the end of an era... thanks michael! you will be missed!

[McClane]

Firstly, please tell me where I said Alonso is better? His style is, set the car to understeer, go full lock into the corner and wait for the electronics to take him round...

And schumacher going to Ferrari had nothing at all to do with the money either did it?

Firstly, I never claimed you said he was better. I was simply using him as an example as he is the current world champ and all.

Secondly, there are many reasons why he could have picked Ferrari. Of course there is the money aspect but I think the bigger attraction was the fact he could make Ferrari what he wanted it to be. He saw an opportunity to build a team round himself and he took it.

I also don't believe Schumacher is the kind of person that would take money over success. The money was just a bonus. He works, or should I say worked, incredibly hard at what he does and despite being in F1 for 15 years he obviously still has a passion for it. I don't believe retirement was his first choice.

[Nick F]

Is it just me or did any one else think that Fisichella cliped Schumi acidently on purpose???

He did well to bring it back tho

He will be truely missed, 1 of the greatest

I thought he drove over all that rubbish on the track from the previous crash?

[otispunkmeyer]

Also got to chuckle at Kimi's quote hehe

martin: " you missed the presentation"
kimi: "i know"
martin: " you'll get over it*
kimi: *nods* "i was having a ****"

LOL

[otispunkmeyer]

I thought he drove over all that rubbish on the track from the previous crash?

bridgestone engineers determind the cause to be debris

fisi was just in the wrong place at the wrong time...wasnt his fault

[otispunkmeyer]

Im not saying the driver aids are his fault, what Im saying is that people are ranting about what an amazing driver he is, when he isnt driving as such like the former greats were. His achievements are amazing, no doubt (Though he lost one today to Alonso ), and full credit to him for taking advantage of a car that was supirior to the rest of the grid.

Was an awesome drive today though, cant deny it, he got the best out of the car no doubt.

i think i'll agree there

its not really fair to compare old to new, because the circumstances are much different today than they were then. but in general...the focus is less on the drivers side.

but if you define a driver as some one able to get the best out of the 4 wheels he's got, then schumacher is the best of his generation of drivers...no doubt

[poolking]

I saw most of the race, however I did have the feeling that some of the drivers let him through.

[Zak33]

guys.......these arguements about drivers from different era's are going to run forever, in the same way as talking about tennis stars from different era's, or footy players from different era's.

Einstein's theory or relativity is good here. Not E=MC2 (though it's a good 'un, dear Einy) but the fact that it's all relevent. Relevent to each era, relelvent to the way a driver gets the best from each car.

And in Schuey's case: how to get the best from a team. He knows how to explain his car, and help find the improvments with his team.

I happen to think that as drivers go, he is very flexible to his circumstances and adapts really very well (anyone remember Damon coming first, and Shuey coming second? and it turns out Schuey was stuck in 5th gear for nearly the entire race, chicane included....Damon's face at the interview was class...he thought he'd won on skill alone!) Shuey adapts very fast to the situation, so it is my opinion that with less technology, 25 years ago, he'd have done very well too. But we cant ever know that: and so it's tricky to discuss.

He's a race winning machine. He is a computer with fireproof overalls, and if EVER anyone were to be unveilied as a robot from another planet, sent here to take over earth..i'd be least suprised if it was him! He is MR Cool, Clinical and precise.

[otispunkmeyer]

guys.......these arguements about drivers from different era's are going to run forever, in the same way as talking about tennis stars from different era's, or footy players from different era's.

Einstein's theory or relativity is good here. Not E=MC2 (though it's a good 'un, dear Einy) but the fact that it's all relevent. Relevent to each era, relelvent to the way a driver gets the best from each car.

And in Schuey's case: how to get the best from a team. He knows how to explain his car, and help find the improvments with his team.

I happen to think that as drivers go, he is very flexible to his circumstances and adapts really very well (anyone remember Damon coming first, and Shuey coming second? and it turns out Schuey was stuck in 5th gear for nearly the entire race, chicane included....Damon's face at the interview was class...he thought he'd won on skill alone!) Shuey adapts very fast to the situation, so it is my opinion that with less technology, 25 years ago, he'd have done very well too. But we cant ever know that: and so it's tricky to discuss.

He's a race winning machine. He is a computer with fireproof overalls, and if EVER anyone were to be unveilied as a robot from another planet, sent here to take over earth..i'd be least suprised if it was him! He is MR Cool, Clinical and precise.

i remember that.... so funny. hill was a good driver, but he only won the championship in 96 simply because schumacher went to the ailing ferrari team.

your right about him adapting. that incident in monaco this year, i honestly think he genuinely made a mistake...but quickly saw that this mistake could potentially be used to his advantage. it didnt pay off, but it shows you how calculating he is constantly re-arranging the equation to better his chances of a win.

and im just reading this http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?T...al&PO_ID=37831

Hungary 98: "The race where Ross Brawn famously told his star driver that all he had to do to win was build a 25 second lead in just 19 laps before his final pit stop.

As difficult a task as you are likely to get in F1, made harder by the fact that your rivals have the fastest car!

But a nifty switch of strategy and a relentless sequence of qualifying-style laps from the German were enough to take the most unlikely of victories."

alot of schumachers best wins were when he didnt have the best car on the track, there arent many drivers who could hop in an inferior car and still deliver the goods, and alot of them were in the wet... where i believe he is simply untouchable.

next year is going to be good though, kimi, alonso, massa, (fisi possibly if renault are as good as they were this year) and hopefully the williams drivers have good shots at the title

[YorkieBen]

Bah, take away all the aids, pit him with Senna, Gilles, Prost and Mansell and see how good he is.

Probably the best driver in recent times, just been lucky to be in a seemingly bullet proof car for the past 10 years in a team built around him.

I disagree, when he first went to ferrari he was in a total DOG of a car and still did well.

Prost, Senna and Mansell all won their championships in the best car around at the time (although Mansell should have been a 3 time champ, only bad luck prevented him).

Both Schumacher and Senna managed to win alot of races with an inferior car (Schumacher in the Ferrari in the first couple of years, Senna in 1993 for example).

Prost didnt really do this at all, whereas the time Mansell was in an inferior car once he had truely matured as a driver he was in the Williams Judd which was horrendously slow - and he still managed an amazing 2nd at Silverstone.

For me Senna and Schumacher are a cut above - in many ways Schumacher has been cursed in that his rivals although good have never been 'great' - Prost, Senna and Mansell all drove against each other at their peaks.

I never was a big fan of Prost, although he was undoubtedly a great driver he never made me sit up with excitement that Senna and Mansell did (Ive never seen a better race than Silverstone at 1987 and THAT passing manouever - I was only 5 atthe time as well )