GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => F1 History => Topic started by: Dare on December 09, 2011, 01:20:37 AM
-
Sour grapes or the truth?
Jos Verstappen remains convinced that Michael Schumacher won his maiden World title with the help of electronic aids.
The Dutchman was Schumacher's team-mate at Benetton when he won the first of his seven Championships in 1994. The young Schumacher thoroughly out-drove Verstappen, scoring 92 points from fourteen races in comparison to Verstappen's ten points from ten races.
Verstappen has long stated that he did not believe that he and the German was driving the same car and he has once again reiterated his belief that Schumacher had electronic assistance.
"People think I'm looking for an excuse," Verstappen told NuSport.
"I just know that his car was different to my car.
"I kept thinking: this can't be done! I braked at the limit and went as hard as possible into the corners. Schumacher was able to do things and not to me. There was something wrong."
The 39-year-old explains that he went to team boss Flavio Briatore to discuss whether Schumacher was using electronic aids but did not receive a direct response on the subject.
"There were electronic aids. They will never admit it, but I am convinced," said Verstappen.
"I later asked Flavio Briatore, who had brought me to Benetton and was then the team manager. He said, 'Let's not talk about it.' So I know enough now."
The Dutchman added that: "Michael depends on the car just like everybody else. To some people he is God. That bit is disappearing. He is not superman - he never was.
"When we went karting he never beat me. I know the reason why he beat me at Benetton."
-
Sour grapes.
Why would a team run two different cars? It's one thing when there's only a handful of development parts (*cough* rbr front wing *cough*), but a whole season with two different programmes intended to hamper one driver? Even Briatore couldn't be that cruel.
Certainly the car could conceivably been more suitable for Schumacher, and as a number one driver he had the better strategies, but anything else doesn't make any sense at all.
-
Sour grapes.
Why would a team run two different cars? It's one thing when there's only a handful of development parts (*cough* rbr front wing *cough*), but a whole season with two different programmes intended to hamper one driver? Even Briatore couldn't be that cruel.
Certainly the car could conceivably been more suitable for Schumacher, and as a number one driver he had the better strategies, but anything else doesn't make any sense at all.
I'm with you Jeri,why run a car to hamper your teamie when team
orders will do the trick
-
I've always found it interesting that he was never outstanding at the Mercedes Sports Car team. Sauber Mercedes did not consider him a lead driver.
-
What the heck, this same old rehashed crap again? The guy just lost any remaining respect I may have had for him. Put up or shut up Jos. :nono:
-
I'm with you Jeri,why run a car to hamper your teamie when team
orders will do the trick
Maybe because having only one illegal car limits your chances of being caught.
This is not about hampering one driver. It's about illegal boosting your main driver. I don't think Benetton were interested in what happened to Verstappen, as long as Schumacher was up front. In fact no team with Schumacher in it has ever been concerned much with his team mate.
Now, I don't want have a go at Schumacher or Flavio, but lets face it, their actions in the 15 years following that first title don't make them look like angels when it comes to sticking to the rules.
Even Senna believed that car was illegal given the number of "perfect" starts Schumacher was managing.
-
Wot - an F1 team bending the rules and cheating, surely not? :o :D
In a longer article on this same subject, on gpupdate.net, Jos is quoted as saying, "I drove Michael's car a few times, at Hockenheim for example, but I spun off. There's no way that he could have been so fast with that set-up. But the system that Michael used wasn't in the car at that moment." Well now along with the fact that he beat Michael in karting that's obviously proof postitive that Michael and Benetton were cheating, ::) - or it could be that you are not the driver you think you are Jos? :P
-
I'm with you Jeri,why run a car to hamper your teamie when team
orders will do the trick
Maybe because having only one illegal car limits your chances of being caught.
This is not about hampering one driver. It's about illegal boosting your main driver. I don't think Benetton were interested in what happened to Verstappen, as long as Schumacher was up front. In fact no team with Schumacher in it has ever been concerned much with his team mate.
Now, I don't want have a go at Schumacher or Flavio, but lets face it, their actions in the 15 years following that first title don't make them look like angels when it comes to sticking to the rules.
Even Senna believed that car was illegal given the number of "perfect" starts Schumacher was managing.
The winning cars get scrutineered much more closely than the losing ones.
And you're certainly right, without Schumacher and Briatore's reputations, this story would be laughed at, not reported.
As for 'perfect starts', I wasn't watching F1 back then, but I know that in his Ferrari days Schumacher was a tireless tester. I presume the same was true at Bennetton. It's entirely possible he was more familiar with his machine than anyone else on the grid. That's going to make it seem so much more super human on Sundays.
-
The one part on Schumi's car that vastly different on Jos's was in the area between the steering wheel & the seat. ;)
Cheating with a launch control system was fairly common back then, but why just on one car?
-
Cheating with a launch control system was fairly common back then, but why just on one car?
I wouldn't be so sure. It was fairly common at Benetton perhaps!
-
The one part on Schumi's car that vastly different on Jos's was in the area between the steering wheel & the seat. ;)
Exactly. Never been much of a Jos fan. It just seems like he wants to be in the news every six months or so by saying something outrageous.
-
The one part on Schumi's car that vastly different on Jos's was in the area between the steering wheel & the seat. ;)
Exactly. Never been much of a Jos fan. It just seems like he wants to be in the news every six months or so by saying something outrageous.
The Dutch JV :D
(Or does that make Villeneuve the Canadian JV? :fool: )