What If Schumacher Had Stayed in F1 for 2007?

[@yirgadamtew]

Ferrari: Kimi and Michael McLaren: Fernando and Lewis This would be two of the greatest driver pairings ever.

[@flyingphoenix113]

Kimi & Michael gives off Senna & Prost vibes (one a natural-born talent, the other an unstoppable, analytical workaholic with incredible strategic ability). Fernando & Lewis reminds me of Daniel & Max at Red Bull, but with a better car. Both young (but one younger than the other), both accomplished in their own rite. But, both drivers desparate to beat the other and become the coveted "number one driver."

[@philthornton1382]

If Schumacher had stayed Schumacher & Massa Fernando & Kimi There wouldn’t be a lewis

[@nilshartl883]

@@philthornton1382 Kimi was already signed by the mid season of 2006 thats why Michael even retired

[@TheAdissimo]

@@flyingphoenix113 michael wasn't a prost one. he was the senna one with the workaholic analytics. he was the proto modern racedriver. fitness, abilities..

[@megacup3977]

FR thats what im saying, kimi would never bene of ferarri cause mass was there already@@philthornton1382

[@robertcarr4172]

I honestly believe that Schumacher would have won 2007.

[@MuziBytes]

There would be a lot of tension between him and kimi tho

[@Reaz399]

Of course he would‘ve won. No doubt about it.

[@jonathanazariahj1019]

Easily

[@robertcarr4172]

@@MuziBytes kimi isn't the type to get emotional. So I don't think there would have really been a lot.

[@Somethingfunny5161]

@@MuziBytes more like massa

[@AhmadRiyal]

this is just so tough to analyse i love that you did it. Here's my take: 1. Michael would win the title due to his familiarity with the tyres giving him an early season advantage. 2. Kimi would pickup pace by the second half of the season but instead of taking away points from michael, he would actually take more points and wins from Alonso and Lewis. 3. Based on michael's 2006 season, he actually picked up pace in the second half to catch up with Alonso. Just reliability failed him. So even though Kimi will take more wins in the second half, Michael would be just behind him. First half of the season: - Battle between Michael's wins vs Lewis consistent podiums. Odd win for Alonso here and there. Second half of the season: - Kimi starts winning with Michael still on the podium (mostly). This stage more of a battle between Alonso and Kimi. - Odd win for Lewis Last few races: - Yes the fatigue michael was experiencing was really starting to hit. He is 38 after all. - But now the battle between Kimi, Lewis and Fernando giving michael more breathing space. - I dont actually see michael earning any wins in the last quarter of the 2007 season. Conclusion: I see Michael's 2007 season much like Button in Brawn 2009. A lot of dominance at the start, then at the end of the season, Barrichello, Redbull, Mclaren and Ferrari got equally competitive hence giving Button a cushion. Result: Driver title: Michael, Alonso, Lewis, Kimi Constructors Title: Minardi

[@name5798]

minardi

[@irmaobarbado]

Minardi

[@Euclides287]

Lewis didn't really put a foot wrong in the second half of the season. In *China,* McLaren didn't pit him for new tyres when everyone at home could see his rear right tyre was about to split in half. In *Brazil,* he had a mysterious gear box problem that somehow fixed itself leading many to put two and two together and believe McLaren threw away the WDC after a secret deal with the FIA to avoid an even bigger punishment for *spygate.*

[@Firebolt1729]

@@Euclides287 Don't forget the puncture at Turkey. But yeah, China and Brazil really saved Alonso from the embarrassment of losing the championship to his rookie teammate.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

Minardi

[@mrbungle3310]

What if BMW kept developing the car in 2008...maybe Kubica would have won... history would have changed

[@sulphurous2656]

It was kind of a tragedy. Imo Alonso or Kubica drove better seasons than the other title runners in 2008 which were making an embarrassing amount of mistakes frankly.

[@mrbungle3310]

@@sulphurous2656 didnt help that 2009 was a season where the "honda" team was dominant at the start and they were nowhere

[@hugeiftrue4224]

Now this is a timeline I’d like to explore

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

potentialy... but i think if alonso was in a top 3 car he'd of been champ in 2008

[@mrbungle3310]

@@gigsawsoljier1408 yeah,except mclaren,i dont think he likes that team or dynamic at least with ron dennis,they were both alfas,plus Hamilton on one side...it wasn't a good environment for him

[@zorro0471]

If Schumi stayed in 2007, he would be the champion on that year and not Kimi. We know that how verygood Schumi is on 2006 even though got beaten by Alonzo.

[@megacup3977]

Alonso and alonso would have won, schumi was beaten by alonso, and in 2007 if schumi remained mclaren would tell hamilton to back off as i am sure they would trust mroe a 2 time world champion, so alonso would be the number 1 driver, and in most of the races mclaren performed better, so alonso would have won, but i am sure michael would loose by a thin margin like 5 or 4 points

[@megacup3977]

But yea schumi would definetly win in 2008 2008 ferrariw as a beast, but massa was not a good driver, we all know massa is not a good driver hes like a perez if you give him a good car he can win sometimes, the intersting part is massa last win was brazil 2008 he didint even win a race in 2010 or 2012 when alonso was competing for the title

[@S.P.Q.Rrespublicas]

@@megacup3977 Massa was a VERY good driver. The reason why you think he is like Perez is because after his incident in 2009 he was never the same. I think you forget that.

[@megacup3977]

@@S.P.Q.Rrespublicas BRUH he was still a very bad driver when alonso went there alosno whooped him so hard he sent him to shangai, alonso was a lot faaster actually won races such as 11 wins and 41 podiums for Alonso when massa did not have 1 singular win and a mere 8 podiums. Alonso had more wins than massa podiums when they both race together at ferarri, yea massa's accident was pretty horrible and bad but he never came back to form in ferarri, only when he went to williams which was a better car than the ferarri in 2014. Lastly massa was a decent driver at most the reason for him to beat raikonen was because the car was built for him and there was part of the chasis which was not to raikonens liking which he stated multiple times but was never changed. and in that year the ferrari was faster than mclaren he should have won that title it shouldnt be because of oen contreversy that seperates him from the title, he should have been more dominant. One last fact is him vs Schumi, he was beaten by shumi horrible whilst you had a guy called fernando alonso who won against rapid mclarens in 2005 and a much faster ferrari with the goat of f1 in 2006.

[@S.P.Q.Rrespublicas]

@@megacup3977 half of your argument on why you believe him to be a bad driver is about events after his incident. Felipe Masa was no Fernando Alonso, or Kimi Raikkonen. But, he was definitely not bad. The fact he still beat Kimi in 2008 shows it. Sure, Kimi wasn't happy with the car, and had lost motivation. But, he was still a bloody quick driver then, even if far from 2005. Fernando Alonso did beat "rapid McLarens" in 2005, you're right. But, those McLarens also had a hobby called "dying" for most of the year. 2005 and 2003 where titles that should've been won by Kimi Raikkonen. Both times, they where lost because of McLaren reliability.

[@warwickbull5559]

Imagine Schumacher at Fuji in 2007? I think that would have been something to watch for sure.

[@emilekaram6094]

Schumi vs Hami the greatest under the rain too, alongside Senna. This race would have been nuts

[@warwickbull5559]

@@emilekaram6094 Its a pity that Hamilton never got to race against Schumacher when he was in his prime at Ferrari,I read somewhere that Hamilton was meant to make his F1 debut at Brazil 2006 for a one race appearance, before making his fulltime debut the following year.

[@emilekaram6094]

@@warwickbull5559 I believe that both in their primes would win 5 titles out of 10 each, at best 6 for 1 of them. But I believe that if Alonso had got the perfect career like them, he would have had also those 7 titles, I sometimes personally feel that he's better than both of them. He can drive shitboxes better and more to the limits with making less mistakes than Schumi and Lewis.

[@warwickbull5559]

@@emilekaram6094 Yeah Alonso is the best bad car driver I think, someone who is in a car that he can get to places where it has no business of being there, like the 2012 Ferrari for instance.

[@emilekaram6094]

@@warwickbull5559 And what he lacks in top cars compared to Schumi and Lewis?? Here too I think he's equal

[@Yosef_Marks]

I think that, with Schumacher remaining at Ferrari, McLaren would've had a much clearer hierarchy. Alonso would've been the number 1 driver instead of having equal status with Lewis, so the inter-team struggle wouldn't have taken place (at least not yet) and Alonso would'nt have lost too many points to his teammate.

[@AOzzyR2000]

If he decided to retire after 2008 I’m pretty sure he’d have 9 championships.

[@Maroslavka]

100%

[@emilekaram6094]

He would stay on 7 as 2003 shows that he cracks multiple times under pressure with competition then what if with a stronger one in 2007, plus should I remind you how Kimi barely lost by 2 pts despite having a slower car and more reliability issues, without them, you would see the 2007 result, which is: Kicking MSC ass, and destroy him

[@angkolbiker9866]

@@emilekaram6094 Kimi did not dominate Massa so...

[@emilekaram6094]

@@angkolbiker9866 He clearly did when you consider the problems that he had with the car, enough said

[@ajinkyakhanzode890]

Since I started watching in 2018, The biggest what if in F1 for me will always be, what if Alonso had been in a Ferrari for 2017 or especially 2018?

[@As-qz5lr]

I love Alonso, but the Mercedes always had pace in reserve so I imagine post summer break they still would have run away with the titles.

[@Reaz399]

Honestly he wouldn’t have won it either in both of those seasons. Seb drove like a madman in 2017 and got extremely unlucky. In 2018 Ferrari went backwards with the car developement and had no chance at matching Mercedes even without the mistakes from Seb.

[@jordivilas5180]

No one can know what would happened, but I'm completely sure Alonso would arrived at the last race of 2017 and 2018 with chances of winning the title.

[@MW1995-F1fan]

I think that Alonso would still lose the championship to Hamilton, because Mercedes had better cars than Ferrari

[@Amigow0w]

In both seasons Ferrari had a really good car at the start of the season ! But then they had some shit strategies + some mistakes from Seb and that's why they lost. I my opinion it's hard to say who is better between Alonso and Vettel.

[@SpilkersKompass]

I think this kind of fatigue is something Lewis is currently experiencing as well… Pretty tough thing to manage.

[@racecrasher99]

You are correct. I think people don't really realise how much 2021 took out of Hamilton. 2017-20 were too easy without needing to push himself to the limit every week. Since 2016 people always say Hamilton is built different and Rosberg gave everything while Hamilton just cruised around but he used the simulator and worked harder than ever in 2021 but still didn't win. He was extremely tired after Hungary and Jeddah. 2022 will be even harder

[@diegoleonardia5358]

@@racecrasher99 I wouldnt say he was cruising in 2017, Seb put up a pretty good title fight for a good portion of the season in 2017. 2018 is debatable but he didn't have to fight as hard. He was definetely pushed harder than he ever was in 2021 but I dont think he's been in cruise control since after 2016 till 2020

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@racecrasher99 If Mercedes are not a top team next season I don't think Lewis will push himself too hard and George will beat him, however, if Mercedes are capable of challenging, I expect a Nando Vs Lewis/Seb Vs Charles scenario and ..come rain or sunshine, Lewis bows out at the end of the season. I can't see him racing for Mercedes in 2023. Lewis and Mercedes fans are due more headache and perhaps even upset imo.

[@racecrasher99]

@@F1ll1nTh3Blanks 100% agree with everything you said. I have exactly the same view on this

[@fredjerik6592]

@@diegoleonardia5358 Seb did a good job at challenging lewis in 17-18 but the car just wasnt good enough to beat the mercs.

[@Bruno555s]

2007 AND 2008 with Schumi would have been even more thrilling and incredible if that's possible. He should have retired by the end of 2012 but have never left Ferrari. Alonso and Schumi at Ferrari oh God.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Not a chance. Both - at that time - decided they were "number one" drivers (hence why Fred was so pissed with McLaren - he hadn't been given that status officially, everyone just assumed he'd be miles better than Lewis. Ha, ha, ha... /S )

[@emilekaram7148]

Alonso>Schumi

[@dandurrant90]

@@y_fam_goeglyd Schumacher was a Mercedes junior driver and Mercedes had planned on joining F1 then they changed their mind and were going to partner the new sauber team but dropped out of that as well. Schumacher had a contract with Mercedes that he would have to join them when they joined F1. Having already retired by the time they entered he didn't have to come out of retirement but if he didn't retire and carried on racing he wouldnt have been allowed to stay at Ferrari until 2012 and would have had to move

[@Firebolt1729]

@@emilekaram7148 Schumacher > Alonso

[@emilekaram7148]

@@Firebolt1729 Alonso>Schumacher

[@mayurkhangal2705]

To be fair...some drivers just outperform when you don't expect them to.... Michael has done that throughout his career...so as good as kimi was I think Micheal would have beaten him(in second half also)

[@mich722]

Would have probably won in 2007 and 2008. He was 37, could have stayed on till he was 40 and then see from there.

[@DC5Boss]

Schumacher would have won that championship in 2008 as well!

[@Firebolt1729]

F1 is spelled _if_ backwards.

[@nolannguyen2]

Do you think Ferrari would prioritize Michael since he was leading the championship and try to get him a perfect send off or will they let both the driver race? I personally think the former.

[@smoktephoto]

Either way they would become Mclaren in irl 2007. And it almost could have happened irl if Massa was still in championship contention after Japan 2007.

[@swordsaints8568]

up at 5am watching this before school appreciate it Aldas a banger as always 🐐

[@Craigmt12]

He'd have certainly been in with a shot of the championship. Lets face it, Michael was in championship contention every year from 1994 - 2006 with the exception of 1999 where he missed a good chunk of the season due to injury. If he was the number one driver at Ferrari instead of Kimi he'd have beaten the squabbling McLaren team mates hands down in 2007. And why stop there? Michael would have probably done a better job than Massa in 2008 won that championship too. It's hard to predict though what could have happened. Too many 'what ifs'. I think the championship in 2007 was Kimi's destiny regardless of what team he was in. Kimi went to Ferrari as their new number one driver. I doubt he'd have gone to play second fiddle to Schumacher and there would be no chance of Michael becoming number 2. Kimi would have probably had to stay at McLaren for at least another year and partnered a rookie Lewis Hamilton. This would have been an interesting combination and possibly more harmonious than the Alonso/Hamilton line up. It would have been close on paper between Kimi and Hamilton, (especially as I rate Alonso a better driver than Kimi, maybe Lewis would have had more of an edge?) but Kimi's experience in the team would have given him more of a head start over Lewis in his first season in the sport. Also from the outside at least, Kimi has never been one to concern himself with the performance of his teammates and would have probably let his driving do the talking and maybe, just maybe he could have beat Hamilton to the championship that year in a McLaren instead of the Ferrari. There's so many of these 'what if' scenarios in F1. Hope you do some more similar videos.

[@As-qz5lr]

Not 1996 either , but his Ferrari was not close to the Williams. There’s only so much a great driver can do as we’ve seen with Alonso over the years.

[@Cos_Why_Not]

2005 he wasn't really a contender either. The challenge with Michael in my opinion would've been that imo his prime ended circa 2002 or so, and he'd be getting worse year by year. Imo he would still win 2007, he may win 2008 as well, but getting into 2009 and 2010 with the poor quality of the Ferrari, I find it hard to believe he'd stick around longer than 2010. If he stayed for 2010 I think he'd do worse than Alonso did irl, especially if Alonso joined him as a teammate.

[@grimm6jack]

@@Cos_Why_Not By 2010, Michael's age would probably show... And his Ferrari wouldn't be the best car either. Forget 2009, he wouldn't win that season with that shitbox. But he would've easily won 2007 and 2008, and probably retire in either of those 2 years.

[@Cos_Why_Not]

@@grimm6jack I can see him sticking around for 09 to get a 10th title. I'm sure he'd win a race, perhaps even two, but like I said if he stuck around for 2010 he'd do worse than Alonso did.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

@@grimm6jack Age wasn't Michael's problem though. It was his injury from motorbiking that gave him nerve damage around his neck. Michael was already showing better pace in 2012 through sheer commitment.

[@DaniMacYo]

I've often asked myself this. I truly believe Michael Schumacher with his 2006 pace and experience in Championships would have easily won the 2007 title more than 2006 challenge. Seeing as Kimi got it by one point I truly think with Michael's knowledge he would have been the favourite. His testing pace was still blistering in 2007 and 2008 cars. So I think he would have done it. A shame he didn't stay but hey Ferrari you know LOL.

[@Maroslavka]

What is the main reason he left ? Was he pushed by ferrari? Or he wanted seat for Massa?

[@DaniMacYo]

@@Maroslavka Apparently Ferrari boss Luca wanted Michael out for Kimi. Or Michael could stay but Massa would have to cut his career short. So Michael decided to retire let Massa stay at Ferrari. A bit of both really but I think more Ferrari felt Michael wasn’t as good anymore more. Which wasn’t true. Ferrari have often had a reputation of thinking their drivers are the problem and not the car.

[@Maroslavka]

@@DaniMacYo That was so wrong… he outperformed massa in 2006 by 40 points. Also he knew the bridgestone tires more than Kimi. He would win 07 and 08

[@DaniMacYo]

@@Maroslavka Yeah for sure. I keep telling myself I wish he stayed could have had 9 Championships. I think if he stayed and won he wouldn't have come back in 2010. I think the elusive 8th championship was his motivation for a second comeback.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

Schumacher would have won in 2007 and 2008 tbh He had vastly more experience with the funky bridgestone tyres compared to his rivals and his pace when he was committed was just something else. He's one of the only drivers to have an overwhelming win percentage from non-pole positions, which means fighting through the pack to seize victory. If not for his motorbike accident that gave him nerve damage around his neck, I think Schumacher's Mercedes stint would have been more promising as well. Age wasn't really the problem for Schumacher. It was his tendency to tempt fate too much.

[@S.P.Q.Rrespublicas]

I don't know if this is adding to your comment or not. But a side affect of this would be Kimi never loses his motivation. And thus stays insanely quick. I think, no matter if he signed with Ferrari or McLaren (this was a chance IRL), he'd win in 2010.

[@shakesnbake]

I'm loving the Aldas Multiverse 👍🏽

[@mrdraw2087]

As far as I know Räikkönen was negotiating with Renault in 2006, so he probably would have gone there. Also, I don't think Ferrari would have dropped Massa after just one season, as he was making good progress. Schumacher likely would have beaten Massa in 2007 and I think he likely would have won the title as well, as that Ferrari was just the better car on race day.

[@nandanvenkatachalam7284]

Kimi’s Ferrari contract was signed in August 2005. So it was either Schumacher or Massa.

[@JLvatron]

Ferrari made the controversial decision to drop Kimi in 2010. They would have done the same to Massa, as Michael would have had 1 more season, and Massa would be guaranteed back in 2008.

[@mrdraw2087]

@@nandanvenkatachalam7284 I stand corrected. I thought Ron Dennis signing Alonso at the end of 2005 triggered these driver line-up changes, but apparently Räikkönen had already signed a Ferrari contract by then. However, as far as I understand, this was just a pre-contract, so had Schumacher continued, Räikkönen still may have gone to Renault. I really don't think they would have dropped Massa after just one year. On the other hand, they also wanted Valentino Rossi, so who knows.

[@Amigow0w]

​@@nandanvenkatachalam7284 After the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari announced that Räikkönen had signed a three-year contract with Scuderia Ferrari for the 2007-2009 seasons. McLaren star Kimi Raikkonen has dismissed a report claiming he has agreed to drive for Ferrari in 2007 that's what Kimi said in 2005 the article is on BBC.

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

even though raikkonen was originally signed to join schumi....

[@F1_Gianni_96]

Would’ve being great if schumi had a run in 2007

[@shaneetsaha1176]

If that happened, F1 would have went to a totally different trajectory.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

Man, even in alternate reality, Massa keeps taking L's. Poor guy.

[@adampetten5349]

He had one more DNF than Lewis in 2008. You're underrating him. Ferrari did some kind of simple test after his accident and Felipe maintains he was the same but there's no way. He would easily beat Bottas and would have score 80-85% of Alonsos points if he was the same. His only wins in 2006 were when Michael was 3rd and 4th....for a reason.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

@@adampetten5349 I'm not saying he was bad, just that he was unlucky.

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

@@adampetten5349 because schumi had a puncture in sao paulo and alonso/schumi tustled in turkey???

[@chamindujanith6337]

@@gigsawsoljier1408 Like outqualifying Schumi 3 times in his last 5 races?🤣🤣

[@FormulaTurismo]

This was incredible video to see. Well done Aldas. I think your analysis between Michael and Kimi was incredible and very well done. and I agree that Michael would have outscored Kimi but only by a few points. In regards to the World Championship I think your describtion was very accurate. It would have started off with Miachel and the Mclarens battling at the front until Kimi got to grip with the bridgestone tyres. Then thought the 2nd half it would be Kimi keeping the 2 Mclarens at bay. However I still do believe Michael would have won the Title. I see the Final race at Brazil playing out in a similar mannor to the real world except this time It would be ether Fernando or Lewis leading this Miachel and Kimi very close behind with all 4 of them in contention. Given that the Ferarri cars were quicker that weekend. I forsee that for his last race and last huraah. Michael would have won the race with Kimi close in 2nd place. and with that resault that would be just enough for Michael to claim his 8th Formula 1 Drivers Championship. But it could have gone to either of them as all 4 Drivers are quality and all deserving world champions.

[@robertcarr4172]

Nah i dont agree with Aldas here. I honestly dont think that Kimi would be better than Michael in the second part of the season.

[@lazersharkproductions5622]

This is a fantastic video, answering a great question I've never thought about!

[@k1k2k37]

Great video, yes!! And it’d be great to see another one like this one!

[@tataklata4380]

Wonderful video idea. And as always, love Schumi, the more Schumi the better

[@stephenmac23]

i miss bridgestone and michelin. i loved how the tire wars created some of the most iconic driving styles of that era. & maybe im ranting, but its no wonder we had so many great rain races back then with the treaded slicks etc vs today, when a little bit of rain turns the track into an ice rink.

[@evildragonxxl7436]

It'd been the first option with alonso and kimi with shumi and massa. That was all set until Michael retired Lewis likely would have been in the lower team maybe Williams imo.

[@octavio.santos]

Oh, by the way, I'd love to see a "What if Kimi Raikkonen went to Mercedes in 2013 instead of Hamilton?", "What if Rosberg stayed in F1 up to this year?" or even "What if Vandoorne was actually the driver everyone expected?"

[@MickPsyphon]

The deciding factor as to whether Michael would have won in 2007 is his motivation. He didn't retire in 2006 because he wasn't good enough anymore. He has simply lost all enthusiasm to drive. Had he remained Gung Ho Michael, neither Kimi, nor the McLaren drivers would have beaten him for the championship.

[@daraghmorrissey]

looking at how things panned out, its ridiculous that Ferrari were trying to push Schumacher out.

[@adampetten5349]

2 Constructors and within a blink of 2 drivers titles.

[@Maroslavka]

Do you have a source of this information Iam curious, thanks

[@gherardorangoni955]

Brilliant video and analysis. The bit about the fatigue of Schumi kinda reminds me of the speculations about what would’ve happened if Micheal Jordan stayed in the nba in 94. Hard to say how things would’ve been

[@gentmusic3554]

I think Michael would have taken it. He wouldn’t have made some of the errors Kimi and Felipe made ( a classic example being when Lewis invited Massa to make the late move in Sepang and outbrake himself - he couldn’t have duped Michael in the same way) Also you say about the Ferrari being more adapted to suit Kimi at Magny Cours - I very much doubt that Ferrari would have gone so far in Kimi’s direction if Michael was in the title fight

[@clubpenguin13531]

F1metrics did an analysis, trying to make a prediction of what would've happened had Michael stayed in F1 for 2 more years, and the conclusion was that he wins the championship in both 07 and 08 by slim margins. I just wish that it wasn't a hypothetical and that we would've gotten to experience those epic title fights in real life #KeepFightingMichael

[@LOL0108]

I would love to see your opinion on what would've happened if Robert Kubica didn't have his accident in 2011 and went to Ferrari to team up with Alonso for 2012, I think this could be interesting considering that they have a similar driving style and always liked each other.

[@megacup3977]

if not robert accident, there would be no vettel as early as 2008

[@unbakedsub]

same, vettel would be a 3x or 2x champ because he wouldn't have been promoted to RB before 2010 or even 11. bu that could also have let seb to either leave earlier to join ferrari or leave later to see if he could ride out the bull (zing) and win another championship

[@Firebolt1729]

Then they would have taken points off each other like the McLaren drivers, so Kimi probably wouldn't have been World Champion.

[@iamanidiotbut7403]

Not really, since Michael would have gotten number 1 treatment early on, because he would have most likely outperformed Kimi in the first half thanks to his familiarity with the bridgestone tyres and the team itself. Kimi being Kimi would have just accepted his role as number 2, like he did in 2008 for Massa.

[@tejaswatripathi4145]

@@iamanidiotbut7403 he didnt really accept his role in 2008 he was actaully beating him for the first 4 races until santander paid billions to get him out of his seat

[@selder_7]

This would make a cool series. What if Hamilton didn’t get past Glock at Brazil in 2008 would be my suggestion for another episode. The knock on effect that could have in terms of the Mercedes seat could be big

[@shaurgaur]

would love to see more what if videos! maybe going deeper into an alternate timeline where Kubica signed with Ferrari for 2012. Or if Hamilton didn't go to Mercedes in 2013. Or if Alonso didn't go to McLaren Honda or if Rosberg hadn't retired

[@JAL1403]

Imagine Alonso and Hamilton tying and Hamilton being champion on count back that would have been legendary and a massive deal for McLean who were later discovered cheating. That would have been an interesting legal issue.

[@黃日恆-l1n]

He would just take the championship once more (and probably 2008)

[@FCB001]

I would like to see "What if Schumacher (like he wanted to) moved to McLaren in 1996 instead of Ferrari"?

[@someoneunseen5168]

He finished 3rd in 96. 3rd or 2nd in 97. Wins 98, 99,00 and possibly 2001. Who knows about 02 because if michael isnt at ferrari, byrne and brawn probably arent either. He still wins 03. Probably still 7 and 04-06 is too hard to specualte on based on what technical people ferrari would or wouldnt have

[@MrBritishComedy]

The moment you suggested that Räikkönen could have beaten Schumacher at Magny Cours, I knew that the rest of the video would be garbage. As if Ferrari in that era would ever risk losing the driver's title by letting the driver who is significantly behind in the championship go for wins anyway. And Schumacher never went up against a championship winning caliber team mate? Piquet be like: Am I a joke to you? Rookie Schumacher crushed him so bad at times, he went into retirement. If anything, Schumacher would have secured the 2007 title sooner than in the last race. As opposed to 2006, Ferrari actually built a great car. The 2006 Ferrari wasn't (especially initially) as fast as the Renault and was tricky to drive on the limit.

[@samuelbartram9611]

You know you can just respectfully disagree instead of being a dick about it right?

[@shrimp3487]

this is kind of unrelated but kimi is underrated. a lot of people remember him for his team not giving him is gloves and wheel or him knowing what to do but not a lot of people really talk about how fast kimi was in 2003 to 2006. without a doubt kimi would have been a 3 time or a 4 time champion if Mclaren had a reliable car in those years. he was one of the fastest ones out there matching his pace with Alonso and Schumacher.

[@matthewcamenzuli]

Always thought about this and 2008 surely if kimi and massa managed to fight for it and in massas case nearly won in 2008 surley schumacher would have won that as well

[@Maroslavka]

Schumi was league ahead of Massa, he would win 07 and 08

[@fergalhopkins1230]

I think if Ferrari gave Michael a 1or2 year contract he could have 1 or both championships and retired without a comeback and probably not had his skiing accident but who knows. KEEP FIGHTING MICHAEL

[@eriknaamot]

They offered Michael a two year extention ( like normal, his Ferrari deals where almost allways 2 year extentions) But he declined, & told the team at Indy, to save Felipe"s career at Ferrari.

[@emilekaram6094]

What does the ski accident have to do with this??

[@fergalhopkins1230]

@emilekaram6094 life might have taken a different path fir him 🤔 if he stayed longer in f1

[@emilekaram6094]

@@fergalhopkins1230 Mmmm, but that doesn't mean that there's 0 possibility that he goes to ski in that same day, maybe it would've happened earlier

[@fergalhopkins1230]

@@emilekaram6094 But 1 can always lice in hope

[@colinbowerman3045]

This idea that Ferrari would bring in Kimi is just not true. Massa would have stayed at Ferrari at kimi would have been at McLaren with Alonso.

[@geo.m1639]

What if Schumacher joined Brawn in 2009

[@quantum1076]

I think if Michael stayed in F1 for 2007 they would keep Massa but Lewis would come to Mclaren alongside with Alonso because Kimi was sick of the poor reliability so maybe our favorite Iceman moved to Renault because they was the winner ans had good reliability or RedBull since it was a promising team.

[@quantum1076]

Also I will try to be on Ron Dennis mind. I think Ron would capitalize on Alonso to beat Schumi since Alonso know how Schumi attack and defend that's mean no confrontation between Alonso and Hamilton but their is still the spygate making probably more FIA plot twist

[@KendoSwordsman]

In that Ferrari definitely could have one the championship. In fact I'd have put my money on it. I'm thinking in the context of Shumi and Ice man in Ferrari and Lewis and Fernando at Mclaren. The Mclarens were busy in fighting and I reckon Ferrari would have had more harmony with their drivers by the very nature of the team and Michael would simply be relentless and have team support when he had a bad day.

[@JJ2004]

Next what if: What if Kubica wouldn't crashes in 2011? Remember he got the contract with Ferrari then for 2012.

[@TheOtherNeutrino]

Personally, I think the second driver lineup of MSC-MAS and RAI-HAM is the most likely of these alternate realities. The third one relies too much on MSC allowing RAI to be on the same team.

[@Kanyf1]

In 2006 after Australia it was vintage Schumacher again, outperforming his tyre disadvantage in some races( sliverstone, montreal etc) to take some unexpected second places and take some excellent wins like china, even after the la rascasse fiasco his race the next day was very good. For me 2006 was an incredible season, the two best drivers of the grid battling against each other performing at a really very high level. A season that both deserved to win the championship. Also Ferrari vs Renault, Bridgestone vs Michelin. Incredible season. In 2007 Michael would have been the only driver to be familiar with car and tyres, so big advantage to him over all the other title candidates. Alonso also had to change his driving style for Bridgestones. And even after Kimi's resurgence , we are talking about Ferrari, so he would have to help the driver that has better chances to win the title. After all I believe Michael would have been the world champion and the season would have been epic. Lastly Kimi never shown in his carrer the consistency and killer instict that Michael had.

[@SteWweAwesome99]

That's a very fascinating scenario, the story at the time was that Di Montezemolo wanted to replace Massa with Raikkonen for 2007 in order to eventually have Kimi be the number one in the team after Michael's retirement, but Michael was already contemplating retirement in 2005/2006 and he didn't want to see Felipe out of Ferrari after just one year so he decided to leave earlier than Ferrari management expected. In terms of how the championship would have played out, it's very difficult to predict what the balance would've been between Michael and KImi(especially how the team would have managed them), but I just don't see Kimi being incredibly close: he took time to adapat to the tyres as you said in the video, but he wasn't really that much faster with respect to Felipe and he was somewhat exposed in 2008 by him, I think with better management McLaren would have taken the title in 2007(in the real world), ofc if we ignore the spy story scandal.

[@jussieronen3707]

Kimi was "exposed" in 2008 because Ferrari developed the car for Felipe, Michael Schumacher himself admitted this in an interview after the season had ended

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@jussieronen3707 Massa was also beating him comfortably in 2009, prior to the Hungaroring accident

[@dazzalincoballance3990]

Atleast some one knows the story unlike this vids info. Schummy wasnt pushed.

[@jussieronen3707]

@@clubpenguin13531 And Kimi somehow magically found more pace from seemingly nothing immediately after Massa's accident. I believe that at that point Ferrari had already decided to replace Kimi with Fernando, so it was all the same to them where Kimi would finish. Ferrari is always Ferrari, Seb got the same treatment from them last year

[@chamindujanith6337]

Haha. Massa was a great driver before his crash lol. He wiped the floor with Jacques Villeneuve in 2005. Villeneuve outqualified Heidfeld in 2006. And in 2006 at Ferrari in his first year Massa outqualified Michael 3 times in the last 5 races. So no need for these excuses to Kimi. I remember how much Fisichella struggled when he came as the replacement for Massa at Ferrari. Massa was operating at a very high level before his injury. And it wasn't a comfortable beating in 2009. Raikkonen outqualified Massa 6-4 in 2009. But Massa got more points.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Without thinking too hard about it, and before you convince me otherwise, one of the Macca drivers would be champion. The Ferrari drivers would have shared some of Kimi's bigger points hauls. He only won by a single point after all.

[@theelf152]

Its one I've often pondered. I've always said Kimi and Lewis at Mclaren would have been the best driver pairing ever. I would tip this to beat any Ferrari pairing in 2007. Kimis experience at Mclaren and reliability would have finally been a dream come true (albeit late). If it were Michael & Kimi this would be the next best and I'm certain in this scenario Ferrari would win but I'm not sure which driver. The thing that is quite often forgotten is what a driver learns from another, and undoubtedly Kimi would have learned a great deal from Michael. Especially given they have very similar driving styles and its why Ferrari ultimately chose Kimi to replace him. So Kimi would have settled in far more quickly and got a set up that works much sooner. What Michael would win, Kimi mostly likely would pick -up a second most of the time & What Kimi would win Michael would pick up second the rest of time. Yes I'm certain Mclaren would have had their wins but trust me they would be very few, and 2nd's and 3rds would be fewer too..

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

mclaren were their own undoing... a team that asks for punishment for it's own driver hungary 07....

[@magnustan841]

I think it would be more fairer to compare Schumi and Massa during 2006, look at Massa's 2007 performances and speculate what Schumi could do if he was in that car instead.

[@volkanuzug1824]

1- It's not the same car so Michael may had handled the 2007 car worse 2- Massa could have improved compare to previous year 3- Michael's age, mentality and again the car difference mean you cannot say oh look at this guy in that year, compare him with himself next year and create a scenario where his ex-teammate would be. It's not that simple, it never is

[@Cos_Why_Not]

@@volkanuzug1824 It would give some indication though, it's probably the most objective way to analyze the situation. Wouldn't be everything, but it should be considered

[@iamanidiotbut7403]

Volkan Uzuğ The difference between Schumacher and Massa was so huge in 2006, that there is no way Massa would have been on Schumacher's level in 2007. Bottas never came closer to Hamilton either after his first year as teammates.

[@volkanuzug1824]

@@iamanidiotbut7403 well that doesn't mean Michael would still be on the same level as he was in 2006. He probably would but it's not %100 guaranteed. Look at Vettel for an example he won 13 races in 2013 but then the next year he goes winless. Sure that also depends on the car too but new regulations didn't suit him well or maybe he was just mentally not good or something just gone.. now why wouldn't that happen to anyone?

[@volkanuzug1824]

@@iamanidiotbut7403 another example: you have 10 exams in front of you and they all similar to one another. Now you have finished 9 of them, got the perfect score but that doesn't necessarily mean you WILL ace the next one as well.

[@realbasileus1986]

It would have been Schumi and Kimi. Schumacher said one of the main reasons he left was because he didn't think it would have been right for massa to lose his seat, just for himself to keep competing in a sport he was no longer motivated for.

[@Maroslavka]

Hello do you have a source? Thanks

[@willy.1369]

Make a what if Valentino went to Ferrari in 07, or what if Kimi didn't do his first retirement by the end of 09.

[@michaelmyers579]

If Michael Schumacher stayed, then Michael Schumacher would have won the title in 2007.

[@ishqiahmed4315]

another thing you can talk about is what if Schumacher stayed at Mercedes until 2014, for some reason i have a feeling that he kept leaving at pretty much the wrong times

[@sergeantsupreme4395]

Rosberg would've obliterated him he'd be 45 in 2014 🤣

[@ishqiahmed4315]

@@sergeantsupreme4395 lmaoo that is tru

[@chamindujanith6337]

@@sergeantsupreme4395 But the problem is Rosberg failed to obliterate Michael in 2012 for some reason.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

@@chamindujanith6337 People tend to forget that Schumacher, in spite of his age and nerve injury, was actually showing signs of improvement and adaptation in 2012. I think if Schumacher had stayed for 2013 and took a long summer of training and rehabilitation to compensate for his nerve injury, he definitely would have been a contender through sheer commitment alone. But alas, he wasn't motivated for it anymore. He wanted to be with his family and not squabble away in a garage like he used to.

[@chamindujanith6337]

@@JustSomeDinosaurPerson One season doesn't make a summer. I doubt Schumacher could keep his qualifying form he showed in 2012 into 2013. Because it looks like an outlier not the norm. Similar to Patrese-Mansell 1991, Ralf-Trulli 2006, Raikkonen-Vettel 2016 and even Rosberg's qualifying form against Lewis in 2014. This Rosberg-Schumacher battle had some gas left. It would be have been intriguing to see another season between them to see if 2012 was a below par season from Rosberg or did Schumacher actually improve(a lot)?

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

Out of the four title protagonists I would put three (Schumacher, Alonso, Hamilton) in the top 10 of all time greats. Oh boy that title scrap would have been competetive.

[@mohammedaneeskhan790]

Schumacher was on average 0.56 tenths faster than Massa in 06. Massa was on average 0.015 faster than Kimi as teammates. It wouldn't even be close, Schumacher would have blown Kimi away. Schumacher would have won the title easily in 07 and 08. Add an extra 0.5 seconds of lap time to the 07 car and you will see a huge difference.

[@someoneunseen5168]

Correct

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

[@panoskondilis18]

Mate this video was fantastic! very creative idea !!!! I think that despite McLaren's pressure, Kimi would have still cilnched the title by an equally small margin Also i believe that, in spite of being a Schumi fan, Michael would not challenge that much for the title because, as you said in the video, he certainly has had continouous title-fighting seasons for over the past decade, something that will ultimately lead to his understandable fatigue...

[@megacup3977]

13:59 the image when he says mentally cracked me up

[@artadhyay5462]

You should do a video on what if Lewis came to F1 in a midfield or backmarker team! That McLaren debut certainly created a completely different profile for the guy. If he had to struggle like his friend Nico in a Williams, we'd have a completely different story today.

[@motorsportfanboy7769]

Oh yes this would be a video i’d like to see

[@phoenix0282]

the Kimi of 2006 would have never signed a contract with ferrari for 2007 knowing that Schumi is still there. Never. Its the pre world champ Kimi, a star still on the rising. He is too smart to go to Ferrari while Schumi staying. Also Ferrari dont change driver without a good reason (at least Ferrari in this era). Massa doing good enough for a number 2, Ferrari would have no reason whatsoever to release him.

[@lordhenrywotton95]

I wonder what the knock-on effect further down the grid would be of these driver changes. Massa could likely have driven for Williams or Renault, perhaps making a strong partnership with Rosberg. He would have been a perfect signing for Toyota, but they had Trulli and Ralf on big contracts at that time. Perhaps in this alternate universe he is a world champion after all.

[@tacoflash71]

If this were the Real 2007 Title fight I think it would go for Lewis way but it would come down to the Wire Micheal would have won the Final Race Kimi in Second Fernando 3rd Lewis 8th With Fernando Missing out by at least 1 Point Making Lewis or Schmaucher Championbut in the End Micheal would come out on top

[@donathandorko]

He retired due to media pressure and personal boredom. End of story. The public were begging him to retire after title number 5. Personally speaking, I think Schumacher was at his peak in the late 90s and after 2000, he cooled down. If he stayed until 2012 I am sure he would have bagged at least 1 more title. Basically what I'm saying is not even Jim Clark himself could beat Schumacher in the 90s if F1 was a (yuck) spec series. The actual GOAT.

[@someoneunseen5168]

That period 95-98 schu was peerless.

[@therversonkanavathy7554]

Would love to reverse time just to see Michael and Kimi at Ferrari take on Fernando and Lewis in almost equally competitive cars.

[@LeonKotze70]

What if the FIA didn't deliberately changed the rules to hamper Ferrari?

[@brixmakers6096]

this is very innteresting topic, but actually the most likely team combos would be kimi still at mclaren. part of the reason as to why michael was pushed away from ferrari is becuase he didnt want to be teammates with kimi. ferrari prioritised kimi and schumi left

[@P17RAS]

I think alonso would’ve won the title, the experience that he had would’ve done it against Lewis- eventhough he didn’t do it irl. I think schumi would push him to another level

[@patrickanderson9023]

I think Schumi should have taken the offer he had from Audi to race in the DTM and/or endurance racing like Le Mans from 2007 and on.

[@yanibambang3047]

Alternatively,MSC going to Indycar to take Indy500 before getting to 24 Hours of Le Mans

[@MatusP91]

Idea: What if Rosberg didn't retire

[@f1pro299]

Let's not forget Spygate and the performance that it would have given to McLaren

[@eriknaamot]

The truth is that Michael was offered a two year extention alongside Kimi, & could very much have Continued if he wanted to! But Michael declined the offer, because it would save Felipe"s Career, & Michael told the team at Indy in 2006. He wanted to announce it earlier, but was told by Luca Montezemolo to tell the media at Monza. Michael was also tired after 16 years in the sport, ergo the real reason why he did retire! :)

[@kik0409]

Do what if Schumacher had stayed in F1 for 2014

[@jasonrushton5991]

Enjoyed this video, well done! Still not sure on who'd of won though LOL & that's me, after 44 year's of watching F1.

[@JackPecker911]

You're forgetting one important thing about Ferrari. They only have 1 number 1 driver. Had Kimi gone there while Schumi was still there, they would've given Kimi second best strategy and focused full development and the direction of it to Michael. There is no way Kimi would've gotten comfortable with the car, unless he managed to copy or adapt to what Michael wanted out of it. Kimi would've never been the number one focus at Ferrari.

[@timothysperisen]

maybe, if schumacher had stayed, mclaren would have applied team orders in fernandos favour because he had proved himself against schumacher in 2006 - but what would that have done to hamilton? maybe nothing because he won in 2008 anyway? as the 1984 season review commentator said at the monaco race: F1 is if spelled backwards ;)

[@xpurple_haze2478]

michael would have been world champion in 2007,2008, no doubt

[@stooby267]

Another video that ignores the 2005 tyre fiasco which if we are going to be honest with ourselves (favourite drives aside) is the only reason we aren't seeing Schumacher as a 9/10 time champion.....the 2005 tyre regs pretty much rendered the Ferrari uncompetitive and unable to push and in the 2 races the Ferrari could push Schumacher closed the gap on Alonso in the space of a few laps and could have beat him with a couple more. With Ferrari still recovering in 2006 you have 2 seasons with a deliberately hurt Ferrari. So imagine that didn't happen and we see Schumacher win 05 and 06 then onto 07 with a dominant Ferrari

[@dazzalincoballance3990]

100% agreed, the rules were changed to stop ferrari for sure. Hell it even went ahainst micheals style of fast on the limit driving

[@chamindujanith6337]

Haha. Alonso's World Championship campaigns are perfect. Wouldn't change a thing about those.

[@teampokeball5698]

f1 would be a way better place if MS stayed for 2007

[@SpilkersKompass]

If Schumacher would have had a significant point advantage (let’s say a value of 1 race win) the box would have interfered and Kimi would have had Michael pass…

[@SpilkersKompass]

And that means, that Michael would have secured his 8th title.

[@fredericktennant9151]

I remember that i was shocked when Michael retired, but afterwards when the leaks started coming to light there was a lot of behind the scenes politics going on there and I suspect that its the reason why they are a shadow of the them that they were.

[@Hamilton8timeChampion]

Massa joining Ferrari in 2006 was meant to be a temporary thing till Kimi came along due to Barichello not wanting to continue due to poor treatment from Ferrari. Once Kimi came alone Massa would have left and Ferrari would have had Michael and Kimi as their drivers but Michael retired so Massa got to continue at Ferrari.

[@sls12III]

We would have a proper battle between 4 legends.

[@zeljkojozinovic3550]

Schumacher would have won that, because he would had a better start then Massa had, he would have won Malaysia because there is no chance that both Mclarens would have past him, Bahrain and Spain to start the season. He would have won Germany and France also, in the rain at Germany he would be better then Massa and no way he would loose from Pole in France. Turkey could be another win. Fuji is a bit hit and miss because no one knows if he would allow Ferrari to start on inters in that race. China was a wet race and that would be also a good oportunity. Brazil would be a Massa win if it was not for the Kimmi championchip. Silverstone Massa stoled starting from 4th with most fuel, so he would be a potential winner. With him in the play it would be interesting to see how consistent would Hamilton be, because he would have had a worst start then originally. Maybe Lewis would have be in the title race but in no time he would be in no time in the lead that is greater 5-10 points so i think that he would have no chance to take the title, and the pressure would be greater and he would crack earlier. How fast would have Kimmi get to grip with the Ferrari it would be the case of who will win from 2 Ferraris. Alonso would have be 4th. I have some time ago made a race by race points situation with Michael in the play where i gave him 0.150 advantage over Massas times in qualy an it would by the points look so that 1. MSC 2. HAM 3.RAI 4.ALO

[@kirisaki.777]

if schumi still race in 2007: 1. ferrari would favor kimi instead of him, same thing happened with lauda and regazzoni in '77 2. kimi would ultimately struggle, but also michael since he didn't get special bridgestones since bridgestones supplies the grid 3. kimi would be more consistent than michael, since we've seen michael struggles with '05 and '06 aero regulations, especially on front of the car. 4. michael would have higher level of reliability concern since he has to work hard against violent raikkonen 5. the rest is the same, ferrari wins double championship, mclaren out

[@chamindujanith6337]

Do one with what if Alain Prost stayed at Williams for 1994?

[@jasonpamatmat3797]

Thank for this video btw i actually signed him in my team on f1 2021

[@ethancatton]

I think you're spot on. Schumi and Kimi would've taken too many points away from each other for either of them to win the title

[@ethancatton]

typed this before you said literally the exact same thing in the video 😂

[@heliodango43]

I love your videos bro

[@gemparaiso03]

I know this is tough editing but this would be sick if it’s like a Mike Korzemba of how he does his NBA what if video’s

[@MW1995-F1fan]

I was always wondering how would look like the battle between Schumacher and Hamilton in 2007. Of course they raced together from 2010 to 2012 but at the time Michael was not so good as during his Ferrari peroid.

[@gigsawsoljier1408]

the Mercedes wasn't that great a car on top of him being away 3years and having been injured etc big difference to when he broke his leg..