Food for discussion: Imagine the Unthinkable

...forgive me for the somber nature, that's not the point, but I'd like to hear what you think about this:

Imagine Rubens and Michael have an accident in Hockenheim that injures them in a way that they couldn't finish the season (but would be back next year, we won't make it that gruesome). E.g. each brakes a leg (how imaginative!). Here the questions:

1) Who would be driving the Ferraris for the rest of the season?

2) What titles would Ferrari still win this year?

Kinda like the Bears vs the Mini Ditka...


And here my speculation:

1) Badoer and Villeneuve
2) Constructors and Michael wins the drivers

 

Yes.
1) Badoer & Jos Verstappen

 

badoer and either salo, villeneuve, verstappen, or anthony davidson

agree they wud still win constructors and probably michael would win the wc.

 

Fisachella and Massa

 

I noticed in the "Car" magazine article about the guy who bought Schumi's 2001 car that Salo is still around in Maranello. So there is a good chance he might stand in.

One though scenario would be Villeneuve and Salo, leaving Badoer in the cold. Yet again as in 1999. Also Burti is a choice, he was test driver until last year.

 

Badoer for sure and they would probably grab Fisi from Sauber. They are so far ahead they would win both constructors and Michael would still win WC.

 

Orrrrrrr, Ferrari decides to sit out the remainder of the season, put 100% effort into the '05 car, and still run away with both Championships.

 

Luca Badoer would be in the drivers seat for sure.

Michael Schumacher would win the drivers title at the very end by a handful of points. The constructors title would be taken by Ferrari easily.

 

Amazing that Verstappen gets even mentioned in this thread. We are talking about a guy he stepped in when the hype was surrounding him and did absolutly nothing to justify it all. Got 17 points out of a 100+ races and generaly slided back on the grid onto lesser teams. He ended up with Minardi, didn't exactly shine against rookie Wilson and that was pretty much it. The only thing remotely connecting him to Maranello, is his friendship with Schumacher, but surely, that is no argument. Ferrari has no room for overrated, yet mediocre drivers.

First off, I'd like to see Sato at Ferrari. Japan is an important market for Ferrari, and Sato is just an awesome racer. Sure, he can be hard to his equipment, but so was Gilles.

Partnering him would be Fisichella. Not too long ago voted 'best driver' by his peers. If the circumstances are right, still very quick. Has got lots and lots of experience and will be extremly motivated to be succesful at Ferrari.

This year, Ferrari would be taking both the constructeurstitle and the driverstitle with Michael.

 

Another option would be to allow all the other drivers a turn behind the wheel. Not only would it serve as the ultimate drivers' audition, it would totally demoralize all the other racers by showing them how truly better the Ferrari is than their cars.

 

Forget about it! That day will never come in the history of Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari does not need a stupid marketing gimick in the form of Sato. They need race drivers. Not some one to be a Japanese poster boy.

Luca Badoer, the current test driver would get first shot. Then Jean Todt will use the might of Ferrari to bring Mark Webber, Massa or Fisichella to be the second driver.

 

With all due respect, but Sato is a little more than a Japanese posterboy. He is fast and he knows it. Badoer is second or third rate. He is fulltime testdriver for a reason you know.

 

No, Badoer is a test driver because he does not have a sponsor like Honda to go out and BUY him a race seat in F1. Honda have bought Sato a seat in BAR and Sato knows it.

 

Fisachella abd Badoer. Read on the BBC F-1 site that Mika Hakkinen was thinking of making a comeback, if so, mabe he would come back now.

 

Nobody. Ferrari do not race again this year. MS and Ferrari still win!

This is no different to the current situation because Ferrari do not need to race anymore, just go around and round and even if they did not win they have slaughtered the lack luster field and thus it is all over this year.

This actually sets a precident (sp?) and Ferrari (because they are such a smart and clever but unsporting team [based on not allowing RB to race]) work out that the best approach to F1 is to win the first half of the races and then stop racing and concentrate on the next years car. This ofcourse means that they have the full attention of MS and RB to mold and test the next years car, plus save a few dollars not having to go to all the second half of the season races.

Ferrari start the season so far advanced from the next best team that very soon they are finishing races before the other teams have completed half the race. Ferrari thinks this is great (because they are such a smart and clever team) and Ross is able to calculate that they save 10 hours per year with this strategy and 100 hundreds with not having to even compete in the second half of the season.

Thus Ferrari even win the race to the end of the season by miles and thus award themselves another boring trophy

Last time I talked with Ross he was looking at the backing and parking performance of the truck drivers because he reckons there are a few seconds to be saved there, let alone the time some of the engineers spend on the toilet

Pete

 

Badoer had many chances, but failed to impress enough for a raceseat. Besides, take a look at Indy 2004. Paydrivers don´t drive like that. Believe what you want though. I´ll do the same.

 

Gee guys my post was a joke ... I thought it was funny

Pete didn't get one laugh ...

 

Pete, your management study using techniques from the turn of the century was funny, at least to me. But I don't see Ross doing that (I like him), but rather Napoleon.


What I don't get is why you guys even mention Sato: He is a full time driver for BAR, which has no connections to Ferrari. On top of that: BAR would be the challenger with Button, so they wouldn't want to give Sato to Ferrari.
The scenario asks for a temporary aid. Fisichella is a possibility as there is the link to Sauber via the engines etc.

Personally I think they would go the route they took in 82 and try out various drivers including ex champions who can make sure Button wouldn't score too many points, so I could imagine Villeneuve and Hakkinen back in the seat.

PS: On second thought BAR might give Sato to Ferrari, so he could blow up their engines and thus give Button a chance to win...

 

verstappen may not be the greatest driver but he is a good friend of schumi's and in this hypothetical scenario, schumi would want a replacement that a) did not show him up (if that is even possible), or b) have any designs on a longer term seat, and c) would undermine him in any way, and given the friendship he could count on (and insist on) giving it to verstappen. similar reasoning for picking salo.

 

Yes, but Badoer did not have the chance of a sponsor with $xx,xxx,xxx to impress the teams either.