F1 - Schumacher testing doing very well

[Welshbeef]

Keep checking the timing sheets and old Michael is right up there and has been fastest too plus very consistent.

Is 2011 the year when he is back properly in a car he was involved in the design / gave direction of the build.

[DrTre]

Aye, he never was very adaptable, unlike others.

[dvance]

I really hope Schumacher manages to embarrass some of the younger drivers this year

[Welshbeef]

I just hope that we have another amazingly close year & if Schu can come into the mix to make it a genuine 5/6 driver or even a 7 driver fight all the better.

The more competative it is the better - just 2 is pretty dire really as it can happen that one gets taen out then your just hoping for a failure/mechanical breakdown utterly uninteresting.

[BluePurpleRed]

Wasn't a main point that when he was super dominant in the Ferrari that he used to do billions of laps at Ferrari to get the car ready and that last year he was suffering from the limited amount of time he could get in the car compared to his 'era'?

So for me he was obv great but only if he could get the time down 0.01 at a time in testing, which he doesn't have now. I predict he will be in the mix for position 5-10 maybe but not up there and leading.

Just my 2p

[Gwagon111]

He's got a point to prove, and a car / team moulded around him. He'll have the championship sewn up with rounds to spare this year.

[DeadMeat_UK]

I wouldn't be surprised if he challenged for a win or two this year, but he'll need RB,Fezza or Mcs to have screwed strategy, made mistakes or have poor starts to the season performance-wise.

[Dave_ST220]

Gwagon111 said:

He's got a point to prove, and a car / team moulded around him. He'll have the championship sewn up with rounds to spare this year.

[RenesisEvo]

Welshbeef said:

Keep checking the timing sheets

In my opinion checking the times is largely a waste of time this early into the testing. No-one but the teams know what compund of tyre, fuel load, aero setting, etc etc etc that is being used. Maybe at the Bahrain test a form book might appear.

[Welshbeef]

Im not naive enough to believe every team push out the max their car has to offer in testing to reveal their hand however they will need to do this at some point.

[Ozzie Osmond]

RenesisEvo said:

In my opinion checking the times is largely a waste of time this early into the testing. No-one but the teams know what compund of tyre, fuel load, aero setting, etc etc etc that is being used. Maybe at the Bahrain test a form book might appear.

^^^^^^^^ +1

[KaraK]

BluePurpleRed said:

Wasn't a main point that when he was super dominant in the Ferrari that he used to do billions of laps at Ferrari to get the car ready and that last year he was suffering from the limited amount of time he could get in the car compared to his 'era'?

So for me he was obv great but only if he could get the time down 0.01 at a time in testing, which he doesn't have now. I predict he will be in the mix for position 5-10 maybe but not up there and leading.

Just my 2p

I was follow

BluePurpleRed said:

Wasn't a main point that when he was super dominant in the Ferrari that he used to do billions of laps at Ferrari to get the car ready and that last year he was suffering from the limited amount of time he could get in the car compared to his 'era'?

So for me he was obv great but only if he could get the time down 0.01 at a time in testing, which he doesn't have now. I predict he will be in the mix for position 5-10 maybe but not up there and leading.

Just my 2p

I followed F1 pretty closely during the "Schumacher" years (as I do now) and I never felt there was any indication that Micheal took any longer to get up to speed in a new car than his contempories, where IMO he really gained from the unlimited testing was in his ability to put a large amount of consistent laps in giving the team a table element to work improvements into the car and setup over the season. I seem to recall there being talk from within Renault that when Alonso was there (the first time) that his impressive ability to adapt to the car actually hampered setup and development because he instinctually changed his driving style to work around the problems so evaluating changes was that much harder. Although that same ability gives him advantages when the car has a fundamental flaw or recieves damage in a race of course.

Last year Schumacher started at a significant disadvantage in terms of being "used" to the car - F1 cars have changed alot in the three years he was away and while people like Rosberg were only having to deal with small incremental changes. I'd imagine that the 2010 Merc was alot closer to the '09 Williams then the 2010 Merc was to the 2006 Ferrari! Also it was the first car that he hadn't had input into from Day one since 1996. Add that to his general "rustiness" with regards racing and its probably no suprise that he struggled last year.

[Alfa numeric]

Ozzie Osmond said:

RenesisEvo said:

In my opinion checking the times is largely a waste of time this early into the testing. No-one but the teams know what compund of tyre, fuel load, aero setting, etc etc etc that is being used. Maybe at the Bahrain test a form book might appear.

^^^^^^^^ +1

Yup, plus of course a number of teams are still using the 2010 car.

Gwagon111 said:

He's got a point to prove, and a car / team moulded around him. He'll have the championship sewn up with rounds to spare this year.

I'm sure that Rosberg (who finished above him in the table remember) would have something to say about that!

[Ozzie Osmond]

Schuey was very dependent upon Bridgestone making specific tyres which suited his driving style when he was "Mr number one". He was never able to come to terms with last year's generic Bridgestones. Whether he'll fare any better on this year's Pirellis only time will reveal.

IMO he was daft trying to get back into F1 and this may well be his last season. However, it will be much easier to assess his future next November!

[Welshbeef]

Still up to 1996 - he wasnt #1 driver in any team / he made do with what he had - maybe he brought in a professionalism and dedication to the sport which hadnt previously existed and now it is the norm?

[KaraK]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Schuey was very dependent upon Bridgestone making specific tyres which suited his driving style when he was "Mr number one". He was never able to come to terms with last year's generic Bridgestones. Whether he'll fare any better on this year's Pirellis only time will reveal.

I've heard this time and again - and it doesn't make any more sense regardless of how often I hear it. Yes Ferrari positioned themselves well to develop the tires with Bridgestone and yes Schumacher as Ferrari's no.1 driver at the time benefitted from that more than anyone else.
But you can't ignore the fact that he had to be pretty good to get to the point of being undesputed no.1 at Ferrari in the first place. Lets not forget that he was a double world champion before he joined Ferrari. I'm not denying that Schumacher enjoyed some advantages of being able to dictate things at Ferrari but the whole reason he was in that position in the first place was because he was (is) a blinking good peddler! Do you honestly think that Ferrari would have enjoyed the same level of success 96-06 with any old driver at the wheel? Would have saved them 10's of millions of dollars if they had put Luca Badoer in the car instead.

[DSM2]

KaraK said:

I followed F1 pretty closely during the "Schumacher" years (as I do now) and I never felt there was any indication that Micheal took any longer to get up to speed in a new car than his contempories,

Of course he didn't. BPR's contribution is greatly overvalued at 2p..............

[DSM2]

KaraK said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Schuey was very dependent upon Bridgestone making specific tyres which suited his driving style when he was "Mr number one". He was never able to come to terms with last year's generic Bridgestones. Whether he'll fare any better on this year's Pirellis only time will reveal.

I've heard this time and again - and it doesn't make any more sense regardless of how often I hear it. Yes Ferrari positioned themselves well to develop the tires with Bridgestone and yes Schumacher as Ferrari's no.1 driver at the time benefitted from that more than anyone else.
But you can't ignore the fact that he had to be pretty good to get to the point of being undesputed no.1 at Ferrari in the first place. Lets not forget that he was a double world champion before he joined Ferrari. I'm not denying that Schumacher enjoyed some advantages of being able to dictate things at Ferrari but the whole reason he was in that position in the first place was because he was (is) a blinking good peddler! Do you honestly think that Ferrari would have enjoyed the same level of success 96-06 with any old driver at the wheel? Would have saved them 10's of millions of dollars if they had put Luca Badoer in the car instead.

+1. This forum is amazing. Even though everyone who drove with him admitted at some point that they weren't as quick (Of course RB in his latest years forgets that to give his ego a boost), according to the PH massive it was all in the contract...................

[SRT77]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Schuey was very dependent upon Bridgestone making specific tyres which suited his driving style when he was "Mr number one". He was never able to come to terms with last year's generic Bridgestones. Whether he'll fare any better on this year's Pirellis only time will reveal.

IMO he was daft trying to get back into F1 and this may well be his last season. However, it will be much easier to assess his future next November!

I really don't understand why he was daft to get back into F1. He clearly left with unfinished business. He now has one of the best jobs in the world, is up for the challenge of racing against drivers half his age, is not disgracing himself - so why not.

[swazi boy]

Schumacher will have to show the younger boys how its done this year. Last year he had the excuse of not having competed in a while, this time round there are no excuses (though im sure the tyres will be used as an excuse by alot of drivers)
I personally think that if Merc gets the car right the title will go to Schumi.