Michael Schumacher

Mike Channin · Post by **Mike Channin** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:30 pm

Cheating arrogant scum or the greatest F1 driver ever?

What do you think?

Mike Channin · Post by **Mike Channin** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:38 pm

Personally, I have NEVER forgiven him for robbing Damon Hill of his deserved first world championship in Australia 1994. The fact he tried it AGAIN on JV in Jerez 1997 just showed what a cheating scum he was, and he also became the first driver ever to be excluded from the FIA season results for cheating. And as for parking at Monaco this year, well the banner at Silverstone "Schumi, my Gran parks better than you!" says it all really.

But somehow I'm actually quite sad to hear he's going, even though I've been waiting for this for so long. He _has_ been the most impressive driver of the last 12 years by some way, and love him or hate him, he has broken a LOT of records and produced some stunning and superlative drives. Shame he couldn't manage to be a true gentleman and sportsman too, rather than a ruthless and single-minded 'winner at all costs'. He had it in him to be so much more - shame he lost sight of it in his quest for victory. And we'll never know how he would have stood up against Kimi on equal terms because he bottled it and retired instead...

But what do YOU think?

Mike Channin · Post by **Mike Channin** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:47 pm

Apparently current World Champion Alonso has said the following about Mr Schumacher in the Spanish newspaper "Marca"...

"Michael is the most unsporting driver with the largest number of sanctions in the history of Formula One,"

"That doesn't take away from the fact that he has been the best driver. "

"It has been an honour and pleasure to battle against him but things will be more equal now."

Alonso, who leads Schumacher by two points at the top of the drivers' championship, also attacked what he saw as bias in favour of Schumacher and his Ferrari team.

"In Formula One there are commercial and political interests," he said.

"We are talking about the most successful driver in history and a little bit of help has never gone amiss. Quite often they go over the line of what is acceptable and it is inexplicable."

Gloves off for the last three races of the season, then...
(and maybe Fernando will get his eyebrows trimmed to save weight!)

(Hope the BBC don't mind me copying their quotes from this article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 339006.stm)

alistairkbs · Post by **alistairkbs** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:05 am

Flawed genius without doubt but I enjoyed the Ferrari renaissance. it has all got a bit boring IMHO.

Alistair

johnglynn · Post by **johnglynn** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:46 am

Great but flawed, dishonest driver, he raised the bar on what it is to be a formula one driver from the fitness and workload/teamwork point of view .

I'm sad to see him go when he's still going fast, I really wanted to see who who would be faster out of himself and Kimi

I laid 30 euro against him on betfair, when he was 12 pt's down with 4 races to go, (I stand to lose 50 euro if he wins the championship

which I think he will now )

Gooner Neil · Post by **Gooner Neil** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:05 pm

Although I do not doubt the abilities and supreme skills of all involved as a spectacle I'd rather cut the grass, with scissors, that are blunt, and rusty. At least MS' humour and candour kept us all interested

webberg · Post by **webberg** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:30 pm

He's an obviously talented boy and we should admire him. Unfortunately the English (not Scots, Welsh, Irish) attitude to people who are dedicated, focussed and ruthless is that they are arrogant.

Perhaps this is because of our natural propensity to support the underdog and then get all upset when they lose to somebody who is better?

We should also not forget the Senna was guilty of running people off the road and even of saying that he would do it before the race began. The English however like him because his talent was wholly natural (although having parents rich enough to build their own practice track helped), and he was South American.

I'm personally not a tennis fan but I can predict that Mr Murray will cause a few ripples because he has much the same attitude as MS. Thankfully he's a Scot and they can deal with the attitude better than us English.

Redgrave was different. Same drive and determination but to the non rowing public by the time he was a known face, he already had 3 Olympic golds and legend status. This exempts him from the "pushy" pro sportsman category although that's just what he was.

The English much prefer a gallant gentleman sports hero who is gracious in defeat but wins without any apparent effort. This is evident in many sports; tennis-Henman; athletics - all of them; golf - Jacklin;

We would rather celebrate a good loser than a great star.

Bit like our military disasters really. Charge of the Light Brigade, Lucknow, Boer War (several), Jutland, et al. All disasters but remembered.

Sorry, what was the question?

deerworrier · Post by **deerworrier** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:27 pm

spa....pissing down, hill on wets, shume on slicks held of hill until the track was dry enough to leave him for dead....thats it he was the best of this era. fangio and moss???? leather skull cap and the belief that is was safer to be thrown clear...true nutters.