Is a fast and competitive Schumacher good for F1?

Is a competitive Schumacher good for F1


  • Total voters
    19
  • Poll closed .

MCLS

Anti F1 fan
Valued Member
Im sure we all remember the early part of the twenty first century where Schumacher pretty much won everything going and particulary in England was the stereotypical pantomine villain. In fact a lot of us grew bored during seasons like 2002 and 2004 where he was entirely dominant. But the thing is, weve all seen him last year and his struggles to simply keep up with his teammate let alone the Mclarens, Red Bulls and Ferraris. Now I am not a Schumacher fan (far from it) but i would think that if the Mercedes proves to be a competitive car this season and Schumacher is battling up front it can only be good for F1 as we never really saw the Hamilton/Schumacher and Vettel/Schumacher battles last season and it would make racing even closer as there would be 4 teams competing for victory (possibly 5 depending on Renault)
 
In my opnion definitely.Be it Schumacher, Heidfield, Kobayashi or my Aunt Meg the more competitive drivers and cars there are makes for better racing.
 
It is a fact of life that even an uncompetitive Michael Schumacher is good for F1.

Were he to rediscover just a glimmer of his former self and the Mercedes was to discover some pace then that would not only benefit the show but it would enrich a lot of lives. There is no doubt that true racing drivers desire a challenge and desire to be calibrated by the best.

Jenson Button's move to McLaren is a typical example of how we daily underestimate these drivers and their need of validation. It's a quirk of fate that these guys weakness (a need for validation) is also a strength and an asset. Indeed, were it not for this weakness Michael would never have returned to F1! I feel sure he felt the hollowness of many of his Championship campaigns. The desire to pit himself against worthy adversaries burned so fiercely that he couldn't refuse last years opportunity and this year he is still unable to concede there are just too many really talented drivers in F1.

We've seldom had it so good!
 
MCLS said "the early part of the twentieth century" !! OMG, is Schumacher really over 100 years old?
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Yes, I think that a rejuvenated MS would be great for the sport, as would a Williams team resurgence to the front of the grid. The more competitive drivers and teams, the better.
 
Am I alone? I never liked Schumacher or his tactics before, and I was glad to see him soundly beaten by Rosberg last season, Nico getting double Michael's points. And this year? Surprise surprise, Mercedes have Schumi as their number one driver and have designed the car around him. Why? If you were Rosberg wouldn't you be feeling a bit unloved by your bosses? I'd much rather see a competitive Rosberg, a competitive Heidfeld and a competitive Williams.
 
Am I alone? I never liked Schumacher or his tactics before, and I was glad to see him soundly beaten by Rosberg last season, .

No, you're not - have never been a Schumacher fan and have always felt that if he was as good as his publicity then he wouldn't have needed to resort to the tactics he used. He could have been "great" without all his tricks.

He's too old and doesn't have the "required" back-up to re-create a tarnished heritage now. Would have been better to let things lie - but maybe conscience has kicked in and he wanted to do it properly - a truly "tainted" champion.
 
Gotta go with TBY, a competitive Schumacher is neither here nor there but having a number of drivers in competitive machinery is important. I think Jenson Button proved that most drivers, in the right machinery, can win races so let's hope Lotus (both of them) Virgin, Sauber, HRT and all the rest of them have made huge steps forward in their cars for 2011.
 
Gotta go with TBY, a competitive Schumacher is neither here nor there but having a number of drivers in competitive machinery is important. I think Jenson Button proved that most drivers, in the right machinery, can win races so let's hope Lotus (both of them) Virgin, Sauber, HRT and all the rest of them have made huge steps forward in their cars for 2011.

Got agree why I'd like to see MS competitive I do believe his best years are behind him, in reality I'd rather see anyone fast & competitive especially outside of the top 3 teams. I had hoped Kubica could have fought his way through this season, but hey.....
 
Partially sitting on the fence, I would like it if Mercedes was competitive, but I hope Rosberg comes out on top......again!

Still a competitive Schumacher would spice things up a bit more, even if I do disagree with his 'sportsmanship'. However I dont think the current crop of top drivers like Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso and maybe Rosberg show the same amount of 'Respect'/or get frightened of the sight of Schumacher in your mirrors as the likes of Hill, Coultard etc
 
As others have said, a balanced season with a number of strong car/driver combinations is what I'm interested in seeing, more than any particular team or driver. However a properly competitive Schumacher (mid-1990s vintage) would provide a fascinating yardstick for the current crop of drivers in terms of ability.
 
Surprise surprise, Mercedes have Schumi as their number one driver and have designed the car around him.

Basis for this ????

Like him or hate him, he generates headlines. Weather he's winning races, trying to put people into the wall or is trwaling around in 15th place. They say theres no such thing has bad publicity, that i think is very true with F1. weatear its great races, star/popluar drivers, or contraversy or even tragedy it all puts bums on sofas on a sunday afternoon. From this point of view Schumacher is great for F1, He is still seen as a star player in F1, wand people want to see stories from his return as the 'old wsie old master looking for one more shot at glory' to ' the fall of talented ( or perhaps even villanous) driver, too old and too long in the tooth and should never fo come back'.

And in an era where the world seems to be obsessed with the next big headline, the media story that will draw people in. And an Formula 1 which wants to draw off that and get people hooked on the sometimes bizzare stories of formula 1 as well as the racing, The most successful driver in F1 history will never retire quietly and until the media get bored of Schumacher it doesnt matter where he finishing races he will be good for F1.

But then also what if he wins races this year, or even challenges for the championship? Well then in a way, certainly in terms of coloumn inches. It colud possibly be the best thing for F1. weather painted as a hero or villan of the piece His story becomes almost a hollywood epic. I think Formlua 1 is possibly the best at feeding off this.

In a summary i think its alomst impossible for Schumacher to be Bad for Fomula 1 it can only be good, the worst thing could happen is he trawls round the midfield and goes back into retirement with a wimper, but then of course Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, Webber etc. would genrate the Headlines
 
Gotta go with TBY, a competitive Schumacher is neither here nor there but having a number of drivers in competitive machinery is important. I think Jenson Button proved that most drivers, in the right machinery, can win races so let's hope Lotus (both of them) Virgin, Sauber, HRT and all the rest of them have made huge steps forward in their cars for 2011.

Yeah, that's why Barrichello came third. Forgot it was because the Brawn was so dominant..
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Like him or hate him, he generates headlines.

Can we not play the "lazy journalist concentrates on stars" card, please? There will be stories whatever happens; if Schumacher is not there it may just allow the "journalists" to find other interesting stories.

It'll be good for F1 if and only if there's good racing and/or a good championship.
 
You miss understand the point of my comment Rick, it wasn't belittling Button's achievement simply pointing out that there are quite a few, very capable drivers on the grid with machinery which doesn't match their talent. When provided with a machine up to the task more than just the guys from Red Bull, Ferrari & McLaren are capable of winning.
 
I'd also add to this that 2007-09 were three of the best years of F1 from a Media Story Possibility there have been!

Rookie for the title, Alonso implodes, Massa beats Raikkonen, Journeyman steps up to the plate ...
 
I'd also add to this that 2007-09 were three of the best years of F1 from a Media Story Possibility there have been!

Rookie for the title, Alonso implodes, Massa beats Raikkonen, Journeyman steps up to the plate ...

This - we have had an amazing couple of years. The F1 world focussing on Shumi is focussing on the past and ultimately this is a dead end. I would not shed a tear if he wasn't there this year.
 
Can we not play the "lazy journalist concentrates on stars" card, please? There will be stories whatever happens; if Schumacher is not there it may just allow the "journalists" to find other interesting stories.

It'll be good for F1 if and only if there's good racing and/or a good championship.

Sorry but where did i mention 'lazy journalists' in my post?? Where did i even imply that? Please do not put words in my mouth, so to speak.

Being a 7 time champion, the most successful F1 driver ever, and one who, is perhaps past it, perhaps just out of form addind into the mix that he is sumwhat controversial character. He is going be a topic for debate, an intrest for people and F1 fans (well for me anyhow)and a talking point. In F1 what happens on track only ever seems to be half the story.

I perhaps put it bady at the end of my post but of course Schumacher is only one chapter, one story, one part of F1. The Hamiltons, Alonso's, Webber's etc. are no less important. but what i was trying to imply was that Schumacher doesn't just have to be battling for the world championship to be Good for F1.
 
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