I am not the biggest Schumacher fan but in 2006 he maximized every oportunity to earn points. he was unlucky not to win the WDC. Massa, on the other hand, had three 9th place finishes. He should have been fired for that reason alone. Finishing 9th in a car as good as the Ferrari is simply grounds for termination. If you finsih a race, you damn well better be finishing in the points when you drive one of the two best cars on the grid. Schumacher didn't cost the team the WCC in 2006, Massa did.
I did and very vocally...as did virtually the entire F1 press. Massa's signing was met with bewilderment by virtually every F1 journalist as well as much of the paddock. Don't take my word for it, check out the articles back then.
Not really. I've lost (and occasionally won) several multiples of that bet in my regular poker game. Don't even get me started on my football wagering...
From Wikipedia: At the Hungarian GP Massa qualified 2nd and Schumacher 11th due to a 2 second penalty from Saturday practice. At the start of the wet race the Ferraris initially struggled. Later in the race Schumacher continued to drive on intermediate tyres while other drivers on dries like Pedro de la Rosa (who replaced Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren following his return to Chip Ganassi Racing Stateside for other racing duties) and Nick Heidfeld passed him easily. When Heidfeld passed Schumacher he collided with the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica, and retired in 9th, promoting Massa to 8th. The subsequent disqualification of Kubica gave Massa 7th and Schumacher 8th, with two and one championship points, respectively. Schumacher went from 11th to 8th, despite being handicapped with a poor tire choice. Massa went from 2nd to 7th. What's his excuse?
-1 Sorry Yellowbird but personally I completely disagree with this post. My dissapointments with Massa have nothing to do with Kimi....they have to do with Massa and Massa alone. IMO, Massa poses no threat to Kimi and never has. They're in two completely different levels of abilities. IMO, the main reason for Kimi's reputation is due to his incredible race craft and driving skill....nothing else. Ferrari is my favorite team and since Massa drives for Ferrari I do hope he continues to do well because Ferrari needs his supportive points but I'm not going to be blind to the fact that between he and Kimi, Kimi is the obvious #1 and Massa the supportive #2. How about these memories??? -2003 Kimi came in 2nd in the WDC -2005 Kimi again came in 2nd in the WDC -2003 Kimi goes from 8th to 2nd -2003 Australia Kimi goes from 15th to 3rd -2003 Malaysia Kimi goes from 7th to 1st -2004 Belgium Kimi goes from 10th to 1st -2005 Hungary Kimi goes from 4th to 1st -2005 Canada Kimi goes from 7th to 1st -2005 Japan Kimi goes from 17th to 1st -2007 Kimi wins the WDC -2008 Kimi is leading the WDC -Shall I go on?..... We may dissagree on these issues but I do greatly enjoy your photographc contributions and hope you please continue posting your amazing photos.
I guess what it boils down to is that Kimi is perceived as a threat to win no matter what the track. Massa, on the other hand, is perceived as a threat on some tracks and not on others. To win the WDC, you not only have to be fast but consistent as well. Massa is fast (sometimes impressively so, admittedly) when the track suits his driving style and when he has a clear road in front of him. Otherwise he struggles. that is not the hallmark of a WDC contender.
MS crash with FA on lap 16 MS crash with RS at the restart the race in lap 31 MS spun by himself on lap 31 MS and JB pit in on lap 46 (int. tires) FA out on lap 52 JB pit in for dry tires on lap 54 MS 3th @ 3 secs. behind NH MS 2nd and start to loose 6 secs/lap to PdR (19 secs) Massa pit in for dry tires lap 60 PdR NH RB and Massa pass MS on lap 65 MS pit in lap 66
I'm sorry, but without your anti-Massa glasses, I can not see how "Massa could win the World title" can be seen as "ready to coronate him as Schumacher's heir"...
Schumacher's heir from a chronological perspective is Alonso, because he dethroned him. From a legacy perspective it will be Hamilton.
