Michael Schumacher, a name topping many of Formula 1's records but is it time for him to hang up his helmet for good?
Schumacher quit F1 in 2006 after a run of 7 world championships and winning a race in every single full season he competed in. However he returned to Formula 1 in 2010 after preparations to replace injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari in 2009 (which ended up going to Luca Badoer) sparked a revitalised interest in Formula 1 for the German.
However after under performing in 2010, 2011 and the start of 2012 is it time for Schumacher to hand his seat over to someone else?
Over the last few months Schumacher has scrutinised Formula 1 in its current state, obviously showing he is not happy with how the season and the sport is going.
His first attack was on the Pirelli tyre manufacturer. Many drivers and fans of F1 have praised the tyres for sparking a resurgence in overtaking and drama, lets be honest the Bridgestone Vs Michelin era did get a tad boring. However Schumacher, possibly frustrated with his poor lack of form since rejoining F1, stated it was like driving on "raw eggs". Before that he had moaned about the quality and life of the Pirelli rubber, but that was the brief the Italian manufacturer were given when they started their preparations for F1.
Schumacher quipped "The main thing I feel unhappy about is everyone has to drive well below a driver's, and in particular, the car's limits to maintain the tyres. I just question whether they should play such a big importance, or whether they should last a bit longer, and that you can drive at normal racing car speed and not cruise around like we have a safety car." Pirelli front man Paul Hembery made a good point that "other drivers" were getting their tyres to work, so it was obviously not their fault.
Now as the Monaco Grand Prix draws closer, on a track which has seen some positive safety improvements since Sergio Perez's accident last year in Qualifying for the race, Schumacher questioned the safety of the circuit. Monaco is renowned for its risk and with the cars so close to the barrier it will never be 100% safe, but that is part of the thrill that comes from racing around Monaco, surely? If you asked the drivers what they thought of Monaco, the adjectives "special" and "amazing" are common occurrences.
Or though Schumacher admitted it is a "unique" track, he was still not happy with the safety despite improvements that have been made. He said "In a way, you could look at it with a big portion of irony with regards to the contradiction that, for so many years we have successfully campaigned for more track safety, and then we deliberately race in Monaco." However he then added on a more positive note "But in my view this is justifiable once a year, especially as the circuit is really so much fun to drive. Every time you go there, you just look forward to finally getting out and driving the track."
So is this moaning from Michael emphasising his disappointment that the results everyone expected have not come to him? There is no doubt he has a fast car underneath him this year, look at Rosberg's win in China, but Schumacher is languishing at the bottom of the leader board, on 2 points in 18th.
We have to look at someone who has been put in a similar situation. Take Raikkonen for instance. He has arrived back in F1 after a revitalised passion for racing in the sport. The "Ice Man" also had a similar break from the series and he has come back and immediately scored 2 podiums in 5 races. The car is quick but then some could argue so was Schumachers Mercedes W01 in 2010, but he could only manage a best result of 4th.
The question is, will Schumacher return in 2013? We already know that there is a long waiting list for an F1 seat, with DTM, GP2, GP3 and F1 test drivers all vying for seats that are only gifted to them through retirement or driver change. Would it be more worth while to see a rookie or younger driver taking his seat? The question remains, but we will have to see what the answer will be at the end of 2012.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
However after under performing in 2010, 2011 and the start of 2012 is it time for Schumacher to hand his seat over to someone else?
Over the last few months Schumacher has scrutinised Formula 1 in its current state, obviously showing he is not happy with how the season and the sport is going.
His first attack was on the Pirelli tyre manufacturer. Many drivers and fans of F1 have praised the tyres for sparking a resurgence in overtaking and drama, lets be honest the Bridgestone Vs Michelin era did get a tad boring. However Schumacher, possibly frustrated with his poor lack of form since rejoining F1, stated it was like driving on "raw eggs". Before that he had moaned about the quality and life of the Pirelli rubber, but that was the brief the Italian manufacturer were given when they started their preparations for F1.
Schumacher quipped "The main thing I feel unhappy about is everyone has to drive well below a driver's, and in particular, the car's limits to maintain the tyres. I just question whether they should play such a big importance, or whether they should last a bit longer, and that you can drive at normal racing car speed and not cruise around like we have a safety car." Pirelli front man Paul Hembery made a good point that "other drivers" were getting their tyres to work, so it was obviously not their fault.
Now as the Monaco Grand Prix draws closer, on a track which has seen some positive safety improvements since Sergio Perez's accident last year in Qualifying for the race, Schumacher questioned the safety of the circuit. Monaco is renowned for its risk and with the cars so close to the barrier it will never be 100% safe, but that is part of the thrill that comes from racing around Monaco, surely? If you asked the drivers what they thought of Monaco, the adjectives "special" and "amazing" are common occurrences.
Or though Schumacher admitted it is a "unique" track, he was still not happy with the safety despite improvements that have been made. He said "In a way, you could look at it with a big portion of irony with regards to the contradiction that, for so many years we have successfully campaigned for more track safety, and then we deliberately race in Monaco." However he then added on a more positive note "But in my view this is justifiable once a year, especially as the circuit is really so much fun to drive. Every time you go there, you just look forward to finally getting out and driving the track."
So is this moaning from Michael emphasising his disappointment that the results everyone expected have not come to him? There is no doubt he has a fast car underneath him this year, look at Rosberg's win in China, but Schumacher is languishing at the bottom of the leader board, on 2 points in 18th.
We have to look at someone who has been put in a similar situation. Take Raikkonen for instance. He has arrived back in F1 after a revitalised passion for racing in the sport. The "Ice Man" also had a similar break from the series and he has come back and immediately scored 2 podiums in 5 races. The car is quick but then some could argue so was Schumachers Mercedes W01 in 2010, but he could only manage a best result of 4th.
The question is, will Schumacher return in 2013? We already know that there is a long waiting list for an F1 seat, with DTM, GP2, GP3 and F1 test drivers all vying for seats that are only gifted to them through retirement or driver change. Would it be more worth while to see a rookie or younger driver taking his seat? The question remains, but we will have to see what the answer will be at the end of 2012.
2 comments:
To compare Raikkonen's comeback to Schumacher's is also absurd. Michael entered into a team which suddenly ran into troubles and Red Bull and Mclaren were the only competitive cars. The difference is Michael wasn't the only person in Mercedes having issues, so was Nico, whereas both Romain and Kimi have been going fine in Lotus proving that the issue lay with the car, not the driver. The W01 was most definitely not quick enough to get the results the Lotus is this year. Plus Michael left for a longer time where more innovations were added and stripped from F1, he wasn't racing within that break either while Kimi was.
And quite frankly Hembery's point is no longer valid as Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Button, Di Resta, Massa and many other drivers have said they keep having issues with tyres, even Whitmarsh and Horner are annoyed with the tyres, so to make this Pirelli issue just about Michael is quite frankly absurd. Did you listen to Alonso's comment on what Michael said? He said he doesn't understand the big deal as it's not that much of a criticism, Vettel and the others agreed in that conference. The Pirelli argument is no longer just about Schumacher, so to slate him purely on that is hardly fair, Webber is even saying that the effect the tyres is making this year ridiculous, but no one has criticised him for those comments. Drivers have complained a lot more about a lot less yet no one thinks twice about it, in fact that first time Michael has complained this year.
I completely disagree with Nikita about Kimi and Schumi. It's not just about how well you do in terms of overall positions, in general Schumacher hasn't been performing anywhere near as well as Kimi has been in terms of outperforming car, team mate, and general performances of what he has been given. As for the thing about Schumi not racing for longer period of time, that's a perfectly reasonable reason as to why he isn't being a success.
As for the thing about the pirelli, it's perfectly reasonable for drivers to complain about these things if they want to. He doesn't like things Schumi can put his opinion forward.
And also you have to look at his luck this season. Aus - gearbox. Mal - hit and spun. China - in 2nd until wheel nut issue. Spa - rookie error (will talk about in a moment). Mon - on pole (with penalty), fuel issue. So actually he hasn't done so badly this year.
Then there is the Spain crash. It was the sort of thing a rookie would do, not 7 times WDC. Senna wasn't really weaving, Schumacher just turned right, into the back of him.
So, yes, overall I believe it is time for him to move on, but you have to say that some things he cannot always help so be careful where to criticise, such as with the tyres :)
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