Schumacher & Sauber

"Michael, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger were our junior team for Sauber Mercedes in the Sportscar World Championship.

"The plan then was that Sauber would enter F1 in 1993 together with Mercedes. So it was quite normal that we would have facilitated Michael's first race by paying Eddie Jordan the required sum of money."

Sauber says he only told Schumacher about what had happened at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, which was supposed to be the German's final race in F1.

"He was clearly surprised when he discovered the full circumstances during his retirement race in 2006 in Brazil," said Sauber. "He thereafter sent me a helmet. I do not expect any more [gratitude]. Michael made his own way through his career by being fast."

Sauber believes that one of the keys to Schumacher's success in F1 has been his hard-working nature.

"Speed alone is not enough," he said. "Frentzen, for example, had an equal amount of talent, possibly a bit more. But Michael was a very hard worker, was very ambitious, mentally strong and physically always perfectly prepared. That is why it was noticeable from early on that he was a special talent."

I found the above statement by Peter Sauber to be very interesting. It comes from an article about how Sauber paid Eddie Jordan the 150K in UK pounds to let Schumi drive his first F1 race. What he said about Heinz-Harald Frentzen fascinated me, as The Shitty David Duchvony* was always a back-marker since I've been watching F1, so it was surprising to see that Peter Sauber, a man whom I respect, thinks HHF had MORE talent than old Schumacher.

While I find that hard to believe, I do agree with the statement as a whole about speed not being enough to get by on (yes, everybody is looking at you Kimi...)

*

Nick Heidfeld's Beard

Nick Heidfeld brought something to Formula One this year that had been sorely missed for a good long time: a beard.



For quite awhile Eddie Jordan was the face-furriest man in F1 with his goatee. Eventually Paul Stoddart and his beard entered the picture. Then there was Bobby Rahal and Dr. Mario Theissen with their mustaches, but those haven't been fashionable in years, though I must say Mario's is a very pleasant mustache in a Ned Flanders sort of way. However, these were team principals and engine guys... not actual drivers. Sure, every now and then a driver would show up unshaven, but nobody has had a dedicated beard for a long time.

Last year DC started sporting a light salt and pepper goatee, which was a step in the right direction, yet he kept it too neat. Still, it is progress. This year Nick Heidfeld brought an actual beard to the track and has kept it all year.

Even though it isn't a great beard like those of the 1970's, it is still a beard none the less. Patchy and thin as it is, I respect it. However, it looks as though Jenson Button has been sticking with some facial hair, maybe even considering taking the fight to Quick Nick. While Button's beard is more in the vein of a goatee with a chin strap, it can still be considered a beard. I feel that if he sticks with it over the winter and lets it grow in a bit further that by the start of the 2008 season he could replace Heidfeld as the ultimate beard in Formula One. The only thing to consider are the wild cards who currently are not sporting facial hair and are always clean shaven. For all we know a Jarno Truli or Rubens Barrichello or even the young Nico Rosberg could show up with a mane of beard and wow us all shaming Nick and Jenson so badly that they shave theirs!