it's kinda worrying, with just 2-3 days to go: Michael Schumacher has admitted that his 248 F1 Ferrari may not be capable of winning the opening 'few races' of 2006. The German is adamant that his team has improved over last year, and said he is 'certain' that a title bid is not out of reach. But he added: "Even if we do not win in the opening few races, we have concrete ideas of the technical levels our car has to reach. The ideal scenario would be to score some early points." Schumacher conceded that Renault is out in front at present, followed by Honda, McLaren and Ferrari. He continued: "I think it will be a tough season and a tight battle."
He might be on Bernie's payroll, so statements like that only highten the excitement of the upcoming season
After 2005 performace, I think he does not want to raise any false anticipation so just being cautious, I guess.
thats the thing. he sounded excatly like this last season, and look what happened to the '05 season. i just hope like jaturon pointed out, being cautious. i just missed the-so-much-kinda-confidence comments he had back at the start of the '01 and '02 season.
That's funny. Pitpass.com has the same quotes but puts a positive spin to it. http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=27274 Sure it's important to gain points in the first few races. Not necessarily a win is crucial but to have some points in the bag where other might fail who went for speed rather than reliability. That's how I read it.
There is no indication that he will throw in the towel from those comments. As far as I'm concerned, he can throw in the towel whenever he wants. He's contributed more than his fair share to the sport over the last 14 years! Formula One will be worse off without him, of that I'm sure. The young guns of today simply don't display the character of the 'old guard.' Raikkonen is the worst example...
Maybe he's too busy with his new career??? http://www.nansens.dk/2006_03_01_sogni_di_ferrari_archive.html#114181071654578753
They will perfom better, but the competition is so HUGE with McLaren, Renault & Honda. In a few days we know more
It is kind of worrying that 248 F1 has done very little millage, far less than half, in comparison with teams like Honda, Toyota and Renault, and that only one car was available until very recently. But I'm sure they know what they are doing and I have 100% confidence in them. Only a few days to go! Forza Ferrari!
Im concerned of the eletrical gremlins they have been talking about with this new car. The lack of milege is also a big concern, plus Massa in the other seat. I think its gonna be a tough year again.
I wouldn't say throw in the towel, but they are already making excuses. I'm expecting just what he is saying, no chance for a win in Bahrain, but maybe a podium is possible. Really I'm just hoping for a good race, that Renault/Alonso doesn't drive away with it.
That is indeed worrying. It is not sand bagging. The 248 has gremlins and partly because of these problems and partly because of the weather they didn't get the planned test miles in. Not good. The next thing you'll hear is what they said last year: "The season starts in Europe."...when everybody else has already collected podiums in three races.
good point. i just hope all will go well. i can;t imagine MS retiring in the 1st race itself like last's in australia, or some silly overtaking involving webber. i just hope all will be ok and there'll be strong results. hopefully MS will drive off with it just like bahrain '04
I see this as a realistic and optimistic assessment. All he's saying is: "don't worry if we're not at the front in Bahrain; we have the structure in place to progress and become competitive." F1 is all about how fast a team can move forward. The backmarkers of last year were as fast as the front-runners the year before. And that's always been the case. Don't quibble about specific times, the principle applies. Fact is that the difference between dominance and also-ran is on the close order of one percent. Which team finds that one percent is basically a crapshoot. I've gone on record predicting Toyota will be in the mix this year, because I have followed the career of Mike Gascoyne and think he will make a critical difference. Just to bring in a parallel: this is a Ferrari board, and so is full of Ferrari fans. By the same token, I am a Vol fan. For those who don't follow college football, that's the Tennessee Volunteers. And every year we have the same discussion: "We are doomed!" "We are gonna win the National Championship!" FWIW I always predict an undefeated season! Hey, we can all dream! What do I really want to se in the 2006 F1 season? a tight race between several teams where the driver makes the difference. And if that is the case I am confident that Michael Schumacher will be the driver that makes the difference. Realistically, one team will have an advantage and that team will take both titles. And for me that's OK too. It is, after all, a team sport.
