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| Updated: 15 June 1998 | Canada Issue |
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'Dangerous blocking!' shouts Schumi about Hill. Fair enough, even as a
(the?) Jordan fan I agree. Never mind the fact Schumi commited an even
worse blocking move on H H Frentzen, and later took a wee short cut through (or should that be
'not through') the chicane. 'Terrible!' shouts Villeneuve, who took a less wee short
cut through a chicane, then made an *even worse* blocking move on Tuero. Rumour has
it they're still picking pieces of Tuero's Minardi from Villeneuve's rear
end (his car's rear end, silly!)
My theory that R. Schumacher is a saboteur, paid by CART to spoil all the F1 races was proved completely false, when twice he went out of his way (and into everyone else's) to make the race start more exciting. No, the real saboteur must be Diniz, who decided the track had waaay too much grip, and so dragged up some mud and spread it - nice and evenly - all over it. (About the only occasion this year when there was more dirt on the track than off it.) And serious kudos to Irvine for coming from last to third without being seen on TV overtaking even once. Then again, considering the number of finishers, he didn't really have to... All in all, one of the most exciting races of the year thanks to a complete inability of the drivers to a) start, b) not crash, c) overtake and d) stop. Here's to more low standards! Cheers, To Jacques Villeneuve, with all his acid comments on Schumacher's driving: I would like to remind you of the comment once your dad made: "If you don't have 2-3 major race crashes during a season, it means you are not driving at the limit". Well, Jaques, your dad was the toughest, most determined, 100% dedicated driver I have ever seen. And he lived by his words. He did crash often, but he always gave it all, and that's why all loved him. Now there's another guy, that like Gilles gives all he has all the time. That driver is Schumacher. He made, makes and will make mistakes. But only because of passion like your dad had, and unlike you have, he is possessed by a burning fire to be always the fastest.
Fabio Balenzano
P.S. Instead of bitching about how bad your Williams is this year, my dear Jacques, check how your dad won in Spain and Montecarlo with the most undriveable heavy piece of junk I have ever seen, the fist Ferrari turbo in 1981. And how in 1980, with the less competitive Ferrari ever in the last 20 years, he just gave it all to bring the car to a final 5th position in a race, with the same determination as if he was racing for victory in the championship. And, I never heard him wining like a child, he just pushed that thing as fast as he could. A real champion, a real man. Will Tony George be allowed to do to F1 racing possibilities in the United States as he did with the Indianapolis 500. I personally have been so dissappointed with the results of George's tatics at the '500' that I can't wait until there is new management. Where the United States Premier Auto event will once again become the Best of the Best, racing the best equipment available. A US Formula One race deserves to be nothing less that a world class event, at a world class road coarse. Maybe something like Lagun Seca, or maybe a brand new track created for the the worlds fastest cars and drivers. I'm sure CART and other US racing Venues would also benfit with this type of facility. Please don't let the Tony George mentality (or lack there of) invade Formula 1. It already had too many crackpots of its own. In memory of what the Indy 500 used to be,
Mike Lobenberg
I find it incredible to see Atlas believe Schumacher "didn't gain any ground on the Jordan (which was already behind)" by running across the chicane in the Canadian GP Review. After being out braked by Hill Schumacher saw fit to forget about braking and over-took Hill knowing full well it didn't matter if he carried too much speed into the chicane as he could run across it which he did. A legitimate over taking maneuver would have seen him staying on the track which he obviously didn't, he ran across the chicane because he was going too fast to make the corner from a botched over taking move that's where the advantage laid and why Schumacher should have been reprimanded.
Steve Dewen
Dear Atlas F1: I am getting sick and tired of all this Schumacher bashing ! It amazes me that after a race with so many incidents and lack of judgement by drivers (yes, by Schumi also), everybody only wants to focus on Schumacher and comment on what a menace he is. What about Hill (commenly accepted to be a perfect "gentleman") and his HIGH SPEED blocking attempts. If any incident during the Canadian Grand Prix deserved the label of reckless, than this incident was it. I don't think I have to tell any serious F1 fan what happens to open wheel cars when they touch wheels at 320 km/h (just try to think about Pironi and Prost at Hockenheim). Hill can offer no excuse because everything he did was calculated and totally unethical. Yes, I know, Schumi has done many things in the past which can be labeled unethical. But why is it that everyone is after him and when drivers like Hill perform incidents like this it is simply is brushed away. Schumacher is a driver who constantly pushes the envelope of himself and his machinery (unlike Villeneuve who just takes about it). This type of driving will put him from time to time into uncomprimising situations..end of story (this is racing). I do not condone unethical behaviour simply because drivers are under pressure; however, I am realistic enough to understand that lack of judgement happens from time to time in pressure situations. Best Regards,
Mike Blessing
Dear Swedish TV4 and Atlas, This is a letter is response to Serge Lachapelle's comments about the bad coverage on TV4. I have to agree completly with the amature coverage and low proirity that TV4 give to races. I also have just moved to Sweden recently, from the UK, therfore I miss the wonderful and sometimes hilariously incorrect chantings from the voice of F1, Murray Walker, with a passion. Things were not always that bad in Sweden, last season we received excellent coverage from CANAL+ Sweden, with live qualifyings and races. But this year they were forbidden to show anything. I emailed CANAL+ Sweden about their loss of the F1 coverage, apparently because of "Bernie machine's" push for the Digital Television revolution, which is still in it's nursery stages here. I guess CANAL+ Sweden are another victim like Eurosport. And who suffers most... ...the fans. Kind of a "bite the hand that feeds" situation. So far this year we have only received one live qualifying session and only the European races live, other races get the 20 minute format. Lets face it the coverage from the 20 minutes format is as useful as reading Television text pages, not to mention that the 20 minute format are shown at midnight. Part of the thrill of F1 is the live coverage. I suppose I should be grateful with any form of coverage, but when one of your passions in life is abused by the "Bernie machine", it's hard to be grateful. One plus point for Sweden. I heard rumours that Stockholm is trying to get an F1 fixture for the year 2000. Probably a cruel rumour to keep moral high in Sweden. Dear Atlas, I don't know who had the right of way but, I would have liked if Frentzen would have kept his line and not mowed aside, then you would have seen Schumacher hitting him in the side and perhaps both going off. Ofcourse if a driver rather drives off into the grass than fight for his position then there is not much the stewards can do. But this is only my opinion and I ofcourse as a spectator have no financial gain and so also no say in Formula One.
Fredrik Johansson
I know that I'm not the first one to mention this, but i find it annoying that every time Schumacher does a mistake he get's a much harder treatment than other racing drivers. I don't know the reason for this but I think there are many. I've often heard that he is arrogant and ruthless. I for one know from my own experience after living for some years in another country that speaking another language can sometimes be a handicap when you want to express yourself or "be yourself" and I one thing I noticed most was that the humor (although I don't think of myself as a humorist) simply didn't come through where I lived, those years. I think it was because the mentality was a bit different but mostly because I couldn't choose the words so exactly as I could in my mother tongue. Well anyway I came to Germany in the fall of 1994 and since I hardly knew what F1 was at that time, I only noticed in the media that a guy called Schumacher had become World champion in F1. In the '95 season my interest caught on and after that saw many interviews with Michael on TV and I found him quite a pleasant guy. He can be funny at times but also very frank and analytical (which some can mistaken for arrogance). I also remember seeing him in a show on RTL after the '96 season which had a huge crowd (3-5000 in the audience) and when he arrived the audience stood up and applauded for a very long time and the the organizers had problems getting the public to stop and sit down. If you had seen how deeply touched and grateful he was after that, you would even have seen that he has normal feelings, just like everybody else. Why am I telling about this? Because I have noticed after leaving Germany and seeing only interviews with him in English (and almost only in post-qualify/race interviews) , that his character really doesn't come through when he speaks English in those conferences. So judging his character from seeing only what he does at the track and in the interviews doesn't come close to depicting his true character just as felt somehow unable to "be myself" on many occasions during my stay in Germany. Don't judge a person's character by what you see in some TV interviews (especially when that person is not speaking his/her native language) Now for the Canada incident and some physics. A car driving at 120 km/hour travels 33 meters in one second. IF the pit crew knew that Frentzen was coming down the pit straight and they told him when he drove off HOW ON EARTH could he or the pit crew know that at the moment he would exit that he would have Frentzen in an optimal position to push him off!! This is plainly STUPID. The only thing he could know was that it COULD be close. Now if Frentzen was say, 0.5 second later then he would have been 15 meters behind Schumacher and that would have been A LOT. Could the Ferrari crew have predicted with an accuracy of 0.5 seconds where Frentzen would be when Schumacher would exit the pits? Let's not forget that this calculation could only be made after Schumacher drove off, so we are speaking here of a few seconds to do this estimation and telling him the results. Well the answer is obvious, NO WAY! I'm also pretty sure that the speed was more like 200 km/h (or even more) where the incident took place which increased the difficulty of making this calculation in two ways. It is more difficult to calculate the place where Frentzen is when Schumacher exists, and you have shorter time do it. So what does a man who is a real fighter and racer and simply HAS to win to have hopes of winning the championship? He tries to go as fast back into the race as he can, of course, what else? After all Formula 1 is not for Chicken is it? And let's not forget, that the drivers don't have great view from their cars, and the mirrors are very small. I think everyone who drives a car has had the experience where he didn't notice a car driving next to him in the mirrors and those mirrors are HUGE compared to the F1 mirrors. Why did he drive so early to the right half of the track? To perform the Ferrari precalculated Frentzen push off? Or was it maybe because there is tricky curve just at the end of the straight and you need to get onto the racing line as quick as you can to be able to drive the curve optimally AND to ensure that no one gets past you? We all saw how STUPID this curve is in the race didn't we! And finally, Is Schumacher a Liar??? I think one should think carefully before making such an accusation. The first thing Schumacher said in the Interview was that he didn't see Frentzen (he probably knew that he was out there somewhere) and apologized. The first thing he did after the interview was to go to Frentzen and repeat the apologize face to face. We see Schumacher display the best F1 driving we have seen since Villeneuve's in Jerez, and should be grateful for that, but instead many reduce the whole race to this single incident which was an human error (which we have loads of in every race and was punished ) but in my opinion is completely overshadowed by the brilliant performance of this unbelievable RACER. P.S. I recall a similar situation (although it didn't happen at the pit exit) between Frentzen and Hill just a couple of races back, where Hill felt pushed off by Frentzen which claimed not seeing Hill.
Sveinn Arngrímsson
Damon Nill. Could this guy have been a bigger menace in Canada? To start with, he was completely blow away by Ralf in qualification. He then got his race off to a good start when he pushed Wurz off into the grass, causing the first corner accident. Next was the incident with Michael Schumacher, which Nill called "good racing," but was in fact quite dangerous, and a clear infraction of the blocking rule (although I admit Schumacher is no angel himself). To add insult to injury, he preformed this act just a few laps before his scheduled pit stop!! What was his point? As this wasn't enough for one driver in once race, after his electronics failed, he drove across the track, almost collecting Rosset, also on the fast part of the track. Truly unbelievable. I feel bad for Eddie Jordan, but it is of great joy to me than BOTH Arrows cars have scored in the points this year, while Nill has failed in his attempt to score any. This mercenary deserves his bad fortunes because of the way he betrayed the loyalty he owed to Alain Prost in his bad faith negotiations last year. And before anyone throws his performance at Hungary in may face, it seemed quite clear to perhaps only me, even at the time, that he was driving without a contract, late in the season, and had to pull out something special for the sake of his bank account. He certainly would have never been a contender for the World Championship, let alone won it without the benefit of the Williams. Basically, he is a greedy, lazy, overrated, mediocre driver, who would have a difficult time being competitive in CART racing. PS- Congratulations to Stewart Grand Prix!!!! Fifth in the constructors championship-- you're up there with the big boys now.
Jason Koblin
Dear Swedish TV 4, Having moved to Sweden from Montreal a couple of months ago, I was quite pleased to see constant coverage of F1 races on your channel. Last Sunday evening, to my total dismay, you delayed and condensed this decade's most exciting race (from what I read and the little I saw) in a twenty minute format. You made Jacques Villeneuves 7 minute + pit stop look like a 4 seconds one!!!!!! I, as well as most other Swedish F1 fans I am sure, am very displeased that this happened and hope it will not happen again in the future. Constant coverage is the only way to keep constant viewers.... Thank you Atlas F1 for patching up the "holes" I missed thanks to your good review. ( Although I do think MS knew about HHF :-)
Serge Lachapelle
So, Schumacher's maneuver leaving the pits looked pretty brutal but I would like to know the technicalities behind the incident. With the full-course yellow, no passing was allowed. With Schumacher accelerating as he left the pits and Frentzen at full speed, Schumacher must have been ahead of Frentzen for them to have reached the corner at the same time. The technicality in question is where the pit lane ends and the race track begins. I thought the race track begins at the speed limit line, in which case Frentzen should have backed off. In light of this incident and the dangerous ones last year with Villeneuve and Frentzen sweeping across the track, they need to have and enforce pit exit lanes the same as pit entry lanes.
Chris Lonie
I have a great fear. My fear has the potential to become a great tragedy for Formula One. At present pace, Giancarlo Fisichella is on his way to equaling the accomplishments of Jean Alesi. This is tragic because he could very well become a driver with the accomplishments and caliber of someone like Nelson Piquet or Nikki Lauda. (If he was going to be a Senna or Schumacher he would have already tasted victory.) I use the Alesi analogy because back in 89 Alesi was the next great superstar of the future. During the 89 and 90 seasons Alesi scored multiple second and third place finishes in an otherwise mid-pack running Tyrell. All he needed was a better car and he would be a multiple world champion. Well he got a car in Ferrari that was good enough be he never materialized. True, he led several races which he dropped out of due to mechanical failure but still at the twilight of his career Alesi has 1 victory and 3 Pole Positions. For the past five years you could always guarantee Alesi fifth in the Championship with five or six podiums. But, that's all you could guarantee him. Now we have Fisichella, who already has three seconds and a pair of thirds in the last 18 races. He's currently fifth in the championship. All he needs is a little bit better car right? If the Mecachrome-Playlife just had another 25 horsepower. Well, I sure do hope so. What worries me is the way Schumacher won in Canada. Fisichella should have been able to lap faster and not let Schumacher get away from him like that. He says there was a problem with third gear? OK maybe. But, despite what people think he's not wet behind the ears. He has contested 38 Grand Prixs. I guarantee Fisichella makes at least four more appearances on the podium this year. I don't care how much better the McLaren or Schumacher supposedly is, if he is ever going to be a Piquet or a Lauda he will get to that top step this year. Otherwise, he's the next Jean Alesi.
Steve Pasion
Dear Atlas: There is no doubt that Michael Schumacher is peerless in the current crop of drivers. His brilliance virtually guarantees that he will overtake Nigel Mansell's career victory record and even gives him a good shot at besting Ayrton Senna's. Ninety-nine percent of the race in this year's Montreal Grand Prix was vintage Schumacher, and should have been a glorious victory. However, one percent was also typically reprehensible Schumacher. This one percent was symbolic of his increasing propensity for dangerously contemptuous driving, and it should once again be addressed by F1's authorities. Jacques Villeneuve is clearly biased, and we needn't take his word for it to state that the move that forced Heinz Harald Frentzen's shunt bordered on the criminally irresponsible. The fact that Mr. Frentzen escaped injury is more a testimony to the safety of that area of the track in Montreal than to the nature of the incident. News that Ferrari had kept the two-time world champion informed about the Williams' exact location on the track in the race and prior to his exit from the pits suggests that Mr. Schumacher's apology was self-serving at best and predicated on a lie ("I didn't see him") at worst. In this light, Mr. Schumacher's virulent denunciation of Damon Hill, whom he virtually accused of attempted murder, was stupefyingly arrogant and howlingly ironic. Since the incident with Hill occurred after the incident with Frentzen, this begs the question whether drivers are taking the law into their own hands to "stop Schumacher." This makes it doubly important for official sanctions to be applied. Mr. Galvin does a great job in his race commentaries (he is absolutely right in his assessment of the Canadian's moves in Montreal), but the "errors in judgement" he seeks to excuse in the German superstar's case are beginning to accumulate to Nixonian proportions. After awhile, it ceases to matter if you've achieved great foreign policy success if you violate the constitution so flagrantly. It's nearly impossible to expect humility from a crew as preternaturally talented and competitive as F1 drivers, but on occasion they have to be humbled. Even the supremely able General Patton, so necessary to the Allied war effort in WWII, was brought up short for slapping a shell-shocked soldier. For the Frentzen incident, which is the culmination of recent malfeasance and not an isolated incident, Mr. Schumacher should be heavily fined, banned for at least two races, and put on probation for the rest of the season. It's high time the man be told, in the language of Enzo Ferrari: "Basta!"
Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj
Dear Atlas F1, I know it's a fair bit after the fact, but there is one point I cannot believe has not been raised about Schumacher and Frentzen's near collision. And that is that the safety car was on the track at the time, so Schumacher was neither racing for position nor time. Granted, because Schumacher was in the pits and Frentzen wasn't, there might have been some debate about who was in front, but that is a matter that the stewards should decide, as they do in other sports where full course yellows are more common. And of course Schumacher knew the safety car was out -- that's why he pitted in the first place. A 10 second stop-go was a remarkably generous penalty for causing such an unnecessary incident. Regards,
Chris Simpson
It is clear that Michael Schumacher dominated the Canadian Grand Prix. It is also clear that he is recently subject to too much criticism. He is criticized so much that any driver who confronts him during a race can rest assured that if any incident occurred, Schumacher will be blamed. The Schumacher-Frentzen incident last Sunday is one which, in my opinion, deserves the following explanation. Schumacher left the pits ahead of Frentzen, who, carrying racing speed momentum, came almost level with Schumacher's car as they approached Turn 1. At this stage, the safety car was being brought in to slow down the cars because of various hazards on the track. Photos of Schumacher and Frentzen side by side clearly show the yellow flag and a white board being shown to the drivers. Isn't this a no-overtaking situation? If Frentzen went by, shouldn't he have gotten a 10 second stop-go penalty?
Robert Vassallo-Agius
The Canadian GP was a very amusing race. Did anyone else notice that the 3 current or former World Driving Champions all made terrible judgement and driving mistakes? Our current crop of "worlds best drivers" simply are not in the same league as Clark, Stewart, or Prost. The FIA ought to suspend all three drivers for a couple of races. There is simply NO EXCUSE for their actions.
Tachi
I think Mansell said it best. You pass where you have to pass. As a racing fan I expect that kind of determination and bravery when watching these races. This is F1. The sport I fell in love with watching the Sennas and Prosts battle. And the moves back then compared to todays standards would see a driver banned for a season. I did not see the race. But from what I have read I agree with Damon Hill. It was good racing. I am a Big Schumacher fan and sometimes he gets irritated like any great driver but it gave him an opportunity to gather himself and to drive as though possessed. My condolences to H2F but who can argue he (Schumy) didn't see him. Only Schumy has that right and lets face it incidence like this has happened before mainly because the mirrors are inadequate not giving the driver a wider field of view. I see Jacque has outdone himself again. I too would try to focus all the attention on Schumacher if I had made a fool of myself in the race but hey that's life. But after this GP it looks as though Ferrari might be able to close on Mclaren for the next race. I think however the most interesting is yet to come and that I believe will be at Spa.
Corey Rogers
Dear AtlasF1 I suppose you poor folks are now swamped with emails regarding a certain German's performance at the Canadian GP (actually 2 Germans), and I suppose that a lot of them are, shall we say, less than flattering. To the authors of said mails, I say "TOUGH." Since Jerez last year I've heard a LOT of people critize Michael Schumacher for various incidents that have occoured. What are these people thinking? That F1 is patty-cake and that a drivers' job is to let others by? Guess again! A drivers job is to do the best he can do in the equipment given and to fight for everything he gets. And, unlike a lot in F1, Michael Schumacher is the primest example of this. Sure one can call him a dirty driver. But, NOBODY drives with the commitment and aggressiveness that he does. I heard Johnathan Palmer state that MS is possibly the best driver ever . While I won't go that far, I WILL say that MS is the finest example of a F1 driver we have seen since the Senna of the mid-late 80s. When one drives at the same level that MS does, incidents are bound to happen and I'd rather see him fight for everything and see the occasional incident than to see repetitave trains of cars that has become the rule as of late. Cheers for the chargers and lets see more scrapping for the French GP
Cecil King
Dear Atlas: I flew back to my home town Montreal to view one of the best and most exciting races in recent times. All this from grandstand 12 on the Senna curve, only a few feet away from all the action. Michael, once again demonstrated his extraordinary talents! Two stops vs one for most all other teams plus a 10 sec (20-22 second) penalty-he still comes out ahead. And what about Eddy! Poor Jack! Actually, really too bad that he pulled such an amateur type move on Fisichella. He would have probably been on the podium which would have made the race 100% perfect; at least for myself and the thousands of Ferrari Fans. A lot of disappointed local fans obviously! But as I reported previously, Montreal/(Villeneuve) fans are pretty poor. Once Villeneuve was out of contention, the stands began emptying out. Even though he made a very courageous return, probably to give his fans a little back. At least they did not throw debris on the track like they did last year. Although I do like Jack, I could not believe the comments he had with regards to Michael. In my opinion, Michael and HH arrived at the corner at the same time and Michael had the inside track. If it was too an aggressive move, he would have spun out and hit HH. That did not happen as his speed was right on and he was right in there. That's racing. On the other hand, the guy pointing the finger and wining again, pulled practically the same move but should not have been there at all. Proof is that he completely lost control. He came in too fast and simply should not have tried that impossible move. Thank God that by some miracle he did not take JC out. Now if Michael's move was out of order, which in the Stewart's opinion it was, then that is what penalties are for-and he got one. Lets move on. In all sports that is what rules and regulations and penalties are for. The opponents then have the opportunity to take advantage of the penalties. Unfortunately for them in this case, they are up against Michael. Unfortunately for them, because of his superior skills, they would need him to be thrown out all together to be able to compete with him. Anyhow, it's too bad for Jack and his supporters. I understand the frustration, particularly when you see the Williams duo being outclassed by Fisichella & Wurtz, who are younger and run on the same engines. Better luck at next year's Canadian Jack! Hopefully by that time your so called supports from Quebec will have given up, as they do with most all other sports in the province, and will leave more room for real race fans whom appreciate your courage, regardless of your frustration based comments. Keep up the good work Atlas!
Richard
Another exciting race of the F1 season. Did I see a single pass? I can't recall, as I tuned out after a short time. I don't know whether it is worth watching at all anymore. Once again, we have seen how the mighty FIA has done only harmful things to ruin the F1 races that we all love to watch. A cold day on a tight track like Montreal, grooved tires, and a little less downforce, and what do you get? A race where the drivers would not dream of making the kinds of passes that we used to see in F1, and can currently only see in the venues of CART. I am definitely going to choose the CART series as the best motorsports series to watch this year. Michael Schumacher...." The best driver in F1 today, maybe ever." A fairly accurate account of what CBC commentator Brian Williams said during the race on Sunday. After watching "Schummy" take out H.H. Frentzen during his exit from the Ferrari pits, could the same be said about Glorious Mr. Schumacher? Oh, of course there was no contact, and Michael said he did not see H.H.F., but what it boils down to is Shumacher left H.H.F. nowhere to go but off the track and back to the paddock for the day. Is Michael as blind as his brother Ralf? Both brothers put on a horrendous show on Sunday. Do they think they get points for taking out other drivers and causing wrecks? I am afraid that if this is the kind of F1 race we are going to be treated to all season, I am going to stick to CART, the "second best" racing series in the world today.
Nathan Scott
Nathan: I'm not sure we saw the same race. Personally, I found the race exciting. Well, maybe "unbelievable" is the correct term. I only caught part of the FedEx race on tape delay. Partly because I was still engaged in disbelief over all the incidents and arguing the Schumacher position with friends. I, for one, had a great time on Sunday and believe the Canadian Grand Prix of 1998 will become one of the more memorable races of the decade. Thank you Canada for hosting such a great event. And, thank you lady luck, the FIA and the designers for no injuries. Best regards, Paul Surely Micheal Schumacher only complained about Damon Hill in an attempt to justify why he over shot the chicane. Why didn't anyone complain about him? Did anyone else feel they were wathching a NASCAR race this weekend? Could someone explain to me why M. Schumacher recieved a 10 s. stop and go penalty for his incident with Frentzen, but Wurx went unpunished for his role in causing the massive carnage in the first corner? Don't get me wrong, I believe Schumacher deserved his penalty if not more. I don't believe his story of not 'seeing' Frentzen, (how do you not see someone right beside you?) but how can one driver get a penalty for a reckless act and another driver does not (don't even get me started on R. Schumacher)? Fortunately no one was injured this weekend, but how long will it take before someone is severley hurt or even killed? Is this what it takes to get Max Mosely and the FIA to become more strict with reckless drivers. I know they wanted overtaking, but this is crazy! p.s. I would like to congratulate the smaller teams on their top ten finishes. Oh that's right there were only ten finishers. Silly me.
Chris Gilewicz
I find myself in agreement with Prost and Hill when it comes to refueling in F1. But, gosh darn it, doesn't Michael regularly turn even pit stops into genuine racing legend? I say keep refueling until Schumacher retires, then ban it. If Diniz is going to be fined for not replacing his divots, then Hill needs his pockets seriously lightened plus a minimum one race suspension (no, not a suspended suspension; a real one). The moves he put on Schumacher at 310 km/hr didn't look crazy; they looked malicious (or, perhaps, suicidal).
Bob Butsch
There is no denying that for possibly the second time this year Grand Prix racing made good TV viewing. Unfortunately the Canadian Grand Prix contained about as much finesse as the stock car derby down at the local dirt track on a Saturday night! To me the race highlighted much of what is wrong with the current rules and the "enforcing of them". For example, Wurz and Irvine both finished in the points despite being guilty of stupid driving at the starts which effectively put innocent parties out of the race or handicapped them so badly (eg Herbert) that they might as well have packed up and gone home there and then. Ditto Schumacher's stirring effort to bump Frentzen out. Admittedly, the latter was penalised a bit but surely in the interests of safety and better behaviour in the future all three should have been given red cards there and then. The rule that allows a violator causing a first lap multiple pile-up to trot back to the pits and get his spare car whilst his victim has to sit out the race because he has not got a spare is manifestly unfair and does little other than favour the rich teams once again. Above all, we do not want to see a repeat of Scheckter's British GP act of a few years ago but if no firm action is to be taken against the first corner kamikaze kids it will not be long before we do with the added possibility of innocent parties being badly injured. Further where oh where is the logic in letting R Schumacher start from his original starting position after stalling first time round while poor old innocent Johnny is banished to the pit lane? Finally, can anyone tell me if the so-called technical committee have kept their no doubt well paid jobs? Their guesswork at reducing speeds and enabling passing for this season is clearly lamentable and to not realise in advance that reducing frontal areas with the same amount of power would increase straight-line speed, warrants instant dismissal and replacement by a team of schoolboy enthusiasts who would do a better job albeit with smaller egos!
Peter Chapple
The first lap accident at this year's Canadian Grand Prix which resulted in no injuries to drivers is testamony to years of safety engineering. Drivers like Jackie Stewart and others who have led the charge to producing safer circuits and machines, are the guardians of the new crop of drivers. Hopefully a lot more will be budgeted in the near future to further enhance the strength of racing cars. At the start of the Canadian Grand Prix, CBC commentator Jonathan Palmer predicted that we could surely expect to see some real action in the first turn. That prediction, coupled with the actual events, should be reason enough for GP organizers to modify that part of the track.
James C. Hawkins
Dear Atlas, "Dramatic" is hardly the proper word for the Canadian Gran Prix, is it? "Lunatic" would far more apposite - but the really amusing part of it is that it resulted in the most entertaining watching experience in F1 in years! Everybody was really on it (on what? might be an appropriate question) and the result was truly far more enjoyable than most races are for the viewer. F1 has in recent years become such a boring parade as the factories pour in money, and the whole thing becomes predictable. It's amusing that now Mika Hakkinen is being regarded as a terrific driver, and people are taking him seriously (none more so than himself), because he is (at last) winning races. The fact that he's doing so in a car in which so could your grandmother seems to be overlooked by far too many people who ought to know better. Put Hill, Fisichella, M. Schumacher, Alesi, Irvine, Wurz, Panis, or even Barrichello in the McLaren, and they'll all suddenly become "great drivers" and serious contenders, the car is so superior. The most hilarious part of the whole Canada show was Michael Schumacher presuming to comment (very seriously and straight-faced, too!) about anyone else's driving in the press conference. He's going to have a "serious word" with Damon Hill - presumably this will be after he gets back from the dentist after Frentzen punches out some of his teeth for him... He's a trip, our Michael. His entire history has consisted of incidents where he's taken people out of his way when and where he deemed it fitting. He tried hard to end the championship in his own favor last year, too, just as he did with Damon Hill in his first championship year. He's a beauty, this guy! You have to love his explanation about not seeing Frentzen in his mirrors, too. That's because, Mikey (look at the tape!) he wasn't behind you - he was alongside. Makes you long for the old days, when after such an incident he might well have found himself out behind the paddock having a serious conversation with such luminaries as "Chatty Jack" Brabham, John Surtees, Denny Hulme and a few others who didn't brook much nonsense. There hasn't been a piece of work like this guy since Senna, who also believed quite firmly that the entire point of F1 was to glorify him - and also had a highly developed talent for punting people off tracks. But it was a great race to watch! Keep up the good work! When is Enough, Enough??!!! Granted Michael Schumacher is an excellent driver, he has shown us that time after time. However, the other aspect of himself which he has also shown time after time is that he has the potential to be one of the most dangerous drivers on the circuit, second only to his younger brother Ralph. I attended this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, I then went home and watched the race again on tape and I still cannot believe my eyes! In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am talking about what Michael Schumacher did to Heinz-Harold Frentzen as he (Schumacher) exited the pit lane. Frentzen even appeared to GIVE Michael the inside line for corner #1 and yet Schumacher proceeded to scream right across the track and force H.-H. into the grass, causing him to spin out into the gravel and end his race day there. We are all very lucky it was not more serious an accident than that. Something must be done about this menace to F1. Didn't the FIA learn after Jerez '97? Or his "incident" with Hill even before this?? Or.... I could list so many. Michael is a spoiled child who gets very upset and throws things when he does not (or it appears that he isn't going to) get his way. Will someone put an end to this madness right now! Now is when you take all his points away from him, in the middle of the season, not at the end. And, while you are at it, take away all of Ferrari's points as well. This will teach them to keep their driver's in line, even if it IS a driver who thinks he is "Slightly lower than God." I truly hope the FIA will take some sort of SERIOUS decision and action on this matter after this latest episode of Michael Schumacher's immature, not to mention very dangerous, antics at high speed. I'm sorry Max & Bernie, but if you are TRULY concerned about the safety of F1, you will see that a 10 second stop and go penalty isn't even a slap on the hand in this case. Let's see you FINALLY put your money where you mouth is and do something about this. PLEASE!
Andy Wilson
Poor Frentzen got pushed again, and Michael got away with murder one more time. Frentzen has the right of way, but I doubt if FIA could do anything to Michael. At Monaco, Eddie clearly shoved Frentzen to the wall. This time it's Michael who shoved him to the gravel pit. Formula One is getting worse, and it's more like WWF in the US.
August Noto
An Open Letter to Max Moseley Dear Max, After watching Michael Schumacher's most recent escapade with Heinz-Harald Frentzen in Canada, and listening to his subsequent explanation (or lack thereof), I have to applaud you for your decision in the Jacques Villeneuve incident of last year. Obviously, Michael has learned his lesson about dirty driving. There is little doubt about driving skills. His performance securing and extending the lead in Canada is evience of that. There is no other driver that could perform the miracles that he has in the Ferrari. In terms of sheer skill, he has no peer. Unfortunately, there is bad along with the good. Schumacher consistently intimidates other drivers by attempting passes in impossible places and improbable times. He is impatient and impetuous. The other drivers are forced to chose between conceding the position or crashing into him. Part of his acknowledged brilliance in dealing with traffic comes from this. Last year in Jerez, Villeneuve did not back down and the result was obvious. Yesterday in Canada, Frentzen did not back down and he was forced from the race. This is not something new. Fans of Formula One have known this about Schumacher since the early days of his career. Max, it is time to step up and do something about it. A 10-second penalty is not the solution; any more than excluding him from last year's championship was. That punishment was obviously ineffective. Maybe real punishment of the series superstar will send a message to other drivers about clean driving. You never know.
Steve LaVergne
Dear Atlas F1, Just before the Diniz/mud incident there was someone, who appeared to be a marshall and carrying what appeared to be a blue flag, standing on the island between the track and the pits at the point just before the pit exit joins the track. One would assume that the marshal was there to warn drivers leaving the pits that there would be someone alongside them when they join the track, and to warn drivers on the track that someone was about to leave the pits alongside them. If this is correct, then why was this marshal not positioned there for the duration of the race? There was no marshal there when Schumacher knocked Frentzen off the track. From the replays it appeared that Frentzen received no warning that a car was about to join the track and, as far as I can make out, Schumacher received no warning either. At some previous races we have seen marshals at the pit lane exit to warn drivers about cars leaving the pits. Surely it should be standard to have a marshal simultaneously observing the pit straight and pit exit, thus preventing such accidents as seen on Sunday? Yours faithfully,
Mark Gledhill
What the hell is going on in F1 ??? Last year FIA warned all F1 competitors when they drove someone off the track they would be fined and suspended for a few races. Immediately Schumacher tries to push Villeneuve off and .......... he gets away with it. Okay he lost his points in the championship, so what?! he didn't win the championship and winning is the only thing that counts. I had the ugly feeling the FIA was protecting Ferrari, but maybe I was wrong. Fisichella tries to overtake Irvine, they crash and their race is over. In my opinion Irvine could have easily prevented this crash but maybe I'm wrong and I was willing to accept it as a normal racing accident. But what happens? Fisichella gets a fine and Ferrari walks away laughing. But the race in Canada showed me what a big laugh the FIA really is. First Schumacher runs Frentzen off the track, claming he didn't see him, get real they were driving so close together they could easily shift gear in each others car. Only a disqualification could follow on this action. But no, then Schumacher would be out of the race and the gap to Hakkinen would remain. So no disqualification, no fine, no suspension. Just a 10 seconds penalty to keep up appearances. And those 10 seconds he can make up by using shortcuts to overtake Hill, every other driver would get an other 10 seconds penalty. No way Schumacher would have kept the leading position if he had braked for the corner and take it the way he is supposed to. So in my book he had an advantage by taking this shortcut. And once again the FIA lets him and Ferrari get away with it. They really know how to take the fun out of Formula 1. Why can't they just accept that again there is a better team than Ferrari. And if Schumacher really is the sportsman he claims to be, he should have a bad taste in his mouth if this is what it takes to win. Ok, could someone help me out here? I'm just curious to find out who didn't collide in the first laps of the Canadian GP. Was there anyone? And, ah, oh yes, could someone tell me which team in STW or BTCC who has signed Michael Schumacher? This is obviously a fact, since his driving-style seems to fit these series far better than Formula One (now please don´t tell me that Hill covered his position poorly or un-sportly, he had the upper hand, Schumi could easily overtaken half a lap later)! Get it?
Hans Pålsson
Schumacher must be punished!! I find it quite unbelievable that someone that is recognized to be the best driver in the world should be allowed to brush off his incident with Frentzen by saying that he didn't know he was there. Schumacher had to have seen Frentzen right beside him and to claim that he didn't just proves that he was willing to push someone off the track, no matter what the cost. Schumacher is acutely aware of what's going on around him at all times and to force someone into the barriers at speed, while claiming ignorance proves that he is one of the worst winners ever. If the governing body ignores this, someone one day will be killed. I have lost what little respect that I had for Schumacher (remember Jerez & Adelaide?) and hope he gets what he deserves.
Miguel Alvarez
Dear Sirs and Mesdames: Today you really blew it. During the last few minutes of the Canadian Grand Prix, Fox Sports SW switched over to the start of a baseball game that means nothing. This was the most exciting Grand Prix of the year and you couldn't even cover it through the few minutes until the end. You are not worthy of broadcasting the World Championship. I sincerely hope that the FIA takes the broadcast rights away from you. You owe a huge apology to Formula 1 fans affected by this bonehead decision. Although I have been a serious motorsports fan for 30 years, I am going to have to think twice before watching another Grand Prix on Fox. My anger is beyond words. I am livid at this decision. There is absolutely no reason you could not have covered the Grand Prix to it's conclusion and cut to the baseball game at that time. It probably would not even have been passed the first inning, as if that really matters. The fact is, you were covering a sporting event and broke away as it was coming to a conclusion. Are you the type of people who leave a game with a half hour to go just so you can miss the traffic. I sincerely doubt it. Why then would you cut away from an event that your were covering that was about to end? Again, I hope that the FIA takes away your rights to broadcast Formula 1. I also hope your advertisers take you to task for doing something so stupid. I for one, as I have said, will have a hard time watching Fox Sports SW in the future. Your advertisers know there are more people out there like me. You owe all motorsports fan an apology. Very truly yours,
George D. Roffe
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