If I have to describe the Michael Schumacher era in one word, it has to be 'BRUTAL DOMINATION'. His unsatiated hunger for victory speaks about his potentially invincible stature.
I have just watched the qualifying of the Monza GP in which Force India again made it to the front row. Their podium at the Belgium GP was an indicator of what was in store for the nascent F1 team.
But the question which comes to my mind is whether F1 has lost a single person who wins majority of the races in a calendar year???? This year we had many winners in the form of Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonnen. 3-4 years down the line, this kind of scenario would have been impossible.
There was only one victor and that was Michael Schumacher in almost all the races. The races in which he could not win would merely be because of a fault in his car or the rare mistake that he would have committed. But he was accused of making Formula 1 boring. I strongly disagree!!!
When Schumacher was racing, my only motive to watch F1 was to see Schumacher winning. But now after Schumacher walked into the sunset, there is no clear dominator in the F1 circuit. Now some people will vouch that F1 has become more intersting now because the winner cannot be predicted.
I again disagree because now there is no consistency in the racing patterns. Jenson Button wins one race and the next race he cannot even make the Q3. Same is the case with Lewis Hamilton. This kind of a scenario leaves you completely fuming and frustrated.
Atleast when Schumacher was around we were able to see consistent racing atleast from one driver. But that scenario has now become a distant memory. I still remember the US GP of 2003 when Schumacher spun and qualified in the 14th position. The racers of today would have given up hope and settled by targeting for points. I still remember Schumacher telling the TV cameras that despite starting from the 14th position he would still be aiming for victory.
As King Khan said in his movie Om Shanti Om; 'Kisi bhi cheez ko dil se chaho toh poori kainaath use tumse milane ki koshish me lag jaati hai'
This is exactly what happened with Schumacher. 20 minutes into the race and it started raining heavily and Schumacher is hailed as the KING OF WET RACES. No body has ever graced the Formula 1 circuit who would even dare to think of defeating Schumacher in a wet race. And as he had said he won the race despite starting from the 14th position.
That was the kind of hunger Schumacher had for victory which is missing in the PLASTIC drivers now-a-days. All they care is strategy, strategy and strategy. The passion for racing and for victory that Schumacher championed for is now missing.
As Schumacher walked into the sunset, he has taken away with him the zing which the Formula 1 racing used to be known for. It appears to me that you pick any Tom, Dick and Harry and put him in the F1 car and he can also win. This is the extent of the depreciation of the F1 standards.
Michael Schumacher or 'Schumi' as he was lovingly called will surely be missed in F1 in the years and decades to come and had it not been for Michael Schumacher, the sport called Formula 1 would have been as obscure as the NASCAR racing.
It is not that Formula 1 made Michael Schumacher, it is just that MICHAEL SCHUMACHER made Formula 1.
