Senna vs. Schumacher - The debate continues

[Snowy]

Schumacher hasn't really had any competition since Damon Hill retired!

Not exactly true but it is worth mentioning that MS had beaten Ayton's Williams twice(or was it 3 times?), he had the better car and strategic team behind him. Damon dragged that car, the strategically inept William's team and himself into contention.(Don't you dare mention the plank just another example of this cheating devil ) And had the championship stolen from him by a cheating low life who's name is not fit to be uttered in the same breath as the great Senna not to mention Fangio and Clark It makes my blood boil that we're even debating this:evil:

Ayton's strike rate, the people he was up against and not having to rely on Ross Brawn for all his descisions clearly makes him the greater driver.
When did MS ever have to race his team mate? Never, that's when

Damon Hill will always be the better man he showed what a real racing driver is when he stood post race at Adelaide and turned the other cheek. Only to have a knife stuck in his back by Frank (Oh how I adore Michael) Williams

Michael did not turn Farrari around Ross Brawn and that other geezer from Renault did that in my humble opinion

[RE30B#16]

Damon Hill will always be the better man he showed what a real racing driver is when he stood post race at Adelaide and turned the other cheek. Only to have a knife stuck in his back by Frank (Oh how I adore Michael) Williams

People need to recognize just how great a champion Damon Hill was. He should have been a 3 times WC himself. First he had Schumacher, in a moment of sheer panic/brain fade, crash him out of winning the 1994 championship. Then he had ignorant Frank Williams and Patrick Head pitting David Coulthard against him instead of creating/maintaining a harmonious team in 1995 [a year in which Williams lost the championship with a superior car just like back in 1986]. Then he wins the WC, only to be fired! He had the last laugh in 1997 and 1998 with his near victory at Hungary in the Arrows and his victory at Spa for Jordan.

Michael did not turn Farrari around Ross Brawn and that other geezer from Renault did that in my humble opinion

Michael is effectively driving for the same team he first won with albeit with a huge budget and Ferrari engines.

Chris

[RE30B#16]

PS





Chris

[sean hawaii]

to make things simple, statistically, schumacher is better, he had more time to achieve great things. as an overall racer an a person, no one comes close to senna.

[jacfan]

to make things simple, statistically, schumacher is better, he had more time to achieve great things. as an overall racer an a person, no one comes close to senna.

[Julian Mayo]

to make things simple, statistically, schumacher is better, he had more time to achieve great things. as an overall racer an a person, no one comes close to senna.

[F1greyhound]

Very similar in ability, as mentioned several times I dont support this SENNA the greater personality view...MICHAEL could actually laugh better at himself and was not always dead serious offtrack, found good words for his opponents more easily to name just 2 points in his favour, personalitywise that is...

As a racer he simply achieved more.

I think if AYRTON had not died we would have seen a fantastic competition between the 2.

As he died he became a legend, and deservedly so. In this popularity poll nobody can beat AYRTON unless he shows similar capacities and.....dies in a race car.

Personally I think the debate is useless. There have been quite a few GREAT drivers not only these 2....


HAPPY NEW YEAR................and may the season come quickly!!!

[Julian Mayo]

Very similar in ability, as mentioned several times I dont support this SENNA the greater personality view...MICHAEL could actually laugh better at himself and was not always dead serious offtrack, found good words for his opponents more easily to name just 2 points in his favour, personalitywise that is...

As a racer he simply achieved more.

I think if AYRTON had not died we would have seen a fantastic competition between the 2.

As he died he became a legend, and deservedly so. In this popularity poll nobody can beat AYRTON unless he shows similar capacities and.....dies in a race car.

Personally I think the debate is useless. There have been quite a few GREAT drivers not only these 2....


HAPPY NEW YEAR................and may the season come quickly!!!

Ascari, Fangio, Nuvolari come to mind.
The one thing that makes Senna above the rest, FOR ME, is when he complained that the in-car computer was too slow.

[gkaytaz]

...complained that the in-car computer was too slow.

Says a lot about that guy, doesn't it He was a great driver for sure.

[jacfan]

He was a legend.

[gkaytaz]

As said in a favorite movie of mine: History becomes legend, legend becomes myth, and some things are forgotten that should not have been?

I will just make sure that my kids do not forget Senna

[jacfan]

Good.

[iceman]

Dears,

I was thinking more than two years about this debate Senna vs Schumacher and I was thinking about it many many hours.

Pls let me tell you that I see in Ayrton Senna a person who´s sentences have such a pureness and honesty and his passion is incomaparable to everything I have seen and will see in my lifetime.

For me he is a idol and will it be until my life ends. I alson agree in Hamilton´s sentence that Senna seemed not to have any fear by driving a Formula 1 car. His overtakes in Donigton 93 are something I till now cannot understand. This is something miraculous. This is not somehting which can happen a second time not in 100 years!

If somebody asked me half an year ago who´s the better driver I would have said Senna, and would say the the same now.

But what means to be the better driver???

If only skills of driving, Senna would be still my favourite! If it means who is the most complete driver my descion is Michael Schumacher!

He was not far away from Senna´s driving skills which you can see especially at Barcelons 96 and Monaco 97 ( but he wouldn´t ever could do the same like Senna in Donigton 93 or us gp 90). His setting up of his car is nevertheless unique and legendary! Senna´s fearless overtekaes, which where even successful are also unique and legendary but in the end it depends who has the better car! To see it realistic Senna couldn´t prepare his car that good than Schumacher. He also wouldn´t be able to do it for 5 years like Schumacher betwenn 2000-2004. That´s the reason why I think Schumacher is the better driver all in all.

Who can´t agree with it must see that also Prost, which I think is seen generally not that good as Schumacher won equal titles against Senna.

My vote therefore goes to Schumacher!

All in all my personal favourite will still be Senna, also cause of his great character and his drivings skills, which till now not any driver had showen again!

Hope my opinion will not be laid-out wrong!

Kind regards

Jonas

PS: I hope Kimi will come back to F1 next year, as he´s also a great driver, my last years favourite beside Vettel. Watch qualifing 2005 Moncao! half a second better than Alonson (second)

[RE30B#16]

Just watched some old footage of Ayrton Senna in his JPS Lotus and his all-conquering McLaren from 1988. I have been watching this sport for some 40 years. I have seen lots of talent come and go, but I have never seen another driver as special as Ayrton Senna. Not Michael Schumacher. Not Alain Prost. I watched all three drivers come up through the junior formulae. All three telegraphed that they would be formidable once they hit F1, but Senna was simply a cut above.

Looking back on the careers of thee three great drivers, I can name more Senna drives which defied all logic: Monaco '84, Estoril '85, Monaco '88, Suzuka '88, Monaco '89, Brazil '91, Donington '93, and more. Ayrton Senna da Silva was one of these truly special special drivers the likes of which we see only a few times every decade or so. As great as Schumacher and Prost were, Senna was greater. No question. The opinion is shared by Jackie Stewart, Denis Jenkinson, Murray Walker, and countless others in and around the sport. Michael Schumacher himself is likely to agree.

It is important to realize that statistics never tell the whole story. Many truly gifted drivers never won any championships. I must mention Gilles Villeneuve, Didier Pironi, Ronnie Peterson, Carlos Reutemann, John Watson, Jacky Ickx, Patrick Tambay, Rene Arnoux, Michele Alboreto and Stefan Bellof. The era in which these monsters of motorsports raced has to be the greatest era for F1 in terms of what teams can accomplish technically, but certainly any team would benefit from the mere presence of Senna, Prost or Schumacher who could seemingly lift a team to monumental heights. All deserve our respect.

[F1greyhound]

I think the debate should not continue..

In the end a matter of opinion, at least both drivers made it into this discussion..

Anyway I consider MICHAELs comeback as being one of truly great sportmanship as the F1 field never before had the average quality it has today!