Is Ralf that good?

[Raceace]

Is Ralf that good?

I read in the, "2001 is DC's year" topic, that Ralf and Mika togeather would be deadly. But I ask myself is Ralf that good?

Most drivers in F1 are extremely talented but there are are few who stand out. I personally do not think that Ralf is one of these few. My main reason for this view is that Ralf was out qualified by Button at Spa - a drivers circut. I think most of you will disagree with me but I cannot think of any of his drives in the last couple of years that have stood out to me and make me think that this guy is a championship winner.

Perhaps someone can remind me of a decent I mean really decent drive from Ralf.

[Valve Bounce]

It is very difficult to quantify how good most drivers are when they do not drive in the two top teams. In fact even the top two teams'drivers are difficult to quantify because we say "OH! they are in the top team", and so and so , if given the chance in one of these cars will polish them off. Even during quals, what we see can be misleading in that we see TGF throwing the car around, whereas other drivers may be smoother. The crunch comes not in setting the car up for quals but actually for the race. Having said all this, I would say there are about 15 drivers who would be very close to the top, a few uncertain and a couple who we are fairly positive, will never make the grade no matter which car they drive. So!! How good is Ralf? My guess is that he is a helluva lot better than what most here can remember, simply because we were more engrossed with the battle between the guys in the top two teams. So before AM, Dino et al get their say in, I can only suggest that we wait until we see how well he performs at the tracks where Michelin have the edge over Bridgestone.

[Dino IV]

No comments yet, Valve Bounce
On the contrary I have an additional question:
Who's convinced of similarities in racing between Michael and Ralf?
And if so, describe them.

[Valve Bounce]

Dino, we only have quals once a year in Oz - the Oz GP. So there is very little chance for me to compare the two brothers. I do perceive a tremendous rivalry between the siblings, and that neither will give an inch to the other on the circuit. However, I will pay attention when the quals at Albert Park are televised, and give you my comments. To be honest, I find it difficult to believe that Ralf is as good as Mika or TGF. Nevertheless, my predictions for a successful Ralf year are solely based on the gamble that Michelin are sandbagging, and they will have the edge on SOME circuits. I also think that Frank's cars are better than their record in the past two years suggest, and the BMW is more powerful this year.

[RT]

As I recall, an F1 magazine recently did an estimate of how things would have worked out in 2000 if no MacLaren or Ferrari drivers had been taken into account (on account of the fact that they had been in superior cars, I suppose). The answer in this scenario was that the World Champion would have been:

RALF SCHUMACHER !!!

[Ralf's Girl]

Originally posted by Raceace
Perhaps someone can remind me of a decent I mean really decent drive from Ralf.

Silverstone 1998. 21st on the grid to 6th at the chequered flag in monsoon conditions - and that was the year that Ralf was supposedly an irrational and reckless driver. However, his survival in a race which saw drivers like Mika spinning all over the show, and TGF overtaking under yellow flags shows that he's not the worst out there...

Spa 1998, another wet race, another strong drive. Monza 1998, where he came third, also showed how well he matured during the 98 season.

In 1999, there were races such as the European GP. I'm sure you all remember drivers like Coulthard and Fisichella chucking it into the gravel trap, Hakkinen cocking up his change to wet tyres and Ferrari's farce with Irvine's missing wheel. Ralf - in the wet, again - kept it on the track, had the right tyres on, overtook a McLaren (by far a more powerful engine and better car than that year's Williams-Supertec effort) and drove one of the most mature racesd I had ever seen him drive. And that race would undoubtedly have been his first victory, had it not been for that puncture.

So all in all, I'd say he ain't half bad.

[LYM]

One thing people do not realise is that to compare to Button is less objective than comparing Ralf's records over the year. Can I say he's constantly improving-yes. Can I say he's still young-yes. Can I say that he's 5th best driver last year considering the different car he drove to the four cars ahead of him? Yes.

I don't want to comment on whether he will fare better than Coulthard because IMO DC is another grossly underrated driver. But since Hakkinen win his first WDC at the age of 29, Ralf should not be discounted at 25.

[WilliamsBMWF1]

I was so annoyed I stuck a fork on my leg very hard .I prayed and prayed he would make it to the finish as he had on so many occasions in 99 but I was denied.I still feel the pain today,lets hope he put that right in 2001 RALF'S Girl.

[Mania]

He`s certainly better than the other ITV darlings who are supposedly future World Champions such as Whiner-Supreme DC, Fisicella, Montoya, Trulli, Button etc.

Ralf is still young and he has the potential and ability to be a future champion. Its not easy to win your first race when you start off with driving lousy cars but Ralf has the advantage of being young and so he has time on his side.

The Williams will bring him wins but the title will come when he goesm to Ferrari or Mclaren which will happen in 2003.

Anyways, there`s no reason for people to knock Ralf. He may not be the best driver in the world at the moment, but he`s certainly ONE of the best and will get better with time.

A lot of team owners certainly think so - including Frank Williams for that matter.

[Father Mulcahy]

Ralf isnt as good as schumi, but is in the top 8 I reckon. Schumi, Mika, JV, DC, Rubens, Panis are ahead of him in my rankings. I doubt whether he will ever win the title in his career.

[Airhead]

Amen to that Father, Amen.

[Dino IV]

No similarities with his elder brother then?
Michael is a pretty succesful performer in F1, isn't he?
So does that make Ralf a less capable or totally different driver?

And another question: Do you agree that this 2001 season will be a make-or-break season for the rest of his F1 career?

[Valve Bounce]

At the tracks where Michelin have the edge, then definitely Ralf will have to put the car on the front row and win. There will be no excuses if he doesn't.

[Mania]

This is the season where Ralf should be able to pick up a few wins, no dount about it. But the driver isent the only one who makes the team, the Williams team will have to step up its game..meaning...better pit stops and strategy. There's no way around that.

But - that said - if the Williams has the pace, then Ralf will win a couple, and there wont be any escuses if he doesent.

Lets see if the Williams can do the job this year..

[RussianFriend]

It's so difficult to be a little brother of a Champion. Everybody expect him to be the same and every blunder is considered as a "lack of talent" sign. I think such expectation have a bad influence on the driver.

[EERO]

Steph gave the example I would have chosen, Nurburgring in '99. It should have been Ralf's victory. The Williams wasn't a very good car that year, the conditions were deplorable and save the puncture, I am convinced that he would have been rewarded.

RT, the rationnale behind F1 Racing's article is the fact that the two top teams so dominated the first four points scoring places throughout the season that it did not allow an assessment of the rest of the grid. Ralf was clearly the best of the rest, and in a car wi5th an unproven engine in what was to have been a "rebuilding" year.

One of the reasons I remain optimistic about his future is that with each season, he has shown developing maturity and his skills show no signs of levelling off, only improvement. I have high regard for Montoya as well and I think this year will be a test for Ralf. I am confident that he will succede and that in 2002 Williams will be acknowledge to have one of the strongest, if not THE strongest pairing on the grid.

[Quino]

Dino>
About this supposed similarities with his legend brother, Mark Hughes of Autosport penned an interesting article in the February issue of that bible by the title of 'Junior Showtime-It is make or break this year for the younger Schumacher. He has the talent of a great driver-but needs to adapt his complex nature that jars with the tough world of F1

Some quotations:

His biggest asset is his quite superb racing-skill. Regardless of any problems in qualifying he is routinely brilliant on the first lap, instinctively putting himself in the right gaps. He is wonderfully aggressive in battle, utilising the pin-sharp judgement that comes from having adopted superlate braking as the essence of his driving style from day one. His discs are often orange when everyone elses are red

He is magical when it comes to pitstops; never does he look more like brother Michael than on his in and out laps. To top all this, he rarely makes significant mistakes

But how quick is he? Being so spectacularly late on brakes and a dramatic kerb-hopper made for a general perception that he was among the very quickest when he was seeing off Zanardi or being robbed of victory at the Nurburgring in '99. But questions have been raised by qualifying days like Spa and Suzuka last year, where Button's silky momentum belied the fact that he was quicker

And at the end poor old Zanardi is the only teammate he truly beat. Is Ralf that undoubtely quick? If so, Hughes didn't have to bother to write this article, did he?
True perception: This is make or break for Ralf. I recall a comment done by a Williams employee at the time when the Monotoya rumours couldn't be denied any longer: "Williams isn't looking for someone that can keep up with Ralf, we're looking for someone that can blow him away"

The final quote goes to Sir Frank Williams:

"Perhaps Ralf's maturity hasn't kept up with his career

[Valve Bounce]

It is interesting to read about Michelin's prospects in today's autorace.com. It would appear to me that Michelin expect Bridgestone to be superior at most tracks because they have the data from previous years whereas Michelin do not. However, with being restricted to two types of tyres at each race, it will be down to whichever team gets the call right at the track, and I expect Michelin will make the better call at some tracks,especially towards the end of the season.
I don't particularly believe all I read in magazines, and I do not accept that what they say is necessarily correct - they are just opinions. As Mario Andretti said:" Opinions are like ********s, everobody has a different one". I still remembr clearly the article in the respected magazine "Motorsport" by none other than Dennis Jenkinson about wings would produce negligeable downforce on cars, and he even came out with some theoretical arguments. He was proven wrong.
So here is my opinion for what it's worth: Ralf is good, and on certain circuits which favour Michelin, he will blow them away.