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[Ayrton-Lewis]

Interesting quotes for "Who Driver is the Greatest ever?"..Here are some...

Ayrton Senna
“He Senna) was the best driver who ever lived.”-Niki Lauda
“Ayrton was the best friend I ever had in F1, closer to me than anybody else in the business. During my three years driving with him at McLaren, I came to realize that he was the best, one level higher than the rest of us.”-Gerhard Berger
"The life of Ayrton Senna was an example in dedication and the love of the sports few athletes have had at international level. The world has lost the greatest athlete in the history of motor racing and I have lost a great friend. Grand Prix racing will never be the same without Ayrton."-Emerson Fittipaldi
"There are very few drivers you would put on a higher level than Senna. He dominated his era by a fair margin, and some consider him the greatest ever… He stood out in my mind because I have never seen anyone ask more of himself in terma of how near the edge he was willing to go."-Dan Gurney

Michael Schumacher
"He is incredibly professional. If you had to go for a heart operation you'd want somebody who was the Schumacher of the heart surgery world to do the job, because you can rely on him." (...). He laughs as he considers the dominance of his old enemy. "Fortunately Michael wasn't like that in 1996! The fact he is still winning makes me feel a lot better. It's not so bad to be beaten by the best driver who's ever lived. Nobody really knew that then. I was first into the arena, the first Christian thrown to the lions" --Damon Hill,
"Michael Schumacher is the greatest all-round driver in Formula1 history" - David Coulthard
"Michael Schumacher is the greatest" - Murray Walker
"Michael Schumacher is the fastest racing driver the world has ever seen" - Eddie Jordan

[The Oz]

Both are fantastic.....but I think Schumacher has him...just

[ivey]

Top gear had a nice video of him, 15minutes. Most of the F1 drivers (including Schummi) said Ayrton was the best to ever race. I'd trust the riders rather than journalists and other people who haven't raced themselves.

[hesketh308]

That segment from last weeks Top Gear is the best i have seen them make.

I watched it on TV when it was on, and i've watched it another 2 times on the iPlayer. As much as i love Top Gear, i dont think ive ever gone back to watch a particular segment before that one.

The combination of seeing Aryton in action with Radiohead in the background just gives me goosebumps everytime i watch it

[McLaren]

That segment from last weeks Top Gear is the best i have seen them make.

I watched it on TV when it was on, and i've watched it another 2 times on the iPlayer. As much as i love Top Gear, i dont think ive ever gone back to watch a particular segment before that one.

The combination of seeing Aryton in action with Radiohead in the background just gives me goosebumps everytime i watch it

Prosume you've seen it before but if you havn't well worth a look.The 1995 BBC documentry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 605323.stm

[Dutchcruijff]

I never quite understood the logic behind this quote by Ecclestone:-

"If he was still with us, Michael wouldn't have been a six-time world champion. (Taken just before he claimed he 7th title in '04)

"Maybe he would have been a two or three-time champion and Ayrton a four-time."

[racechick]

I never quite understood the logic behind this quote by Ecclestone:-

"If he was still with us, Michael wouldn't have been a six-time world champion. (Taken just before he claimed he 7th title in '04)

"Maybe he would have been a two or three-time champion and Ayrton a four-time."

Had Ayrton not died he'd have had the championships not Schumacher.

[seenathkumar]

Michael Schumacher's

[Dutchcruijff]

I never quite understood the logic behind this quote by Ecclestone:-

"If he was still with us, Michael wouldn't have been a six-time world champion. (Taken just before he claimed he 7th title in '04)

"Maybe he would have been a two or three-time champion and Ayrton a four-time."

Had Ayrton not died he'd have had the championships not Schumacher.

It's the numbers I don't understand. Schumacher would have lost one to Ayrton, yet he still would have lost an additional 3 titles? A tad extreme, and I don't understand where exactly the other 3 titles would have ended up.

[racechick]

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

[McLaren]

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

Don't be silly Racechick Schuey would never have a teammate of the calibre of Ayrton,he would of run a mile and joined a different team

[racechick]

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

Don't be silly Racechick Schuey would never have a teammate of the calibre of Ayrton,he would of run a mile and joined a different team

this is true

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

7 seasons
51 starts
48 front rows
29 poles
24 victories
35 podiums
5 WDCs

And he entered F1 at age 39.





Juan Manuel Fangio.

I'm just sayin' ..........

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

Don't be silly Racechick Schuey would never have a teammate of the calibre of Ayrton,he would of run a mile and joined a different team

this is true

I'm not sure when Schumi earned the right to be guaranteed of being the #1 driver but I doubt it happened before his first WDC in '94. And I'm pretty sure he was #2 to Piquet Sr. when Benetton brought him on 2/3rds through the '91 season to replace Bob Moreno. And senile old Bernie forgets that Prost's '93 retirement was just as important to Schumi's '94 WDC as was Senna's death.

But the only thing that stopped Schumi at 7 WDCs was Schumi. He chose to retire after 2006 but he scored 12 podiums that year -- including seven race wins -- so, unlike this season, he still was in winning form. He'd only finished second to Alonso in the WDC by 13 points so if Senna had lived and/or if Prost had stayed in F1, MSC might have continued driving for Ferrari past 2006 and might today have more than seven WDCs to his credit.



But I'm still arguing Fangio.

[Dutchcruijff]

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

I can only see the '95 title of Schumacher's being up for grabs. That's one to Senna, and one less for Schumi.

I highly doubt he could have clawed back a 30 points deficit in '94, whilst Schumacher was ruthlessly dominant, and Hill leading his title charge.

And could Senna rival Schumacher for his titles in the 21st century? I don't think so, for two reasons, with the same theme:-

1. Age. Senna would have been 40 in 2000, it would have been very difficult on him to compete with the younger racers.
2. In my opinion, he would have retired before 2000, with the reliance on electronic aids, and the reduction in driver skills being put to the test.

He just wouldn't be there to compete with Schumacher.

Either way, I'm sure Schumacher being the egotistic young gun he was, would have relished the chance to come up against Senna. Whether it be Ferrari vs. Ferrari, or Ferrari vs. McLaren-Mercedes (Senna).

[Arch Stanton]

Schumacher won his first title in '94, the year Senna died. Had Senna not died he would have won the titles in the ensuing years not Schumacher(except the ones where Schumachers car was easily the class of the field....but who knows, Senna could have ended up in the same team and then he'd have won those as well )

Don't be silly Racechick Schuey would never have a teammate of the calibre of Ayrton,he would of run a mile and joined a different team

....and this is what differentiates Senna from Schumi. Senna could beat World Champion drivers in the same car. Schumi.....not so much.