The chequered flag at Sao Paulo last Sunday meant its "curtains down" on the career of Michael Schumacher! He did not finish on the podium nor was he the world champion this year, but it was he who stole the show without doubt. I did read a lot of articles on him in the past week, some speaking of the great stats and his dominance, some speaking of how tainted a driver he was. I have been a Schumi fan for years and I just could not resist but post my views. So here I am...
The Prancing Horse!
Success of a F1 team depends on the performance of each of the team member. Be it a race manager making strategies or a mechanic who tightens the nut on the tire. Ability of the team depends on the ability of the driver to understand this and give credit to the team. Schumi has been a team man to the core. He joined the Ferrari team in '96 when they were in shatters. He drove them to victory with one of the worst machines in his early days. He has helped Ferrari build a strong and a reliable team. So much so that they haven'’t had a single mechanical failure for the past 4-5 years. The way he defended his team and consoled them after their engine failure at Suzuka is a sign of a great and a true team player.
Drive a car or Fly a car???
I watch a F1 race because I love to, but why do I watch a qualifying session? The answer is -to see the flying lap from Schumi. Qualifying session is coming to an end and Schumi is not in front - that'’s a perfect situation I would love to catch up. That'’s when Schumi comes out with vengeance. He has his head down in determination and dead concentration. The red car simply flies. It goes absolutely full throttle, bumps over the curves and the end of it I hear "P 1 Michael Schumacher!!!"” I don'’t think anybody sets the track on fire like that!
My car is my baby!
F1 is the fastest advancing sport in the world. Building a F1 car is all about technology but driving it, is not! A race is not won by driving the car fast, surely not! You got to take care of the car like a baby! The last 8 seasons I have been watching F1 and haven'’t seen anybody nursing the car as well as Schumi does. He knows the limitations of the car very well. On the contrary, I have never seen him under utilize his car as well. He gives his all to the machine and the machine gives its all to him!
Give Me Rain!
Schumi handles the car well, fine! But what if the car is not behaving properly? Its raining and the track is wet. The car is going absolutely wayward - skidding and sliding all over the place! What do you do now? Well, Schumi is one of the best guys to handle a situation like this. Give him rain and he will make the most out of the race. Not only does he control the car but he gives his best during such times. I have sometimes wondered how he laps faster in intermediates when the others are on wets! I believe that's why they call him the "Rain Master"!
Michael Magic!
Schumi has almost been synonymous to the name Formula 1 itself. He's been so dominant that the FIA had to make some rule changes to end his domination. I have heard a lot of comments saying Schumi has not produced any superb overtaking maneuvers in his quest for victory. Most of the time he has won in pit stops and strategies. Well, if you have seen his maneuver on Kimi in his last race, you wont speak any further on that. That'’s one of the best overtaking I have seen. Truly Michael Magic!
I am not quite sure if Schumi will miss F1, but I am sure F1 will miss him and most of the F1 fans including me will miss these Michael moments! Hats off to the master!
