Juan: 'What's all the ******** about Schumi?'

[ttc]

"If we had the car he had, we could probably win the Championship as well,"

"I think you hear it every five minutes, and I get bored hearing how Michael does things, how Michael wins and you don't. I think Michael wins because he's got the car to win and we don't."

Planet-F1.com

However, Sam Michael disagrees saying that even if Williams provided Montoya will a race-winning car the Colombian still needs to buck up his own performances if he wants to beat Schumacher.

So who's right? The driver or the propeller head who work from the ground up to his current position as Technical Director?

[Wrex]

A bit of both really.


Obviously the Ferrari is the better car, and just as obvious, Michael is the better driver.

[f1manoz]

I can understand JPM's frustration though. The world revolves around TGF.

[Peter Mallett]

Don't let Mr V see this one!

FWIW I think JPM has been driving better than ever this season. But I think Sam is following the Patrick Head route to driver encouragement.

[Glen]

Sam Michael is dead right - even if the Wiliams were equal to the Ferrari, I know who I'd put my money on. It just isn't good enough for Montoya to hide behind excuses, even if that is what he really thinks.

[ralf fan]

i agree with Glen.... infact id go as far as saying... even if Ferrari were inferior a bit (like last year towards the end) id still back MS to atleast give the competitors a run for their money!

[BootsOntheSide]

I'd put my money on Ferrari's tacticians, rule-analysers and support from team-mate above Williams', definately. These things explain Ferrari's most amazing wins, more so than the car-engine-driver-tyres combination.

[Redblurr]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
I'd put my money on Ferrari's tacticians, rule-analysers and support from team-mate above Williams', definately. These things explain Ferrari's most amazing wins, more so than the car-engine-driver-tyres combination.

bit rich is it not? - with the best tactics you still need metronomic laps from a class driver - a driver who conserves his brakes, tyres & engine - say no more

[tally-bally-ho]

The Ferrari is the best car,however it wasn't the best car when Michael joined the team. It wasn't even the 2nd best car. It probably wasn't even the 3rd best car! If Juan stopped acting like a 12 year old school bully and started acting like the best professional racing driver in the world, it would be easier to show sympathy with his position.

How did Michael behave when his car wasn't the best? He beat the rest anyway and we never heard about him moaning that the Williams or McLaren were better cars.

[Kicking-back]

This sort of topic goes round and round.

There's no point in a driver believing he is anything other than the best or he's beaten before he starts.

[429CJ]

If Sam Michaels had made HIS job better, there would not be some disqualifications, either.

[kdr]

funny. regardless of the issue my guess is that jpm gets tired of being asked about ms. i overheard an interview in the regent street thing paddock.

interviewer - so juan pablo, how are you?
jpm - fine, still a little sore after french gp.
interviewer - this is cars going thru streets like you had in cart...how do you think michael schumacher would do on ovals?

[Logrence]

Maybe Williams ought to provide Juan Pablo with a championship winning car before getting involved in such conjecture.

[Hungary 89]

A little off the point but this is as good a topic as any to raise this point.

Schummi IMHO is currently destroying the sport, his level of success is just not good for F1. Not that I blame him as he is enjoying what he is doing and there is absolutely no question that he is completely at the top of his game.

The problem is for the other drivers as I just don't see any of the current breed beating him while he is at Ferrari where he intends to stay until he retires. Trouble is once he does retire the subsequent success of every othe driver currenly racing is going to be tainted by the fact that they didn't atchieve it whilst Schumacher was still racing.

I do wonder if it's not Juan Kimi or Fernando who will be Micheals worthy successor but the first star who arrives after he retires

[Tamás]

Originally posted by Hungary 89
Schummi IMHO is currently destroying the sport, his level of success is just not good for F1. Not that I blame him as he is enjoying what he is doing and there is absolutely no question that he is completely at the top of his game.

I can agree with you, but I'd like to make a correction: Ferrari is destroying the sport. This team constructed some years ago an excellent vehicle and they have been the best since 2000. If you have a competitive construction, it's more easy to develop it and to win a championship following year, too.

[PaulSands]

Ferrari arent destroying the sport...I'm no fan but it looks to me like everybody else is doing their bit by being so cr*p

[Hungary 89]

I accept what you are saying but no matter where you place the blame there is no question that total dominance of this nature is not good for the sport.

However what do people think of my second comment will the careers of the other stars of today be tainted if Schuey retires following this dominat run of form?

[Kicking-back]

I don't agree.

However great a driver is, when he retires he's forgotten pretty quickly.

No-one says Schumacher's titles are devalued because Prost or Lauda aren't racing against him

[Hungary 89]

Fair point but I would counter with the fact that Ayrton Senna was considered to be Top Dog at the point when Micheal was emerging as the new star. However Micheal was begining to show that he had the measure of him in a car that on paper at least was inferior to the Williams

I have to concede that Senna's tragic death robbed us of ever knowing for sure who was ultimatley the better driver

However at the time of his death there is no question in my mind that Micheal was far closer to Senna than any of the current crop are to Micheal

[Wrex]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
No-one says Schumacher's titles are devalued because Prost or Lauda aren't racing against him

Reading a different forum to me then.

Never had a good team mate, only coz Senna died etc etc etc.



Anyways, Michael and Ferrari are'nt destroying the sport, Williams & Montoyas (insert any team driver combination you want) are.

Ferrari should'nt slow down, they should speed up. And they will. Nobody, not even Michael and Ferrari can stay at the top forever.

[mac]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
I'd put my money on Ferrari's tacticians, rule-analysers and support from team-mate above Williams', definately. These things explain Ferrari's most amazing wins, more so than the car-engine-driver-tyres combination.

I don't know. Look at the French Grand Prix - Ferrari switched to a 4 stop strategy mid-race. Only a succession of mind-blowing laps made the strategy work. I think very few, if any, drivers could have pulled off that.

Yes, Ferrari are master tactitians. BUT, so much of their tactics is based around Michael's ability to scrape every last little bit out of the car.

I've said it before, but love him or hate him (I'm completely indifferent), I think it's a more healthy attitude to admire his talent and be glad that we were here to witness one of the greats - because for all the bickering that goes on, only the blind, jealous or foolish would contemplate suggesting that Michael is not at least one of the greats.

[Mark Webber]

Geez I think being 6 times world champ should say a bit. credit where its due.

[Gt_R]

Didn't somebody tell Juan to "respect the challenge"?

To be honest, One thing about Juan is he tends to find reasons (beyond himself) to cover up any performance which is below expectations.

It isn't news that he keep claiming the car is the only difference that seperates MS's achievements to his own. But unfortunately, truth be told, as a driver Juan isn't on par with MS either. Ferrari IS currently better than Williams as a team/car, but similarly, MS IS better than JPM as a driver.

One thing worth noting is that Juan overlook a simple fact that if he wants something, he has to work for it. I'm sorry, but just look at the other thread of "second best driver"..Juan has slipped down many people's ranking.

But to be fair...Juan must be feeling very frustrated. He came with the self belief and hype of quickly toppling MS and be the "real deal", yet years later is still left wondering what's gone wrong.

Last year, the contest is very close over a season, and it's a year where Ferrari didn't have the best car, and Williams/Michelin had a car/tyre package which is on par if not slightly superior for a huge part of the season. Yet, MS won the WDC. Juan was third. Unfair comparison? Then how about the number of wins per driver?

Like it or not, equal cars or not, over a season, my money would be on MS to beat Juan. Sure, there'd probably be a few races where Juan comes out on top....but unlikely consistently enough.

To claim Ferrari/MS for the poor competition now is completely insane...the incompetence of other teams and drivers are the main reasons why Ferrari's allowed to get away with a domination.

People can complain about how MS had only inferior competition..but is it his fault that Prost Lauda retired, or that Senna got into a nasty accident? On the otherhand, is the competition really weak or did MS make them look weak?

But of course, if critics love to find excuses to devalue MS's achievements so that they sleep better, feel free.

Too bad Juan rejected having Jacques as his teammate this season

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by mac
I think it's a more healthy attitude to admire his talent and be glad that we were here to witness one of the greats

Agree with this now.

The early years were um "a little suspect" but now we are witnessing one of the greats.

[deeks6]

Originally posted by Wrex
Reading a different forum to me then.

Never had a good team mate, only coz Senna died etc etc etc.



Anyways, Michael and Ferrari are'nt destroying the sport, Williams & Montoyas (insert any team driver combination you want) are.

Ferrari should'nt slow down, they should speed up. And they will. Nobody, not even Michael and Ferrari can stay at the top forever.

Honestly, Wrex - I wish you'd stop letting stupid things like fact and truth get in the way of some really great conspiracy theories.

My 2c worth:

Unfortunately, there is probably a bigger difference between MS and the drivers than there is between a Ferrari and a Renault/Williams/BAR. Look at France - MS qualified with lower fuel than most and the Ferrari was clearly a slower package than the Renault, yet they manufacture a strategy to win because they know that MS can punch out 100% laps till the cows come home. Thats his advantage - the others don't appear to be be able to do that for an entire race. A good example is JPM - there is no doubt that the guy can be blindingly fast, has big balls and will try moves that are 50% or less...but his lack of fitness and focus have shown him up frequently over race distances at this level.