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Steering Column |
by Steve Dean |
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There is no way for any of us to know for sure whether or not someone, or some team is cheating. Unless something concrete is proven, which it never is, we will never know what really goes on F1. That is to say, the public won't know.
People on the inside of F1 probably know the real skinny. But no one seems to be able to come forward with proof of any wrongdoing. Teams may "protest" something on another car, such as the Front Torque Transfer system the Benneton team uses, or McLaren's dual brake pedals, but no one ever pinpoints the specifics. Perhaps the offended teams don't want to reveal their own secrets. Maybe their identical system is not as advanced or innovative as the protestee. Slow down the team with golden goodies till we can catch up, seems to be the thinking. Some have said, over the years, that Michael Schumacher has had the assistance of computer aided starting software. Traction Control might be another way of putting it. By the way, those two Ferraris sure had good starts at Monaco didn't they? Connection or coincidence? Again, we'll never know, for sure. But, in this case, does it really matter? The thing that clears this kind of thinking out of my head, is the BIG PICTURE. The BIG PICTURE says this: There is more to Michael Schumacher than good starts. As the old saying goes: The race is never won at the first corner. Michael Schumacher has won 29 races. 29!! I know it is very difficult to pass at Monaco, but only a fool would believe that Mika Hakkinen would have held off Schumacher. Schumacher's win in Monte Carlo was his fourth. Only Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna have won more.That puts him in an area of greatness. Name one driver that could have won as many races in the Ferrari as Schumacher. Eddie Irvine's record is probably a better indicator of what kind of car the Ferrari really is. If Schumacher would have had the best car, this point would be mute. Suffice it to say, he would have more than 29 wins. This is not to say he is perfect, cause he's not. He has pulled his share of Homers. He probably gave away the championship last year in Spa, plowing into the back of David Coulthard, while comfortably leading. I think he knew it too, judging from his immature reaction, following the accident. It was as if Nigel Mansell had returned. One of the more curious ironies, concerning the all-time greats, is how they can make a race seem so boring. They make it look so easy. The same thing can be said for great cars. Their dominance makes the races terribly boring. Another runaway. Only one thing remains overlooked: we are witnessing one of best F1 drivers of all time, right before our eyes. That is the problem with things right in front of us: they make us lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. |
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