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Schumacher will forever be remembered as one of the most gifted and successful drivers of all time, but 100-plus grand prix victories and even eight or nine titles may have been there for the taking had Schumacher-the man who showed no mercy on track-displayed the same ruthlessness when deciding his future.ĭamon Hill once told the Guardian's Donald McRae that if he nearly won the 1994 title, it is safe to assume Ayrton Senna-had the Brazilian emerged unscathed from his fatal crash at Imola- would have won it. Yet Schumacher's supposedly failed comeback could have ended on a triumphant note, which would have completely transformed public opinion.Īccording to Press Association Sport (h/t Sporting Life), Schumacher's "dithering" when it came to extending his contract for 2013 saw Mercedes make a move for Lewis Hamilton, which left the veteran with no option but to retire for a second time.īut had he known then what we know now-that Mercedes would become established winners in 2013 before emerging as F1's dominant force in 2014 under the V6 regulations, which would have perfectly suited him-he would surely have signed on the dotted line before Hamilton had the chance to answer the phone. His three-year tenure at Mercedes between 20, when he claimed just one podium finish in 58 races, is regarded as the period one of the great sporting champions learned to lose. Had he continued, it is likely he would have won both championships by a more comfortable gap against a fast but undependable McLaren team. But that, of course, would probably have prevented Schumacher's second coming. The German fought to wrestle his crown back from Fernando Alonso until the final race, but by that point the 37-year-old-reluctant to harm the career of young team-mate Felipe Massa, who exceeded expectations by claiming two wins across 2006-decided it was he who had to make way for Raikkonen in 2007.Īs Schumacher, who was still close to his peak on the evidence of his performances in late '06, stood in the Ferrari garage in an advisory role, he witnessed Raikkonen win the title by a single point in 2007 and Massa lose it by the same margin the following season.
F1 2017 drivers driver#
Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in Formula One history with seven world championships, has the distinction of quitting the sport too soon on two separate occasions.ĭespite his leading Ferrari to five consecutive titles between 20, the team-as reported by BBC Sport's Andrew Benson-signed a pre-contract agreement with Kimi Raikkonen toward the end of 2005, which meant Schumacher entered '06 with an uncertain future. Like Fittipaldi, Mansell went on to triumph in American open-wheel racing-and returned to contest a handful of grands prix for Williams and McLaren-but his exit from full-time F1 at the age of 39 was a little premature. And while Nigel Mansell enjoyed a long and successful F1 career, his departure from Williams at the end of 1992-almost certainly to avoid being partnered with Alain Prost-was a huge shame. One of the true travesties in sport is when a world champion is denied the opportunity to defend their title. The Brazilian's subsequent success in CART in the 1980s and '90s, however, suggested he was still good enough to race competitively in F1. Meanwhile, two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi's F1 career was rendered almost meaningless when he decided to leave the might of McLaren at the end of 1975 to race for a family owned team. When a driver dominates the final race of their career, they are bound to have second thoughts about their decision to retire.īut despite leading the 1986 Australian Grand Prix until Lap 63 of 82, when he suffered a puncture, 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg remained true to his word and departed Formula One at the age of 37.