Before the season began it looked like Nico Rosberg had the worst job in Formula 1 – team mate to Michael Schumacher.
But, three races in, Rosberg can hold his head up – he’s doing a far better job against the seven-times champion than any of Schumacher’s previous team mates have.
Eleven driver have shared a team with Schumacher in F1 – and he’s dominated pretty much all of them:
Andrea de Cesaris, 1991
Schumacher and Andrea de Cesaris spent just one race together at Jordan.
Schumacher’s participation in Belgian Grand Prix lasted no further than the first lap thanks to a blow clutch. De Cesaris ran as high as second before his car failed a few laps short of the flag.
The Italian had a long but largely unsuccessful F1 career with no wins in 208 starts. Who knows what Schumacher might have achieved at Spa that day if his Jordan 191 had gone the distance.
Nelson Piquet, 1991
Three-times champion Nelson Piquet was in the twilight days of his 14-year F1 career when Schumacher joined him at Benetton for the last five races of 1991.
Had the new arrival in the team not pushed him quite so hard, Piquet might have stayed around a little longer.
Instead he presented team boss Flavio Briatore with some very ambitious salary demands for 1992, knowing full well Briatore would refuse.
Martin Brundle, 1992
The first driver to share an F1 team with Schumacher for a full season was Martin Brundle. He was dropped at the end of the 1992 championship by Briatore.
One has to say that, looking back, it’s not as if many other drivers got much closer to Schumacher than Brundle did. Some suggest Brundle was dropped not because of a lack of performance but for having a little too much.
Riccardo Patrese, 1993
As with Piquet, it was another case of an elder statesman of the sport concluding his career after a pummelling at the hands of Schumacher.
Riccardo Patrese was another driver who fell out with Briatore. In a recent interview with Motorsport magazine Patrese said:
Michael Schumacher is very good in a bad car, that is where he can destroy his team mate. I was talking inside the team about the faults the car had, but they said I was just making excuses, because Schumacher was quicker than me.
Riccardo Patrese
Jos Verstappen and JJ Lehto, 1994
Schumacher got through three team mates at Benetton in 1994.
Originally the team intended JJ Lehto to spend the season alongside Schumacher. But when the Finn was injured in a crash in testing, reserve driver Jos Verstappen was promoted to the second seat – despite having only started 52 races before his F1 debut. Verstappen’s F1 career began with a bang as he as involved in a four-car pile-up at Interlagos.
Lehto was drafted back into the team at Imola but was dropped for Verstappen later in the year. He then returned to fill in for Schumacher for two races.
Although Verstappen did a better job against Schumacher, he lost his place for the final two places as the team brought in Johnny Herbert.
Johnny Herbert, 1994-5
Johnny Herbert, Schumacher’s last team mate at Benetton, quickly became dissatisfied over the arrangements for sharing information within the team. He complained that he wasn’t allowed access to Schumacher’s telemetry – while Schumacher was allowed to see his.
Herbert picked up a pair of wins in 1995. But as Schumacher left to join Ferrari at the end of the season, Herbert was dropped.
Eddie Irvine, 1996-1999
Eddie Irvine once famously compared being Schumacher’s team mate to being hit over the head with a cricket bat. Nonetheless he toughed it out for four years – longer than most drivers managed.
As Patrese pointed out, it was when the car was at its worst that Schumacher’s advantage over Irvine was at its greatest. In 1996 Schumacher dragged the F310 to three wins and five other podium finishes while Irvine only made it to the top three once.
Irvine’s patience very nearly paid off, however. When Schumacher was injured in 1999 Irvine became the team leader, and with Mika Salo’s support moved within striking distance of championship leader Mika Hakkinen. Despite Schumacher gifting him a win at Sepang, Irvine fell short in the final round at Suzuka.
Rubens Barrichello, 2000-2005
Rubens Barrichello and Schumacher spent more races alongside each other than any other pair of team mates, amassing over 100 starts. Yet having endured six years as number two to Schumacher, Barrichello left the team one season before he would have had the chance to inherit Schumacher’s position as team leader.
The Barrichello years coincided with Schumacher’s greatest successes in F1 – five consecutive drivers’ title from 2000 to 2004.
But they also revealed the lengths Schumacher and Ferrari would go to manage the driver in the other car. Barrichello fumed after being forced to give up second place at the A1-Ring in 2001, and insisted he wouldn’t receive similar order to relinquish a win. Sure enough, one year later at the same circuit, he did exactly that.
It worked both ways – on more than one occasion Schumacher let his team mate win races, once the championship was already in the bag.
There were some days when Barrichello simply out-drove Schumacher: at Austria in 2002, for example, at the Nurburgring that same year, and at Silverstone in 2003.
But more often than not he was the runner-up, and on occasion he took exception to how Schumacher demonstrated his dominance – particularly after Schumacher barged past him for seventh in the late stages of the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa, 2006
Plenty of people – myself included – felt Ferrari dropped Barrichello for Massa in 2006 because he would prove a less competitive rival to Schumacher.
A spin early in the Bahrain Grand Prix seemed to confirm those suspicions – but at Sepang Massa surprised by leading Schumacher home. Then at Istanbul Massa beat Schumacher to pole and, thanks to an early safety car period, hung on to take a win which proved costly for Schumacher’s championship hopes.
Massa made no secret that he hoped to learn a lot from Schuamcher in their year together and he certainly seems to have applied that knowledge in the seasons since, pushing Lewis Hamilton for the championship until the last lap of the last race in 2008.
Nico Rosberg, 2010
Although the season is still young, so far Nico Rosberg has eclipsed Schumacher in a way none of his previous team mates have come close to.
After three years out of the sport, it remains to be seen how long it will take for Schumacher to turn the tables on his team mate.
If he can, that is. If it turns out he can’t, Rosberg’s stock will rise very high indeed.
What do you make of Rosberg’s performance against Schumacher so far this year? How do you expect them to compare at the end of the season? have your say in the comments.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher
Daffid
14th April 2010, 17:22
I think Rosberg has handled it all admirably. I was worried when he let Michael have the number 3, I thought that was round one of the psyc war and he lost.
However I always felt sure if he could just stop the team from putting all their weight behind Michael, he’d almost certainly beat him on pace and hunger. Fortunately, getting on top so comprehensively so early has stopped Michael and Ross rebuilding their cabal, and I don’t see Michael catching him this season. Equally, Rosberg has looked a bit wild in the past, but this far seems to look very solid, so it may be that he has fully matured now, or having a better car is causing him to take less risks.
The acid test will come next year if Michael stays, because he’s always been good at getting teams build the car he wants at the cost of his team-mate. That has flattered his performance in the past, but if Rosberg trounces him this year, he’s not likely to be able to manage that.
I’m not sure Rosberg’s stock will rise that far either way. He was already highly rated, and the more he beats Schumi, the more people will say he beat an old tired man, which is a shame, but that’s the way it goes sometime.
Hairs
14th April 2010, 22:44
I hark back to the Rubens Rant and following races last year, when Brawn was the picture of equinamity. Rubens was clearly worried that life under Ross would be the same as life under Todt, or that being Jenson’s team-mate would be the same as being Schumacher’s but while Ross may be identified as the brains behind Ferrari, this is the first time he has actually been the team boss – the one who dictates the tenor and purpose of the team.
Last year he made clear several times that this is his team, that he does not run things the way Ferrari did. I believe he stated at one point that his requirements from his drivers were that they share everything equally – not that he’d expect them to tell each other how they brake going into a corner, but that everything is above the table and shared.
I wonder to what extent Schumacher assumed that life in BrawnGP (I refuse to call it mercedes due to pig headededness) would be the same as life in Ferrari? Every teammate he’s had has commented that he prefers things his own way to ensure he has the best chance of beating people – now in a new team with a boss who won’t allow that sort of domination (and has nothing to lose or to prove to anyone to allow himself to be bullied into it by, say, someone called Norbert), a rival engineer in Jock Clear who understands how to beat him, and a rival driver who’s not intimidated by him, or slower than him – I wonder how much that has put him off his own pace? Is he really that sensitive to his working environment that he’s put off?
He has hinted in the past that his “ironman” demeanour with the press and public is more to protect himself than anything else, and Jock Clear stated that the reason he pulls mad moves to push people off the track is when he’s put under pressure. Perhaps the impression of bulletproof invulnerability we have of him is just that – an impression crafted, and backed up by many years of hard work ensuring that there are crowds of people around him protecting him and doing the best for him.
Good luck to Rosberg. For that matter, good luck to Schumacher – with any luck, his comeback will restore some of the honour he lost in his winning years through controvertial, unwise, or hasty moves.
Ninad
14th April 2010, 17:25
I would still say same thing, wait till we get back to Europe. Schumacher has done good considering that he has been out of F1 for 3 years. Last 2 races he has been unlucky, but remember in Bahrain he was within 4s of Rosberg by the end of race.
And you might consider me foolish, but I would not say he is out of title race. He is just 30 points down but just 1 race win and it gets all so close.
Daffid
14th April 2010, 20:22
I’d agree with that too, though I favour Rosberg there’s still plenty of time for it to change, and he’s certainly not out of the fight yet. The big upgrades will come in Europe, and anything could yet happen.
Alistair
15th April 2010, 0:53
For Mercedes to mount a title challenge, with either driver, the car will have to improve, considerably. Can we really see Mercedes out-developing McLaren and Ferrari? I really can’t. Brawn were extremely fortunate last year to have been able to design a car for well over a year, which was bankrolled by one of the biggest manufacturer pay-cheques in F1, and which relied on a dubious bit of kit for a sizeable chunk of its early-season performance advantage. Jenson thought that he would have more success at McLaren; I agree.
I would also soon discount RBR. They have had the fastest car for the past two seasons; and yet they have achieved little tangible success. This is due to a combination of unreliability, Vettell’s mistakes, and Webber’s general ineptitude. They lack the breath and depth of technical expertise, facilities, and financial backing that is the purview of McLaren and Ferrari. Just look at this year: RBR should have had three victories and yet they have squandered their opportunity. Finishing second in the WDC and WCC, once, does not a McLaren or a Ferrari make. We will soon be back to the glory days of McLaren and Ferrari, the giants of F1, the teams with the history and the glamour, fighting it out for predominance.
Mike
15th April 2010, 4:08
I rather hope your wrong on the back to the glory days bit, as much as I love Schumacher I love it more when the guys who aren’t supposed to win, do!
Consider the stupidity we have seen from Ferrari and Mclaren in the past, being one of them doesn’t exactly seem that great.
Oh and, don’t forget even the Fabled Ferrari was a fairly mediocre team once (and rather recently), 1993 anyone? and further back things sometimes got particular dreadful, 1980 or 1969 for instance….
I’m not saying Ferrari aren’t a great team, they are, I’m just saying that Tyrell and Lotus were once the Ultimate teams to beat too….
And for the record, considering what happened in the first half of the season, I think it’s safe to say that overall, Brawn had the fastest car…
MEmo
15th April 2010, 4:04
People always say that: he was out of F1 for three years and under those circumstances he has done ok. What does that mean? Have another former driver in the Merc car and see. Prost one year out, came back: 4 podiums in the first 5 races (win in the first!); Mansell a 4th and a win in his first 3 races in 1994 after leaving F1; Lauda in 82 after two years out: a 4th and a win in his first 3 races. Put Villeneuve or anyone else in a Merc, Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren and they´ll deliver no matter how long they´ve been away. So Schumy has underperformed so far…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 7:10
The really impressive one there is Lauda – Prost had only been out for a year and Mansell had been racing in IndyCar. But Lauda had hung up his helmet, came back and was bang on the pace from his first test.
Tim
15th April 2010, 8:42
Plus Prost was driving a car that had an enormous advantage over the rest of the field.
Antifia
15th April 2010, 15:25
And had Damon Hill as team mate…
John H
14th April 2010, 17:29
I think all this talk of Schumi being ‘rusty’ is way off the mark to be honest.
You’ve either got it or you haven’t. Schumacher had it, and now he’s lost it – and once you’ve lost it you just don’t get it back in F1.
I may be wrong (I’ve never driven an F1 car myself), but Schumacher just doesn’t look up to/for it.
David A
14th April 2010, 17:37
The first corner incident in Aus and mechanical troubles after gaining several places off the start in Mal weren’t his fault though.
HounslowBusGarage
14th April 2010, 19:59
Yes but it rather depends on what you mean by “lost it”. Perhaps he’s just lost his well-known luck and he now experiencing the myriad pains and misfortunes of an ‘average’ driver.
Andrew
14th April 2010, 17:42
Just imagine, from now on you stop driving cars for 3 years. Will you be rusty at the first on driving when you drive cars again 3 years later?
John H
14th April 2010, 21:34
I really believe it would take abut 10 minutes and then I’d remember how to do it. Just like riding a bike.
It’s the old age that means although mentally you think you’re up for it, you cannot react as quickly and make decisions as fast… such things are important for many situations in F1, and driving in the wet is one of them.
I’m sad to see Schumacher not quite on it, but I just don’t see how he can get his youth back.
John H
14th April 2010, 21:40
Note: I’ll probably be eating humble pie this weekend!
Mike
15th April 2010, 5:31
These are F1 cars AND there isn’t any testing…
Does your bike have a jet pack attached per chance? and if so, can I have it? ^^
John H
15th April 2010, 8:35
But of course! Ready for collection $:)
Seriously though, I’m talking about F1 drivers here and comparing them to F1 cars. Obviously I haven’t driven an F1 car and Schumacher has (!), so I guess I’m saying its relative to your previous experience, whether it’s flying a plane, riding a bike or driving in F1.
The guy is too old. He’s going to be 7 times world champion when he’s 70 years old. Will he still have it then?
Kutigz
14th April 2010, 17:29
My opinion: Don’t count Micheal out yet! Its too early to give his driving a drive-through discount. The dude has been out a couple of yrs and has got some catching up to do big time! Besides, the silver arrows team hasn’t delivered the type car we saw last year!
Keith, what say you umhn…maybe sometime after Valencia?
:-)
slr
14th April 2010, 17:35
Didn’t Barrichello leave Ferrari on his terms? I thought he eventually got sick of being Schumacher’s stooge.
AA
14th April 2010, 17:38
I still believe it was no accident that they ‘forgot’ Irvines wheel in that key pit stop after Schumi broke his leg. Irvine should’ve brought home Ferrari’s first championship in years.
Millsique
14th April 2010, 17:47
That is exactly what I thought too….
Ned Flanders
14th April 2010, 18:18
It’s a nice conspiracy, but that can’t be true. Ferrari had gone 2 decades without a championship at that point, and they had lost the previous two championships at the final race.
I don’t suppose anyone but Schumacher cared which Ferrari driver won them the title. Arguably they’d have prefered Irvine, as then they could claim it was the car rather than the driver that had won it.
And besides, if Irvine suspected that his team had deliberately cost him his one shot at the title he definitely wouldn’t have let it go so quietly!
David A
14th April 2010, 18:30
And even Schumacher helped Irvine, with him gifting the Irishman a win at Malaysia.
BBT
14th April 2010, 17:44
“However I always felt sure if he could just stop the team from putting all their weight behind Michael, he’d almost certainly beat him on pace and hunger. Fortunately, getting on top so comprehensively so early has stopped Michael and Ross rebuilding their cabal, and I don’t see Michael catching him this season.”
Very well said, I couldn’t of put it better myself.. hence the cut and paste.
Seriously the Shumi fans need to stop looking through their Rose tinted specs. He will get closer as the season progresses but overall I don’t think he’ll perform better than Rosberg. As for the Championship I reckon he is already out of the running. Having said that its good to see him back for his final season. ;-)
David A
14th April 2010, 19:28
As the points system suggests, one win and he’ll be back in it. Vettel was losing plenty of ground, but suddenly 1 win and he’s skipped past drivers that have scored in all three races, like both Mclarens. And with 16 races to go, any driver is capable of catching their teammate, not least the 7 time WDC.
Bayan
15th April 2010, 0:50
That’s assumig the other leading drivers don’t finish near the top
macahan
15th April 2010, 15:56
But still even if they finish second Michael will be within 20 points instead of by 30. The longer the win eludes him the harder it will get but one win and one or two podium finishes and he is up there in points with the top 7 drivers whom all are very close in points and more then likely will be taking points of each others. But if Michael can’t get close to podium finishes and continue to run 8-10th place finish his race is over. There is still a maximum of 400 points for the rest of the year. It’s still wide open for anyone but will be getting harder by each race. Even Kubica and Sutil still have a theoretical chance to be WDC but is it plausible with the teams and cars they are driving at this point? I think not so likely. Webber is a bit off in points to but still have a sporting chance. Of those 4 Webber and Schumacher are the two that has the biggest chance but Schumacher sure have the hardest job since he has to be more consistant and finish further up then he has and right now car so far seems to be somewhat of a disadvantage to RedBull, Ferrari and McLaren but if upgrades to the car comes quickly and yield success. Think McLaren before and after Germany last year where a single race and upgrades for that race changed things drastically for the team, of course last year for McLaren it all came way to late if that upgrade had been for Spain there might been a three way fight by the end of the season. But the McLaren was so hopelessly behind at the start of the season last year that they didn’t manage in time. Mercedes is far closer to the top 3 this year that one good upgrade could put them a head of the others but will that upgrade happen and will it be fast enough compared to the other three? I got my doubts more then likely one of the other three will manage to stay a head if not two.
Palle
14th April 2010, 17:44
Nice article. It enhances the image of Schumi. I have for several years wanted to see Rosberg in a competitive car – I was convinced the talent was there.
However I’m sure Schumacher will prevail over him. You don’t become WDC 7 times unless You have massive talent within the sport. Schumachers upper hand over other drivers is probably his ability to direct the team to improve the setup and evolution of the car, and Rosberg hasn’t got this ability, yet. Also the fact that Schumacher has worked together with Brawn for so many years will give him the advantage as the season matures. But I can’t wait to see next round;-)
bob
14th April 2010, 17:51
I cant say Schumi is worse then Rosberg, cause in Australia it was simply bad luck, and in Malaysia too. Ok, myb in Malaysia Rosberg was better then Schumi even Schumi was finished, but not in Australia (If Schumi hadnt lost his front nose
PJA
14th April 2010, 17:58
Although I am a fan of Rosberg before the season I thought his performance against Schumacher would be the same as Schumacher’s previous teammates.
I defiantly thought Schumacher would have done better so far this season and am surprised Rosberg has done better than him so far, but I think when we compare them at the end of the season Schumacher will have the upper hand.
K. Chandra Shekhar
14th April 2010, 18:17
Without favouring either driver, if we look at only the races, Schumi was at a disadvantage in Australia & Malaysia. 3 years / rusty / etc., are some stories. Think from Barcelona onwards we will see the real Schumi.
sato113
14th April 2010, 18:38
All we have is Bahrain to look at SHU vs ROS (during a race of course). SHU got unlucky through no fault of his own in Australia and Malaysia.
Icthyes
14th April 2010, 19:06
Nice analysis.
I think Rosberg has done admirably well. I always rated him beforehand, but his performances so far have cemented that opinion in my mind. However, I don’t mean his performances in relation to Schumacher.
Even in that respect, he has still done well. Schumacher is rusty and maybe even past it – only time will tell – but Rosberg has still had to contend with the pressure of being Schumacher’s team-mate and the #3 “controversy”.
But I think three races is too little a time to make any definitive statements about Rosberg. Certainly there’s nothing yet to say that he’s better than Barrichello or Brundle, though I suspect he’ll probably be closer to (or better than) Schumacher than either of them. But the fact remains is that if he does beat Schumacher, it’ll probably be against a Schumacher who was just too past his prime to hold him off. After all, who really believes Rosberg could beat a Schumacher at his peak?
I just don’t think there’s ever going to any good evidence to say Rosberg was a better team-mate than Brundle or Barrichello, unless both he and Schumacher regularly win races in the same car, but Rosberg comes out on top. Rosberg’s legacy can only, in my opinion, measured in terms of his performances relative to the whole field, and that’s the way it probably should be. Comparing him to Schumacher might not even tell us how good he was against Schumacher.
theRoswellite
14th April 2010, 21:28
A drivers speed is a function of,primarily, his physiological abilities working within a framework of psychological attributes such as concentration, motivation, even courage.
Michael is not immune to the deterioration of any or all of these.
The performance expectations which were visited upon him by all of us may be more reflective of our wishes to see his special genius return to the races of today than of his actual capabilities.
As Icthyes points out, any comparison of Rosberg with the Schumacher of today has little relevance to the Schumacher of the past.
Seneca: “Whatever begins, also ends.”
Scribe
14th April 2010, 19:08
Well, Rosberg has proven he can produce blistering pace on occasion in bad cars, an can maintain position in a medium car, i’m not really sure what you’d call the mercedes.
He’s definatley got it on hunger, he’ll definatley drive a Senna to Schueys Prost. He’ll bang wheels an take silly risks, an why would Schuey want to do that?
I’d like to see Schu stay next year. An be in a car with a crack at the title.
akiko
14th April 2010, 20:23
What I’d really like to see is Montoya as a teammate for MSC. Fat chance, I guess. Remember when he said “you gotta be either blind or stupid” to MSC in front of the camera after the 2004 Imola GP?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urAzPF6Yw8w
Alistair
15th April 2010, 0:35
JPM was far too quick to be paired with MS: Schumi avoided truly competitive team-mates. More is the pity…
George
14th April 2010, 19:15
I have not seen it mentioned that the points system was modified to reduce the points gap from 1st to 2nd largely to hinder Schumi’s chances at another championship. It seems this has reverted back big time!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 7:01
You’re kidding, right?
rampante
14th April 2010, 19:37
Rosberg has as yet done nothing apart from very low fuel laps last year in 1st and 2nd practice. Shcumacher is the most successful driver of all time, where is the comparison. If Shcumacher does not achieve anything this time it is because of his age and the car. Rosberg has it all in front of him and only if he is up to it.
Scribe
14th April 2010, 19:52
Still I think the hardest Job in f1 at the moment belongs to poor old Petrov. Kubica is looking highly commited this year, he’s taken to Renault like a fish to water, it’s great to watch he’s made himself into a true leader driver. Which is of course what that team thrives on. Schuey Alo, etc.
Alistair
15th April 2010, 0:30
After being beaten by ‘Quick Nick’ (ahem) for three of their four seasons together, Kubica has gone to Renault and followed the ‘Alonso two-step plan for rebuilding your driving reputation’.
Step 1: after being beaten by a team-mate, learn your lesson: that guy was too quick; get a slower guy. Preferably, get the slowest team-mate you can: a rookie like Piquet Jnr. or Grosjean will suffice. And make them do all the wet-weather testing and such. Step 2: thrash said rubbish driver and people will think that you are driving ‘at the top of your game’. All sins will be forgotton. And you will be on the path to success.
Xanathos
14th April 2010, 20:05
Sorry, but comparing those two after just three races (of which two went horribly wrong for Schumacher, and he wasn’t to blame for it) is pretty useless. Based on this statistics you could say that Andrea de Cesaris was a great driver…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 7:00
Only if you were incredibly stupid.
Aleksandar_Serbia
14th April 2010, 20:59
When Michael Jordan came back he was not at his peak, and his Wizards performance does not smother the best he once was.
Micheal Schumacher can loose to Rosberg for 3 years in a row, still does not prove anything, only to the people who hate him.
People don’t get it, when all is said and done and forty years from now, when our children look at the record books, they will see winners, not guys who beat retired drivers. If Nico doesn’t win championships, he will be forgotten!
David A
14th April 2010, 21:46
I agree with what you said. And indeed no-one remembers Schumacher for beating Piquet, but instead for his 7 titles and 91 wins (hopefully he’ll add to this!). So yeah, if Rosberg beats Schumi but doesn’t even come close to a title he will be forgotten.
Alistair
15th April 2010, 0:17
Schumacher didn’t beat Piquet! I’ve posted a detailed comment on this.
And it won’t be forgotten if Rosberg beats Schumi. It will, inevitably, tarnish his legacy. All the Schumi books with have chapter after chapter of Schumi’s triumphs…and then this sorry epilogue to his record-breaking career. It’s not exactly the best way to leave the sport: still it’s not as bad as what happened to Hill and Mansell. Prost, however, timed it perfectly with a championship he knew he couldn’t repeat.
David A
15th April 2010, 0:37
I realised Schumi didn’t beat Piquet after posting that :P
But while you may have a point about Schumacher’s legacy, I was agreeing with Aleksandar that if Rosberg fails to impress in the remainder of his career, after a year of performing well against Schumacher, he will largely be forgotten.
The Genuine Jim
14th April 2010, 21:21
“Some suggest Brundle was dropped not because of a lack of performance but for having a little too much.”
Keith, what evidence do you know of for this? I’m curious. Why would a team activly try to not be as strong as possible?
RandomChimp
14th April 2010, 23:33
Because Briatore is at the helm…
Alistair
15th April 2010, 0:10
There are different perspectives on what makes the strongest team. Approach 1: Some teams (at the behest of certain drivers) build their team around certain drivers and try to offer them the best chance of winning by giving them the focus of the team whilst having a subservient no: 2 driver who is unable to compete with the no: 1 driver. Approach 2: Other teams feel that by having the best drivers they can hire, both fighting it out on an equal footing, it pushes both the drivers, individually, and the team, collectively, to the best results possible.
Approach 1 stands the best chance of winning the drivers’ championship; approach 2, the constructors’ championship. Both approaches tend to lead to hostility within the team; more so approach 2, though, as both drivers may fall-out and divisions in the team may form. In Approach 1, usually, only the unlucky no: 2 incumbent feels aggrieved. A disadvantage of Approach 1, though, is that it’s seen as unfair, in principle. Yet, a driver who follows it tends to generate an aura of invincibility: never being paired with a driver who could give him a run for his money.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 7:00
Briatore has a track record of building teams around a strong lead driver and pairing them with a weaker number two. Brundle’s experience in 1992 reminds me of Trulli’s in 2004.
Looking at the graphs for Brundle and Patrese, it’s hard to deny Schumacher had a better team mate in Brundle (though I concede a year’s experience wouldn’t have hurt Schumacher either).
Hallard
14th April 2010, 21:21
I think that the in-season testing ban probably has a lot to do with this. Schumacher is quite well-known for his ability to develop a car, but he now has much less ability to do that, meaning that he is on more even terms with the other drivers.
sumedh
15th April 2010, 11:24
Completely agree.
Schumacher needs that unlimited amount of testing time.
Patrickl
14th April 2010, 22:08
Schumacher was already favoured over Rosberg in Bahrain. If they had brought in Rosberg first he might have been able to keep position in front of Hamilton and finished on the podium. Instead they opted to save Schumacher the embarassment of being passed by Button and Webber and finishing eigth.
I’ve always said that Rosberg was an underrated driver. It surprises me that he beat Schumacher so thouroughly, but that he would give Schumacher a run for his money was pretty clear to me.
I don’t buy the “Schumacher still needs to get into the game” story. he had ample time to prepare. In fact he could have tested a lot more if he wanted too. The team didn’t nearly use up all their testing mileage.
Where Schumacher is suffering is the emphasis on qualifying. With refuelling out of the way, the race strategy has become almost non-existent. That means that qualifying positions are more important than ever. Drivers like Massa, Vettel and Rosberg are the winners in this respect. They qualify extremely well even when their race pace isn’t always there.
Alonso, Hamilton and Schumacher are more racers. They are reasonably good at qualifying but not exceptional.
Especially Alonso will suffer very much there since Ferrari won’t let their drivers overtake. I’m sure that will keep hurting his championship battle with Vettel.
I don’t think Schumacher will get on top of Rosberg in qualifying and unless he undertakes some bold moves on Rosberg, he will generally finish behind him then too.
Mike "the bike" Schumacher
14th April 2010, 23:06
Keith your chart for Irvine against Schumi is wrong.
You gave Irvine 2 wins instead of 4.
If your just discounting the race where Salo moved over and the other where Schumi “gifted” him the win, then you should give Irvine back the win he should have had in Japan 97 when he moved over for Schumi.
It was Irvine’s drive of his life. His opening move around 2 cars still baffles me.
Xanathos
14th April 2010, 23:16
i think he counted only the wins when Schumacher was his team mate.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 6:56
Xanathos is right.
HounslowBusGarage
14th April 2010, 23:25
If Schumi isn’t successful by mid-season, I wonder if his ‘neck-problem’ will return?
Alistair
14th April 2010, 23:27
I don’t rate Nico Rosberg that highly: I don’t think he’s done anything in his motor racing career to suggest that he’s an outstanding driver. I think Nico’s on the good-side of ‘average’. Nevertheless, I expected him to push Schumi very hard this year. I looked at the pre-season press-hype regarding Schumi with a great deal of bemused, incredulity. Many pundits declared that age is no barrier in F1; and that Schumi would be up-to-speed in no-time and soon challenging for the title. I’m glad that they were proved wrong (for now). Because it doesn’t say much about F1, as a sporting test, if a man, no matter how good in his prime, could return from a three-year long retirement, at the ripe-old age of 41, and still beat the best of the ‘next generation’. This wouldn’t happen in men’s tennis or football; or any serious sport, in this day-and-age. For that reason, I’m glad it hasn’t happened in F1.
I would just take strong issue with one of Keith’s comments: ‘As with Piquet, it was another case of an elder statesman of the sport concluding his career after a pummelling at the hands of Schumacher’.
I don’t remember Piquet being ‘pummeled’ by Schumi, Keith. So, I’ve researched a few stats. And he wasn’t. When Piquet was teammate to Schumi, the Brazilian was a ripe old 39. It goes without saying that he was well-past his prime at this age. One could rejoin that Schumi, at 22, was not yet at his prime. I would argue, however, that Piquet was past his prime by more years than it would take Schumi to reach his own prime. I’m not arguing that Piquet, at his prime, was better than Schumi, at his prime. I’m trying to put their 1991 encounter into perspective. Now, let’s examine the data. They were paired for five races. Piquet’s best finishing position was higher than Schumi’s: 4th to 5th place, respectively. Piquet finished ahead of Schumi in the races 3 to 2. Schumi out-qualified Piquet 4 to 1. Piquet secured fastest lap: 4-1. Crucially, Piquet scored more points – just: 4.5 to 4. Piquet finished the races more often: 5/5 to 3/5. And, of the two races from which Schumi retired, one retirement was the result of driver error: a collision in the wet conditions at Adelaide.
Clearly, Schumi didn’t ‘pummel’ Piquet. In fact, I would say (and the data shows this) that Schumi lost this encounter. Aside from the on-going comeback against Nico, this is the only time Schumi has, genuinely, lost to a team-mate over the course of their partnership. (Technically, Schumi lost to de Cesaris; since that was one race, however, we can ignore it.)
It’s interesting to compare Schumi’s debut against Lewis’s. Schumi was beaten by a 39 year-old former triple world champion who was in his last season i.e. well past his prime. Lewis, however, beat the 26 year-old reigning, double world champion who was in his 6th season i.e. pretty much at his prime.
Lewis continues to amaze…
F1silverarrows
15th April 2010, 13:15
Stick Lewis in a Williams, Torro or Renault for 4 years and lets see if he can do better….. I don’t think so.
Lewis seemed a pritty average driver last season when his car wasn’t the best on the grid all season, which shows the world that Lewis isn’t as “AMAZING!!!!” as most British TV channels try to portray. He is high caliber not jesus and it still doesn’t stop other drivers too reach that also.
You make it sound that drivers can never improve over the years and are set in stone to always be below others for the rest of their career, obviously that is wrong since you just have to look at the table.
“Lewis continues to amaze”
Rephrase: “Button, Massa and Kubica continue to amaze”
Alistair
15th April 2010, 22:29
It’s always good to exchange opinions with fellow F1 aficionados; however, I must, respectfully, disagree with you, F1silverarrows, on the following points.
‘Stick Lewis in a Williams, Torro or Renault for 4 years and lets see if he can do better….. I don’t think so’. Lewis seemed a pritty average driver last season when his car wasn’t the best on the grid all season, which shows the world that Lewis isn’t as “AMAZING!!!!” as most British TV channels try to portray’.
Lewis never raced in a Williams, Toro Rosso or Renault because he was so impressive in the junior categories that he was immediately signed for McLaren (who rarely sign rookies) to partner the reigning, double world champion. So that’s why he’s never raced for such a team; whereas, less impressive drivers have. Furthermore, Lewis has never had the best car on the grid over the course of a season.
At the beginning of last season, Lewis’s McLaren was, in fact, about as good as the Toro Rosso and considerably worse than the Williams and Renault. The McLaren was comfortably several seconds off the pace. But Lewis put in some barnstorming drives that marked him out, once again, from the rest of the pack. You argue that Lewis looked ‘pretty average’ last season. But 09 was the season that most people, both fans and certainly professional commentators and critics, often single-out as Hamilton’s most impressive and important season.
Remember all those great drives of his. For example, Lewis was dicing, for position, with the monumentally quicker RBR at Malaysia: showing true race-craft in staying ahead, for several laps, of a much, much faster car. And Lewis showed great bravery, and never gave up, at Silverstone, when he kept his foot-in to take a non-points-scoring place at ‘insane’ speed. And then there was Australia: the first race. Lewis’s car was comfortably two-seconds off the pace; yet he managed to finish third, on genuine pace, after starting 18th! (Trying to keep third, by the back door, earned him his disqualification; but this is irrelevant to the issue of pace.)
And it was, in no small part, Lewis’s feedback that pulled McLaren up from the back of the grid at the beginning of 09 to being multiple race-winners at the end of 09.
‘He is high caliber not jesus and it still doesn’t stop other drivers too reach that also. You make it sound that drivers can never improve over the years and are set in stone to always be below others for the rest of their career, obviously that is wrong since you just have to look at the table’.
The ‘table’ may reflect more on the quality of machinery than driver. Nevertheless, every driver will, of course, continue to improve, year on year. Until, of course, he reaches his peak and cannot maintain it. But some drivers obviously have more potential than others; and some drivers start from a more promising beginning, to boot. For example, we all know that drivers improve, considerably, from their rookie year. But Lewis, in his rookie year, was already too good for the then 26 year-old reigning, double world champion who was in his 6th season. No other driver in F1 history – or presently on the grid – has achieved anything like this. Schumi was no slouch, to put it midly; in Schumi’s debut season, however, Schumi was beaten by a 39 year-old former triple world champion who was in his last season i.e. well past his prime…
‘“Lewis continues to amaze”
Rephrase: “Button, Massa and Kubica continue to amaze”.’
Lewis beat the reigning, double world champion in his rookie year. Lewis has established himself as an overtaking master. E.g., in his very first corner in F1, he went around the outside of Kubica and team-mate Alonso; then he overtook both Ferrari’s in one corner complex at the next race; and he overtook Kimi from so far back at Monza he couldn’t even use the tow. (He seems to account for well over half of the overtakes in a normal race!) He has won a wet race by over a minute and lapped his team-mate in the process: the only other driver to achieve this in the last few decades is Senna. ETC.
So Lewis is amazing. And there’s no need to rephrase: Button, Massa, and Kubica have done nothing ‘amazing’. They’ve not beaten Alonso in the same team in their rookie year; in fact, Kubica was beaten by ‘Quick Nick’, a driver who couldn’t even get a drive this year, in three of the four seasons for which they were together: including last year, which is most salient to a driver’s supposed improvement. None of these drivers, that you mention, have won a wet race by over a minute; in fact, Massa has shown himself to be out of sorts in the wet: in that very race which Lewis dominated, Massa spun five times. As for Jenson – who is perhaps the strongest, and certainly the most successful, of the three challengers – in the run-up to last years championship, Jenson had a run of about 7 bad races and was regularly beaten by his less than stellar teammate: no other champion got away with this. ETC.
Fer no.65
14th April 2010, 23:29
it’s more Schumacher relative incompetence than Rosberg truly outdriving Schumacher.
But then, Schum did the same with many of the guys featured there… Verstappen, Piquet, etc…
Alistair
14th April 2010, 23:53
A key factor is that Schumi isn’t getting the preferential treatment of old. In the glory days, at Benetton and Ferrari, the whole team was set-up around Schumi. He relied on team orders and the sole use of the spare car, both of which are no longer allowed. Moreover, all the electronic gismos that he liked using (legally or otherwise), such as traction control and launch control, are now, similarly, banned.
F1 is very different, today, than in Schumi’s day. And it’s no longer Schumi’s day. Just as Schumi replaced Senna, Lewis and co have replaced Schumi. It’s the natural way of things: the King is dead; long live the King.
Alistair
14th April 2010, 23:48
I also take issue with another comment of Keith’s! Here is the offending comment: ‘If it turns out he [Schumi] can’t [turn the tables on Rosberg], Rosberg’s stock will rise very high indeed.’
I don’t think that Rosberg’s being paired with Schumi can be, at all, good for Rosberg. Schumi, let’s not forget, is an F1-legend: a record-setting 7-times WDC. Consequently, if Schumi beats Rosberg, it’s to be expected. And the winning margin that Schumi has will be put down to what he’s lost trough initial rustiness and the permanent and increasing effects of age. If Rosberg beats Schumi, it would be a complete turn-ups for the books: Rosberg, as good as he may be, is surely not better than arguably the greatest driver who ever lived. It must be the case, therefore, that Schumi’s age and rustiness are to blame. Either way, Rosberg cannot win. The only advantage I can see for him, from his being paired with Schumi, is his opportunity to study the old master. He may not want to know how Schumi drives the car: he seems to be doing that ok on his own. But he can learn about set-up, fitness regimes, the approach to driving and commitment that Schumi has; and so on. To casual viewers and people who know of F1 only from the news, Rosberg’s stock will indeed rise. To the fans, who have seen Schumi and Rosberg’s respective careers, my analysis tolds true.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 6:54
I couldn’t disagree more. Rosberg has so much more to gain by beating Michael Schumacher than by beating Kazuki Nakajima.
Bayan
15th April 2010, 0:58
Whatever happens this year, I will never forget that move on Kimi in Brazil ’06. Just because he might not be as fast as he used to be (still too early to say this by the way), doesn’t mean he past brilliance will be tarnished… at least for me!
wasiF1
15th April 2010, 9:52
That move was something of a special.I was never emotional when Michael left the sports 3 years ago but that move on Kimi to me says it all that he is the best driver in F1.
GWbridge
15th April 2010, 3:20
Seriously, folks, how long does it take to get past this “Schumi is rusty” argument. Months of pre-season physical training, all of the pre-season testing, practice sessions at three grand prix, three full qualifying sessions, and three full Formula One World Championship races. Say all you want about rebuilding synapses or muscle memory, but if he doesn’t have it back by now, he’s not going to get it back. If he’s going to get faster, he’ll need to look elsewhere for the speed.
Realist
15th April 2010, 3:52
I don’t get this graph about 1991.
Piquet’s results in 1991 were much better than Schumacher’s. If you’re comparing them just for the period they were racing together, then you’re not being correct.
Piquet won in Canada, finished 3rd in USA and Belgium, 4th in Australia, 5th in Brazil, UK and Portugal and 6th in Italy.
He has nothing to do with Schumacher not being his teammate throughout the whole season.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 6:53
The point of this article is the compare how Schumacher performed compared to his team mates. Includes results from when they weren’t team mates would be completely pointless.
Antifia
15th April 2010, 15:18
Ok but Piquet outscored Schumacher even when you consider only the 5 GPs they did together.
Realist
15th April 2010, 15:44
It’s not pointless. As I pointed out, it’s not Piquet’s fault Schumacher wasn’t his teammate since the beginning of the season.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 16:34
It’s a side-by-side comparison of how they did in the same team at the same time. What Piquet did before Schumacher got there is irrelevant.
David A
15th April 2010, 16:45
It’s not about anything being to blame, it’s simply about comparing them when they were BOTH driving the car.
wasiF1
15th April 2010, 9:50
i want to say that right from the word go Nico didn’t cared who was his team-mate he simply raced & let his team mate get all the PR.But come to the end of the season who knows.
PeterG
15th April 2010, 9:58
Schumacher is one of very few people that can turn a car around into something faster. Senna, Alonso, Hamilton, Lauda, Prost, Mansell had/have that ability. Rosberg is a cvery quick driver and will also benefit from the input Schumacher will give to the team. But you have to consider that Schumacher has a specific driving style if the cars built to his liking this may prove undrivable by any other.
I still am expecting Schumacher to pop up on the podium any time. And once he does, he will probably repeat that endlessly.
I also state that Schumacher was quick straight from the start in testing.
His struggle alone make the next GP worth while.
But ’nuff said about Schumacher. Rosberg is a very good and quick driver. Put on edge by partnering Schumacher he performs very well. I can imaging them working together pretty good because it is in both interests to get the car faster and closing the gap and be there when the competition makes a mistake or is unfortunate.
Schumi_the_greatest
15th April 2010, 10:53
intresting article keith, i think thers a few things to point out here and il apologize in advance for “going on abit”
1st of asll id say rosberg is doing a decnet job, hes not exceeding the cars potential but hes not below it either. A few people are saying that the rustiness excuse isnt valid…but it is. This is top level sport were talking about..you wouldnt see a premiership football player retire and come back 3 years later and play at the same standard from the off, it takes time to get that level back. I think once we get back to europe we’ll see big improvements from shcumacher.
My other point goes to the schumi bashers, alot of people are revelling in rosberg beating shcumacher and saying all his previous success was down to teamtaes not being allowed to race him, which is total rubbish, yes there was the compliant number 2’s but aks yourself why would a team take that on? because shumacher was the best driver in f1 and they wanted to maximise his ability, not eddie irvines or any of the others!
its intresting to note too and im glad ekith picked up on it, is that his advantage over teamates was greater in poor cars. My faviourate memories of shumacher are the early ferrari years 96-99 when the car wasnt the best and he was on the edge all the time because the car wasnt up to the job. Ferrari finished 96 in 2nd place in the constructors championship with 64 points michael scored 53 of them.
There was an interview with ross brawn in f1 racing last year and he said that michael was a terrible test driver because if for example there was a problem on the car that cost them 3 tenths per lap..hed find a way to drive round that problem and get the 3 tenths back thus masking the problem. Now i know alot of people dont like shcumachers personality and the way he did things during his career but come on..the guy is pure class so stop with the rubbish arguments about favourtism being the reason for his success.
If nico outscores shcumacher this year hes done it against 1 of the best of all time, maybe not at his peak but it will sitll be an achievment nontheless!
and i think the fact shcumacher has come back risking his legacy shows his true love for the sport and competing and that should be applauded.
rant over
GWbridge
15th April 2010, 19:53
So, what do you think about “Schumi is rusty” argument after all the testing, qualifying and racing he’s done to this point in the season? This is not to bash Schumacher who is clearly one of the greatest, but how long does it take to knock the “rust” off?
Antifia
15th April 2010, 15:16
Weird that you seem to imply that Piquet was beaten by Schumacher, when he outscored the German in the 5 races they were teamates..
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th April 2010, 16:37
On points, yes, Piquet did better. But I think the fact that he didn’t stay around for more in 1992 is more telling. Schumacher regularly out-qualified him and Piquet could see the writing on the wall.
Alistair
15th April 2010, 23:10
I really must disagree with you Keith (again!)
That Piquet decided not to continue in F1, beyond 1991, is hardly surprising. He was 39 years-old, had endured 14 seasons in F1, had won the drivers’ title no less than three times and had a young family. Had he been 27 when he decided this, then you might have a point. Retiring under the actual circumstances, however, is not unusual; in fact, it would have been unusual if he had continued. Few drivers race beyond that age; incidentally, Schumi was about 37 when he (first) retired…
You say that Schumi ‘regularly out qualified’ piquet. He did: 4 to 1. You seem to be suggesting, however, that Piquet was, therefore, slower than Schumi; and that perhaps this prompted Piquet to retire. What you don’t mention is that Piquet was regularly faster in the races. The races, of course, are what matters. Piquet finished ahead in the races: 3 to 2. He scored more points: 4.5 to 4. And he scored more faster race laps: 4 to 1. So, whilst Schumi was faster in qualifying, when it matters, i.e., in the races, Piquet had the advantage.
One final, general point. Schumi is an F1 legend: a 7-times F1 champion: arguably, the greatest driver of them all. In his debut season, however, he was beaten by 39 year-old ex champion in his final year. And Schumi didn’t have the pressure of a top team. Lewis Hamilton, in contrast, beat the reigning, double world champion in his rookie year when said champion was 26. Lewis was also at a top team had quickly had the pressure to win races, and, indeed, the title, thrust onto his young shoulders. Lewis has also done something the ‘regenmesiter’ never did: win a wet race by over a minute. Lewis won his first drivers’ title when he was just 60 days older than Schumi was when Schumi won his first win.
I only make these last points because there are lots of ‘Lewis sceptics’ out there. But whether you like Lewis or not, you should acknowledge that he is pretty special.
schooner
15th April 2010, 22:30
The fact that Rosberg has been out performing Schumacher so far this year is fairly impressive, I guess. But I’m not gonna give MS his walking papers just yet. I think another half dozen races or so need to be run before we can give him a true grade on his comeback attempt. I’m not the biggest Schumi fan around, but it would be interesting to see him start to shine again. The grid has a lot more parity up at the pointy end than it did during his 5 championship run with Ferrari. I’m not discounting his amazing achievements, but if he can begin fighting for wins and podiums with this years Mercedes, I will be truly impressed.
Alistair
15th April 2010, 23:17
‘The fact that Rosberg has been out performing Schumacher so far this year is fairly impressive.’
So, is Rosberg, now, arguably, the greatest driver to ever turn a wheel of a race car in anger (replacing his quarry)? Or is Michael rusty and dulled by the inexorable enervation of age, which is why Rosberg is winning.
I’m gonna go for option 2. Beating the current Schumi, in his current state, is little achievement. We might as well get Prost and Mansell back; and when they’re beaten by their young team-mate, praise the young driver to the raptures as the ‘real deal’. His stock would surely rise after that.
James Alias
16th April 2010, 15:25
Consider the following information.
While Nico Rosberg continued to race and test (and compete) in F1 throughout the last four years, this is what Schumacher was up to.
– Oct 06, Schumacher retires. He sets fastest lap on the final lap of his final race. Is 0.715s quicker than anyone else.
– Nov 07, tests Casey Stoner’s Ducati bike at Valencia. Is 5s slower.
– Nov 07, tests Ferrari F2007 at Valencia, tops the time-sheet.
– Nov 07, loses to Mattias Ekstrom at the Race of Champions final at Wembley.
– Dec 07, races in a taxi-cab to catch a flight with his family and their new dog.
– Feb 08, tests F2008 at Jerez, finishes 3rd and is 0.109s slower than Kimi Raikkonen.
– Mar 08, finishes 4th in a bike race in Milan, mostly contested by amateurs.
– Apr 08, tests the Ferrari F2008 in Barcelona, finishes 2nd to Alonso, is 0.1s slower.
– May 08, tries to enter a superbike event in Oschersleben, Germany, under the name of ‘Marcel Niederhausen’ but is forced to use his real name due to insurance reasons. Finishes in 28th (out of 39)
– Jul 08, while trying to overtake a slower lady driver on the road in his van, crashes into Martin Kingham, a car dealer standing by the side of the kerb (who is ok, btw).
– Nov 08, gets knocked out by Carl Edwards of USA in the quarter-finals of the Race of Champions at Wembley. Wins Nation category for Germany however, as he is partnered with Sebastian Vettel.
– Dec 08, crashes out at Florianopolis charity karting event.
– Feb 09, crashes on a superbike while testing at Cartagena, Spain. Injures his neck.
– Jun 09, pretends to be The Stig on Top Gear, tops the time charts with the Ferrari FXX (later the laptime gets knocked off because the FXX couldn’t pass a speed bump test).
– Jul 09, agrees to return as stand-in driver for Felipe Massa. Practices in a F2007 at Mugello and is 0.2s quicker than a F60, although on slower tires but a faster car.
– Aug 09, practices karting with Luca Badoer at Lonato, calls off comeback as he finds out his neck is fractured.
– Sep 09, races at the CIK Karting International event, which is also attended by Carlos Sainz (Sr).
– Oct 09, leads at the Goldpokal karting race at Wackersdorf, but gets hit by a driver named Fuchs on the final lap and hence finishes 4th.
– Nov 09, loses to Mattias Ekstrom (again) in the finals of the Race of Champions in China, but beats present day F1 Champion Jenson Button and present day F1 Runner-up Sebastian Vettel on the way to the final.
– Nov 09, finishes 7th at a karting event in Las Vegas. Loses to Bas Lammers but beats Nelson Piquet (Jr) in 8th.
– Dec 09, wins karting event at Florianopolis (overall). Massa is 2nd.
– Dec 09, finishes 5th at the ‘Wintercup’ kart race in Kerpen, Germany.
– Jan 10, tests a GP2 car at Jerez, is 0.4s off the lap record set by Kamui Kobayashi.
– Feb 10, tests the Merc W01 car at Valencia, is 0.5s faster than team mate, although Nico Rosberg has seating problems.
– Mar 10, is 0.3s slower than Nico Rosberg at Bahrain GP qualifying.
– Mar 10, is 0.043s slower than Rosberg at Australian GP qualifying.
– Apr 10, is 1.044s slower than Rosberg at Malaysian GP qualifying, loses a nut.
Quite amusing. It puts into perspective what kind of ability Schumacher has that ‘somehow’ he can manage to lose a regional kart race at his birth-town one week, and then the next week he goes on to beat the present-day F1 world champion in an international buggy race.
Imagine the day when this 41-year old guy stops playing around is able to regain his ultimate potential. And then – decides to stop dyeing his hair anymore. ;)