The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
With still four races in the 2001 season left to run, Michael Schumacher has won another Formula One World Championship for Ferrari. Love him or hate him, without a doubt he is in a class of his own. Not only has he won two Championships for Ferrari, but also two for Benetton in the mid nineties. Even when the McLaren's were easily outperforming the Ferraris a few years ago, he still gave them a good run for their money. But what hope does this give to his current peers, and in particular David Coulthard?
Before David can start to think about his 2002 title challenge, he has the more immediate concern of keeping his second position in the Drivers' Championship. The early part of this season, both David and Michael appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field (most importantly for David, he was totally outperforming his team mate Mika Hakkinen). For the first time he seemed to be a genuine title contender. But as the season progressed, the McLarens had various technical problems. Most notably problems with getting off the start line. It was particularly frustrating to watch the Monaco Grand Prix when he had a blistering qualifying session, only to lose all his good work because the car got left at the start. Frustrating to watch, but it must have been a total nightmare for David.
While McLaren were having all kinds of problems, the Ferraris barely experienced a glitch. David battled on, but not only did he have technical problems to contend with, but also the rapidly improving Williams. With their extra horse power and Michelin tyres, they are particularly suited to high speed circuits, and to hotter track temperatures. Ralf Schumacher started to take valuable race win points. As a result, David began to lose ground on Michael. As the points gap widened, his early season form seemed to slip away. Whether the two are connected, it's hard to tell. But it wasn't hard to see David's disappointment after the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.
Since he entered Formula One, he's been a consistenly good driver. Occasionally prone to succumbing to pressure, but one of the few drivers who is quite happy in having a go at overtaking Michael Schumacher. One of the highlights of last season was an overtaking tussle with Michael where David gave him a tasty hand gesture as he went past. Although he apologised after the race, it was extremely funny. And no doubt one that will be skipped in those abysmal 'funny sporting highlights' shows.
In the past he has effectively been the number two driver in the team. Both when he was at Williams with Damon Hill, and McLaren with Mika Hakkinen. Although McLaren have always claimed they treat both drivers equally, more decisions seem to have gone Mika's way. Understandable when you consider he won the Championship two years in succession. In all honesty it was difficult to justify the drivers as equal. This season David has easily been McLaren's best driver. Admittedly Mika has gone off the boil, and has had more than his fair share of technical problems. But even when he has got it together, on the whole David has outperformed him.
But now Michael is World Champion, David needs to concentrate on looking over his shoulder, and keeping hold of that second place. Both Reubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher are breathing down his neck in the points table, and I can quite easily see David ending up fourth unless he picks up his form again. Reubens has been having a good season, and now Michael has won the Championship, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him helping Reubens maximise his points where appropriate. As for Ralf, the four remaining races are all high speed, and will suit the Williams. It's certainly not going to be easy for David. He has said that he has no interest in where he finishes in the table now. Ultimately coming first is all that matters. Though I would have thought ending second would give him a great amount of satisfaction. In his career so far he has come third in the Championship four times, but no higher. It would also show that he is the main man at McLaren, regardless of whether Mika stays or goes.
As for next season, well who knows? Unless McLaren have some amazing improvements to their cars for next year, I could see them coming off third best behind Ferrari and Williams. So even if David is on top of his game, any title challenge will be over before it's begun. In the longer term, until he retires Michael will always be a threat. And Ralf is surely a future World Champion in the making. Beyond that, drivers such as Raikonnen, Heidfeld, and hopefully Button, have great potential. So David Coulthard - World Champion, may be something we never get to see. It's ironic that when the McLaren's were the top cars, Mika came good and won the Championship. Now David has improved, they're not. I think for all time greats like Michael, timing doesn't really come into it. Those kind of drivers will win Championships through skill. But for people like David, he really needs a good car under him.
So what are everyone else's thoughts on David's performances this year? And how do you think he will do in the future?
Before David can start to think about his 2002 title challenge, he has the more immediate concern of keeping his second position in the Drivers' Championship. The early part of this season, both David and Michael appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field (most importantly for David, he was totally outperforming his team mate Mika Hakkinen). For the first time he seemed to be a genuine title contender. But as the season progressed, the McLarens had various technical problems. Most notably problems with getting off the start line. It was particularly frustrating to watch the Monaco Grand Prix when he had a blistering qualifying session, only to lose all his good work because the car got left at the start. Frustrating to watch, but it must have been a total nightmare for David.
While McLaren were having all kinds of problems, the Ferraris barely experienced a glitch. David battled on, but not only did he have technical problems to contend with, but also the rapidly improving Williams. With their extra horse power and Michelin tyres, they are particularly suited to high speed circuits, and to hotter track temperatures. Ralf Schumacher started to take valuable race win points. As a result, David began to lose ground on Michael. As the points gap widened, his early season form seemed to slip away. Whether the two are connected, it's hard to tell. But it wasn't hard to see David's disappointment after the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.
Since he entered Formula One, he's been a consistenly good driver. Occasionally prone to succumbing to pressure, but one of the few drivers who is quite happy in having a go at overtaking Michael Schumacher. One of the highlights of last season was an overtaking tussle with Michael where David gave him a tasty hand gesture as he went past. Although he apologised after the race, it was extremely funny. And no doubt one that will be skipped in those abysmal 'funny sporting highlights' shows.
In the past he has effectively been the number two driver in the team. Both when he was at Williams with Damon Hill, and McLaren with Mika Hakkinen. Although McLaren have always claimed they treat both drivers equally, more decisions seem to have gone Mika's way. Understandable when you consider he won the Championship two years in succession. In all honesty it was difficult to justify the drivers as equal. This season David has easily been McLaren's best driver. Admittedly Mika has gone off the boil, and has had more than his fair share of technical problems. But even when he has got it together, on the whole David has outperformed him.
But now Michael is World Champion, David needs to concentrate on looking over his shoulder, and keeping hold of that second place. Both Reubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher are breathing down his neck in the points table, and I can quite easily see David ending up fourth unless he picks up his form again. Reubens has been having a good season, and now Michael has won the Championship, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him helping Reubens maximise his points where appropriate. As for Ralf, the four remaining races are all high speed, and will suit the Williams. It's certainly not going to be easy for David. He has said that he has no interest in where he finishes in the table now. Ultimately coming first is all that matters. Though I would have thought ending second would give him a great amount of satisfaction. In his career so far he has come third in the Championship four times, but no higher. It would also show that he is the main man at McLaren, regardless of whether Mika stays or goes.
As for next season, well who knows? Unless McLaren have some amazing improvements to their cars for next year, I could see them coming off third best behind Ferrari and Williams. So even if David is on top of his game, any title challenge will be over before it's begun. In the longer term, until he retires Michael will always be a threat. And Ralf is surely a future World Champion in the making. Beyond that, drivers such as Raikonnen, Heidfeld, and hopefully Button, have great potential. So David Coulthard - World Champion, may be something we never get to see. It's ironic that when the McLaren's were the top cars, Mika came good and won the Championship. Now David has improved, they're not. I think for all time greats like Michael, timing doesn't really come into it. Those kind of drivers will win Championships through skill. But for people like David, he really needs a good car under him.
So what are everyone else's thoughts on David's performances this year? And how do you think he will do in the future?
Page:
Our company sponsors Williams. No freebies out of it for me (yet) though!
Devo, I've got that magazine as well.
The Frentzen article is very interesting.
I suspect Schumi won't win in Spa, I reckon he'll wait, and win in Italy instead.
The Frentzen article is very interesting.
I suspect Schumi won't win in Spa, I reckon he'll wait, and win in Italy instead.
Anyone who knows F1 will know Ken Tyrrell. The founder of the Tyrrell team and was very involved in F1, died at the age of 77. It is a sad loss to everyone involved in Formula 1.
I go away for the weekend, come back, and I've won a FAD. Superb.
Interesting follow up posts too. I think Schumacher's next win really depends on how fired up he is for the rest of the season, and how much he helps Barrichello. Williams will be after a lot of points in the remaining races.
Read an interesting feature in Formula One magazine that they are trying to get some kind of deal together so that the TV rights money gets spread between all the teams, rather than just the top 10. At the moment Minardi are running on peanuts (they probably use peanut oil instead of fuel as well ;-), and it would be great for them. Good article on the whole Heinz Harald Frentzen saga as well.
Interesting follow up posts too. I think Schumacher's next win really depends on how fired up he is for the rest of the season, and how much he helps Barrichello. Williams will be after a lot of points in the remaining races.
Read an interesting feature in Formula One magazine that they are trying to get some kind of deal together so that the TV rights money gets spread between all the teams, rather than just the top 10. At the moment Minardi are running on peanuts (they probably use peanut oil instead of fuel as well ;-), and it would be great for them. Good article on the whole Heinz Harald Frentzen saga as well.
I absolutely love Formula 1, but I think that David Coulthard really did have his work cut out for him this season against the mighty Prancing Horses, this season was a near perfect season for the Ferrari boys, they where technically so adapt for this season so well that they really outshone everyone this season.
Next season will hopefully be a more competitive season what with Williams possibly making more of an impact on the championship race, and it could be a very close season, but if the Prancing Horses are on the form that they where on this season then they could be impossible to beat.
David Coulthard does deserve to have a spell as the No.1 driver at McLaren again, as he performed significantly better than Mika Hakkinen this season, but still it would be nice to see a competitive championship.
As for the next 4 races, it'll be close between Ralf, Juan and Michael at Monza as Michael will be gunning for the 52nd Grand prix win. I think that Michael will win one of the next 4 but it's a question of which one??
Next season will hopefully be a more competitive season what with Williams possibly making more of an impact on the championship race, and it could be a very close season, but if the Prancing Horses are on the form that they where on this season then they could be impossible to beat.
David Coulthard does deserve to have a spell as the No.1 driver at McLaren again, as he performed significantly better than Mika Hakkinen this season, but still it would be nice to see a competitive championship.
As for the next 4 races, it'll be close between Ralf, Juan and Michael at Monza as Michael will be gunning for the 52nd Grand prix win. I think that Michael will win one of the next 4 but it's a question of which one??
I'm not a big fan of Schumacher outside of the car, but even I admit that he has got something special when it comes to driving an F1 car.
David Coulthard has a huge fan base and deservedly so, he is a good driver and, yes, he does make mistakes like any other driver, but I think he did win the championship next year, he would deserve it.
Of course, these days it's getting difficult to seperate car and driver when looking at F1 stats. Although it was a lot less safe back in the 50's and 60's, there were less rules as to what you could and couldn't have in the cars, which made for a more interesting race, as the mechanics worked hard to 'get one over' on the opponents. Of course, the safety is highly important these days (more so than in NASCAR, it seems) but there could be some room for manouvering, otherwise it just becomes about how much money the constructors make so that they can have the best reliability and computer system.
I know that seems to counteract itself, but think about it, with different bodies and structures, you could make a far more aerodynamic car than the more expensive competition, even though they had the better computer system. With the combination of a good driver and a different type of car, it could be more interesting. Perhaps there could even be a special race, outside of the normal season, with all the drivers swapping places, seeing how people like Alonso would do in a Farrari against Schumey and Couthard in Arrows?!
David Coulthard has a huge fan base and deservedly so, he is a good driver and, yes, he does make mistakes like any other driver, but I think he did win the championship next year, he would deserve it.
Of course, these days it's getting difficult to seperate car and driver when looking at F1 stats. Although it was a lot less safe back in the 50's and 60's, there were less rules as to what you could and couldn't have in the cars, which made for a more interesting race, as the mechanics worked hard to 'get one over' on the opponents. Of course, the safety is highly important these days (more so than in NASCAR, it seems) but there could be some room for manouvering, otherwise it just becomes about how much money the constructors make so that they can have the best reliability and computer system.
I know that seems to counteract itself, but think about it, with different bodies and structures, you could make a far more aerodynamic car than the more expensive competition, even though they had the better computer system. With the combination of a good driver and a different type of car, it could be more interesting. Perhaps there could even be a special race, outside of the normal season, with all the drivers swapping places, seeing how people like Alonso would do in a Farrari against Schumey and Couthard in Arrows?!
I would just like to say now:
I think Schumacher will gethis 52nd win at Monza, in front of the Italian crowds.
That WOULD be fantastic to watch!
I think Schumacher will gethis 52nd win at Monza, in front of the Italian crowds.
That WOULD be fantastic to watch!
Congrats on the win devo!
devo wrote:
Schumacher has won another Formula One World Championship for Ferrari. Love him or hate him, without a doubt he is in a class of his own.
Schumacher was the only one who deserved the title this year.
But what hope does this give to his
> current peers, and in particular David Coulthard?
I personally think all the others need to raise their game to catch Schumacher. I think a lot of people forget that we are witnessing history in the making.
Schumacher is on 51 wins with Alain Prost. One more will make him the greatest winner of all time.
One more championship and he becomes only the second 5 time champion.
If he continues his blistering qualifying pace, he will catch the greatest qualifier of them all, Ayrton Senna.
We live in an era of a true champion and could soon be considered the greatest.
The early part of this season, both David and Michael
appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field (most importantly for David, he was totally outperforming his team mate Mika Hakkinen). For the first time he seemed to be a genuine title contender.
I disagree. Coulthard is second in the championship but I wouldn't consider him a contender.
But as the season progressed, the McLarens had various
technical problems.
There were also a number of races in which Coulthard complained about the cars handling.
Ralf Schumacher started to take valuable race win
points.
And Ralf deserved every one of those points. Some excellent drives and was faster than Michael in Canada.
Since he entered Formula One, he's been a consistenly
good driver.
He has been good but not great. Coulthard came in under very difficult circumstances. The pressure showed in disappointing race performances. He was humiliated by Williams when they replaced him for Mansell.
His move to McLaren has not been much better, playing second fiddle to Hakkinen. He has had a great chance to prove himself this year and I believe he has failed.
Although McLaren have always claimed they treat both drivers
equally, more decisions seem to have gone Mika's way.
This is true. He hasn't proved that he is great when given the chance.
This season David has easily been McLaren's best driver. Admittedly Mika has gone off the boil, and has had more than his fair share of technical problems. But even when he has got it together, on the whole David has outperformed him.
Hakkinen has not been himself this year. I do believe Hakkinen has signed for next year at McLaren.
Unless McLaren have some amazing improvements to their cars for next year, I could see them coming off third best behind Ferrari and Williams.
I'm not sure of the rules for next year but if they remain the same, you could see a bunched up field. I have heard rumours about Goodyear returning. Don't count out Renault. They have pulled some surprises before.
Beyond that, drivers such as Raikonnen, Heidfeld, and hopefully Button, have great potential.
These young drivers are brilliant and I think Alonso deserves recognition. Some great drives from this young Spaniard.
So David Coulthard - World Champion, may be something we never get to see.
Coulthard will struggle to be Champion and it may be too late.
But for people like David, he really needs a good car under him.
This is just proof that Coulthard doesn't deserve to be World Champion.
These are my personal views and I hope they haven't offended anyone. I would like to see Coulthard champion, but it doesn't seem likely.
devo wrote:
Schumacher has won another Formula One World Championship for Ferrari. Love him or hate him, without a doubt he is in a class of his own.
Schumacher was the only one who deserved the title this year.
But what hope does this give to his
> current peers, and in particular David Coulthard?
I personally think all the others need to raise their game to catch Schumacher. I think a lot of people forget that we are witnessing history in the making.
Schumacher is on 51 wins with Alain Prost. One more will make him the greatest winner of all time.
One more championship and he becomes only the second 5 time champion.
If he continues his blistering qualifying pace, he will catch the greatest qualifier of them all, Ayrton Senna.
We live in an era of a true champion and could soon be considered the greatest.
The early part of this season, both David and Michael
appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field (most importantly for David, he was totally outperforming his team mate Mika Hakkinen). For the first time he seemed to be a genuine title contender.
I disagree. Coulthard is second in the championship but I wouldn't consider him a contender.
But as the season progressed, the McLarens had various
technical problems.
There were also a number of races in which Coulthard complained about the cars handling.
Ralf Schumacher started to take valuable race win
points.
And Ralf deserved every one of those points. Some excellent drives and was faster than Michael in Canada.
Since he entered Formula One, he's been a consistenly
good driver.
He has been good but not great. Coulthard came in under very difficult circumstances. The pressure showed in disappointing race performances. He was humiliated by Williams when they replaced him for Mansell.
His move to McLaren has not been much better, playing second fiddle to Hakkinen. He has had a great chance to prove himself this year and I believe he has failed.
Although McLaren have always claimed they treat both drivers
equally, more decisions seem to have gone Mika's way.
This is true. He hasn't proved that he is great when given the chance.
This season David has easily been McLaren's best driver. Admittedly Mika has gone off the boil, and has had more than his fair share of technical problems. But even when he has got it together, on the whole David has outperformed him.
Hakkinen has not been himself this year. I do believe Hakkinen has signed for next year at McLaren.
Unless McLaren have some amazing improvements to their cars for next year, I could see them coming off third best behind Ferrari and Williams.
I'm not sure of the rules for next year but if they remain the same, you could see a bunched up field. I have heard rumours about Goodyear returning. Don't count out Renault. They have pulled some surprises before.
Beyond that, drivers such as Raikonnen, Heidfeld, and hopefully Button, have great potential.
These young drivers are brilliant and I think Alonso deserves recognition. Some great drives from this young Spaniard.
So David Coulthard - World Champion, may be something we never get to see.
Coulthard will struggle to be Champion and it may be too late.
But for people like David, he really needs a good car under him.
This is just proof that Coulthard doesn't deserve to be World Champion.
These are my personal views and I hope they haven't offended anyone. I would like to see Coulthard champion, but it doesn't seem likely.
Congrats on the FAD win mate.
Page: