Is Michael Schumacher the best?

[ChrisL]

Who would have thought at the start of the year that M S would be legitimately lapped during a race... and by no less than someone on their way to becoming the youngest person to ever win an F1 grand Prix.

[patbarry]

JPM posted a good time in Monza today, it will be interesting to see how the big Michelin/Bridgestone issue plays out over the weekend. I wonder with the narrower tires whether the Michelin runners will maintain the pace of previous races. I remember at the start of the season everyone said the Ferrari package was the best, but they have certainly been eclipsed by Williams and perhaps even Renault.

As to whether Schuey is the best, I think he certainly the best at bringing together the environment he needs to succeed. And I still like him from the 1995 (was that the right year?) when he won the championship for Benneton using a Ford engine in a year when there were better packages.

[David Morton]

Well, he certainly did the business today in Monza. Very impressive and he did not revert to underhand dirty tricks either.
As for the Benneton days, (94,95) was their traction and launch control a reality or a myth? We may never know.

Dave M

[Gary Gibbs]

I'm not sure that changing the time at which tire size is determined (from before the race to after) is completely fair in mid-season. They should keep rules stable throughout the season. The rule makes sense to me as you have all of the specs checked at the end of the race; however, I think the FIA is sucking up to Ferrari right when the championship is really a points battle.

[patbarry]

I wouldn't think there was a rule change per se, rather, a re-definition of the existing rule. In thinking back of some of the races, I remember many occasions when Michelin cars changed tires with what appeared to be only three grooves (due to wear) rather than the required four.

David Hobbs said something I agree with whole-heartedly. Something seems a bit askew when Schumacher, having won five races, only leads the championship by one point over someone whom has only won two races (before today's final results). The points system should reward wins more so than finishes.

But then, I think they should do away with refueling and go back to the days when a driver had to compensate for a changing weight and cg as the race wore on. And ban traction control. Make the driver have to actually use his right foot rather than just planting it like a digital on/off switch.

Is Schuey the best? Probably, but that Montoya is damn good.

[ChrisL]

One of Toyota's test drivers (Ryan Briscoe?? - apologies if the spelling is incorrect) interestingly pointed out during the television coverage that the narrower Michelin tyres were actually faster due to the lower drag factor.