2017 Formula 1 Gran Premio de MexicoFormula 1

[Jimlaad43]

Schumacher wasn't brought into Mercedes to be a good driver, Ross Brawn knew he had the right mentality to make a team grow. This Mercedes dominance of the last few years is Schumacher's real legacy. A good result every so often was always nice, but it was behind-the-scenes that he was employed for, and it damn well worked.

 

[baldgye]

Of course it does. Slowly and almost imperceptible but no. He still had pretty must everything he ever had when he went to Mercedes. Except access to all the advantages he had before. 40 isn't a time to book an old age home place for a race driver no matter how much someone wants to use it as an excuse.

So why is it that there are no 40 or 50 year old Grand Prix drivers on the grid?

 

[Tired Tyres]

So why is it that there are no 40 or 50 year old Grand Prix drivers on the grid?

Because they have to move aside for the new up and coming drivers.

 

[baldgye]

Because they have to move aside for the new up and coming drivers.

Why?
If they are older and wiser but retain all the strength, fitness and reaction time of drivers in their 20s. An older driver would factually be a better driver than a rookie due to experience racing and within the team.

 

[Eva]

Why?
If they are older and wiser but retain all the strength, fitness and reaction time of drivers in their 20s. An older driver would factually be a better driver than a rookie due to experience racing and within the team.

In all fairness, F1 now is a way more taxing championship than what it was in the 1950's. Also, let's keep in mind that in the 50's, the ones that were staying alive the longest were the older, more veteraned drivers. Completely different times. Outside of F1, I can point to WEC, IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA, Super GT where there are drivers over the age of 40 that are still fast and competing for top positions. F1 is in a separate category altogether.

 

[baldgye]

In all fairness, F1 now is a way more taxing championship than what it was in the 1950's. Also, let's keep in mind that in the 50's, the ones that were staying alive the longest were the older, more veteraned drivers. Completely different times. Outside of F1, I can point to WEC, IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA, Super GT where there are drivers over the age of 40 that are still fast and competing for top positions. F1 is in a separate category altogether.

Oh don't worry, I'm well aware haha

 

[Liquid]

40 isn't a time to book an old age home place for a race driver no matter how much someone wants to use it as an excuse.

For a Formula One driver, yes. The Stats F1 page for age shows that the drivers who were in their mid-40s generally set their age records in the 1950s and some token efforts from privateers in the 1970s. Since those times, full-time professional drivers have not lasted into their mid-40s and nowhere near their 50s. Michael Schumacher is a rare anomaly there, yes, but he is in isolated company. You can count the rest of the Top 100 oldest drivers since 1980 on one hand (Andretti, Laffite Arnoux, Alliot and Mansell).

So I don't think 40 is an age when an F1 driver would think "I'm not ready to hang up my helmet just yet."

For a racing driver in general, no. It's more than possible to continue racing into your 40s in sports cars and touring cars but transitioning to those in your 40s having not done it for the preceding 20 years is almost certainly an obstacle to dominance which will not be overcome; Häkkinen, Alesi, Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher all found DTM to be rather difficult.

But it's not to say that it can't be done but generally those drivers transitioned when they were in their 30s; Gabriele Tarquini switched to touring cars in his 30s (32, to be precise) and went on to have a very successful career and even set the record for the oldest FIA World Champion with his 2009 WTCC title at 47 years of age. Tom Kristensen was 33 when he gave up single-seaters and went on to become the Le Manster.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Why?
If they are older and wiser but retain all the strength, fitness and reaction time of drivers in their 20s. An older driver would factually be a better driver than a rookie due to experience racing and within the team.

If there is a new driver coming up with sponsors and a team picks them up and guides them though the ladder system they then want to get the benefit when they get to F1. That's why McLaren replaced Button this season. They don't want the new kid going off to another team and losing the investment they've made.

 

[Clay_GT_17]

I think especially during the great battle between Hamilton and Alonso, Lewis spoke with his racers heart and for a couple fo seconds he forgot to be more cautious.

Definitely. That was close

 

[baldgye]

This is a mega shot of our new World Champion

 

[Brend]

!

 

[Roo]

This is a mega shot of our new World Champion

Merry Christmas.

 

[andrea]

This is a mega shot of our new World Champion

Rosberg remains the champion of donuts.

 

[TheElbows]

Zanardi is the champion of donuts.

 

[baldgye]

Rosberg remains the champion of donuts.

Yeah, true, tho he didn't have to do two more races after he won the title

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Schumacher wasn't brought into Mercedes to be a good driver, Ross Brawn knew he had the right mentality to make a team grow. This Mercedes dominance of the last few years is Schumacher's real legacy. A good result every so often was always nice, but it was behind-the-scenes that he was employed for, and it damn well worked.

No it's not, that's like those who say Mercedes owe a debt of gratitude to the stillborn Honda project that became Brawn GP. Doesn't work that way. The last few years of dominance are due to picking up or stealing away key engineers with the know how and brilliance to capture a moment in time where the rules would significantly change and reset the playing field. Brawn hiring who he did when he did, and then the subsequent replacements of those few that have left since 2014/15 (Lowe, Bell and so on), are the legacy. There is no great contribution to link the last moment Schumacher was apart of the team to its current form.

 

[mustafur]

No it's not, that's like those who say Mercedes owe a debt of gratitude to the stillborn Honda project that became Brawn GP. Doesn't work that way. The last few years of dominance are due to picking up or stealing away key engineers with the know how and brilliance to capture a moment in time where the rules would significantly change and reset the playing field. Brawn hiring who he did when he did, and then the subsequent replacements of those few that have left since 2014/15 (Lowe, Bell and so on), are the legacy. There is no great contribution to link the last moment Schumacher was apart of the team to its current form.

That is hard to say, he could of brought some staff with him lower down that we never heard of and used his methods in the team.

I would say it's incorrect to say either way unless your in the team tbh.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

That is hard to say, he could of brought some staff with him lower down that we never heard of and used his methods in the team.

I would say it's incorrect to say either way unless your in the team tbh.

No not really, considering the entire team and Motorsports wing was revamped with Haug being replaced by Wolff. And Brawn hiring an entirely new group of engineers to lead each area in build up to the new package that was presented in 2014, as well as hiring a new WDC driver to lead. I'd say it's more logical that Nico had more direction and help toward the success that became Mercedes domination than Schumacher ever did. Most of the main players that were apart of Schumachers success, were at the time under employment from Ferrari still, Ross Brawn and the FIA President to name a few. Other leaders were either part of Mercedes long before they joined F1 as a full fledged team, or were poached from other teams and hadn't worked with Schumacher during his time at Mercedes or prior in other teams.

Also him bringing of Suzy the engineer in composites or Joe the engineer in Aero, let's say, and them being one of various engineers under the direction of the technical or chief engineer doesn't signify current team success as a legacy factor. If it was simply Schumachers entire team like it was from Benetton to Ferrari I could see your point, but it wasn't it was Ross Brawn and his very successful former F1 driver coming together one last time with a new team, that would then be replaced later on with another new team purpose build from 2014 onward. And that team since isn't fully there anymore. This is another one of those moments were people want to breath life into a legend to make it a bigger legend then it actually is.

 

[mustafur]

How do you know that those staff didn't also come because of Schumacher though, these questions can't be answered by you no matter how much you try answer them.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

How do you know that those staff didn't also come because of Schumacher though, these questions can't be answered by you no matter how much you try answer them.

Which staff? Which key staff would you like answered about that can't be found from articles over the years and or other sources? It can be answered, you rather say otherwise, for reasons I don't know. One I can think of is usually you get tired of me talking about F1 like this.

Point remains some by the numbers engineer that isn't leading any department of the cars creation isn't a lasting legacy of Schumacher if that is the argument you want to help provide for another member. If he brought Aldo Costa over, then sure ( he didn't), if he brought Andy Cowell over then sure (nope wasn't because of a 7 time WDC), Paddy Lowe perhaps, no that one is more due to Lewis. The only engineer of notable responsibility and direction in the team with ties that we know of to Schumi was Ross Brawn. And in that moment Schumi was only there because of Ross Brawn and Haug arguably. There is no lasting legacy because of the guy, the team has changed immensely more than once well after he left

 

[UnkaD]

This is a mega shot of our new World Champion

Not a fan of Hamilton, but I'm not gonna lie. That's an epic shot.