[Driver] The GOAT - Round Three - Schumacher vs Häkkinen

[crmalcolm]

The fourth match-up in Round Three sees Schumacher vs Häkkinen.

Schumacher was victorious 13-1 in the second round, whilst Häkkinen took a 13-2 victory.

So who do you vote for as the greater driver?

Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher was the first driver in F1 history to optimize every area of driver performance, including athleticism, training, and real-time telemetry. He turned a gladiatorial sport into a science and the results were stunning. Today, we therefore talk of the pre-Schumacher and post-Schumacher eras.

For a period in the 1990s, Schumacher simply left the rest of the field behind, as far as professionalism and driving performances went. In that period, we were still treated to some epic championship contests, on account of Schumacher’s Ferraris typically not having the same level of performance as his championship competitors at Williams and McLaren.

By the early 2000s, the F1 grid was starting to be populated by a new generation of athletes. These were drivers who had all trained in karting from an early age and who had learned many of the lessons that Schumacher had applied. Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, and Kimi Räikkönen were all wunderkinds who debuted in F1 after only two years in junior single-seaters. By 2003, this new generation was finally beginning to challenge Schumacher’s mantle.

While Schumacher’s performance level was undeniable, there are two main criticisms often leveled at his career. The first is his unsportsmanlike conduct, which arose on numerous occasions (Adelaide 1994, Jerez 1997, Austria 2000, Monaco 2006, etc.). The second is his firm contractual number one status against almost every teammate, and the aggressive application of team orders.

Schumacher retired at the end of 2006, being ousted from his Ferrari seat in favor of Kimi Räikkönen. On return to Formula 1 in 2010, Schumacher’s driving lacked its former effortless brilliance and he was, at least at first, clearly outperformed by teammate Nico Rosberg.

The 2001 season was a near-perfect performance, with Schumacher finishing in the top 2 in all but three races: in two of those races his car failed (San Marino and Germany), in the other (Italy) he finished 4th and was beaten by Rubens Barrichello on merit. Overall in 2001, Schumacher beat teammate Barrichello 12-1 in counting races, 16-1 in qualifying, and 123-56 in points.

Of his many incredible skills, perhaps Schumacher’s greatest was his ability to consistently deliver 99.9%-level performances lap after lap for long stretches. He could switch on and maintain this qualifying-style performance with very rare errors whenever race circumstances dictated that it was necessary, at stages in a race when other drivers would be fatigued or prone to making errors under pressure. This was an extremely valuable asset in the refueling, tyre-war era of F1. Arguably, no other driver was quite as talented in this respect. This particular attribute is highlighted by Schumacher’s tally of 77 fastest laps, a record that would have earned him an extra 77 points under the scoring system in the modern day (or the 1950s).

Mika Häkkinen
Although he was Schumacher’s chief rival in the late 1990s, many conclude that this fight was mostly sustained by Häkkinen’s superior, Newey-designed equipment, much as Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were sustained by their dominant cars at Williams.

Häkkinen’s record against David Coulthard (35-26 in counting races, 68-31 in qualifying) was much less one-sided than Schumacher’s records against Eddie Irvine (38-7 in counting races, 55-4 in qualifying), Rubens Barrichello (62-16 in counting races, 79-25 in qualifying), and Felipe Massa (12-3 in counting races, 14-4 in qualifying).

Schumacher and Häkkinen shared two common teammates during their F1 careers: Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert. The results of these comparisons weigh more in Schumacher’s favor. Brundle faced Häkkinen in Häkkinen’s third full season, whereas he faced Schumacher in Schumacher’s first full season. Häkkinen beat Brundle 5-1 in counting races and 15-0 in qualifying, with an average time difference of 0.85%. Schumacher beat Brundle 6-4 in counting races and 16-0 in qualifying, with an average time difference of 1.30%. Herbert faced Häkkinen in Häkkinen’s first two seasons, whereas he faced Schumacher in Schumacher’s third and fourth full seasons. Häkkinen beat Herbert 7-2 in counting races, but was behind 10-14 in qualifying. Schumacher beat Herbert 12-3 in counting races and 18-1 in qualifying.

[FIRE]

Schumacher

[Racing Harz]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Schumacher

Yes. That battle is so much 90s early 2000 Style.
But as a person i prefer Mika.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Racing Harz

Yes. That battle is so much 90s early 2000 Style.
But as a person i prefer Mika.

Agreed!

[Adam43]

Interesting these come up together. Have done since, at least, Macau.

I was at Spa to witness the overtake in 2000. Loved it. I am a big Mika fan. Good guy, funny and fast, very fast.

But it’s Schumacher. Clearly. A guy I liked, especially towards the end of his first stint and onwards. Before then I’d get to really appreciating and he’d go and spoil it for a bit.

Quick, loved the sport, loved driving cars fast whether in a race or endless testing.

[fieldodreams79]

Mika!!


Just so he doesn't get shut out on his way out!

[Adam43]

[chunterer]

Let's not forget Herbert was not the same driver as he was pre Brands injuries but to still stack up as well as he did against 2 megastars says a lot about his natural skill and determination.

However i'll give it to Hakkinen on the basis he never had deferential teammates

[chillibowl]

Coulthard was fairly compliant though no?

[S griffin]

I'd have to go for Schumi, even if Hakkinen gave him a good run for his money and was easier to like.

[Born Racer]

Häkkinen - wonderful driver and glad he got the chance to have his days in the sun after 1995, but it has to be Schumy. Mika reminds me a bit of Nico Rosberg in this poll - someone who gave it his all to best the best of his era and had it really taken. Out of him. Unlike Nico, though, Häkkinen hung on for a bit and let his level slide before quickly calling it a day. I’m not letting that count against him, though. It just has to be Michael.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Coulthard was fairly compliant though no?

When you say compliant you mean slower. That was by and far the main reason.

I am not sure anyone thought he was compliant in Spa 1998 or Austria 1999, for instance.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Adam43

When you say compliant you mean slower. That was by and far the main reason.

I am not sure anyone thought he was compliant in Spa 1998 or Austria 1999, for instance.

lol for sure slower. laugh:

but there was Jerez 97 which gave Mika his first win which then lead to some more controversy the next season when DC gave up his lead in OZ based on a pre existing deal with Mika. not the worst cases of team orders mind you.