FlightMan

YouTube - Mika Hakkinen vs Michael Schumacher - Spa Francorchamps

Never seen this from this angle before.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Dude, I wasn't expecting that at the end .

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

That was a good pass, good old MS blocking the first attempt. Served him right losing the place like that

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

I grimaced whan I saw that at the beginning. ***** of steel.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

It's called competitive motorsport, not an 'after you Claude' procession.

nik52wrx

Remember watching that on tv live an it still looks awsome.
Possibly one of the best moves in F1 history.
Shame Mika retired to leave the shoemaker free reign for such a long time.
Nik.

LEUVEN

Yeah nowt wrong with "making it difficult" for your opponent which he is probably the best at doing, but I think MS sometimes pushed the boundaries a little too far on occasions.

It also looked like he was actually trying to hide the lapped BAR from Mika aswell as get a slip stream, so when he quickly moved to the left Mika would have a face full of an F1 rear wing and gearbox, but fortunaltely Mika had already decided his move and pulled it off.

LEUVEN

Yes gutting, I think MS said that Mika was the only one he thought of as a threat in that era(probably post Senna) or something like the only threat he has had(probably post Senna)
He could have just said that too wind up his then current rivals tho'

corradoboy

Those were the days. Can't watch a whole race these days

Sonic'

Yep, I was at that race too, not quite the same these days, even then it was starting to become almost a chore to watch

corradoboy

Racing in F1 seems like a distant memory now. The best years that I watched saw classics like that race at Spa, the other at Spa when Coulthard tried to kill Schuey, then Schuey repaid the favour in the pits Hill vs Schuey in the rain at Barcelona. Schuey in Portugal cleaning the track on one corner for 10 laps before spending 8 laps catching Hill back up, and then passing him 3 laps later. 21 laps for a single pass

Modern F1 is pretty much...

Start....Joe Boggs leads
Pit 1....Joe comes in early, Fred Bloggs stays out 2 laps more, takes lead after his stop
Pit 2....Fred still leads Joe, engines turned down and everyone can go home as we know the outcome now.

Sonic'

<nods unfortunately>

51st state

and theres NO schuy to love or hate
now if one team has the best car (mclaren)then theres no one to challenge
i loved watching schumacher, he will be a legend, as good as F1 will ever get
they changed the rules to stop him winning and drive him out

i'm hoping kimi will start to do a few tricks, he likes the high life, partying , motorbikes and snowboarding,
thats why he and mr dennis fell out,

Petem95

There is quite an interesting Ferrari/McLaren fight at the moment - but I think McLaren are about to get a load of points docked... after their chief designers is found to have a 780 page Ferrari technical document at his house, I find it hard to see how the FIA won't take action!

Leslie

Don't underestimate Ferrari, they had the legs of the McClarens at Silverstone.

It was good to see Mika take Eau Rouge flat, that takes a bit of good driving.

Les

Chris L

It's funny how people's opinions and memories change with age. I always remember people saying that F1 was boring when Schumacher was winning everything! Engines have always been turned down to protect them - Ferrari did it all the time when they were dominant with Schumacher.

Incidentally, the best car in F1 at the moment is Ferrari - it's a real testament to the skills of both Alonso and Hamilton that they are up there with them. This year has been fascinating and I reckon the second half of the season will see it get better. Don't also forget that thankfully Spa (the best circuit in the IMHO) is back on the calendar again.

Great clip BTW

corradoboy

When Schuey was at the top of his game he had Hakinnen, Hill, Villeneuve (briefly), Coulthard (occasionally, due to the car mainly) etc to keep him on his toes. As these guys faded noone stepped up to the ball for many years leaving Schuey to dominate. His combination of driving and team input creating the unbeatable package is the Holy Grail of F1, and yes it did get boring and predictable. The bar was set for the other teams to catch them, that is the game. The teams now all look more evenly competitive, but the regulations rob them and us of true racing. As a driver, to be told to turn your engine down when you're in any other place than 1st must smart.

If I were put in charge I'd ban traction control and launch control to make the drivers drive. I'd ban remote engine mapping and limit driver adjustability. Scrap the two race rule, but impose limits on maximum revs, power and torque to promote reliability to thus reduce costs. Slicks are a must to get some grip in low speed corners to encourage daring overtaking moves, but to reduce top speeds there could be gearing regulations. Aerodynamics need altering to reduce the effect on pursuing cars and again, help limit top speeds for safety. Clarkson once suggested they should gain or lose a point for each position gained or lost relative to their qualifying position, disregarding DNF's. That might get them challenging each other !

Leslie

I would go along with that.

Les