Michael needs to retire...
Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:21 pm
As much as I have loved watching this guys career unfold (his early career was much more exciting than his F1 career due to the gross lack of competition after Mika Hakkinen retired), he has nothing left to prove. How many great driving talent has been squandered while Bernie and Max try to hang onto their cashcow. He is like Michael Jordan in his last year now. Yes, he can still do it, but why?
Alonso has arrived and will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. It's about time the old guys make way for baby. I think I would rather see Lewis Hamilton, Anthony Davidson, Robert Kubica, Heikki Kovalainen, join Jr Rosberg and company. Let's see Heidfeld, PDLR, and Wurz in competitive rides before they are too old like Mika Salo, Olivier Panis, Tomas Enge, Alan McNish, and others. Get rid of seat hogging rolling chicanes like Jenson Button (yeah, I said it!), David Coulthard, Ralf Shoe, JV and Jarno Trulli if they aren't consistently challenging for points or podiums. If F1 can let some one with a dossier like Juan Montoya's just go by the wayside, JB, DC, RS, JV, and JT definitely need to stepdown.
In a sort of unrelated note, I've never been truly enamoured with Michael Schumacher although I've always appreciated his talent, and I wasn't sure why until last night. I found myself on YouTube.Com watching the podium celebration of Imola 1994 after the death of Ayrton Senna. Michael Schumacher was jumping around and carrying on like he had just won the championship, grinning and mugging and pumping his fists in the air while subdued runner up Nicola Larini and third placed Mika Hakkinen looked like WW III had just broke out! All of the drivers at that point knew Senna was near death or dead already (the red flag was 2 hours long!). We are talking about Senna dying in front of him in the race!! Add to this Roland Ratzenberger had died the day beore in practice, Rubens Barrichello was in the hospital ICU after a shunt of his own, Pedro Lamy rearended JJ Lehto stalled Benetton at unabatted speed at the start a la Ricardo Paletti [fortunately both drivers were unhurt], and here is Schumacher dancing around like nothing at all out of the ordinary had happened that weekend. How shameful!! He made some weak remark about learning from the incident in the post race interview while Mika Hakkinen looked on in utter disbelief. Add to this the disqualifications, the dodgey moves, the politics. Just like his mentor Alain Prost, he is too good to have to resort to all that crap, which let's me know that dispite all of the wins and accolades, something is deficient.
Now before you die hard Shoefans attempt to take me out to the killing fields, I'm reminded of IndyCar champ Dan Wheldon who, as he was taking the checkered flag in the first race of the season, told his team over the radio not to celebrate out of respect for the fallen Paul Dana. On the podium he refused to spray the champaigne and encouraged the other two podium finishers to do the same. What a class act!! 10 Formula 1 World Championships for Michael Schumacher wouldn't make him half the champion of Dan Wheldon in my opinion.
Michael Schumacher. Great? Yes. The greatest? Never!
Alonso has arrived and will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. It's about time the old guys make way for baby. I think I would rather see Lewis Hamilton, Anthony Davidson, Robert Kubica, Heikki Kovalainen, join Jr Rosberg and company. Let's see Heidfeld, PDLR, and Wurz in competitive rides before they are too old like Mika Salo, Olivier Panis, Tomas Enge, Alan McNish, and others. Get rid of seat hogging rolling chicanes like Jenson Button (yeah, I said it!), David Coulthard, Ralf Shoe, JV and Jarno Trulli if they aren't consistently challenging for points or podiums. If F1 can let some one with a dossier like Juan Montoya's just go by the wayside, JB, DC, RS, JV, and JT definitely need to stepdown.
In a sort of unrelated note, I've never been truly enamoured with Michael Schumacher although I've always appreciated his talent, and I wasn't sure why until last night. I found myself on YouTube.Com watching the podium celebration of Imola 1994 after the death of Ayrton Senna. Michael Schumacher was jumping around and carrying on like he had just won the championship, grinning and mugging and pumping his fists in the air while subdued runner up Nicola Larini and third placed Mika Hakkinen looked like WW III had just broke out! All of the drivers at that point knew Senna was near death or dead already (the red flag was 2 hours long!). We are talking about Senna dying in front of him in the race!! Add to this Roland Ratzenberger had died the day beore in practice, Rubens Barrichello was in the hospital ICU after a shunt of his own, Pedro Lamy rearended JJ Lehto stalled Benetton at unabatted speed at the start a la Ricardo Paletti [fortunately both drivers were unhurt], and here is Schumacher dancing around like nothing at all out of the ordinary had happened that weekend. How shameful!! He made some weak remark about learning from the incident in the post race interview while Mika Hakkinen looked on in utter disbelief. Add to this the disqualifications, the dodgey moves, the politics. Just like his mentor Alain Prost, he is too good to have to resort to all that crap, which let's me know that dispite all of the wins and accolades, something is deficient.
Now before you die hard Shoefans attempt to take me out to the killing fields, I'm reminded of IndyCar champ Dan Wheldon who, as he was taking the checkered flag in the first race of the season, told his team over the radio not to celebrate out of respect for the fallen Paul Dana. On the podium he refused to spray the champaigne and encouraged the other two podium finishers to do the same. What a class act!! 10 Formula 1 World Championships for Michael Schumacher wouldn't make him half the champion of Dan Wheldon in my opinion.
Michael Schumacher. Great? Yes. The greatest? Never!
