I don't like Schumi, but I hugely respect him as a driver. However, I think he retired at the right time, when he was nearly world champion and still near his peak. Everyone seems to be calling for Michael to race again. I think any type of return would just harm his reputation, he's been having problems with his neck and such. He he were to return for a few races, and, dare I say it, not deliver, his view in the public eye would probably decrease, as they say; you're only as good as your last race. It'd be like Nigel Mansell - if he'd called it a day after the final win in Adelaide we probably would have had better memories, instead we still remember the McLaren shambles.
If there's a car to crash in your neighbourhood, Who you gonna call? Yuji Ide!
as they say; you're only as good as your last race
Heh, I just went to check to see whether Hakkinen had a bad last race so I could sarcastically say 'yeah what a rubbish idiot of a driver' but he came 4th!
You're wrong though- you're as good as your career!
It probably all depends on how Ferrari find the performance of whoever is in the seat for Valencia, which I think is likely to be Gené. If Gené turns out to be useless, then maybe Ferrari will turn to Weber and Schumacher. I really don't know, I think with the long break until Valencia, there'll be a load of news which goes one way one day and another direction the next.
If there's a car to crash in your neighbourhood, Who you gonna call? Yuji Ide!
They should make a dual-control F1 car There are 2-seater F1 cars... Like you get in some planes, both front and back seat can control the car.
Barbazza wrote:Yeah, that was Adelaide 95 wasn't it? The one where no-one seemed to want to finish, and Panis was 2nd with bits falling off the car IIRC.
And if it had fallen to bits, Diniz would have got a point in the Forti.
If there's a car to crash in your neighbourhood, Who you gonna call? Yuji Ide!
Well, Iltalehti analyzed the current situation and gave these probability ratings and arguments to each driver rumored to be at the seat:
Marc Gené: 75% Arguments: Trustworthy, has been with Ferrari for a long time. The easiest solution for Ferrari. Has competed in F1 last time in 2004, but has kept himself in good form by racing Le Mans and other series.
Michael Schumacher: 15% Arguments: Has been working for Ferrari on the background for the past couuple of years. The team personnel would probably welcome him well, but has he got the motivation to return racing in a car that's nowhere near the performance of his glory days?
Fernando Alonso: 6% Arguments: Spanish media's favourite boy for Ferrari, and the Renault's ban from the next race has just escalated these rumors. But there's likely to be too much obstacles on the way now. Next year is a completely different thing, then.
Luca Badoer: 2% Arguments: Has served the team for a long time, but last competed in F1 a decade ago. Was going to be Schumacher's replacement in 1999, but Ferrari chose Mika Salo instead. Why would Maranello trust Badoer now?
Mirko Bortolotti: 1% Arguments: Mirko who? This youngster was raised in the spotlight by La Stampa. Has won the Italian F3 championship and has done a relatively good job in F2 this year. Has also tested for Ferrari and impressed the team by his speed. But Ferrari is now looking for an experienced supplement driver, not a young schoolboy.
Someone else: 1% Jacques Villeneuve is willing to rejoin F1, but the Canadian's services don't spark even the small teams' interest. David Coulthard has admitted that he is missing the F1 circuits. How about Alexander Wurz, who has already negotiated for a driver contract after his own team project came to nothing? Vitantonio Liuzzi was also noted by the Italian media, but he hasn't got much recommendations from any motorsport series. Valentino Rossi would love to drive a Ferrari and it would be a huge thing for the Italian media, but asking for his services in the middle of the MotoGP season is as probable as the return of Mika Salo in the Ferrari driving suit.
I pretty much agree with this, though I'd still love to see Badoer in the seat!
Eurosport broadcast for the 1990 Mexican GP prequalifying: "The Life, it looked very lifeless yet again... in fact Bruno did one, slow lap"
As much as I'd love to see Hamilton vs Schumacher, I think that Ferrari will pick a driver that will alow Kimi a chance to resore himself to the driver he was in 2007. On the back of a second place and in an improving car, with the motivation of doing for the team and Filipe, I think that Kimi will be out to prove his value to the team. If I was making the choice I wouldn't want a big name in the garage opposite Kimi, just someone capable of keeping out of the spotlight and picking up a few points on the way, letting Kimi carry the team (if he's up to it!).
I agree with the consensus that it will be Gene at least for Valencia, especially considering he's Spanish. Ferrari will be doing everything they can to get Schumi though.
Personally though, I think that it's only fair to give the seat to a fellow Brazilian to ensure that the Brazilian fans have someone to cheer on other than the hapless Barrichello. Piquet has broke his own clause to score half of Alonso's points so he's free. Alternatively, Ricardo Rosset could make a spectacular reappearance.
It would be great to have a top 10 list of "most deserving drivers of Ferrari drive for the rest of the season" in the podcast.
Why not someone handy and Italian? Liuzzi? Giorgio Pantano?
I know they probably don't want a complete rookie in F1, but with Weber close to Ferrari, why not the Hulk? Nico Hulkenburg? Schumi's career ended nicely. He shouldn't want to ruin it now. Him competing in a race would feel so wrong, so out of place.
Hill - 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, Frentzen - 1999 French Grand Prix, 1999 Italian Grand Prix, Fisichella - 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
ImissJORDAN wrote:Why not someone handy and Italian? Liuzzi? Giorgio Pantano?
I know they probably don't want a complete rookie in F1, but with Weber close to Ferrari, why not the Hulk? Nico Hulkenburg? Schumi's career ended nicely. He shouldn't want to ruin it now. Him competing in a race would feel so wrong, so out of place.
... or LUCA BADOER, who happens to be "handy and Italian", plus has driven the car.
In Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat Giancarlo Fisichella was seen as possibility. Apparently Force India still owes money for engines from last year and they would offer Fisichella for free. At the same time they could give Liuzzi a race seat.
Bleu wrote:In Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat Giancarlo Fisichella was seen as possibility. Apparently Force India still owes money for engines from last year and they would offer Fisichella for free. At the same time they could give Liuzzi a race seat.
I'm hearing the same in the Portuguese media. Not sure what to think; it would be an awesome farewell to Fisico!
"Other than the car behind and the driver who might get a bit startled with the sudden explosion in front, it really isn't a major safety issue from that point of view,"
If you're looking at Michael Schumacher's neck in recent photos, he obviously has stopped training and therefore is not available. Let's wink and nod to Sakon Yamamoto here.
The most deserving man to get the ride would indeed be Luca Badoer. He raced against Barrichello and Coulthard in F3000 and beat them. He is still there and trained.
Marc Gene was put in as a replacement driver when he was at Williams, but his performances weren't quite up to par.
Sebastien Bourdais might be a possibility, because he knows the engine, both the temporary street tracks that are to follow and is known as somewhat of a street track expert from his US days. But he is known to underperform in cars that are not to his liking.
So the choice should be obvious: Badoer.
With the KERS cars now having gained an advantage over the others, just imagine the crowd at Monza if Badoer performs well in the Ferrari ... it will be a sight to see.
"I don't think we should be used to finance (the manufacturers') R&D because they will produce that engine anyway" said Monisha Kaltenborn. "You will never see a Mercedes using a Ferrari engine or the other way round."
Yannick wrote:The most deserving man to get the ride would indeed be Luca Badoer. He raced against Barrichello and Coulthard in F3000 and beat them. He is still there and trained.
That was nearly 20 years ago! I think I'd go by more recent form guides...
"will you stop him playing tennis then?", referring to Montoya's famous shoulder injury, to which Whitmarsh replied "well, it's very difficult to play tennis on a motorbike"
fjackdaw wrote:Badoer is 3rd driver, but I'm told he has a possible injury, maybe a cracked rib, so Gene as 4th driver is looking most likely at the moment.
What?!? Seriously, if that is true, it would make Badoer the KING, nay, EMPEROR, KAISER of Bad Luck. Soooo improbable!
What about BMW of loading Kubica. He's done nothing but moan about the cars since last year, can't imaging he'll be much fun to have about the garage for the next race.
Lets face it Kimi is about as much fun as a cancelled holiday. Ferrari need the effervescent charm and sparkling wit of the Polish funkster.
chrismcn wrote:What about BMW of loading Kubica. He's done nothing but moan about the cars since last year, can't imaging he'll be much fun to have about the garage for the next race.
Lets face it Kimi is about as much fun as a cancelled holiday. Ferrari need the effervescent charm and sparkling wit of the Polish funkster.
BTW
Hi my first post.
I suppose I should welcome you...
Considering the standard of the F1.09, I think he's entitled to moan. Especially since BMW alledgedly curtailed last year on the basis of attacking the design of this year's car with vigour.
Kubica would be a good replacement for Massa I think, but I doubt he'd move mid-season. But if Massa can't come back next year, and whatever happens to BMW isn't positive, then he'd fit in well at Ferrari. Raikkonen/Kubica would be a good driver partnership, but God would it be dull.
