Ferrari in 2007

[Knowlesy]

You have to be 45 I think.

It'd be awful if MS went to that series, he would utterly dominate!

[Kicking-back]

8 years

[chunterer]

Some people are alleging on here and elsewhere that the Kimi Ferrari deal is already done (and it's just being hushed up?)

I can't see Rossi jumping straight into a top team with only testing miles under his belt - for a top team to take such a risk, even for the pr potential would be a massive, massive risk. They would have to have a seriously good driver in the other car (probably better than anyone currently in it!) to do the job for them to make up for the lack of pace shown by the racing novice in their other car.

I still think it's far more likely that Rossi tests the Ferrari and then ends up driving for Red Bull, maybe alongside Schu for a year or 2? Red Bull have the funding and marketing style which would allow them to carry this off and not be too restricted by any lack of competitiveness Rossi might initially display (and as i've said before may even be primed to take over the running of Ferrari's F1 entry anyway should Fiat decide to downsize to save money).

This leaves Kimi and Massa as what i think will turn out to be a highly explosive partnership in the 2 Ferrari's. I think that Massa is going to do a very good job next year, justify the decision to hire him and actually become one of the quartet/quintet of leading drivers going into 2007. There's too many people suggesting that he is simply a makeweight and i think that is way way too easy a conclusion to come to just because he hasn't won anything in F1 yet...

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by 01Mclaren-fan

With the news of Alonso to Mclaren in 07 i think this means that MS is to retire with Kimi taking his place !!

Man, with all this I think you might be right !

[Dixie Flatline]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Some people are alleging on here and elsewhere that the Kimi Ferrari deal is already done (and it's just being hushed up?)

I can't see Rossi jumping straight into a top team with only testing miles under his belt - for a top team to take such a risk, even for the pr potential would be a massive, massive risk. They would have to have a seriously good driver in the other car (probably better than anyone currently in it!) to do the job for them to make up for the lack of pace shown by the racing novice in their other car.

I still think it's far more likely that Rossi tests the Ferrari and then ends up driving for Red Bull, maybe alongside Schu for a year or 2? Red Bull have the funding and marketing style which would allow them to carry this off and not be too restricted by any lack of competitiveness Rossi might initially display (and as i've said before may even be primed to take over the running of Ferrari's F1 entry anyway should Fiat decide to downsize to save money).

This leaves Kimi and Massa as what i think will turn out to be a highly explosive partnership in the 2 Ferrari's. I think that Massa is going to do a very good job next year, justify the decision to hire him and actually become one of the quartet/quintet of leading drivers going into 2007. There's too many people suggesting that he is simply a makeweight and i think that is way way too easy a conclusion to come to just because he hasn't won anything in F1 yet...

I think you might be underestimating Rossi's talent. In my view, Rossi would do a seriously good job in any Formula One team.

Good luck to Massa, but I think Ferrari's long-term strategy was thrown out a bit by the fact Barrichello wanted to be at least somebody's equal, not a contractually-bound "teammate".

[JeremySmith]

Well..... Mr Rossi and Mr Raikkonen to Ferrari then in 2007..I can hardly wait...Never underestimate the power of the prancing horse.

[JohnSSC]

I am still trying to figure out why, after mega-success with Ferrari Michael would go anywhere else - let alone RBR. To put it bluntly I would think he would have to be either balmy, daft or both to even consider such a decision let alone wake up some morning and say: "Gee, I want to be an RBR driver!" Why not then Midland? Super Aguri?

It makes no sense whatever. It would be like Beckham deciding to end his career at Scunthorpe (no offense to any Scunthorpe fans here). I would of course be happy if he chose Gillingham as the Gills have a bit of a problem scoring goals...

[Chucky]

Ferrari will be the last team MS drives for.

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

I would of course be happy if he chose Gillingham as the Gills have a bit of a problem scoring goals...

I can't see Schumacher M ending his career at Gillingham

[Gt_R]

When i say Michael Schumacher may go to RBR, it's just calculated speculation.

I'd gladly have Michael retire from Ferrari, granted that they have forged one of the strongest relationship a driver ever had with a team. But there's really little harm exploring the alternatives.

I don't doubt Michael when he says that Ferrari would be his last team before retire from F1.

in end 2006, Michael Schumacher would be at the crossroad. Although many don't see it, the quality of an F1 driver isn't a on-off switch, and even with my admiration for him as a driver, i believe that Michael Schumacher isn't at his peak form and that peak has already been reached. Don't get me wrong. Michael Schumacher is still a bloody good driver, but it'd be a time when he'd be back down to a normal level, where instead of being 0.8seconds faster, he find himself being just 0.05 second faster and the consistency being less and such. It just happens to any sportsman, no matter how great, and Michael isn't different in that aspect.

However, one thing that is unlikely to decline that fast is his passion for racing. This guy has been doing it for practically his whole life, and he shows no sign of getting tired. If possible, he'd still be wanting to race for as long as he can.

In this case, i'd probably draw a parallel to Adrian Newey. Still having the passion of the job, but not wanting to extra or additional stress. Similarly, Michael has never hidden the fact that he love to race without the restraints placed by having to fight for the championship.

There comes Ferrari and Red Bull. Like it or not, driving for Ferrari at the front will always mean comparison, pressure and expectations. DC hinted just as much. And come end 2006, Michael will still be a valued and highly regarded driver, a useful asset to any team.

RBR had stated their interest in having Michael. Michael will bring in huge experience, marketing and leadership to the team. 2007 will also be the year when things start to gel for RBR and with Newey and Ferrari engines, a competitive points/podium car even if it's most likely not WCC/WDC material. But the key thing is the lack of the pressure and expectations and Michael can simply enjoy doing what he does. Kimi and Alonso will be reaching their peak at that age while Michael's on the other side of the slope, no need for Michael to prove anything against anybody.

But it's speculation. As a Ferrari fan, as much as i'm grateful for what MS brought to Ferrari, it's time for a change after 2006 for a new generation and prepare for the fresh challenge. As a Schumacher fan, i'd still love to see Michael in F1 for a couple more years. That's why it'd be great if Ferrari nicks a good guy like Kimi into the seat post 06, while Michael still find a good seat in RBR.

[Nicholosophy]

I think it would be good for MS to go to RBR in the same way DC went to RBR. They aren't going to be battling for championships, but he can race. He probably knows within himself where he is in terms of his peak, and he may decide that he is not at his peak but still better than other drivers out there and still want to race.

He could see it as giving something back to the sport and a chance to drive around at the same time. The hunger would be there but the expectation not.

Then again, he might decide that heading home and being with the family is more fun.

Somehow I think we will see MS around the F1 Paddock for a number of years to come in some way or another. He will forever be a good brand for marketing, has an excellent racing brain, and from what has been said about him has good people management skills. There are many things he could do in his life and be 100% successful at - so it will be interesting to see where he goes.

[JohnSSC]

You might have something there V, maybe the plan is for Michael to end his career at Gillingham as a striker...

Give something back to the sport? How much has he gioven already? F1 is not some sort of Charity! I think Michael gets part of his drive from being at the top with all the expectations that go with it. Would anyone here have suggested that Fangio or Senna or Clark just go out and "drive around" at the end of their carreers?

[Red Emperor]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

You might have something there V, maybe the plan is for Michael to end his career at Gillingham as a striker...

Give something back to the sport? How much has he gioven already? F1 is not some sort of Charity! I think Michael gets part of his drive from being at the top with all the expectations that go with it. Would anyone here have suggested that Fangio or Senna or Clark just go out and "drive around" at the end of their carreers?

I agree.
Schumacher is here to win to be first.
He is not here to play around as much as he likes racing...
I think that people are writing him off to quickly wich i find strange considering the talent, experience, mental toughness and, yes, his fitness.
Underestimating Michael Schumacher is a huge mistake and most team boss will tell you that.
I prefer that Kimi goes to Ferrari but Michael staying there...Red Bull no i dont believe in this romantic theory, but hey everything is possible in F1 and we have seen recently.
I suggest Renault, McLaren and Kimi and Alonso to keep their eyes on the ball because Michael will keep his.

[Sharky]

I really don't believe that schu would go to RBR. First of all, he gets paid enough at Ferrari and second, he's a bit too old to start "a new challenge". Despite RBR magnificent form this year, it will still be few years before they can start to think about fighting for the championship. So, chances are that by the time RBR becomes champion (if ever), schu would certainly be enjoying his retirement. Having said that, let's face it, a great deal of the success that schu enjoyed during the past few years comes down to the fact that the team was built around him. And that isn't such a bad strategy as long as the team can be certain that they'll be able to hold on to the driver for many years. But, one again, there's no use in building a new team around schu when the "viable" champion would be somebody else (remember the Alesi/Berger complains regarding the Bennetton-Schumacher in 96).

Besides, this guys has too much prestige and too much money by now. He'll surely want to leave the sport in a high. So, no doubt he'll be retiring at the end of the season most certainly with a great performance because I believe that Ferraro is still a force to be reckoned with, especially with the old tire regulations coming back.

[kipper]

I really can't imagine that Schumacher would contemplate a move to Red Bull. Whilst Red Bull have the budget to lure him as well as having a good engineering base, I can't see what Schumacher would gain from such a move; admittedly he could maybe earn more, but would that be sufficient motivation for a driver as well paid as Schumacher? Whilst it could provide a new challenge in winning in a lesser car, Schumacher has already done this. For what it is worth, I reckon that Schumacher knows what he'll be doing in 2007 and Ferrari have a contigency plan in place.

[chunterer]

But didn't someone get quoted recently as saying he could easily see Schu carrying on until he's 40 odd, especially if he has a strong season mext year?

The bloke has always existed to compete and loves his sport so it may simply boil down to his desire to carry on racing with another F1 challenge?

If that's the case he could be instumental in taking an existing team, like RBR towards true front running pace, as sort of final ingredient?

The Vodaphone deal could alo mean that he might end up at Mclaren for a couple of years - he has strong marketing ties with them after all. Therefore both Kimi and JPM could end up in Ferrari's?!

[Hein]

Let me say this again: Michael will NOT go anywere else!!!!!!! He will either stay at Ferrari (and they will NOT kick him out), or retire from F1.

Kimi may well end up in a Ferrari though.

[chunterer]

Unless you're part of his entourage and you have a definite[B] line on this, i'll wait and see thanks Hein!

[Swiss]

quite simply who knows !! there are a lot of ifs to be taken into consideration

[BSchneiderFan]

My bet is on Schumacher/Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2007. Which is bad news for Massa.

[chunterer]

Interesting thought, but neither of those two fancy being the other's teammate much - unless Schu's contractual 'advantage' is changed!

Therefore i'd bet Schu will be unwilling to cede his number one status and i'd bet Kimi won't go there unless he does or he's going!

Massa will do a good job next year and i think he'll probably be with Ferrari for at least 2 seasons.

[maltafan]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Interesting thought, but neither of those two fancy being the other's teammate much - unless Schu's contractual 'advantage' is changed!

Therefore i'd bet Schu will be unwilling to cede his number one status and i'd bet Kimi won't go there unless he does or he's going!

Massa will do a good job next year and i think he'll probably be with Ferrari for at least 2 seasons.

I hope that he does a good job. This year he improved a ot. Hopefully his reputation of car breaker is past its expiry date.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

My bet is on Schumacher/Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2007. Which is bad news for Massa.

I can't really see that happening Raikkonen will not play second fiddle to Michael..Massa will be at Ferrari for one year only. IMHO of course

[Dixie Flatline]

Originally Posted by chunterer

But didn't someone get quoted recently as saying he could easily see Schu carrying on until he's 40 odd, especially if he has a strong season mext year?

The bloke has always existed to compete and loves his sport so it may simply boil down to his desire to carry on racing with another F1 challenge?

If that's the case he could be instumental in taking an existing team, like RBR towards true front running pace, as sort of final ingredient?

The Vodaphone deal could alo mean that he might end up at Mclaren for a couple of years - he has strong marketing ties with them after all. Therefore both Kimi and JPM could end up in Ferrari's?!

I typically walk past an electronics store on the way to work each morning. They sell Vodaphone phones. For a long time, they had Michael Schumacher in the window advertising Vodaphone phones. This morning, I happened to notice that Michael is no longer in the window. Somehow, I suspect it's coincidental, but it's interesting that I noticed it after the Vodaphone-McLaren deal was announced, not before.

[Skam85]

Alonso -----> McLaren
Juan stays at McLaren

M Schumacher -----> Retirement
Raikkonen -----> Ferrari
Massa stays at Ferrari

Fisichella ----> Williams
Kovaleinen ----> Promoted to Race drive at Renault
Webber -----> Renault

Rosberg and Fisichella make up Williams line up.

Remember where you first read it...