michael was demonstrably quicker than Massa in 2006. His final drive in Brazil was epic. He retired while still at the top of his game. However, last year we saw Michael sweating after a couple races. He was really trying hard to get the most of the car and himself. He could sense that the gap between him and the rest was narrowing every year and very soon he would be beaten by the young guns. Kinda like Ayrton's situation in 1994. Ayrton's decision was made by the man upstairs. Michael could see the writing on the wall and retire gracefully unlike the pathetic Damon Hill who went out with a whimper.

 

Very true. This question is way too hypothetical but I'd imagine LH would be giving him a run for his money.

 

+1

 

yeap. but, i think Schumi will have a massive upperhand, experience wise, on Hammi. i think, it's either Kimter or Fred for the WDC this year.

 

What would be going on?.........
A lot of spilled milk that a certain baby would have definitely cried over.

 

The last thing I read from MS on Fchat....mentioned that he gave credit to Fred for beating him.
And that he knew it would be time to call it quits when the younger guys started passing him.

It seems that MS was addmitting that he was getting older and he knew a young guy would soon be faster (or more driven). This was before LH showed up.... But MS knew how his career would end, and it was the young drivers that was his concern about. (I wonder at what age you have the fastest reflexes?)

 

Whatever the age is when your reflexes are at their best, MS probably qualified for "the exception that proves the rule"

 

How would the 06 season be explained then?

 

Mike I like your posts but this is way way waaaaaay too much of a %

 

They key to this issue is understanding that Michael knew the season was a long one--and what you do in early races would have consequences/benefits down the road.

In an early race when LH pulled some of the crap he has been pulling--like the stuff at Italy and Spa--Michael would have "punted" LH off the track or would have been taken out by him. Can't you see the headline in, say, race number 3. "Ferrari Rookie Driver Lewis Hamilton takes our Seven Time World Champion." At that point, the rookie would be relegated to #2 for the year.

This could have been Alonzo, but FA somehow didn't get to this point. (Probably because Rubber Dick ron dennis had a hand in it.)

Anyway, that's my version of revisionist history.

Also, the comment about FA sharing setup information is very important. It appears that FA is leading LH since he quit playing nice.

 

Hamilton is not as "gifted" as you are all lead to believe. He has spent countless hours in simulators, not to mention being groomed by McLiaren since he was what 12? Hammy hasn't done anything since Alonso stopped setting up his car. Hammy is a good driver, but not on the level of Fred and Kimi.

 

+1, I feel just like you...I wanna see hamilton drive on his own...and being keept out of the loop from Alonso set up data is REALLY hurting him...

I was warming to this guy when he started the DIVA WARS ont he McLiaren Camp...and please folks lets not compare a nowdays McLiaren CAR/TEAM/BUDGET with a 1990 jordan...or minardi...

 

Huh???

The Renault was WAY faster than the Ferrari.

Look at Schumi compared to Massa... Schumi was WAAAAAY ahead. Massa wasn't even in the running.

 

I dont think so.

With MS, if it was wet, there was no chance he would spin out. If he needed to put a fast lap in, you knew with 100% certainty he would push to the absolute max every moment. He would squeeze 99.999% out of what a car had in it. He rarely made a mistake.

He was one of a kind. There has never been another driver like him. I just feel priviledged to have seen him in action. None of the current drivers can do what he could do. Remember the qualifying runs (hundreds of them) when the times were ticking down a tenth here, a hundredth there, then Schumi would obliterate the track and run 1/2 second quicker than everyone else.

I think Schumi was as far above Alonso in talent as Alonso was above Fisichella. Put MS in the McLaren right now without getting him "back in the saddle" and within a couple hours he would be mopping the floor with Alonso.

I am 100% certain of it.

 

Yep, Michael is SMART. He knew when to push an issue and when to let things slide. He knew he was the best on the grid, so if he could not make his car go faster than the one ahead, he knew it was better to get maximum points and make the car better for the next race. Most of the guys today (ESPECIALLY Alonso) would overcook it and go off track. Like Alonso did that one race where he got frustrated and kept sliding all over the track at the chicane.

MS was the total package. He was extremely smart. He was calm. He was blazingly quick. He was a GREAT R&D driver. He could set up a car the best way to make it fast. He could run the car quick when needed, and he could conserve tires/fuel when needed.

Thats why he's a 7-time WDC. He was the total package. Other drivers are as good in some areas, some are even perhaps almost equal in some, but I don't think ANYONE has the raw speed MS had, and none of them come close to combining all the other factors that make a multi-multi-WDC winning driver.

 

+100

 

Does your count start at five?