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by Arun Ramdas - 8/6/2000
Right at the onset let me state that I am a Schuey fan so some
after reading this article might consider me biased. But I am
sure that a neutral unbiased reader would see the truth in this
article.
In
my opinion the most dynamic and explosive combination of the
1990s both on and off the track is the combination of Schumacher
and Ferrari. If it were not for this combination, F1 in the
1990s would have been rather boring. The 90s would have been
totally dominated by the Williams and the McLarens (they actually
did as far as titles go) without a semblance of a fight from
any other car or driver. Though they are yet to win the drivers
title this combo has been the underdog, the only challenger
and the sole hurdle that stood and still stands between what
was an excellent Williams in the hands of Villeneuve and then
what is the ultra fast McLaren with Hakinnen and Coulthard.
No kind of domination is good for any sport and F1 fans will
agree that the best thing to have happened in the 90s for F1
is Schumacher's move to Ferrari. Never in recent history has
any car and driver combination evoked so much passion, emotion
and fan following. Ferrari has always had a passionate fan following
all over the world but n The FIA has been quick to realize that
this combination is and will go a long way in bringing back
excitement into this sport and to popularize it to greater proportions.
Thus rulings and appeals have always gone in favor of Ferrari
and Schumacher. I wish to quote a few of examples of the FIA
wishing to ride the popularity of the Schuey-Ferrari combo.
Firstly the infamous Schumacher move on Villeneuve at Jerez
in 1997 where Schuey got off 'lightly' only with his points
for 2nd place in the championship cancelled instead of being
banned for a few races of the following year. Any other driver
and car combo would have incurred the wrath of the FIA like
the late great Senna almost did when he (successfully) pulled
a similar move on Prost some years back. If the FIA had banned
Schuey for a few races of the following season, 1998 would have
been a major let down as far as excitement and probably spectator
attendance and TV audience goes. The second incident was at
Silverstone 1998 when Schuey crossed the finish line.
By
stating all this I in no way mean to imply that Schumacher has
been competitive because the FIA bent the rules for him and
Ferrari. I just intend to prove that this combo is the most
potent not only on the track but also off it. Talking of potent
combinations of the 90s it would only be fair to state the combinations
of Benetton-Schumacher and McLaren-Hakinnen. Arguably these
two combinations have been supremely fast and decisively dominant
when the need arose. But their domination has been through several
favorable factors and situations rather than sheer skill and
brilliance.
The 2 back to back titles that Schumacher-Benetton combo won
were more due to the fact the in 1994 & 95, although the Williams
was the best car around, it did not have the right driver behind
the wheel who could make the car do that little bit more to
win. The banning of electronic aids and the sad and untimely
demise of Senna and the limited driving skills (at that time)
of Damon Hill and David Coulthard were not good enough to challenge
Schumacher and Benetton. I am saying this without taking anything
away from Schumacher and his brilliant drives in both wet and
dry conditions to walk away with the title in 1995. The 1998
and 1999 champion Mika Hakinnen undoubtedly had the best car
in the line up by a long margin. He has been driving since 1991
but has never figured anywhere in the list of favorites to win
any race forget titles until 1998. When FIA rule changes in
1998 meant that all cars had to be redesigned to the new specs,
McLaren landed with the best chassis and Illmor-Mercedes Benz
with the most powerful.
If
Schumacher does goes on to win this years' title then I am sure
there will be very very few unhappy faces in F1. But if Michael
Schumacher does not win the drivers title with Ferrari at all,
this combination will be remembered by all of Formula1 and will
be rated as the best combination never to have won the drivers
title - "Kings without a Crown".
If
any reader has any comments about this article please feel free
to mail me at arun@mschumacher.com.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the author are not necessarily those
of mSchumacher.com, which may differ.
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