Michael Schumacher to Mercedes GP!! Just like every other Ferrari and Schumi fan, iSport's Motorsport Expert Kunal Shah's loyalties too are stretched. So who will you support?
Yes, he’s done the unthinkable!! Not only has he announced his comeback to competitive racing in Formula1, but he’s decided to join the Mercedes Benz stables. Yes, Ferrari’s arch-rivals on and off the track. While many are still wondering WHY the move – I’d simply just ask you to read my previous piece on iSport! [Click here!]
Honestly, for me the Michael Schumacher story was long over! 91 wins, a record 7 World Championships et al – post-2006, while it was a little difficult initially, I did move on. We’ve not had the best of ‘dominating’ talent on the grid since Schumi, but we do have some really strong drivers in Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel and the likes. Infact, in 2009, we’ve had some really strong drives by different drivers for different teams – something that is good for the sport that complained of boredom and monotony when Schumacher stomped his way to 5 back-to-back titles.
So now with all the facts aside – I am constantly thinking who I will support in 2010! Should I support the Prancing Horse – the team that is synonymous to Formula1, has participated in every single GP since inception and of course, the team that powered Schumacher to 5 of his 7 titles? Or should I support Michael Schumacher – the greatest driver to take to the grid ever and also the man, who resurrected the dying Prancing Horse in the late 90s only to make them the most successful racing team in the 2000 era. I am still bloody hell confused!
Most fans are of the opinion that a certain Michael Schumacher played traitor to Ferrari and vice versa, but let’s be honest - such team changes [read shocking!] aren’t new for Motorsport! We saw Valentino Rossi ditch his title winning Honda team and join arch-rivals Yamaha. Infact, there are rumours of him doing the same with Yamaha and deflecting to Ducati!
We also saw Lance Armstrong dump his title-winning Astana Team only to form his own team – Radioshack! And if Schumacher’s move is anything to go by, Senna was famous for his indecisiveness in 93-94 when he was contemplating between Mclaren and Williams mid-season.
I think 2010 will be one helluva season where we will see most fan loyalties stretched between a Ferrari racing car driven by ‘doesn’t matter who’ and a Michael Schumacher driving a ‘doesn’t matter what car!’.
As for my choice, it will be Massa in the Ferrari and Schumacher in the ‘doesn’t matter what car!’ – so who are you supporting?
(The author is a former racer and currently works with Sport18 - a div. of Network18. Kunal can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
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Kunal Ghate
said:
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... There is NO such thing as "Michael or Ferrari" in my mind! or will be in anyones mind! The right question(s) are 1) Ferrari OR Merc? 2) Michael OR Alonso? Your question is a wrong one, and the answer to is is Ferrari for team and Michael for the driver. And if that the question on your mind too... then you need to separate driver from the team as think of the bigger prize and the reason of F1's existence i.e. Constructors Championship. MS does not fit in there, but Ferrari does and has many many times... without MS, without Brawn, and without Todt! The team is more important than the driver, hence the support for Ferrari will not change a bit. Likewise if you support Ferrari, it doesnt matter who is driving it, its a personal opinion to like or dislike a driver, but you will always support your team! And in MotoGP... the ration is 90 for Rider & 10 for the bike. So Valentino Rossi even if goes to Suzuki (who havnt won a single race in more than a year now) will become the champion! |
Kunal Shah
said:
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... Well - its a column where I share with my readers what my thoughts are. For a lot of fans, Schumacher seems like a traitor whose ditched Ferrari and moved ship. The point I am trying to make here is that for the last 15 yrs or so - Ferrari and Schumacher were synonymous because of their obvious association. There are fans who are torn apart due to the sudden shifts in teams. Alonso or not is a second questions for the same set of fans. So who do you think a Ferrari / Schumacher combination fan would support? This is where my questions comes handy and makes sense. |
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