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[zurich_allan]

As I was watching the Chinese grand prix yesterday (Sky coverage), I was getting progressively annoyed over the first few laps as the commentary team mentioned half a dozen times that Schumacher was holding up a number of cars behind him, even using the term "Schumi Train".

Then reading Andrew Benson's latest piece on the BBC website today he has written:

Rosberg's team-mate Michael Schumacher was running second in the first stint of the race, holding up a train of cars as Rosberg built a lead, but he was forced into retirement when he was sent out of the pits before a mechanic had tightened his right front wheel.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17720140

What is annoying me is that this is not the first time that Andrew Benson has displayed blatant bias against Schumacher - he has made similar comments, also not giving Schumacher credit for great displays such as at Canada last year, often saying that it is purely circumstances or others dropping out that have allowed him to be in decent positions. This bias was often pointed out by dozens upon dozens of people, sometimes in the overwhelming majority, however with BBC having disallowed comments (along with the closure of 606) on various articles including Benson's 'journalism', it is extremely irritating that absolute nonsense like this will be written without another side being presented to balance the nonsense like this that is being spouted.

Watching the coverage as I mentioned, it really annoyed me because it was clear to anyone watching that Schumacher wasn't holding anybody up. He was significantly further ahead of Button than you would be to be considered the cause of the hold up - it was actually Button, behind Schumacher, that was holding up the others at that stage. Now I'd like to take a moment to point out that this is not in any way whatseover a criticism of Button, he was quick all race long and deservedly finished on the podium, but it is simply incorrect to say that Schumacher was holding anyone up, let along the cause of a hold up to a 'train' of cars.

The reality was that Rosberg had a decent gap to Schumacher, Schumacher had a small gap to Button, and Button was the lead car in the hold up at that point in the race. This was the case right until Schumacher stopped for his ill-fated pit stop. Anybody with eyes, watching the coverage could see this - if you don't believe me, go back and watch those first few laps again, so that being the case - what is the agenda of the media with this?

Discuss.

(Edit - changed as I incorrectly had written it was Hamilton behind Schumacher when it was of course Button, but the principle and circumstances are exactly the same.)

[What's Burning?]

a correction and a new perspective on your analysis.

The correction is that it was Button in 3rd place, not Hamilton. The new perspective is that perhaps there could have been some intent on the part of Schumacher simply to allow the gap to Rosberg grow and assure his 2 spot strategy would succeed.

[darwin dali]

a correction and a new perspective on your analysis.

The correction is that it was Button in 3rd place, not Hamilton. The new perspective is that perhaps there could have been some intent on the part of Schumacher simply to allow the gap to Rosberg grow and assure his 2 spot strategy would succeed.

That was the SpeedTV team's take on it - MS as NR's rear gunner basically.

[darwin dali]

As I was watching the Chinese grand prix yesterday (Sky coverage), I was getting progressively annoyed over the first few laps as the commentary team mentioned half a dozen times that Schumacher was holding up a number of cars behind him, even using the term "Schumi Train".

Then reading Andrew Benson's latest piece on the BBC website today he has written:

Rosberg's team-mate Michael Schumacher was running second in the first stint of the race, holding up a train of cars as Rosberg built a lead, but he was forced into retirement when he was sent out of the pits before a mechanic had tightened his right front wheel.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17720140

What is annoying me is [...]

Maybe time for The Official Michael Schumacher Support Thread in the General Discussion area?

[stonemonkey]

Maybe some tyre management going on too, heavy fuel at that point, pushing hard and sticking to someone's gearbox is gonna wear tyres.

[zurich_allan]

a correction and a new perspective on your analysis.

The correction is that it was Button in 3rd place, not Hamilton. The new perspective is that perhaps there could have been some intent on the part of Schumacher simply to allow the gap to Rosberg grow and assure his 2 spot strategy would succeed.

No correction needed - you must have had the page open for ages as I'd already edited it to reflect it being Button a good 30 minutes before you posted this almost the minute I posted the original thread...

But the new perspective can't even be that accurate either as that would still necessitate Schumacher having been the car doing the holding up, when in fact Button was never close enough to him to actually be held up. Unless it was somewhere in between - i.e. Schumacher simply 'managing the gap' as it were without putting himself under unnecessary pressure?

[LRW]

Do you know what, you might be right.

I just fired up the iPlayer, to grab a screen shot and prove you wrong........ and I couldnt, every lap I skipped to Schumi had a nice little gap between him and Button......

[zurich_allan]

Thanks for the posts and good discussion, though the discussion isn't really going in the direction I'd intended the thread to go in. What I was really getting at is the question of why are various (not just one) media sources displaying indisputable bias against Schumacher. Is it dating back to the Championship years against Hill? Is it because they can't entertain the notion that they were pretty much wrong when they wrote him off after the first season of his comeback and now that he's in relatively decent machinery is showing that he still has the potential to be competitive? Or is it something else?

The point is, it's more than one source saying the same inaccurate thing, coming from supposed 'experts', and not being the first time that similar bias has been displayed.

[What's Burning?]

Really can't comment on that here stateside as we're lucky enough to get any coverage, let alone be able to get coverage from multiple sources to see trends. No such anti Schumacher sentiment here on SPEEDtv though.

OH, and damn lawyers always with the technicality... yeah the post was open for a long time.

[zurich_allan]

Do you know what, you might be right.

I just fired up the iPlayer, to grab a screen shot and prove you wrong........ and I couldnt, every lap I skipped to Schumi had a nice little gap between him and Button......

Exactly - I'm glad I'm not going mad!! I have absolutely no agenda as I like all of the drivers in question, Rosberg, Schumacher, Button, and don't really actively dislike any of the current field. It just really got me as it's not the first time that Benson in particular has written crap like this that simply isn't true, and for those that perhaps only saw highlights, or missed the race it leaves an unfair reflection of the race in their minds. It's just either incredibly biased or incredibly incompetent for a journalist, and neither possibility is good.

[zurich_allan]

Really can't comment on that here stateside as we're lucky enough to get any coverage, let alone be able to get coverage from multiple sources to see trends. No such anti Schumacher sentiment here on SPEEDtv though.

OH, and damn lawyers always with the technicality... yeah the post was open for a long time.

Lol, I can't help myself! I do have to say though that's good, as for whatever other flaws US coverage of motorsport might have, I've watched plenty of US feeds before covering various series, and indeed have watched Speed's coverage of F1 in person having been in the US a few years ago, and I've never really heard any bias - the commentators seem to just call it as they legitimately see it and usually are happy to admit if they're wrong on replay. You very rarely get that from our own media who will often hold onto their own take, even if presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It's ridiculous!

[andrew]

There has been a media bias in the UK against Schumacher for years, with his often being reffered to as "the GERRRman" in quite a negative tone. A lot of this will come from him going up against an English driver in 94 & 95. Then come 2000 when he won the first title for Ferrari fir 21 years, he was hailed as a hero. Then he won 5 titles on the trot and the media hated him. Then he had a poor season in 2005 and lot again in 2006 and the media loved it. Then it was retirment time and it was all "wasn't he wonderful" and "the greatest of all time" and the media loved him. then he came back and the media still loved him. Then his return turned out to yeild not very much and the media we all "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!". Then through last season the media were applaudng him. No their kicking him in the nadgers.

The British media are very fickle towards Schumacher. He is one of those guys who is extremely successful so it's easier for the media hacks to knock him. However, had he been English he would more than likely be hailed as a hero regardless of the circumstances. Autosport used to be really bad (and still is at times) so I stopped buying it years ago. The BBC are also pretty bad but but when they have Eddie Jordan,and previously Martin Brundle, on their books it's not surprising given they've both lost out to Schumacher in some way or another (albeit many moons ago). However, despite all the bad blood over the years with Schumacher, David Coulthard seems to always treat him fairly and almost sounds like he's rooting for him at times.

[texasmr2]

Thanks for the posts and good discussion, though the discussion isn't really going in the direction I'd intended the thread to go in. What I was really getting at is the question of why are various (not just one) media sources displaying indisputable bias against Schumacher. Is it dating back to the Championship years against Hill? Is it because they can't entertain the notion that they were pretty much wrong when they wrote him off after the first season of his comeback and now that he's in relatively decent machinery is showing that he still has the potential to be competitive? Or is it something else?

The point is, it's more than one source saying the same inaccurate thing, coming from supposed 'experts', and not being the first time that similar bias has been displayed.

+1

I mean no offense towards you mate because you are and have always been of sound "mind and logic" so it was just another case of the typical British/English arrogant attitude and perception that is a detriment to F1 as a whole because Lewis was actually having to fight for a podium.

[geetface9]

I think over the year I've been on the forum, I think I've concluded that some people seem to have been...idk, raised(?) to hate one team or another. It's not a bad thing, just observation. Like most of the UK folk hate ferrari and ferrari fans hate mclaren, etc. I don't what we may be seeing are journalists whose parents in some sense almost raised them to be huge fans or mclaren or ferrari or this driver or that driver, and it comes out really bad when they're adults.

I don't even watch american football (not soccer) but i'm kind of a cowboys fan just because my dad had the cowboys game on EVERY sunday my entire life. I had no choice in the matter. So if you were raised by your dad yelling at the tv every few sundays about how bad ferrari, mclaren, schumi, prost, senna, hill, whoever and whatever are, then maybe that's what is coming out in these guys' journalism.

[McLaren]

Didn't really pay much attention to it to be honest Allan.But after Andrew Benson's performance all race I'm thinking of turning back to the beeb when they have races live.
He can't tell the difference between team mates.Think he got most people wrong at some point.Just about the worst commentator I've known

EDIT : but to be more on topic pretty much what Andrew said ,basicly the british press are horrid creatures at the best of times.If anyone pees them off,they never forget.Basicly ignore all our press.I've given up buying newspapers they are that bad.

I've never liked Schumi much ,but thought he was doing a good job on sunday.After the way things panned out ,there was no reason he wouldn't /couldn't of got a podium.