Schumacher to drive for Mercedes
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bogaTYR
Points Scorer
dear me, one goes off for a project in the third world and look what happens when one comes home for christmas 
i thought long and hard about this.
conclusion: this is what F1 needs right now. in a grid full of new teams and faces and missing familiar names and faces, the name michael schumacher on the grid is sure to attract people who might otherwise not be interested.
wether he will succeed or not is not the case and actually not even important in my view. michael schumacher is on the grid, thats what matters. media attention and ticket sales are guaranteed, no matter what he does or does not.
F1 needs a superstar in these days of change and uncertainty. none is present on the current grid. but michael is just that. and i don't mean this in the eyes of us, the afficionados with our favourites and analyses but in the eye of the tv audience.
of course people will moan and groan. but the knowledge of michael schumacher in a mercedes is simply jaw dropping. of course nando in a ferrari is great too, but you just cannot compare the two.
F1 is safe, thanks michael.
i thought long and hard about this.
conclusion: this is what F1 needs right now. in a grid full of new teams and faces and missing familiar names and faces, the name michael schumacher on the grid is sure to attract people who might otherwise not be interested.
wether he will succeed or not is not the case and actually not even important in my view. michael schumacher is on the grid, thats what matters. media attention and ticket sales are guaranteed, no matter what he does or does not.
F1 needs a superstar in these days of change and uncertainty. none is present on the current grid. but michael is just that. and i don't mean this in the eyes of us, the afficionados with our favourites and analyses but in the eye of the tv audience.
of course people will moan and groan. but the knowledge of michael schumacher in a mercedes is simply jaw dropping. of course nando in a ferrari is great too, but you just cannot compare the two.
F1 is safe, thanks michael.
snowy
Champion Elect
bogaTYR said:
Oh come now Mr BogaTYR!?
Yes, F1 has lost Kimi Raikkonen but these guys are not lightweights:
Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg..
Fernando beat Michael to two championships and single handedly took F1 from distinctly marginal sport to greater popularity than MotoGP in Spain. And be in no doubt MotoGP is insanely popular in Spain. Fernando is a Megastar in Spain and perhaps just Super everywhere else.bogaTYR said:
It's one of those situations where on the face of it Schueys return has left most people scratching their heads and wondering can he still do it and on the other hand we all have a little bit of excitment to see what he can still do.
It's the same with Alonso. His standing in the UK isn't great due to the Mclaren year but again I think all of us are wondering just how good will he be in next years Ferrari and wondering if Mclaren get their car right this time how much fun he'll have with Hammy. Schuey really throws a curve ball into that mix dosn't he??
Add in Jenson, Massa and the Red Bull guys and it could be as good a season as we've seen for some time.
It's the same with Alonso. His standing in the UK isn't great due to the Mclaren year but again I think all of us are wondering just how good will he be in next years Ferrari and wondering if Mclaren get their car right this time how much fun he'll have with Hammy. Schuey really throws a curve ball into that mix dosn't he??
Add in Jenson, Massa and the Red Bull guys and it could be as good a season as we've seen for some time.
One thing is for sure, with the amount of publicity this is generating Bernie is laughing all the way to the bank. It must also be good for the less well attended Grands Prix such as China, Turkey and Belgium, as full grandstands may help their survival (although some may argue for certain tracks this might not be such a good thing)
As to some of the comments above, regardless of the qualities of Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel etc, none of these drivers pull in the crowds in the way Schumie does - they simply don't have the history, quality or charisma. Micheal is F1's most recent Super Star, Hamilton may fill this void in time although his skin colour will always be against him with certain people (countries?). I sincerely hope Schumie does reasonably well as it will make for a more exciting season.
As to some of the comments above, regardless of the qualities of Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel etc, none of these drivers pull in the crowds in the way Schumie does - they simply don't have the history, quality or charisma. Micheal is F1's most recent Super Star, Hamilton may fill this void in time although his skin colour will always be against him with certain people (countries?). I sincerely hope Schumie does reasonably well as it will make for a more exciting season.
Think it's a bit much to say Schumi has "saved F1", really.
It's fantastic news, though. I would be very reluctant to write him off. Whenever I did that before in his career he proved me wrong.
History might start to question his previous achievements if he can't get on top of Rosberg though?
It's fantastic news, though. I would be very reluctant to write him off. Whenever I did that before in his career he proved me wrong.
History might start to question his previous achievements if he can't get on top of Rosberg though?
Yeah, everyones been denying for months that Lotus will be WCC champions next year 
bogaTYR
Points Scorer
snowy said:bogaTYR said:
Oh come now Mr BogaTYR!?
Yes, F1 has lost Kimi Raikkonen but these guys are not lightweights:
Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg..
Fernando beat Michael to two championships and single handedly took F1 from distinctly marginal sport to greater popularity than MotoGP in Spain. And be in no doubt MotoGP is insanely popular in Spain. Fernando is a Megastar in Spain and perhaps just Super everywhere else.bogaTYR said:
ah, a fan!
i have a real respect for all F1 drivers and i fully accept some of them are better then others. fair enough. but this is not about driving ability. this is about the ability to pull massive crowds just by the mentioning of your name. of course drivers and sports are more popular in one country then in another.
but just the name michael schumacher sells thousands and thousands of extra tickets and will bring millions of TV viewers back to F1. thats the difference. for example, nando in ferrari is a great combination but i sincerely doubt if that combination sells more tickets then nando at renault.
thats what i am talking about!
thanks bro....
bogaTYR
Points Scorer
GordonMurray said:
i was really worried about the state of F1, GM. i cannot remember a season when we had so many new teams, and i mean new teams. i am pretty sure not all of them will be at the start of the season and the ones who will make it to the grid might not be in fighting form.
it might be fine, i might be wrong but its a worry. also, will people come to a race to see for instance USF1 or manor virgin? or to see some japanese guy who is great in a straight line but has issues with corners?
change is good and change is fun but too much change is not good at all. thats what i meant by saving F1. in this age of insecurity and changes, michael schumacher might just keep this sport alive. on the other hand, it means the races could turn out to be an exhibition for michael. but still...
bogaTYR
Points Scorer
Muddytalker
Points Scorer
bogaTYR said:
The change from turbo to N/A engines brought with it a massive influx in teams; some fell by the wayside quickly, some struggled but kept going, some were competitive. I don't recall F1 being in too shabby a state back then, and grids were booming. There may well have been rentadrivers, but they were all welcome to compete. The have-nots saw it as a challenge to try and beat the haves.
I'm detecting the onset of an old boys club in F1 (twas ever thus?) with grid restrictions, long term driver programs, and testing restrictions, etc. Budget caps (though I agree with an overall reduction in spending being needed) has the potential to unfairly limit the successfull, and stunt development; increased points spreads means "we all get points regardless, it's just a matter of how many". How bland.
Fans go to see races, much more than the teams themselves (yes they support a team or driver, but they want to see a race. Otherwise, why don't they just go and visit the factories?).
The manufacturers can come and go, as can the drivers, but many fans will still be watching even when the money runs out. And the racers will carry on racing.
For those reasons, I don't give a flying duck about 'the show', or PR.
For those of you who missed it, here's the BBC interview.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8428353.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8428353.stm
