May 19, 2003 05:38 PM
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(Updated May 19, 2003 05:39 PM)
So the debate starts again ... Yes he has the greatest number of wins .. yes he has the highest number of points ever. But he can never be called the best. He is GOOD, I grant you that. But as others will agree, he has the best car and therefore he is the leader. He wins races because his contract is such that his team-mate have to pull over so he can win, his team-mate has it written in his contract that Michael is the No. 1 driver and they have to support him so he can win. Look at the long list of team-mates he has had... Verstappen, Irvine, Barrichello ... how many have won races when they were with him. Verstappen none, Irvine won his races when Michael was injured, Barrichello has let Michael pass and win more times than he himself has won. And for the record Rubens has won 3 races. No wonder he has broken Prost's record for most wins.
Coming to qualifying, the record is in the name of Ayrton Senna... an unbelievable 65. Can Michale break that record ? Sorry, qualifying is unaided. No teammate can help you by driving slowly so that the others can't overtake him and Michael drives off and opens a gap on them. The day he breaks Senna's record then yes... he can be termed as a good driver.
These days, and all will agree, the car has so many gizmos that a driver has merely to control th steering and accelerator. The gears are automatic, there is launch control and also traction control. so how do you term him as a GREAT driver ? If you say that he has turned Ferrari from an also ran to a leader, then isn't that the work of the design team and the mechanics ? Or is he doing that also ?
Put him in a Minardi, lets see him develop that car and make it win races .. forget winning let us see him complete a race on the same lap as the winner. Damon Hill took up the challenge when he went to Arrows after winning the championship (albeit reluctantly) and almost won a race if not for getting his car stuck in 4th gear for about 15 laps allowing Villenueve to pass him. Its easy to win when you are in a faster car.
Coming to his Championship victories and almost victories, 1994 shunts Damon Hill from behind breaking the suspension of his Williams to ensure that he does not finish when he was overtaken at the last race at Australia.
1996, shunts Villenueve from behind (again ) after being passed which resulted in him being penalized all his points from the season.
1998 and 1999, when Hakkinen was king of the hill... he responds to his failures by saying that the Ferrari is not yet capable of defeating McLaren. I don't remember McLaren saying such a thing in all the years they didn't win and Benetton and Williams were ruling the roost !!!
Give Michael his due by saying that he is good, but don't say that he is the greatest ever. By saying this you are forgetting the classic duels between Senna and Prost who shared 7 titles between them. And who know if either of the two had not been in racing they wouldn't have won all 7.
In the present field, take Alonso. Last year he was with Minardi and nobody even gave him a thought that he could turn out to be such a good driver and this year he has surprised one and all by the speed he is able to generate and the points that he is picking up. And his team mate from last year .. Mark Webber... another hot shot this season. Both were in Minardi last year. See the point I am trying to make ? Give them good cars and they will show you what they are capable of.
Think over it and then decide who in the history of Formula 1 is the greatest. Michael ... or the legends before him.
