Thats what it's all about..for Michael

[Run Free]

Originally posted by Don K
I don't think the Jordan and Benneton of '91 and '92 were winning cars.

And when he went to Ferrari, three other teams (Benneton, Williams, and McLaren) were faster.

Why did you mention Jordan? TGF had only a single race with them (er, half of a race maybe ).

Benetton first pole and win date to 1986. In 1992 Benetton was 3rd in the Championship , with 1 win and 13 podiums. They also won a race in 1991 and 2 in 1990: Benetton was a winning car .

Ferrari was 3rd in the Championship in 1996 : McLaren was behind and slower. Ferrari was a winning car .

[TimD]

It's all a question of semantics, I concede, but....

A race-winning car is not necessarily a championship-winning car. Just ask Lord Hesketh. But this does point up another aspect of Michael Schumacher's craft. He does do a superlative job of rallying a team around him. Even if this is to the expense of his team mate. On the positive side, the teams he has run with have never seemed lacking for motivation and harmony.

It seems to me that for the above statement to be read at face value, one needs to lay cards on the table.

I rate Michael Schumacher very highly, but perhaps only top-ten quality in the history of the sport. I generally like him as an individual, but I don't like the techniques he has been known to resort to.

That said, there is in my opinion no place for shoving or professional foul in motor sport. A driver can and must find another way. And this is why I am particularly pleased that Peter Mallett is contributing to this thread. He is, uniquely among us, as far as I know, an active racing driver, and has that insider perspective.

And I've seen him apply so much pressure to another competitor that the guy in front managed to find a gravel trap all of his own volition. It didn't require a touch of any kind. If a driver is good, he will find a way past without resorting to contact. The trouble is, it would take a step back to the cars of the past to make some of the present crop of GP drivers think twice about their tactics. Just look at the pictures of Trevor Taylor's Lotus when Willy Mairesse's Ferrari kissed it at Spa in '62, and see what a gentle touch could do in the old days...

[economy_waffle]

thats ol' schumi...check out the quote:

damon hill and schumi had been banging wheels in spa 1995, and damon hill argued:

DH "we're not racing karts here"
MS "karts? they're good, you should try them"

MS then smirks because he was questioning DH's skills as DH had no karting background.

MS "Oh, u did. i forgot"

commenting on Hill's abysmal performance in the B'ercy charity karting event