I was thinking about Ralf Schumacher today, about how disastrous this season has been for him and how it may be his last. Although I have made the occasional joke about his poor performances of late, I do admit that much of it has been caused by a run of really awful luck. When that happens, it is easy to become desperate and to start making mistakes as a result.
Ralf Schumacher
That appears to be what happened to Ralf this year. He was certainly not as bad in 2006 and, in spite of his continual optimism in the face of the press, he must have been aware of how his stock was dropping as he failed in race after race this season. How the mighty are fallen.
For we once expected him to be mighty, you know. He came into F1 with his brother's legend already beginning to flourish and it was natural that we should watch to see if he showed evidence of the same talent. And there were occasional flashes of speed that seemed to augur well - to the extent that it was years before we could decide once and for all that he was not Mickey Mk II.
The mistakes should have told us differently, I suppose, as well as his talent for being in the wrong team at the wrong time. But the hope remained as his brother established his reputation as the foremost driver of his time. We were desperate for someone, anyone, to knock Michael off his perch and, after Frentzen fizzled and Hakkinen retired, there seemed to be only Ralf who might suddenly come good and make a competition of it. So we made Ralf's excuses for him and continued to hope.
It never happened, of course. The plain, hard truth was that Michael took the lion's share of the talent going in the Schumacher family by being born first; Ralf got what was left over. And it was not just driving ability that Mickey hogged - he took also the icy determination, the ability to make the team work for you, the will to win at all costs. Poor Ralf was left as the nicer guy but without a chance of equalling his brother's achievements.
In so doing, he illustrates a principle that, whilst not always true, holds good in most cases: the older son is the achiever, the younger the rebel. A part of this is nurture-based - scientists maintain that first born children are more intelligent and stable than their younger siblings, perhaps because they receive all that is on offer in their early years, whereas later additions must share. Then there is the tradition that the eldest son inherits the estate whereas younger sons must earn their way in the world; thus inducing a certain smug confidence in the older and and a rebellious attitude towards authority in the younger.
The Schumacher brothers certainly confirm the theory but others from the past are less conclusive. Of the Rodriguez brothers, Ricardo was killed too early after showing great promise but the older Pedro went on to become one of the quickest drivers in F1, especially in the wet. The elder Fittipaldi brother, Wilson, did not show quite the same talent as Emerson, and decided that his skills lay in team management rather than driving. But Teo Fabi had a long and successful career in both F1 and CART racing, whereas his younger brother, Corrado, disappeared after a couple of years in Osellas and Brabhams.
Whatever the truth, it seems that Ralf's career is as good as over. He insists that he will still be on the grid in 2008 but, even if that is so, it must surely be in one of the slower teams that might benefit from his experience. Judging by the Toyota years, however, they had better not rely too much on Ralf's car development skills.
It's a sad tale and I can no longer take part in the sport of Ralf-knocking. He disappointed us, yes, but our expectations were too high from the outset. Toyota proved his undoing in the end after seeming such a good idea in the beginning - there was a time when we all expected great things from the Japanese giant too.
Perhaps Ralf should take the opportunity to retire quietly from the sport at this juncture. He has made enough money to be more than comfortable and the release from the pressure of competing against his brother's legend must open a whole new life for him. Michael seems to be enjoying his undefined role as a spare part to the Ferrari organization - perhaps Ralf can show that he knows even better how to relax and spend his fortune.
Ralf Schumacher
That appears to be what happened to Ralf this year. He was certainly not as bad in 2006 and, in spite of his continual optimism in the face of the press, he must have been aware of how his stock was dropping as he failed in race after race this season. How the mighty are fallen.
For we once expected him to be mighty, you know. He came into F1 with his brother's legend already beginning to flourish and it was natural that we should watch to see if he showed evidence of the same talent. And there were occasional flashes of speed that seemed to augur well - to the extent that it was years before we could decide once and for all that he was not Mickey Mk II.
The mistakes should have told us differently, I suppose, as well as his talent for being in the wrong team at the wrong time. But the hope remained as his brother established his reputation as the foremost driver of his time. We were desperate for someone, anyone, to knock Michael off his perch and, after Frentzen fizzled and Hakkinen retired, there seemed to be only Ralf who might suddenly come good and make a competition of it. So we made Ralf's excuses for him and continued to hope.
It never happened, of course. The plain, hard truth was that Michael took the lion's share of the talent going in the Schumacher family by being born first; Ralf got what was left over. And it was not just driving ability that Mickey hogged - he took also the icy determination, the ability to make the team work for you, the will to win at all costs. Poor Ralf was left as the nicer guy but without a chance of equalling his brother's achievements.
In so doing, he illustrates a principle that, whilst not always true, holds good in most cases: the older son is the achiever, the younger the rebel. A part of this is nurture-based - scientists maintain that first born children are more intelligent and stable than their younger siblings, perhaps because they receive all that is on offer in their early years, whereas later additions must share. Then there is the tradition that the eldest son inherits the estate whereas younger sons must earn their way in the world; thus inducing a certain smug confidence in the older and and a rebellious attitude towards authority in the younger.
The Schumacher brothers certainly confirm the theory but others from the past are less conclusive. Of the Rodriguez brothers, Ricardo was killed too early after showing great promise but the older Pedro went on to become one of the quickest drivers in F1, especially in the wet. The elder Fittipaldi brother, Wilson, did not show quite the same talent as Emerson, and decided that his skills lay in team management rather than driving. But Teo Fabi had a long and successful career in both F1 and CART racing, whereas his younger brother, Corrado, disappeared after a couple of years in Osellas and Brabhams.
Whatever the truth, it seems that Ralf's career is as good as over. He insists that he will still be on the grid in 2008 but, even if that is so, it must surely be in one of the slower teams that might benefit from his experience. Judging by the Toyota years, however, they had better not rely too much on Ralf's car development skills.
It's a sad tale and I can no longer take part in the sport of Ralf-knocking. He disappointed us, yes, but our expectations were too high from the outset. Toyota proved his undoing in the end after seeming such a good idea in the beginning - there was a time when we all expected great things from the Japanese giant too.
Perhaps Ralf should take the opportunity to retire quietly from the sport at this juncture. He has made enough money to be more than comfortable and the release from the pressure of competing against his brother's legend must open a whole new life for him. Michael seems to be enjoying his undefined role as a spare part to the Ferrari organization - perhaps Ralf can show that he knows even better how to relax and spend his fortune.