SwSpeed wrote:
Still going on this one.
Thanks for debating. For once a proper debate.
We're not finished yet!
Let's see:
LKS1 wrote:
callMEcrazy wrote:
Fiki wrote:
callMEcrazy wrote:
Other teams, drivers, sponsors, public opinions, media and Bernie Ecclestones all came short when Ferrari and Schumacher wanted each other. And they won't now that Ferrari and Alonso want each other. You can bring stats into it as much as you like. Won't change anything. Ferrari itself didn't want Kimi.
I'm not sure which other teams were available to Schumacher when he wanted to leave Benetton mid-1994, but by then of course Senna was dead. And he was going to end his career (yes, that's what they all say) at Ferrari.
If Ferrari itself didn't want Kimi, why did they hire him? Who forced him on them?
Just about any team was available to Schumacher after just winning 2 back to back WDCs. Not many drivers in his position would have gone to Ferrari at that point.
Although I prefer to answer questions only with logic I still have to say your second question is pretty stupid. What Ferrari thought of Kimi in '06 and '09 are different. Obviously how Kimi performed during the time in between changed their opinion. A company hires a person if it thinks he is good enough. But if he disappoints he gets fired. That's always how it is. Opinions change.

Hard to argue against any of that.
Edit - OTT Kimi fans will argue that he was only replaced for Santander funding of course, but Kimi didn't perform as well as expected. As I've said before, I blame Luca - not the Ferrari F1 team for the fiasco 2006 onwards.
Schumacher didn't choose where to go at the end of 1995, at which point he was indeed a world champion, with undisputed speed. I wrote about 1994, and with good reason. In the summer of 1994, after Verstappen had been barbequed in Germany and Benetton's cheating was common knowledge, and with the investigation of their cheating with traction control nearing a verdict, Schumacher (and Willi Weber) had a dream scenario to fill the void left by the death of the fastest man in F1; Senna. Instead of having to loose money for breach of contract, they could now argue that Benetton had brought Schumacher's name into disrepute, and they wanted out.
Senna had been on his way to Ferrari after 2 years with Williams. Marlboro sponsoring put up the budget, which was now available for the next best thing: Schumacher.
In the end a compromise was reached, perhaps with an eye to the contracts of Berger and Alesi, and after another year with Benetton, Schumacher was free to go to the best paid seat in F1.
So, even though just about any team might have wanted Schumacher after 1995, he simply wasn't available, world title(s) or not. Any driver in his position knew there were only three teams worth going to, and he went to the one with the most money on offer. Ferrari weren't the best team on paper, but with JT getting a firm grip on things, success was only a matter of time.
It is quite possible that Ferrari's opinion about Räikkönen changed during 2007. They admitted in that year that they were astounded by the amount of oversteer he was able to live with. Although their car hadn't exactly been what he needed, both world titles were won, mission accomplished.
The problem was that Alonso had gotten himself burned at McLaren, and his spell with an underperforming Renault team was only going to last until a seat became available. This time, with tobacco sponsoring firmly on the defensive, it was a banker who provided the necessary cash. And even before the spring of 2008 was over, Ferrari's "opinion" of Kimi had changed... As they say; pull the other one!
My question stands: If Ferrari itself didn't want Kimi, why did they hire him? Who forced him on them?
A new question is how much Ferrari's prestige has suffered, having just lost the titles for a third consecutive year, despite having the best driver in F1 on their books?