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DC · 05-24-03, 04:50 PM

There no drivers in F1 at the moment quite as good Schumacher, though some might be as fast given the other Ferrari. You can't win without a good car and Schumacher has recently been flattered by exceptionally good Ferraris. At least I would say the number of Championships he has won is not a definitive yardstick of his true ability, even though he probably lost another in 99 when he broke his leg.

I’ve followed F1 since the late 50’s. In those days drivers would drive just about anything and safety measures were almost non-existent. I never saw Fangio but it’s clear in Stirling Moss’s authorised biography (a great read by the way) that he was a really great driver who almost never made mistakes – Moss normally beat him in sports cars – and Moss helped him to several wins, shadowing him all the way, this is why I would rule Fangio out. Moss probably was as good he just didn’t have consistent machinery, and in those drivers drove for several teams in one year.

In the 60s Clark won the championship twice and was unlucky not to win also in 62 and 64 and of course died while at his peak in 68 after only 72 races - he also won at Indy. Graham Hill won the championship twice, Indy and Le Mans – a record but by common consent not one of the truly greatest drivers. Schumacher hasn’t proved himself at Indy or Le Mans.

Another factor is that this is a sport, isn’t it? Clark was very fair, Ayrton Senna less so but Schumacher has proved on several occasions he is prepared to blatantly cheat to win. In Australia he rammed Damon Hill to win his first championship and tried unsuccessfully to do the same to Villeneuve. This IMHO rules him out.

In my eyes it would be between Clark and Senna, after all would you believe Schumacher was the best if he died in 1999 with 2 championships to his name?

[ May 24, 2003: Message edited by: Dave Champ ]

05-24-03, 04:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
DC 4 Tenths Join Date: May 2002 GT40: Hertfordshire, UK Posts: 477 Rep Power: 11	Re: Is Michael Schumacher the best? There no drivers in F1 at the moment quite as good Schumacher, though some might be as fast given the other Ferrari. You can't win without a good car and Schumacher has recently been flattered by exceptionally good Ferraris. At least I would say the number of Championships he has won is not a definitive yardstick of his true ability, even though he probably lost another in 99 when he broke his leg. I’ve followed F1 since the late 50’s. In those days drivers would drive just about anything and safety measures were almost non-existent. I never saw Fangio but it’s clear in Stirling Moss’s authorised biography (a great read by the way) that he was a really great driver who almost never made mistakes – Moss normally beat him in sports cars – and Moss helped him to several wins, shadowing him all the way, this is why I would rule Fangio out. Moss probably was as good he just didn’t have consistent machinery, and in those drivers drove for several teams in one year. In the 60s Clark won the championship twice and was unlucky not to win also in 62 and 64 and of course died while at his peak in 68 after only 72 races - he also won at Indy. Graham Hill won the championship twice, Indy and Le Mans – a record but by common consent not one of the truly greatest drivers. Schumacher hasn’t proved himself at Indy or Le Mans. Another factor is that this is a sport, isn’t it? Clark was very fair, Ayrton Senna less so but Schumacher has proved on several occasions he is prepared to blatantly cheat to win. In Australia he rammed Damon Hill to win his first championship and tried unsuccessfully to do the same to Villeneuve. This IMHO rules him out. In my eyes it would be between Clark and Senna, after all would you believe Schumacher was the best if he died in 1999 with 2 championships to his name? [ May 24, 2003: Message edited by: Dave Champ ]