Having trawled through my recording of the Chinese GP, I am glad to say that the written race review is now up for your reading pleasure (?). You can access it via the main page of the site, or at this link:
If I may say so myself , I think this is one of the better written reviews in a while. I would be particularly interested in your comments on my theory about why Schumacher is struggling.
As for your view on Schumacher, I think it is still too early to make a judgement - especially considering the unusual races we have had recently. Mercedes have said that Schumacher was equal to Rosberg's pace in the dry in Malaysia, so he seems to be improving. It could be just a case of time to get back towards his best. Luck hasn't been on his side so far this year either, with a mechanical failure at Sepang and an incident at Turn 1 in Melbourne which probably cost him a bucket of points. Maybe if he can get some luck and get onto the podium at one of the next few races - Monaco is probably his best chance, considering it has more of an emphasis on driver performance - it could spark something inside him, and if it does, it will be fascinating to see if he has the desire to keep it going. It also provides Mercedes with a tough dilemma. Do they pursue to get the car working for Schumacher, possibly at the expense of Rosberg, or do they just keep going with the current trim that seems to suit Rosberg very well.
also, one small piece of housekeeping - could you please update the list of Badoer's active years in F1 on the Index of Reject Drivers to include 09?
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet" -Abraham Lincoln
Re: Schumacher, it is still fair to say that it is early in the season and that he is still a little unfamiliar with the car and the team. But I think there comes a point where that argument doesn't hold water anymore, and that you have to say that he simply hasn't got the edge. I don't think that point has come yet, he still has time to adapt to the car, but I think the problem is that he expects to car to be adapted to him. As said, I reserve definitive judgment for the moment (it would only take one or two races for him to win us back over), but he is going to have to adapt himself because Nico is coping just fine.
I've read the review. Sterling job as usual. I agree with your theory about Schumacher's sub-par performances, and that opens me a question: did he know that he wouldn't have all the testing he needed and that the team wouldn't be gravitating around him before coming back?
While I doubt it tells the whole story, Schumacher is to have a new chassis for Barcelona because, according to Ross Brawn:
Ross Brawn wrote:"The one he had got damaged during the first few races and we repaired it as best we could at the races. But now we are back at base we are going to re-introduce the test chassis and he will be using that in Barcelona."
Might explain why he's been off the pace and perhaps knocking his confidence in the car, which may take a few races to restore. But I don't think this is the full story of why Rosberg is out-performing him. After all, Schumi came second in the 1994 (?) Spanish GP with a broken gearbox (4th gear gone?).
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
dr-baker wrote:After all, Schumi came second in the 1994 (?) Spanish GP with a broken gearbox (4th gear gone?).
It was Spain 1994 but the problem was far more dramatic - he was stuck in 5th gear for 2/3 of the race!
Thanks - I knew it was something dramatic and I thought I would get a detail wrong - thanks for reminding me.
watka wrote:I find it amusing that whilst you're one of the more openly Christian guys here, you are still first and foremost associated with an eye for the ladies!
dinizintheoven wrote:GOOD CHRISTIANS do not go to jail. EVERYONE ON FORMULA ONE REJECTS should be in jail.
, I think this is one of the better written reviews in a while. I would be particularly interested in your comments on my theory about why Schumacher is struggling.
