The king is back in the hunt with new and improved claws that have some bite.... Yes, Michael Schumacher is back in action.
The critics have given up on Schumacher. Many have questioned his comeback asking "why would he do it?". I attribute his poor form solely because of the under-steering car. The The Mercedes car he has been racing had a lot of issues to begin with. It had a shorter wheelbase (length) and as a result, the engine had to be mounted at an angle. The weight distribution was wrong and this has resulted in what can be caled an abysmal performance from Schumacher relative to his team-mate Rosberg.
Now the counter argument could be that if Nico can drive this car, why can't Michael? Well, Nico's newer to F1 racing than Schumacher who has had 17 seasons. If you have been driving a car that over-steers for 17 years, Its hard to change your driving style after a 3 year long break when you are 41. And in a sport where everything in the car is customised around the driver, you can have an entire car built around you because you are Schumacher! There, couldn't have put it any better :D
Mercedes made good use of the 3 week siesta in the 2010 F1 season and have re-designed their car to Schumacher's taste. And the result has shown. He is already up to 3rd from around 10th - out qualifying his team mate Rosberg for the 1st time in his comeback 2010 F1 season.
Schumacher is back and the timing could not be better! It is just in time for the Spanish GP, which is Alonso's home race. From the way Alonso has been treating Massa - with overtaking him in the pit lane so he could get serviced first - the Spanish GP race is gonna be a heck of a race.
The king finally has the right equipment that allows him to take the fight to the Hamiltons and the Alonsos and the Buttons of F1 instead of duking it out with the Sutils and the Kubicas and the Petrovs of F1 - no disrespect to them.
Showing posts with label Michael Schumacher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Schumacher. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, August 7, 2009
Michael Schumacher's Comeback 2009
There is no doubt that Michael's comeback to Formula 1 is the biggest event of the 2009 F1 season. No sooner than the announcement was made, the papers next day were abuzz with pictures and stories about the King of F1. Times of India even had the same title (the king is back or something to that effect) that I had used in my blog a day before. Oh well!
The difference between champions and others is the amount of commitment the former gives to the sport. Within a week of the announcement, Schumi lost 3 kilos of body weight. If you think 3 kilos do not make a difference, think again!
A) In a sport where the time is measured in one thousandth of a second, 3 kilos can make you faster than your competitor.
B) 3 kilos can give you an extra lap worth of fuel, allowing you to pit later than your competitor (and your teammate).
C) 3 kilos less weight can allow your car designers to balance the car better - it can give them the flexibility to re-distribute the weight of the car, allowing it to handle much better!
The last advantage comes with its own little challenge - As the (almost) bankrupt BMW Williams team disallowed Michael Schumacher to test the F-60 (the 2009 Ferrari F1 car) , the car designers will have to entirely rely on calculations and models to "gauge" the cars performance with the new weight distribution and with Schumi in the cockpit. The other part of the challenge is - Schumacher has not driven the F-60 even once! While the competition is close to being half way thru the season, Schumacher will drive the F-60 in Friday practice for the 1st time on a track that he has never driven before (the track was newly made after Schumi retired). While other drivers in F1 (Read Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso) crib and complaint about the lack of their car's performance openly, Michael has quietly adjusted to the circumstances and started testing in an old 2007 Ferrari with slick tires instead of grooved ones! That's a champion for you! Perhaps Alonso and Kimi can watch and learn as Schumi shows everyone that "A good craftsman never blames his tools!".
Not only that, Schumacher has already completed an entire day testing the car and training his injured neck muscles. That's a champion for you. At the age of 40, Schumacher will be more than twice the age of the youngest F1 competitor (19 yrs 4 months)! It takes sheer guts and Iron-like-will-power to make such a comeback.
Even before he retired in 2006, during the retirement, and post retirement - there were (are) no silly news about Schumacher in the media. The only news you get to see are about Schumi testing! No silly night-club games, no drinking binges, no playing the fool! No sir! Not Schumacher!
Perhaps that's why he could easily be amongst the fittest F1 drivers, even post retirement!
The comeback could not have been at a better time for Formula 1. A sport that runs on big money, such a comeback means, sold out tickets at the racing venues and big time TV eye-balls! I would not be surprised if there is at least a 30% increase in television viewership for the Valencia race on 23rd August 2009 as the F1 fans, Tifosi and Schumi fans are all eager to watch the king make a comeback! Honestly, for them (and for me), it does not matter if Schumacher performs or not. Just watching him get behind the wheel of the red car will be joy enough for the die-hard F1 fan! There are many F1 fans who stopped watching the sport after Schumi retired. More people did not follow the sport with as much gusto now than when he was racing - Schumi's comeback will bring these fans back to the sport - Then there will be others who will be watching just to be part of the buzz, while there will be those who will watch the race on Valencia, just to see him fail!
Whatever be the race viewer's category - the weekend of 21, 22, 23 August, Valencia Spain will see F1 fanatics have eyes only for one car and one driver. That car will be a red Ferrari and the driver will be Michael Schumacher! Period!
The difference between champions and others is the amount of commitment the former gives to the sport. Within a week of the announcement, Schumi lost 3 kilos of body weight. If you think 3 kilos do not make a difference, think again!
A) In a sport where the time is measured in one thousandth of a second, 3 kilos can make you faster than your competitor.
B) 3 kilos can give you an extra lap worth of fuel, allowing you to pit later than your competitor (and your teammate).
C) 3 kilos less weight can allow your car designers to balance the car better - it can give them the flexibility to re-distribute the weight of the car, allowing it to handle much better!
The last advantage comes with its own little challenge - As the (almost) bankrupt BMW Williams team disallowed Michael Schumacher to test the F-60 (the 2009 Ferrari F1 car) , the car designers will have to entirely rely on calculations and models to "gauge" the cars performance with the new weight distribution and with Schumi in the cockpit. The other part of the challenge is - Schumacher has not driven the F-60 even once! While the competition is close to being half way thru the season, Schumacher will drive the F-60 in Friday practice for the 1st time on a track that he has never driven before (the track was newly made after Schumi retired). While other drivers in F1 (Read Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso) crib and complaint about the lack of their car's performance openly, Michael has quietly adjusted to the circumstances and started testing in an old 2007 Ferrari with slick tires instead of grooved ones! That's a champion for you! Perhaps Alonso and Kimi can watch and learn as Schumi shows everyone that "A good craftsman never blames his tools!".
Not only that, Schumacher has already completed an entire day testing the car and training his injured neck muscles. That's a champion for you. At the age of 40, Schumacher will be more than twice the age of the youngest F1 competitor (19 yrs 4 months)! It takes sheer guts and Iron-like-will-power to make such a comeback.
Even before he retired in 2006, during the retirement, and post retirement - there were (are) no silly news about Schumacher in the media. The only news you get to see are about Schumi testing! No silly night-club games, no drinking binges, no playing the fool! No sir! Not Schumacher!Perhaps that's why he could easily be amongst the fittest F1 drivers, even post retirement!
The comeback could not have been at a better time for Formula 1. A sport that runs on big money, such a comeback means, sold out tickets at the racing venues and big time TV eye-balls! I would not be surprised if there is at least a 30% increase in television viewership for the Valencia race on 23rd August 2009 as the F1 fans, Tifosi and Schumi fans are all eager to watch the king make a comeback! Honestly, for them (and for me), it does not matter if Schumacher performs or not. Just watching him get behind the wheel of the red car will be joy enough for the die-hard F1 fan! There are many F1 fans who stopped watching the sport after Schumi retired. More people did not follow the sport with as much gusto now than when he was racing - Schumi's comeback will bring these fans back to the sport - Then there will be others who will be watching just to be part of the buzz, while there will be those who will watch the race on Valencia, just to see him fail!
Whatever be the race viewer's category - the weekend of 21, 22, 23 August, Valencia Spain will see F1 fanatics have eyes only for one car and one driver. That car will be a red Ferrari and the driver will be Michael Schumacher! Period!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Michael makes a comeback! ... and an overdue award!
Its a done deal! The king of F1 is scheduled to make a comeback to replace an injured Filipe Massa. I cannot wait for Aug 23 to see the racing legend's comeback in the European GP!
A lot of Questions will be answered there.... A few on my mind are - Will he be the same Schumi after the break? How good will he be in the new car? Will he be fit @ 40? By how much margin will he beat Raikkonen? Suddenly August 23 is so far away when all these questions will be answered...
The circumstances are sad as Massa is badly injured, but I'm glad Ferrari roped in the king to fill the void! Anything to see the legend behind a Ferrari yet again!
Welcome back Michael Schumacher! You were missed!
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The PROXIMITY award was given to me by Vee and Smita in Dec 2008. I did not pass it on to anyone because at that time, I did not know 8 people who didn't have this award! :D
Off I go to find 8 blogs worthy of this awards.
This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. (Note added by Eye-in-sty-in: At their own time and convenience)
I pass it on to - Sujata - http://sujatasengupta.blogspot.com/
Ripples - http://verbalfiend.wordpress.com//
Aparna - http://aparnadasgupta.blogspot.com/
Andaa Curry - http://grey-orgasms.blogspot.com/
ForeignDesi - http://foreigndesi.wordpress.com/
Wits n Nuts - http://witsnnuts.wordpress.com/
Americanising Desi - http://2short2sweet.blogspot.com/
Shayari - http://bukkichowta.blogspot.com/
Purpleheart - http://marshmallow--cream.blogspot.com/
Anamika - http://theselfspace.blogspot.com/
The award has been given based on the comments left by these bloggers on my blog. If u want such awards, the trick is to visit my blog more often and also leave intelligent comments.
PS: Their writing ability n wit may also have played a little part in the selection.
For those who have not yet received this award, it does not make you less worthy by any means. So please dont go about slashing ur wrists yet! Your time will come soon :-)
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