Even after his embarrasing 'senior moment' in Hungary, the low
point of a season full of them, his loyal fans fully expect Michael
Schumacher will add to his 91 victories sooner than later. Presumably
his employer Mercedes shares the belief that the aging superstar can
still recapture the lost form that made him the most successful driver in
F1 history.
But elsewhere sympathy for Schumi's plight is in short supply, even among
his peers. Far from feeling sorry for the driver they once considered
their hero some rivals seemed to relish his embarrasing failure to
impress in the early stages of his comeback. Asked early in
2010 how it felt to overtake the seven-time world champion Lewis
Hamilton said it felt good - but only as good as it would with any driver.
They may still respect his achievements but now, even though he's old
enough to be the father of some of them, he's just one of the boys.
Still, his value as a talent yardstick remains for the pretenders to his
throne: a sure way to add lustre to your CV is to outperform even
an underperforming Michael Schumacher.
In much of F1 fandom the bigger-they-are-the-harder-they-fall
syndrome prevails. The desire to kick him when he's down is
magnified by the negative attributes associated with his character and
his driving. After all, it's hard to feel compassion for someone perceived
to be an arrogant winner and such a sore loser that he in the past resorted
to a ruthless repertoire of dubious tactics that included using his car as a
battering ram to run his championship rivals off the road.
Still, though not noted for outwardly displaying much deep emotion, there
is no doubt his personal struggle must be causing him pain: a depressing
combination of humiliation and shame. Though he insists he is still enjoying
himself driving F1 cars, he is a proud man and his pride has been hurt. This
is a new experience for Michael Schumacher and it will put his strength of
character to the ultimate test.
Whatever the outcome of his comeback battle he will surely be the stronger
for it. If he wins it will be a personal triumph over adversity he hasn't previously
experienced. If he loses he will be left with a deeper understanding of how the
vast majority of drivers felt when he was beating them all the time.
point of a season full of them, his loyal fans fully expect Michael
Schumacher will add to his 91 victories sooner than later. Presumably
his employer Mercedes shares the belief that the aging superstar can
still recapture the lost form that made him the most successful driver in
F1 history.
But elsewhere sympathy for Schumi's plight is in short supply, even among
his peers. Far from feeling sorry for the driver they once considered
their hero some rivals seemed to relish his embarrasing failure to
impress in the early stages of his comeback. Asked early in
2010 how it felt to overtake the seven-time world champion Lewis
Hamilton said it felt good - but only as good as it would with any driver.
They may still respect his achievements but now, even though he's old
enough to be the father of some of them, he's just one of the boys.
Still, his value as a talent yardstick remains for the pretenders to his
throne: a sure way to add lustre to your CV is to outperform even
an underperforming Michael Schumacher.
In much of F1 fandom the bigger-they-are-the-harder-they-fall
syndrome prevails. The desire to kick him when he's down is
magnified by the negative attributes associated with his character and
his driving. After all, it's hard to feel compassion for someone perceived
to be an arrogant winner and such a sore loser that he in the past resorted
to a ruthless repertoire of dubious tactics that included using his car as a
battering ram to run his championship rivals off the road.
Still, though not noted for outwardly displaying much deep emotion, there
is no doubt his personal struggle must be causing him pain: a depressing
combination of humiliation and shame. Though he insists he is still enjoying
himself driving F1 cars, he is a proud man and his pride has been hurt. This
is a new experience for Michael Schumacher and it will put his strength of
character to the ultimate test.
Whatever the outcome of his comeback battle he will surely be the stronger
for it. If he wins it will be a personal triumph over adversity he hasn't previously
experienced. If he loses he will be left with a deeper understanding of how the
vast majority of drivers felt when he was beating them all the time.
| A Shadow Of His Former Self? (GrandPrixPhoto) |
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