Comfirmation that we were all BS'ed by MS possible return, etc.

Whoa!

Now there is a bold statement. People on here have accused me of hating Schumacher (I don't), yet I would have never made such a comment.

Schumacher would have beaten BADoer handsomely. And probably Fisico as well.

I do think however that MS would have been beaten by Kimi.

 

BADoer didn't have that. He never drove the 2009 car before Valencia's Friday practice session.

For Fisichella your argument is true, but the Force India car was technically a very different car from the Ferrari. He never had KERS or the movable front wings. Those were things MS could have practiced for in Ferrari's sim in Maranello (Fisico didn't have time for that). To see how vastly different the Ferrari from the Force India car are, you just need to compare Fisichella's Spa effort with what he did thereafter in the Ferrari.


Also MS did practice on a Clienti Corse car with GP2 (?) tires. Not exactly the 2009 F1 car, but enough to get his synapses active again. The rest I think talent and experience would have made up.

 

You're nuts on this.

MS would have wiped the floor with LB and GF. Oh, and with Kimi too.

I have known some people who have a super high level of innate talent. I have also done a lot of track racing with some SCCA guys and guys who race in the "rich guy leagues" where you don't have to have any innate talent.

You can take a guy who has no innate talent, and he can do thousands and thousands of miles on the track. He will become a mediocre driver.

Then you can take a guy who has tons of inner talent. They can jump in a car and go quick.

I don't believe for one second that it takes a long time to get back up to speed. MS would have been back up to speed after the first practice session - I have no doubt about that. He's not some $$$ dork that took years and years to get good and it will slip away if he doesn't keep up with it. He is probably the most naturally talented racing driver that ever drove. He is about 8 million levels above normal guys, and infinite levels above $$$ dorks that take years of practice to become mediocre.

I've known a few guys like that... they can show up and get in a new car and be fast in a few laps. A couple of hours and they are right up there with the best.

MS would have no problem at all getting back into his form. His limits may be down from where they were 5 years ago, but he would reach them before qualifying, no doubt about it.

 

What colored glasses are required for one to think 7 x WDC winner Michael Schumacher would be incapable of performing at the level of Luca Badoer (which was far below the level of even noobie F1 drivers)????

 

SRTMike's glasses are actually transparent compared to others on here...

 

How does this reconcile with your belief that he would be slower than GF and LB?

They are both embarassingly slow.

 

I think MS would have gotten to grips with the car in a couple of weekends and brought it home in the points. Raikkonen would have out-driven him by virtue of spending a whole season with the car. He would have certainly outperformed Badoer and Fisichella.

As for next year... I agree that if MS had acclimatised this season and started 2010 from the beginning of the season, he'd be right up there in the top couple of drivers vying for race wins.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

If you look back at this season and others, guys come into the teams and they generally don't move much from where they start. Like Piquet. Scott Speed. Bourdais. Buemi.

I think the evidence shows that drivers generally don't improve much, if at all. I've never seen a slow driver become fast or vise versa. MS stays fit and sharp - he still does some racing... and I don't think the senses go flat to the extent where it would take more than an hour or two to get the hang of it.

I've seen guys get into cars who had inner talent and clobber guys, after just several laps, with years of experience. I'm talking pro-to-pro, not amateurs.

 

Somehow this reminds me of the SNL spoof where Chicago Bears fans (DA Bears!) discuss what a Mini Ditka would have done against a field of Bears players.