The critics have been silenced, and silenced good.
Michael Schumacher retired a seven-time world champion, but his eighth title narrowly escaped him right down to the line at his farewell grand prix in 2006. Retiring after losing the championship two years in a row to a younger Fernando Alonso, many started asking if the driver that dominated the sport for so long still had it in his, ahem, "advancing" age.
Those pundits got their answer when Schumacher briefly returned to F1 in taking the wheel of the Ferrari F2007, this year's title-winning car, at an official FIA-sanctioned Formula One testing event in Spain this week. The focus of the event, the first since the end of the season, was to give the teams a chance to run the cars without traction control and with the standardized engine control unit (ECU), as mandated by the 2008 regulations.
Schumacher drove for the first two of the three day test session, and on both days his lap times sat at the very top of the time sheets. Unfortunately, spokespersons were quick to point out that this did not herald Michael's return to the grid, just a one-time event. So the rest of the drivers can sleep easier.
[Sources: Italiaspeed and Ferrari]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Trent @ Nov 16th 2007 6:32PM
i'd be interested to know who all was driving.
nagmashot @ Nov 17th 2007 1:33AM
it was a 11 F1 team test .. missing Kimi, Alonso and Hamilton... but credit to Schumacher... he owned all other badly, the second testday he was nearly a second faster as the second fastest (in a Ferrari) and much faster as the rest... for example he owned Nick Heidfeld by 1.6s... would have been interesting to see if Kimi and the two other could have beat the pensioneer...
David @ Nov 16th 2007 6:42PM
Kovalainen, Massa, Coulthard, Rosberg, Nakajima, and Button among others.
Trent @ Nov 16th 2007 6:57PM
thanks. =)
that is quite the feat...
Yago Bal @ Nov 16th 2007 6:52PM
That's an amazing feat: I still remember what an year away from F1 did to Jacques Villeneuve... He needed a whole season to recover his shape and speed (which never came back completely).
Even Kimi needed half a season to completely adapt to these new tires... and Schumacher just did this... different car, different tires, different electronics, an year off... :S Amazing!!!
Tagg @ Nov 16th 2007 6:53PM
I think Schumacher would be dominant with the new regulations having driven in F1 before the cars became like spaceships with all the driver aids. I am curious to see how some drivers will react to losing the TC at tracks like Monaco and in the wet.
Keith @ Nov 16th 2007 6:58PM
I for one am certainly looking forward to seeing some racing without the use of traction control in 2008. Should be exciting.
http://porsche-canada.blogspot.com
why not the LS2LS7? @ Nov 16th 2007 7:35PM
Adding my own agreement that ending TC will be a good thing. They should remove paddle shifters too.
I think it honestly might be time to allow active aero (rear wings that flatten at higher speeds), in the style of the old Chapparal cars. Allowing the cars to reduce excess downforce at high speeds will allow the cars to become more fuel efficient and allow F1 to remove even more HP and thus make precise cornering more important without reducing top speeds.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Nov 16th 2007 7:48PM
The removal of traction control is the first step in making F1 a driver's more than just the connection between the steering wheel and the peddles. Make them run flat bottom cars and drivers will once again be heroes.
Ke @ Nov 16th 2007 8:04PM
erm they have been running flat bottom cars ever since ground effects were banned in f1.
grajeda @ Nov 16th 2007 11:42PM
yes, but he is referring to those times when the car was just an arrow without any help... when the cars got the color of the country, when the drivers use a leather helmet without security belts.
they were real heroes on those days...
HotRodzNKustoms @ Nov 17th 2007 2:28AM
Yeah my understanding of the F1 rules might be questionable but after watching and owning high down force cars I am ready for cars that are overpowered and are under engineered. I wish we would see the drivers trying to wrestle the cars around the track like Gilles Villeneuve used to do through the streets of Long Beach. I am tired that the most exciting part of a race is when someone has a car that twitches once. Give me a large V8, little down force, and a driver with some huge brass. Give me a Can-Am or F-5000 series and let the driver not only duke it out with each other but the cars as well.
Blake @ Dec 20th 2007 5:32PM
The man speaketh the trutheth. Let it falleth uponeth all ye ears. For his words are blest by none other than thine holiest divinity God himself!
Brad @ Nov 17th 2007 12:03AM
That's very good considering this is his first encounter with the F2007. It will be very interesting indeed to see what happens this year without TC.
tankd0g @ Nov 17th 2007 10:34AM
The lack of TC is really going to seperate the men from the boys next year.
MikeInNC @ Nov 17th 2007 2:07PM
That guy is awesome. I loved the drama of this season but Schumi is a GIANT among giants in the F1 drivers world.
BodegaBay @ Nov 17th 2007 2:17PM
Schumi's still the king.