Unlucky

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 17:36 (Ref:1309186)

i have to say Micheal Schumacher has had a unluckey couple of races. the tyres punchere's at Barcelona and knocking his front wing off at Monaco. I think if these to incidents had not happened to him then he could have come second in each race and will be a lot more closer to Alonso in the championship. Although the car is not the best at the begining of an race nor in qualifying it does have some blistering mid-race pace.

Mr V · 24 May 2005, 17:40 (Ref:1309191)

what goes around comes around

3 1/2 seasons (50 odd races?) of out and out luck, now it's come back to bite him.

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 17:43 (Ref:1309194)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr V

3 1/2 seasons (50 odd races?) of out and out luck, now it's come back to bite him.

People always say he's lucky but he's not really. People always also say that Coulthard is unluckey. i think he's more lucky than unluckey

Logrence · 24 May 2005, 18:07 (Ref:1309214)

Well if he's not lucky then he's even more skilled and brilliant than people give him credit for.

And DC did survive a plane crash in 2001...

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 18:13 (Ref:1309223)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logrence

#
And DC did survive a plane crash in 2001...

i mean on the track

BootsOntheSide · 24 May 2005, 18:16 (Ref:1309229)

Coulthard was unlucky that Schumacher pole-axed him after he'd negotiated a path around the spun Minardi at Monaco. Michael was admittedly unlucky that he had to tour back to the pits under green flag conditions because of the late deployment of the safety car, but that didn't cost him a huge amount.

I'd say Michael's had more good than bad luck throughout his career. There were a few crashes (Suzuka 1991, Belgium 1995, Hockenheim 2001) which could easily have been worse than Silverstone. And tehre was that run of 3 years without a mechanical failure.

Super Tourer · 24 May 2005, 18:21 (Ref:1309236)

F1 has always run to a cycle - teams do well then not so well, it has always happened and always will. Ferrari and MS have had an excellent 'run' but it's impossible to maintain or sustain the level of performance and competitiveness they have shown in recent years.

That's the top and bottom of it IMO.

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 18:26 (Ref:1309240)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

And tehre was that run of 3 years without a mechanical failure.

People should congratulate Ferrari for that. Remember the first year he had at Ferrari and how many time they broke down.Other teams should follow in their footsteps.I think being reliable is not being lucky. Its just the sign of a good team and car.

Logrence · 24 May 2005, 19:20 (Ref:1309275)

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau1

People always say he's lucky but he's not really. People always also say that Coulthard is unluckey. i think he's more lucky than unluckey

Straight from the horse's mouth - I refer you to DC on the ITV-F1 site...

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Coulthard

There's not so much to say. Albers spun his car going into the corner, so I slowed down to avoid him. However, Michael couldn't see me and he hit the back of my car, which damaged the back wing and rear suspension.

For that to happen twice in one weekend… well, lets just say it's pretty bad luck.

Yoong Montoya · 24 May 2005, 19:32 (Ref:1309287)

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau1

Remember the first year he had at Ferrari and how many time they broke down.

Yeah that's true. How many mechanical DNFs did he have in the first 6 races of 1996 does anyone know? He's had 2 this year at Bahrain and Catalunya.

BootsOntheSide · 24 May 2005, 20:00 (Ref:1309306)

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau1

People should congratulate Ferrari for that. Remember the first year he had at Ferrari and how many time they broke down.Other teams should follow in their footsteps.I think being reliable is not being lucky. Its just the sign of a good team and car.

How come Rubens doesn't have the same reliabiity then? A lot of races have fallen into Michael's lap over the years.

Paarma · 24 May 2005, 20:06 (Ref:1309311)

Obviously Michael's car is number one priority. A team like ferrari should be able to give a fair amount of attention to both of them though. Maybe Rubens just pushes his too far.

**Adam43** · 24 May 2005, 22:08 (Ref:1309435)

Lucky? Hmmm.

Well his problems in Spain could well have been a result of running over the limits of the car to try and gain something from the weekend. In Monaco he ran into DC, but I don't think he could have been expecting much better.

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 22:16 (Ref:1309441)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

In Monaco he ran into DC, but I don't think he could have been expecting much better.

would'nt he have most probably been ahead of Montoya and that group plus maybe infront of Alonso. Well it depends what could have happened.

Don K · 24 May 2005, 22:18 (Ref:1309442)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoong Montoya

Yeah that's true. How many mechanical DNFs did he have in the first 6 races of 1996 does anyone know? He's had 2 this year at Bahrain and Catalunya.

Two. Brakes in Australia, and a broken wing in Argentina.

**Adam43** · 24 May 2005, 22:33 (Ref:1309453)

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau1

would'nt he have most probably been ahead of Montoya and that group plus maybe infront of Alonso. Well it depends what could have happened.

If, if, if and DC may still have been ahead of him and thi scould have effected his strategy. Or DC's engine might have blown in front of him. Or, or, or

I see Michael thinks he may have been fifth in this article: http://www.autosport-atlas.com/news.aspx?id=44464&s=5

In that same article he is also asked the following question, which is below with his reply.

Quote:

Q. Do you think you have a lot of bad luck at the moment?

MS: I don't think so. These are just things that can happen. That is part of motor racing. You have to bear in mind that I had less of those situations in the past than other drivers. Maybe that had to do with the fact that I used to be more at the front. At the moment we are in a period in which we have to accept that stuff like that can happen.

beau1 · 24 May 2005, 22:45 (Ref:1309461)

wow he's enthusiastic as ever.

Gt_R · 25 May 2005, 03:40 (Ref:1309531)

It's good to see Michael not taking the easy way out and blame "luck" for it.

Ferrari have always stated that luck comes with preparation. While it's tempting for me to say it's bad luck..and in a way when things like Albers spinning out of no where in front of DC and Michael is bad luck, there are things such as Spain (where it's poor tyres) and things such as Imola (where it's human error), and then the qualifying positions which are down to the package's inability to pull a fast first lap. Insufficient preparation.

And similarly, it's ridiculous how some people like to think that his recent years success is "good luck", but when he is running into trouble, it's because he's past it or he deserves it. Reliability isn't luck. Speed isn't luck. Teams don't spend millions of dollars to let the results be depended on luck. As for the Rubens vs Michael comparison, so are we to say Alonso's luckier than Fisichella? Kimi luckier than JPM? When's it ever gonna end?

Luck plays just a small factor...very small. Is Minardi extremely unlucky? Or simply because they're not doing enough to beat the rest?

avsfan733 · 25 May 2005, 04:27 (Ref:1309545)

i think he was saving up all his bad luck credits and the racing gods realized his account was full this year

Logrence · 25 May 2005, 09:55 (Ref:1309665)

If he believed in luck he wouldn't have made it to 7 world titles - if you believe that everything happens for a reason, it makes things a whole lot easier.

krt917 · 25 May 2005, 12:33 (Ref:1309806)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

How come Rubens doesn't have the same reliabiity then? A lot of races have fallen into Michael's lap over the years.

Whilst I would agree that, over the balance of his career, Schuey has had more good luck than bad, I still wouldn't say that he has won that many races where he simply lucked-in (not compared to his 83 total anyway!). He wins because he is good, because he tries to get everything sorted before the off, and because he is number 1 at Ferrari.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau1

would'nt he have most probably been ahead of Montoya and that group plus maybe infront of Alonso. Well it depends what could have happened.

Given the pace he had after his wing change, I think that - given the right strategy - he may well have finished ahead of the Alonso-Montoya group, but it's difficult to say exactly where he would have finished.

Glen · 25 May 2005, 13:31 (Ref:1309868)

You could argue that since his car/tyre package is not that competitive this year, he is being lucky right now in saving all his bad luck for when the Championship is beyond any Ferrari driver's reach anyhow.

As for his many previous "lucky" moments - like the saying goes "the more you practice the luckier you get"! Or, as stated by others "luck is when preparation meets opportunity".

marcel82 · 25 May 2005, 13:38 (Ref:1309873)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

Michael was admittedly unlucky that he had to tour back to the pits under green flag conditions because of the late deployment of the safety car, but that didn't cost him a huge amount.

Michael did not go back under green conditions. in fact, he waited to continue until the SC was brought out. he claims that the Minardi of Albers was blocking him, but this picture shows that his car was completely ahead of the minardi, and it was him who was blocking the road.

Glen · 25 May 2005, 13:41 (Ref:1309874)

That picture is after the Sauber had moved out of the way.

Knowlesy · 25 May 2005, 16:16 (Ref:1310014)

Unlucky? Yes, a little.

But, quite frankly, it's about ruddy time the man had some bad luck. As well as being one of the very best drivers of the past decade or so, he has also been far and away the luckiest! It's quite novel this season, to see him having bad luck.

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