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In my previous columns, I’ve written about Michael Schumacher and his comeback to Formula 1. And, with topics ranging from his legacy, and how he’s put it all on the line, or the reasons for his comeback, or non-performance, Schumacher has been discussed and debated by every possible international media outlet in the world – as well as in my columns. However, this column is less about Michael Schumacher, the driver, but more about his legendary status, and the inheritance of that legacy in Formula One.
While his return hasn’t been much to write home about, he still is a 7-times World Champion, who has notched 91 wins – a record that most believe won’t be broken anytime in the near future. His first stint in Formula 1, which lasted 16 years (from 1991 to 2006), saw him reach unparalleled levels of driving, and achieve unbelievable success at the pinnacle of motorsport. He beat the likes of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen, and many more en route to his record wins of races and championships.
Post 2006, the Schumacher mantle was up for grabs and there were many in contention. Fernando Alonso, who beat Schumi in 2005 & 2006 to claim the F1 World Championship, seemed like an obvious bet. So were Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso blew his chances by moving to McLaren for a season, creating a ruckus and then moving back to Renault. His race-fixing scandal thereafter, during the 2008 Singapore GP, didn’t do much for his image in the sport and shot down any possibility of him being accepted as Schumacher’s natural heir.
Lewis Hamilton did showcase the same pace and aggression as Schumacher, but his race tactics were never really Schumacher-esque. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, decided to quit Formula 1 even when he had everything going for him to become Schumacher’s replacement. It all started with the Italian team deciding to hire Raikkonen’s services in 2007 in an attempt to fill Schumacher’s shoes. Many argued that Raikkonen had better pace than Schumi, but he lacked the media savvy skills that Schumacher possessed. To cut a long story short, Raikkonen decided to depart from Ferrari and Formula 1 before he could even assess whether he could attain Schumacher-dom during his F1 career.
While Formula 1 was struggling to find a replacement for Schumacher’s superstar status, along came a fellow German driver, Sebastian Vettel. Vettel was a Formula 3 Euro Series champion, and was a Red Bull Racing Junior driver. He was quick on track, and savvy off it. The teams and fellow drivers loved him, and so did the media. His achievements as a young racer saw him appear on every team’s radar, and rightfully so. In 2007, Vettel debuted with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull B-team, before moving onto the main team, Red Bull Racing, in 2009.
2008 saw Vettel score STR’s maiden victory in a wet Italian GP at Monza. The victory prompted the Red Bull management to promote him to the main team, and that’s a decision I’m sure they don’t regret. 2009 saw the fairytale story of victory for the newly formed Brawn GP team, and Jenson Button. It was only Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel who were able to fight their supremacy on track. While the Red Bull car had pace, reliability problems and rookie errors saw Vettel settle for 2nd in the championship.
In 2010, Red Bulls had the quickest cars on the grid, but not the most reliable. Vettel was locked in a perfect battle of the teammates with Mark Webber – whom, I believe, was mentally stronger and narrowly lost the championship. Vettel managed to clinch the Driver’s World Title in a last minute gasp at the final GP of the season. His victory saw him beat the likes of Fernando Alonso, who had a faster Ferrari, and Mark Webber, who saw defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory. Also in contention till the penultimate race were the McLaren World Champions, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. However, it’s not just Vettel’s 2010 victory that’s prompted me to believe that Vettel could indeed be Formula1’s next Michael Schumacher.
In 2011, Sebastian Vettel has been in the form of his life – 5 races, 4 pole positions, 4 wins, and 118 championship points. If poetry interests you more than the numbers, you simply must watch Vettel in action. So far this year, he’s driven the Red Bull Racing car consistently faster than his teammate, Webber, and provided the illusion that the laws of physics that apply to him and his machine are entirely different than those for the rest of the field. Lewis Hamilton has described Vettel’s start to the 2011 season as ‘Schumacher in 2004,’ who was winning every race on the trot. Schumacher won a record 13 GPs that season, and clinched his 7th World Championship title.
Mark Webber publicly voiced his happiness when Hamilton managed to beat Vettel in the Chinese Grand Prix. And one must remember that Hamilton has been the only driver this year whose been able to snatch a lone victory away from Vettel. However, it’s not just his victories, but his manner of winning that makes me believe that he’s much in line for Schumacher’s throne.
As the reigning World Champion, his confidence is sky high and it shows in his driving. He has dominated proceedings at all the GP weekends thus far, and looks likely to continue to do so for the rest of the season as well. He’s made his illustrious and quick teammate, Webber, look lackluster – and how. The Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes drivers are a little too slow to catch Vettel on a regular basis.
Moreover, let me tell you that while Vettel has the fastest car on the grid, it’s not without its problems. The Red Bull Racing team have been unable to sort out their KERS issues, and their drivers have almost never had the option of KERS for a full race distance. However, Vettel has driven around these issues to clinch the top step of the podium. His ability to soak pressure was most visible at last month’s Spanish Grand Prix, when he managed to hold off a faster Lewis Hamilton (on new tyres) for over 15 laps of the race.
Like Schumacher, I expect Vettel to make Formula 1 races boring. Pole-to-flag victories are the hallmark of champions, and not meant for spectators – that ability is just what Vettel’s displayed in the opening rounds of the season. Vettel’s start to the 2011 season has matched Schumacher’s starts in the 1994 and 2004 seasons, and is the 5th best in the history of Formula 1. To further compare their career moves, Vettel and Schumacher both got their Formula 1 breaks as replacements in mid-season. Both won their debut races in the wet in their first full season of F1. And both won the F1 World Championship 4 years after debut.
However, if emulating Schumacher would mean donning the scarlet red overalls, then Vettel fans will be disappointed. Prior to the Spanish GP, Ferrari extended Alonso’s contract till the 2016 season – practically ruling out an option of signing Sebastian Vettel. However, if Red Bull retains their pace, then there won’t be much need for a scarlet machine to dominate F1.
Schumacher’s statistics in Formula 1 seem unbeatable, and it’s too early to predict if ‘Baby Schumi’ will be in a position to do so. However, if the first 5 GP’s of the season are anything to go by, 2011 is very much Vettel’s championship. And if Vettel really does become Formula 1’s next Schumacher, the 3rd of July and 3rd of January will both be days of celebration for
me – respective birthdays in case you’re wondering! |
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