..........you aren't going to beat MS! Read: http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=1&nid=89025 We have all discussed what a nice guy he is and how talented he is but why can't he just admit he ISN'T Michael Schumacher. Even if we ignore the number #1 status issue Rubens is a great F1 racer but Schumacher may be the best ever. Most of you read my posts last year flaming Ruben's for his post race excuses all the time (the balance was off, I had a brake issue, the second set of tires weren't good, hit traffic, .........). Rubens looked very disappointed at the post-race winners interview with MS and Button. He could barely smile at all. There is always some reason he couldn't catch MS.....but the fact that MS is simply a better driver and a faster one is never assumed by Rubens or mentioned. He talks this week of a turning point in his fight with Schumacher which to me is still irritating as he still thinks he can copete on the same level as his teamate who has only about 50+ more wins the RB. At least Eddie Irvine had the balls to say he could never beat MS. Although some would argue that Eddie was a bit off saying he was the second best racer in F1 behind MS. Anyone else feel this way? Regards, Jon P. Kofod www.flatoutracing.net
Fully agree with you Jon. Yeah, Eddie made me smile with his "I'm the second best driver" statements. Oddly enough I think he got more criticism in regards to that statement for NOT saying he can beat MS than for implying he is better than the rest. I always thought he was realistic, at least in regards to MS.
Rubens does his job, which is to come out of the first turn in second place and then run just fast enough to keep third behind him. MS ends up with the 30+ second lead, RB gets his second or third place, Ferrari takes a huge lead in the manufacturer points, and life goes on. Rubens will get his chance -- once MS has enough points to guarantee that RB is the only possible challenger for the WC. RB will will 2 or three this year towards the end, and come in a respectable 2nd in the WC race.
Good analysis and prediction. And for all those who feel sorry for Rubens: Think how Badoer must feel. Or Fisichella.
Yeah, they must feel terrible having to drive an F1 car as a job. Sort of like the lowest paid baseball player - you still make a lot of money for playing baseball. Rubens is a good driver, but his position in the team and in F1 does not reflect in his statements. Irvine was happy to be second place, collect his paycheck and go home. He realized that driving a Ferrari F1 car and being competitive is sure better than being a bus driver.
Very true. And look at Irvine now, has the life of a king and is probably even money wise only second to MS. I think he is estimated at a 1/4 billion. PS: Am I proud to wear "his" helmet or what...
Ruebens is a good driver. But Ferrari did smart thing by not hiring 2 very talented drivers that could destroy the team, Williams BMW comes to mind. As long as Schumacher is around, there will always be the number 2 driver, he knows that. Great thing about the guy though is he wants to win and puts the time and effort into it knowing he may have to back off (forget about the rules) or just never be as good as Schumacker. But if he ever wants to quit, I will gladly take his place and Ferrari only has to pay me if I win. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Hmmm... not really. I like that Rubens thinks he can run with MS... and he's proven to be able to at times. But I don't think Rubens thinks for a second that he should be #1; nor that he should be allowed to challenge MS or otherwise jeaprodize MS's WDC chances. IOW, he thinks he can run with him at times... but not consistently beat MS by any stretch. And I think that's a fair assessment. Has anyone ever directly asked him whether he thinks MS is the best driver today? Or whether he thinks he could be as good as MS if given the chance? I was a bit disappointed in his glum behavior in the interviews... sheesh, he just got 2nd behind his teammate... great day... time to celebrate. But most of last season, RB was smiling and happy. I hope he just had a bad day... not a change of attitude. A lot of the reason I like RB is that he seemed to truly enjoy successfully fulfilling the #2 role for Ferrari. One possibility: RB is putting on an act to avoid any accusations of illegal "team orders". He's been told to act disappointed in not being able to catch MS... so it doesn't look like he's sandbagging to provide a nice big buffer for MS. If so, great... but he needs to smile a bit more... overplaying it last week.
I think Rubens either should admit it, OR stop playing the push over poof and race MS. You can come second with respect, but if Rubens is purposely USELESS on the first couple of laps then he will never get my respect. What else does he do, bend over for all the mechanics with his trousers around his ankles? Pathetic, where is your backbone man! Pete
I remember Gerhard Berger (I think) talking about how when he signed with MacLaren that he tested with the team all winter to get really fast in the new car. He was really flying and feeling good after many many laps over many weeks of testing. Finally, Senna flew back to Europe from Brazil and hopped into the new car for the first time. By the end of his first lapping session, his lap times were just obliterating Berger's times. It was then, Gerhard recalled, that he knew for certain that Senna was so much more of a driver than any other in his generation and all time. I am sure that at this point in his career, MS is somewhat similar compared to his peers. Incidentally, I always liked Gerhard Berger.
I feel the same way, Rubens maybe a good driver, #1 on any other team. But is it worth it to be #1 somewhere else and attempt to compete for the WC or always be 2nd on the podium? The way I see it, Rubens joined the team knowing he'll be 2nd to Michael. If he thought otherwise, he must be crazy. If he wanted to go for a WC he would have signed for another team, so a change of heart is just tough. Looking at the season now, even if he were on another "top" team, who says he'll even be on the podium? He should be happy he's on a Championship team and coming in where he's been. There are tons of drivers out there who would kill to race for Ferrari and come in 2nd behind Michael. I love the baseball analogy. That's exactly what this is like. But it's like playing 2nd string to Derek Jeter or A Rod. He might never play or be a starter, but he'll be a champion by supporting his team in practice and helping everyone else to improve to bring everyone to that championship level.
I agree 100%. Like you said, Rubens often blamed his finishing position on factors such as balance, bad tires, and traffic. But the thing is MS also encounters the exact same problems. They dont just loom over Rubens and pass Michael by. He deals with them too. And traffic? give me a break. If you took away traffic you couldn't call it racing.
Man you guys have me worried. Do you think RB dreamed of NEVER becoming WC and NEVER winning races when he was a young man going up through the lower ranks of motorsport. Ofcourse not. F1 should have racing drivers driving the cars ... and if RB is content to come second and just make money he is NOT a racing driver and has NO place in F1. Pete
Good grief, guys - the man is #2 in standings. That's not fixed. That's not just a great car. It takes a great driver to pass all the others considered to be contenders to the throne. If Michael wasn't #1 now, Rubens would be.
And keep in mind, bad stuff happens. MS does get in accidents... and in such he could get hurt (God forbid). Who is WDC then? Or consider a string of unlucky mishaps. RB had a few last year. What if MS has several this year? Right now, other than MS, RB is the most likely WDC! That's not a bad place to be at all. And even if the likely happens and MS wins his 7th... RB can still tell his grandchildren about his days as the 2nd best driver in F1... second only to the greatest driver who ever lived... and he'll have the "stats" to back up that (arguable) claim. In fact, getting back to the question Jon posed, his willingness to be Ferrari #2, may be his admission that he knows nobody can beat MS+Ferrari... unless MS goes down. So, if you want to be WDC, where do you want to be if MS goes down? Answer: driving for Ferrari!
Rubens should've floored it at the end of the last race, when MS slowed down to let him catch up just prior to crossing the finish line. THAT would have made things a bit more interesting in an otherwise boring F1 season so far.
hey race drivers are typically arrogant people and don't like to admit they are second best even when they are, I think he handles it great. In my view one of the main reasons that Rubens is on the team is marketing. Think about it The car (ferrari) has a huge following in italy no matter who drives it ferrari is generally hated (in the press) in England so why bother with a Brit Schumi brings the the huge german market and media Rubens brings the large Brazil and Latin america market and media. If any strong asian driver was around he might replace rubens, other than that Ferrari has all the major markets covered.
Like he did at Indy and screwed what was a nice gesture by Michael for the 1-2 photo op? OOPS, my mistake.
Reubens - I admire him but he is just a good driver. He isn't a great driver. The same goes for Juan. Kimi on the other hand - I still say, even with three DNF's this year so far, he's the great driver to be. He's out there to do only one thing - win. He'll do everything he can to win, even if it is overdriving a car to get there. He has what it takes to beat MS, just not the car or maturity to handle the car in finesse, keeping it at pace. I fear that by the time MS is on his way out, Kimi will have just 'gotten it' and will be challenged.
Without Williams it would be a really boring season. Can anyone explain why Rubens always gets screwed on a pitstop when he is keeping up with MS? I think he had a 12.2 sec vs 7 and a bit for MS in Bahrain. Ferrari's attitude of Rubens as a mobile chicane isn't doing the sport any favours.
And that is why he will never be WDC. A WDC needs to get the most out of the car, but not overstress the car to the point it fails.