Michael Schumacher to retire ?
09-06-06, 11:09 AM
#1
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Michael Schumacher to retire ?
SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
Sunday - a big day for Michael?
Michael Schumacher, Turkish GP 2006© The Cahier ArchiveWe suggested a month ago that Michael Schumacher was on the verge of retiring and while that suggestion was knocked down by a number of sources at the time, there is now increasing speculation that Schumacher will announce his retirement at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. In Germany Bild-Zeitung is reporting that Schumacher will break the news on Sunday afternoon in the post-race press conference, if he finishes in the top three. If not there will be a Ferrari announcement that evening.
There is no doubt that Schumacher is not racing with the same concentration that we have grown used to seeing in the course of the last 15 years, despite the fact that the World Championship is up for grabs. Schumacher made a stupid mistake in qualifying in Hungary and paid for it with a penalty that dropped him to 11th on the grid. In the race his driving ability was as brilliant as ever, but his strategic thinking went to pieces in the final laps of the race as he threw away points on a day when rival Fernando Alonso was out of the race by battling to try to hold on to second place, despite the fact that his tyres were shot. As a result he crashed into Nick Heidfeld and failed to finish, only picking up a point by sheer good fortune when Robert Kubica was disqualified.
In Turkey he made another mistake which probably cost him the race when he ran wide while chasing Fernando Alonso for second place. Without that error Michael would have been able to get ahead of Alonso at the pit stops and would almost certainly have won the race as Felipe Massa would have allowed him to overtake because it was in the best interests of the team (and Massa's future career) to do that.
source : grandprix.com
Sunday - a big day for Michael?
Michael Schumacher, Turkish GP 2006© The Cahier ArchiveWe suggested a month ago that Michael Schumacher was on the verge of retiring and while that suggestion was knocked down by a number of sources at the time, there is now increasing speculation that Schumacher will announce his retirement at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. In Germany Bild-Zeitung is reporting that Schumacher will break the news on Sunday afternoon in the post-race press conference, if he finishes in the top three. If not there will be a Ferrari announcement that evening.
There is no doubt that Schumacher is not racing with the same concentration that we have grown used to seeing in the course of the last 15 years, despite the fact that the World Championship is up for grabs. Schumacher made a stupid mistake in qualifying in Hungary and paid for it with a penalty that dropped him to 11th on the grid. In the race his driving ability was as brilliant as ever, but his strategic thinking went to pieces in the final laps of the race as he threw away points on a day when rival Fernando Alonso was out of the race by battling to try to hold on to second place, despite the fact that his tyres were shot. As a result he crashed into Nick Heidfeld and failed to finish, only picking up a point by sheer good fortune when Robert Kubica was disqualified.
In Turkey he made another mistake which probably cost him the race when he ran wide while chasing Fernando Alonso for second place. Without that error Michael would have been able to get ahead of Alonso at the pit stops and would almost certainly have won the race as Felipe Massa would have allowed him to overtake because it was in the best interests of the team (and Massa's future career) to do that.
source : grandprix.com
09-06-06, 12:19 PM
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we shall see soon after Monza
here is what Renault's 2007 line up will be like
http://www.formula1.com/news/4887.html
here is what Renault's 2007 line up will be like
Heikki Kovalainen will race for Renault next year, with Ricardo Zonta and Nelson Piquet Jr joining the team as test drivers. Kovalainen will step up to become Giancarlo Fisichella’s team mate when Fernando Alonso leaves for McLaren at the end of the season.
09-06-06, 01:38 PM
#4
Out of Warranty
An Honorable Retirement
You hate to see someone with Schumacher's talents ever retire, you'd like to think he could go on forever performing his great art at the peak of his skill. but his sport is not like golf, fly fishing, or basketball. Michael Jordan retired (well, the first time) before his performances became embarrassing, Ben Hogan still made a few tournaments - even before the Seniors' Tour. These sports may be more or less physically demanding, but you are not at risk of your life when you play. Michael Schumacher may be very wise, if he chooses to step aside to become a "figure" in the sport rather than a casualty of it.
I was particularly struck by a devastating statistic the other night. My wife found a DVD copy of the newly-remastered "Grand Prix", one of my favorite racing films. Out of curiosity, I was looking at the "Trivia" section on IMDB regarding the movie that made me view the scenes in a whole new light.
Because "Grand Prix" used actual race footage and F3 cars for the track sequences, the usual stuntmen were not qualified to drive these beasts. Director John Frankenheimer hired many then-current F1 drivers to drive in the stunt sequences - many of whom had cameo appearances in the film. A total of 32 F1 drivers appeared in the movie, filmed in 1966, including Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari's number one driver who personally coached the actors on their driving technique.
Within 12 months, NINE of these drivers had been killed in racing accidents. Nine of 32 professional F1 drivers in a single year. By 1980, 21 of the 32 had died similarly. Bandini himself died at the harbor chicane at Monaco, just a few months after the production wrapped. It was near the spot where the plot called for one of the film's cars to be wrecked - but this time the blood was real. Two out of three of the legends you saw in the cameos died within a few years, Jimmy Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham . . . young or old, sometimes you've just stayed too long at the fair.
The late '60's and early '70's were marked by terrible accidents that took drivers' and spectators' lives. Seat belts, let alone 7-point harnesses were not yet required. Helmets weren't much more than padded shells, and posts, trees, and buildings marched up to within inches of the racing surface. Fire suits were cotton overalls soaked in saltwater and dried. Barricades and run-off strips were unknown. For the '66 season, F1 had just adopted 3-liter, naturally aspirated engines, and horsepower was nearly double that of the previous years. Spindly cars offered no crash protection - their very delicacy providing levels of performance not too far removed from today's entries that are more aerodynamic device than automobile.
Racing can be a demanding - and a horribly unforgiving sport. You can't lose a step gracefully. Legends like Schumacher didn't get much of a chance to retire to a comfortable second career. He's had a good long run. If he decides to hang up the goggles, I for one will understand. You can't be 22 forever.
I was particularly struck by a devastating statistic the other night. My wife found a DVD copy of the newly-remastered "Grand Prix", one of my favorite racing films. Out of curiosity, I was looking at the "Trivia" section on IMDB regarding the movie that made me view the scenes in a whole new light.
Because "Grand Prix" used actual race footage and F3 cars for the track sequences, the usual stuntmen were not qualified to drive these beasts. Director John Frankenheimer hired many then-current F1 drivers to drive in the stunt sequences - many of whom had cameo appearances in the film. A total of 32 F1 drivers appeared in the movie, filmed in 1966, including Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari's number one driver who personally coached the actors on their driving technique.
Within 12 months, NINE of these drivers had been killed in racing accidents. Nine of 32 professional F1 drivers in a single year. By 1980, 21 of the 32 had died similarly. Bandini himself died at the harbor chicane at Monaco, just a few months after the production wrapped. It was near the spot where the plot called for one of the film's cars to be wrecked - but this time the blood was real. Two out of three of the legends you saw in the cameos died within a few years, Jimmy Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham . . . young or old, sometimes you've just stayed too long at the fair.
The late '60's and early '70's were marked by terrible accidents that took drivers' and spectators' lives. Seat belts, let alone 7-point harnesses were not yet required. Helmets weren't much more than padded shells, and posts, trees, and buildings marched up to within inches of the racing surface. Fire suits were cotton overalls soaked in saltwater and dried. Barricades and run-off strips were unknown. For the '66 season, F1 had just adopted 3-liter, naturally aspirated engines, and horsepower was nearly double that of the previous years. Spindly cars offered no crash protection - their very delicacy providing levels of performance not too far removed from today's entries that are more aerodynamic device than automobile.
Racing can be a demanding - and a horribly unforgiving sport. You can't lose a step gracefully. Legends like Schumacher didn't get much of a chance to retire to a comfortable second career. He's had a good long run. If he decides to hang up the goggles, I for one will understand. You can't be 22 forever.
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