Nov 20, 2006

The Greatest Driver Ever?

By his record one could rightly proclaim recently retired Formula One champion Michael Schumacher the greatest driver ever. For a number of years he simply laid waste to what is widely regarded as the best and most demanding racing series on the planet. Yet as "Schumi" drifts into retirement, it is not with fanfare but with recriminations. To many, the tactics Schumacher used on the track, not to mention the tactics he used in life, have made him somewhat less of a hero than his records would indicate.

When he closed out his career with the Brazilian Grand Prix recently, Schumacher had captured more F1 wins and titles than anyone in the proud history of the series. Yet he has more than his share of detractors. In fact, Damon Hill, once Schumacher's rival on the Grand Prix circuit, flatly told BBC that Schumacher had not been good for Formula One.

Of course, Hill's assessment has to be tinged by the fact that Schumacher once nosed him out for an F1 Drivers Championship, but perhaps it was the way Schumacher did it that epitomizes the thinking of the Schumi detractors. Going into the final race of the 1994 Grand Prix season, Schumacher and Hill were both in contention for the championship with Schumacher leading in points. Rather than run the whole race and let the winner take the spoils, Hill contends that Schumacher intentionally wrecked him knowing full well that if the two did not finish the German driver would take the crown. And that's exactly how things turned out.

Later, in the midst of Schumacher's unprecedented run of success with Ferrari, his team turned F1 into a team sport by ordering its number two driver, Rubens Barrichello, to give Schumacher special treatment. The most notable example came in the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002 when Barrichello was instructed to slow down so that Schumacher could take the victory en route to yet another championship.

The shame of all this is that most, including Hill, agree that Schumacher had the talent to be a superstar without these dubious tactics.  But now, as he heads to retirement, Schumacher will always be a driver whose innate abilities and records are respected but who gets less respect himself.