VETTEL AND SCHUMACHER: Ratings Compared

Sebastian Vettel is rated with Alonso and Hamilton as one of today’s fastest drivers. Now into his fifth season, how do his Ratings compare with Michael Schumacher’s?

Schumacher reigned for many seasons as the driver to beat. However it was not his driving talent alone which was responsible. Much of his success came from his skill at melding his team around him, in carefully selecting or specifying non-threatening team-mates, and his passion for being involved in the development of the car. This does not downgrade Michael as a driver, for all skills contribute and each driver is different. All dominant drivers had to have good car/teams, from Fangio and Moss through to Alonso and Vettel. No driver ever dominated or won much with a less than top-rate car.

The Driver Ratings table compares Vettel and Schumacher. The figure 100.0 is the ultimate or fastest:

Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Season 11 Season 12 Season 13 Season 14 Season 15 Season 16 Season - Season - Season - Season 17 Season 18

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher Retired Retired Retired Schumacher Schumacher

100.6 100.5 100.4 100.2 100.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.1 100.1 100.1 100.1 100.1 - - - 100.6 100.3

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Vettel Vettel Vettel Vettel Vettel

100.7 100.5 100.3 100.2 100.0

Purely on length of career Sebastian has some way to go! But he did start off virtually as fast as Michael in his first season and rose to ultimate pace within four seasons. Two seasons earlier than Michael. Is Vettel is more talented as driver? Did his early funding and nurturing by Red Bull help? Does his youthfulness count? Difficult to asess.

Whatever their differences, these two German drivers would have been close-matched had they faced each other in same-cars while peaking. Since the beginning of racing in the eighteen-hundreds, my rating System study has shown that top-rate drivers when in same cars, are so close-matched. Usually they have only been separated by judicious managing of pitstops! This was blatantly done by the great Alfa Romeo team manager -engineer Vittorio Jano in 1932. In the interests of the Team and politics, he had to control his equally-matched star drivers, Nuvolari and Caracciola.

It is my contention that the car/team are more important than the driver. If Vettel was in a Ferrari or Mercedes this season, he would not have won a race. Alonso and Hamilton, and probably Rosberg, would however have won in a Red Bull-Renault.

One cannot compare drivers at differing stages in their careers. Michael has undoubtedly slowed; not surprising at age 43. The natural slowing process will happen to Vettel too, should he have a long career. Just as it did with other greats, from de Palma, Nuvolari, Fangio and Prost to Senna. 

Schumacher raced at ultimate pace for six seasons 1996 to 2001. This phenomenal record was matched only by Moss, Clark and Senna, and pre-war by Chiron. Vettel has to be at the top until 2015 to match these stats.


© Patrick O’Brien 2011. Nothing from this page can be used without the permission of Patrick E. O’Brien.

***