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| Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd. |
The
drivers are ready, the cars are all set, and the teams have done all the
necessary preparation. This coming weekend will be the start of the 2013
Formula One World Championship season. The first race will be hosted by the
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in the land down under. For the next months, the
world’s elite drivers will try their best to handle the speed-breaking
horsepower of their ferocious cars and absorb the unforgiving g-force they
subject themselves to.
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| F1 action - Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes |
Last
year, fans were treated to the thrilling battle for the driver’s championship
between two main protagonists: defending champion Sebastian Vettel with his Red
Bull-Renault, and former champion Fernando Alonso riding his Ferrari. With
other contenders like Kimi Raikonen (Lotus-Renault) and Lewis Hamilton
(Mercedes), this year promises the same amount of action and drama as last
year’s. There’s no denying the adrenaline rush of watching cars running beyond
300kph battling each other for track position while the risk of
life-threatening crashes looms in every corner.
Before
we get too excited with the coming season, let us take a moment to take a look
at one important detail that didn’t seem to get the air time it deserved: Michael
Schumacher retired after the 2012 season. If it did/didn’t make any sense, take
some time for that line to sink in…
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| Toru Hanai/Reuters |
Michael
Schumacher retired after the 2012 season.
Michael
Schumacher retired after the 2012 season.
Michael
Schumacher retired after the 2012 season.
When
I think of great icons of the 90s, I would say that there are three Michaels that
really had a big impact: Jackson, Jordan, and Schumacher. The “King of Pop” was
responsible for captivating millions with his unparalleled passion for music
and performance. “His Airness” pushed basketball’s glory far beyond what
Chamberlain, Erving, Magic, and Bird could ever imagine. Though Schumacher’s
appeal wasn’t as encompassing as the other two, he was in the middle of Formula
One’s popularity and further smooth transition into the modern era. He has done
much for the sport to be regarded as one of the greatest to ever sit behind the
steering wheel. As a F1 fan, I grew up watching him.
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| Victory leap - Sundarf1 |
Let
the numbers speak for themselves. The German Schumacher’s success is attributed
to 18 years of racing for four teams, 307 starts, a record seven championship titles,
155 podium finishes, and 91 wins. That’s one blinding trophy cabinet! As far as
his many records go, he is 1st in wins (91), 1st in highest
season-win percentage (72%), 1st in consecutive championships (5), 1st
in fastest laps attained (10). Check the list of Formula One records and his
name is littered all over the place with the most occurrences[i]. But
numbers only paint half the picture of how Michael Schumacher fed his rivals
dust and dominated.
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| Schumacher in his Benetton - Anton Want/ Getty Images |
He
was the driver that perfected the balance of intelligence and boldness to a
point where man and machine became one. Whichever team he drove for, he was
able to establish a good relationship with his engineers to get the most out of
his car. Everyone knew he was fast, and he was able to do this mostly because
of his ability to pick his spots well. He pushed himself and his car in areas
other drivers wouldn’t dare go. It’s this kind of attitude and competitive will
that set him apart from the rest.
Among
the many clips in his highlight reel, I vividly remember one rainy Brazilian
Grand Prix that submerged various parts of track leaving minimal tire grip. Vision
was also very limited as the water directly hit the drivers’ visors. As a
precaution, the race had a competitively slower pace to avoid losing control
and getting into an accident. However, Michael in his Ferrari always had this
confidence in his ability to drive fast under dangerous conditions as if the
track was as dry as a desert. His skill put me in a trance-like state that made
me stare at the TV and admire his work. I was amazed to see his red machine
blaze through the track and leave the other cars with so much precision that I
myself felt the confidence he had that there’s no way he’s going to crash[ii]. This
is just one of the many other similar instances where Michael was a rain master
that easily passed the opposition[iii].
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| Rain can't stop Schumacher - Getty Images |
In
the world of Formula One, a Schumacher performance like the one just described is
its way of how other drivers want to be “like Mike”. Today’s drivers aspire to
reach the same achievements and accolades of his legendary career. Watch
Vettel, Alonso, Raikonen, Hamilton, and the other racers now in Formula One and
you can bet all your money that they were influenced in one way or another by Michael.
They all try to be “Schumi-esque”. If these drivers looked up to “Mike”, to
whom did Schumacher look up to then?
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| Ayrton Senna - lacerdaayrtonsenna.blogspot.com |
Does
the name Ayrton Senna ring any bells? The late great Brazilian Senna was the driver during the 80s much in the
same way Schumacher was the driver
through most of the 90s and early 2000s. In a way, Schumacher attempted to be
Senna-esque. His career is another totally different story that deserves its
own piece. Simply put, he was one fine competitor that won a lot—and he should’ve
won more if not for his unfortunate accident and death. I was still very young
when his tragic death happened in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Listening and
reading snippets about Senna sound like mythology to me as it seemed it
pertained to a very perfect and mystical character. It was only in the 2010
documentary entitled “Senna”[iv]
that I got the opportunity to watch the man in action. At the early stages of his
F1 career, he had a heated rivalry against Alain Prost. At the turn of the
decade, Senna was soon pitted against a young and promising youngster named Michael
Schumacher.
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| Senna crashes to the wall - Reuters |
During that weekend in May of 1994, the battle for 1st and 2nd
pitted Senna against Schumacher. The worse happened as early as the 7th
lap. Though Michael was on Ayrton’s mirrors, the gap between the two wasn’t
much. The youngster kept the pressure on his rival as soon as the race started.
However, a bad turn by Senna caused him to lose control and crash on an
unprotected wall. His car hit the barrier at such an angle that violently
jolted his head to a deadly effect[v]. For
a split second, his neck seemed like it was made of a slinky. It was the
accident seen and heard around the racing world. Nobody expected this as the
way for the young Schumacher to have his last ever influence from the great
Ayrton Senna. It wasn’t the most pleasing way for the torch to be passed on to
the next generation[vi].
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| Senna and Schumacher - LAT Photographic |
For
me, Michael Schumacher’s seemingly definite retirement[vii]
signifies the termination of the last driver link between the contemporary
Formula One to that of the past decades. What got me jumping when he announced
his return from his two-year retirement for the 2010 season was that we’ll all
get a nostalgic treat of the old days of F1. Now that it’s ended, it seems
there’s no other choice but to eventually move on.
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| 3rd place finish at the 2012 European Grand Prix - Daily Mail |
There
are times when I despise sporting media for not giving due coverage to
Michael’s last year. Since he mostly stayed in the middle of the pack, suffered
unfortunate mechanical setbacks, and was a shadow of his former self, most—if
not all—of the attention were placed on the competition for the championship.
He’d get few mentions in case he made a few magical moves or when the standings
are displayed, but that’s mostly it. His 3rd place place podium finish at the
2012 European Grand Prix was more of an exception rather than the norm.
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| The faces of today's drivers - Sutton Images |
The
names to follow now are Vettel, Raikonen, Alonso, and Hamilton. These names,
along with the rest of the grid, are young and promising drivers. Their intense
multiple-way rivalry makes for great sport. Racing is better than before with
increased unpredictability and excitement. It all starts in March 2013 in
Melbourne, Australia. The official end of the season happens on November 2013
at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and we’ll hopefully get a deserving champion by
then. That’s as far as the season goes. With their age and skill that continue
to develop, there’s no knowing when the possible rivalries will really end.
We
may never see Michael Schumacher and his starry-red helmet move around the
racetracks of the world. We may never see his name or initials “MSC” on the regular-Formula
One programming. We may never see him jump on top of the podium after a race
win. But I have this hopeful feeling that maybe—most probably maybe—Michael himself
would be fine with that.
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| Getty Images |
[i] Check
out http://www.f1technical.net/f1db/stats/
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_driver_records
to see how decorated MSC is.
[ii]
If what I remembered was the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, he did crash that race.
But how he drove prior to that was still captivating.
[iii] Browse
the internet for classic clips on MSC’s performance under the rain.
[v] It’s
worth mentioning that aside from Senna, another driver that lost his life
before race day was Roland Ratzenberget. This was a bad omen in hindsight.
[vi] Even
as years pass, MSC still feels heavy about his relationship with Senna. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQjYCwgLdE
[vii] What
is it with Michaels and multiple retirements?
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