The BBC have written an interesting report that I thought should be brought up for discussion on here. In-house Mercedes battle turns nasty Now skipping over the overly controversial title there are some interesting points made. There was the first lap battle in Abu Dhabi where Rosberg was forced into a very difficult overtake, finishing the race some 23 seconds ahead of Schumacher. Quite the reverse of India where Schumacher had the upper hand. The article also makes a interesting point about the Mercedes, about how its in no mans land with pace. A fair distance behind the Ferrari and a fair distance ahead of the Renault and Force India. In Abu Dhabi Schumacher was 0.9s behind Rosberg in Qualifying, yet this only translated as one place, image if they were not in this pace gap. The season has kind of shown us that Rosberg has more out and out pace but Schumacher has the better race craft/pace. This is the reason there is so little between them despite what we see on the Saturday. The Article ends with a little insight, which sums up Schumacher in my eyes anyway.
Sounds like classic Schmacher: the Clear-Schumacher-Bonnington partnership has become an incredibly tight unit, a team within a team, determined to beat the car on the other side of the garage. Say what you want about Schmacher, but he certainly knows how to build a team around him.
Maybe its more that he will only get involved where he is given priority and (unfair) advantage.? Bully on the track and off it?
Either Rosberg has got slower, or Michael Schumacher has upped his game. Well I see the doubters are back in force above. The reason why Schumacher was slower in Abu Dhabi, was because he suffered damage, losing bits of his front wing when pushing hard, as well as suffering a slow puncture towards the end, something Nico had no problem with during the race.
Rosberg has finished ahead of one of the finishing Ferrari's/McLarens/RBR's more than Schumacher, and Schumacher has finsihsed behind one of the FI's/Sauber's/Torro Rosso's/Renaults's more than Rosberg, alot of their points have come through a poor Schumacher race. Personally I think Schumacher makes Rosberg look good. Edit: He didn't get the puncture til late, and Rosberg was ahead from lap 1, despite almost being put off by Schumacher, and Rosberg didn't hit anything with his nose so why should he suffer damage?
When Michael does not DNF, his points score is pretty high - Rosberg is more lower and consistent over a season. The reason Schumacher ends up crashing is because he has to push hard to make up for the qualifying deficit. In Canada and Spa it worked out, in Singapore for instance it didn't. His passion/bravery for racing into an older age against younger drivers is what fascinates me, and that he is still able to pull of maneuvers only drivers with balls of steel would think of.
I don't really care for your opinions on Schumacher, it's pretty sure what your views are where he's concerned, if he massacred a group of children it would be their fault in your eyes
I don't care what your views are either, I take both sides of the argument into account, as I did with Rosberg vs Schumacher. Bringing a group of children into an F1 debate shows how desperate and how much denial you are in. The fact is he is having a more level battle with his teammate after his 3 years away, a sign of progress, you cannot take that away from him, however low you stoop.
When I look at Schumacher I try to treat him as a rookie (difficult I know due to his past). This is now the end of his second season, a time when we usually have a fair idea of what a rookie is made of. The 3rd season really is make or break for them, Schumacher is up there but he's running out of time quicker than the others to make his mark.... again.
That is a fair comment Bright, class him as a rookie into the sport... are the results gained from him in 2 years that bad now?
Mercedes progress is an enigma. It often feels to me as if they just need a spark of magic. That final piece of the jigsaw just eludes them, but such is F1. Tough to make the top3.
They seem consistent now towards the season as they did in 2010, they have maintained 4th place in the standings, as you said - they need that magic. Pitstops are also brilliant, just that little bit.
His results are certainly not bad, but then again they are not great. If you can manage to ignore his past they do seem a little better but he still has the first major hurdle to clear... beating your team mate.
I agree with you 100%, he needs to clear Rosberg completely, and it hasn't happened yet, he is closer than 2010 but has not passed him.
Rosberg v Schumacher ? Although I sympathise with such a recurring theme, it amuses me that there can still be doubt about who the better driver is. Although Rosberg is not dynamite, he doesn't need to be. (I do not consider him to be in the top handful of drivers - which includes one Ferrari driver, two McLaren drivers, and one and a half Red Bull drivers). As I said before Schumacher's hyped return (during the rumour phase), in several public forums; I fully expected Rosberg to eat him alive in his first season, so long as he was given a fair shot. I also said that I believed Schumacher would be beaten if paired against most of the drivers at the time, if given similar 'fair play' circumstance, (including a few rookies), just as it as would a large portion of the current grid. Schumacher is an outstanding 'organiser' of advantage, which more than compensates/compensated for his weakness as a driver. He is an enormously competitive person and will do everything in his power to buoy-up a powerful and persuasive support system, just like an insurance policy covers (ahem) 'accidental' damage…
You got it all wrong, he does anything in his power and dedicates his experience and life to build a lifeless team into world beaters. Simple.
