Michael
Schumacher announced 8 years ago, he wants to retire from the F1. Recently, his
son Mick has been given the opportunity to test 2018 Ferrari car at Fiorano.
Lewis Hamilton is very close to equal Schumi’s record of wins and number of
titles, furthermore, he will break those numbers. Who is the better, Michael or
Lewis? Maybe somebody else.
Many fans will give you the answer Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Gilles Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are far better than Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. They are right in my opinion, stats should not be determining factor. Racecraft under treacherous rainy and windy conditions is better than stats. All drivers I mentioned were, and two of them, still are absolutely supreme under rainy conditions, when the grip is not there anymore and driving skills are determining factor considering the success and failure.
Don’t get me wrong, both Lewis and Michael have been great in wet, but Fangio, Clark, Villeneuve, Lauda, Senna, Alonso and Verstappen have been supreme, almost untouchable. They had the idea where the grip is before they were turning into the corner. Martin Brundle, the former F1 driver described the late Ayrton Senna in that particular way. Brundle had been racing against Senna in F2 in Britain prior they joined F1 in 1984. Senna knew where the grip is, before he turned into the corner. Fangio, Clark, Villeneuve, Lauda, Senna, Alonso and Verstappen racecraft has been always at another level regardless of conditions.
However, fans compare Schumacher to Hamilton these days, understandably so. I was stunned people think Schumacher raced in so called “the weak era”. We all know Schumacher lost 1997 title to Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles son, 2006 to Fernando Alonso and also 1998 to “flying Finn” Mika Hakkinen. 1990s and 2000s were not weak eras of the F1. 2003 championship has been won by Michael by only two points. If Mika Hakkinen hadn’t retired three times in the year 2000 due to power unit failures, Schumi would have been under much more intense pressure than he actually was to clinch the first championship for Ferrari since Jody Scheckter in 1979. The competition was fierce. Williams, McLaren and Renault were faster packages in many years. Benetton and Ferrari were the fastest packages over two and five seasons respectively in those eras of the F1.
Schumi and Lewis won their multiple titles due to equipment, not their superiority over the opposition, Hakkinen or Verstappen. Both Schumacher and Hamilton are very similar considering their careers, after winning first titles, they joined others teams to win multiple times. Both are pro. Both have excellent racecraft and ability to drive under treacherous and rainy conditions – look at the European Grand Prix in 2000 and 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (the tragic race itself, we lost Jules Bianchi in this Grand Prix), finally both were leaders of their teams.
However, Schumacher made Ferrari winning force in early 2000s, Hamilton joined the team, which has all under control due to hybrid power units introduced in 2014. Hamilton didn’t know Mercedes will be dominant, but Mercedes made Lewis winning, not Lewis made Mercedes winning. In other words, if vast majority of the drivers had joined Mercedes instead of Lewis, they would have been winning titles, like Nico Rosberg in 2016. Merc are supreme. They have all under control under current regulations. They are simply running this business due to regulations, which fit to their team. They’ve done hard work behind the scenes and at the factory to make it happen however, I’m impressed what they’ve been doing in F1. Not only engine department is supreme, aero, chassis, durability of Merc are simply exceptional. They defined the standard of the F1. Others follow them.
Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari In 1996. They were on the back foot, mid-pack team, unable to challenge for titles. However, due to leadership skills of Luca di Montezemolo, Jean Todt, expertise of Stefano Domenicali, Ros Brawn, Rory Byrne, and frankly second drivers, Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello, they were able to built the winning team around Michael Schumacher. It took years, painful late 1990s (Schumi broke his leg at Silverstone in 1999 British Grand Prix, he returned for only two races of the season to help his team mate Eddie Irvine to win the championship, which has been eventually done by McLaren driver, Mika Hakkinen), but the hard work paid off. They were dominant in early 2000s, winning everything between 2000 and 2004.
They would have not won, if Michael Schumacher had not joined them. Schumi made Ferrari winners, not Ferrari made Schumi the top driver. He was carrying this team. Without him, this talented team with work ethic would not even have been established as the dominant force of the F1. They were operating as the unit, one team built around the great Michael Schumacher. Others would simply have not done the job, because this team would have not been built, if Schumi hadn’t joined.
Lewis Hamilton made the greatest decision of his F1 career signing for Mercedes in 2013. It made him 6-times World Champion. Mercedes gave both Lewis and Nico Rosberg the car, which was dominant on the day one since the hybrid power units were introduced in 2014.
Lewis took the opportunity, which has been given to him. Schumi made the opportunity possible to happen. Therefore, I think Schumi was better and I wish him all the best. I appreciate, what does Lewis do for the F1, but I think, if Max Verstappen was in Merc, Lewis would not win the title anymore.
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2000. Credit: Wikipedia
Many fans will give you the answer Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Gilles Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are far better than Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. They are right in my opinion, stats should not be determining factor. Racecraft under treacherous rainy and windy conditions is better than stats. All drivers I mentioned were, and two of them, still are absolutely supreme under rainy conditions, when the grip is not there anymore and driving skills are determining factor considering the success and failure.
Don’t get me wrong, both Lewis and Michael have been great in wet, but Fangio, Clark, Villeneuve, Lauda, Senna, Alonso and Verstappen have been supreme, almost untouchable. They had the idea where the grip is before they were turning into the corner. Martin Brundle, the former F1 driver described the late Ayrton Senna in that particular way. Brundle had been racing against Senna in F2 in Britain prior they joined F1 in 1984. Senna knew where the grip is, before he turned into the corner. Fangio, Clark, Villeneuve, Lauda, Senna, Alonso and Verstappen racecraft has been always at another level regardless of conditions.
However, fans compare Schumacher to Hamilton these days, understandably so. I was stunned people think Schumacher raced in so called “the weak era”. We all know Schumacher lost 1997 title to Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles son, 2006 to Fernando Alonso and also 1998 to “flying Finn” Mika Hakkinen. 1990s and 2000s were not weak eras of the F1. 2003 championship has been won by Michael by only two points. If Mika Hakkinen hadn’t retired three times in the year 2000 due to power unit failures, Schumi would have been under much more intense pressure than he actually was to clinch the first championship for Ferrari since Jody Scheckter in 1979. The competition was fierce. Williams, McLaren and Renault were faster packages in many years. Benetton and Ferrari were the fastest packages over two and five seasons respectively in those eras of the F1.
Schumi and Lewis won their multiple titles due to equipment, not their superiority over the opposition, Hakkinen or Verstappen. Both Schumacher and Hamilton are very similar considering their careers, after winning first titles, they joined others teams to win multiple times. Both are pro. Both have excellent racecraft and ability to drive under treacherous and rainy conditions – look at the European Grand Prix in 2000 and 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (the tragic race itself, we lost Jules Bianchi in this Grand Prix), finally both were leaders of their teams.
However, Schumacher made Ferrari winning force in early 2000s, Hamilton joined the team, which has all under control due to hybrid power units introduced in 2014. Hamilton didn’t know Mercedes will be dominant, but Mercedes made Lewis winning, not Lewis made Mercedes winning. In other words, if vast majority of the drivers had joined Mercedes instead of Lewis, they would have been winning titles, like Nico Rosberg in 2016. Merc are supreme. They have all under control under current regulations. They are simply running this business due to regulations, which fit to their team. They’ve done hard work behind the scenes and at the factory to make it happen however, I’m impressed what they’ve been doing in F1. Not only engine department is supreme, aero, chassis, durability of Merc are simply exceptional. They defined the standard of the F1. Others follow them.
Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari In 1996. They were on the back foot, mid-pack team, unable to challenge for titles. However, due to leadership skills of Luca di Montezemolo, Jean Todt, expertise of Stefano Domenicali, Ros Brawn, Rory Byrne, and frankly second drivers, Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello, they were able to built the winning team around Michael Schumacher. It took years, painful late 1990s (Schumi broke his leg at Silverstone in 1999 British Grand Prix, he returned for only two races of the season to help his team mate Eddie Irvine to win the championship, which has been eventually done by McLaren driver, Mika Hakkinen), but the hard work paid off. They were dominant in early 2000s, winning everything between 2000 and 2004.
They would have not won, if Michael Schumacher had not joined them. Schumi made Ferrari winners, not Ferrari made Schumi the top driver. He was carrying this team. Without him, this talented team with work ethic would not even have been established as the dominant force of the F1. They were operating as the unit, one team built around the great Michael Schumacher. Others would simply have not done the job, because this team would have not been built, if Schumi hadn’t joined.
Lewis Hamilton made the greatest decision of his F1 career signing for Mercedes in 2013. It made him 6-times World Champion. Mercedes gave both Lewis and Nico Rosberg the car, which was dominant on the day one since the hybrid power units were introduced in 2014.
Lewis took the opportunity, which has been given to him. Schumi made the opportunity possible to happen. Therefore, I think Schumi was better and I wish him all the best. I appreciate, what does Lewis do for the F1, but I think, if Max Verstappen was in Merc, Lewis would not win the title anymore.
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2000. Credit: Wikipedia
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