Why is Hamilton's historical status far less than Schumacher's

"If the steering wheel is bent into a twist, can you win the championship? Now these drivers are going to withdraw from the race with few screws!" The old mechanic in the yard muttered, sucking a cigarette butt, saying that could be considered a hornet's nest. Fans of the seven-time champion Hamilton were furious on the spot. But when they opened the historical video tape, the Ferrari, whose steering shaft at the Spanish station was transformed into a work of art, is still a treasure in the Maranello Museum.

Old car fans in the 1990s remember that when Schumacher jumped into the Ferrari cockpit, it was like jumping into Teppanyaki. The fully enclosed leather racing suit can fry eggs, and the track temperature still needs to run the entire journey until it reaches 50 degrees. Now Mercedes-Benz drivers are drinking iced electrolyte drinks, the air conditioner outlet blows the back of their necks, and the on-board system monitors heartbeat and blood pressure in real time - how is this a racing car? It is clearly a mobile ICU ward!

"If the steering wheel is bent into a twist, can you win the championship? Now these drivers are going to withdraw from the race with few screws!" The old mechanic in the yard muttered, sucking a cigarette butt, saying that could be considered a hornet's nest. Fans of the seven-time champion Hamilton were furious on the spot. But when they opened the historical video tape, the Ferrari, whose steering shaft at the Spanish station was transformed into a work of art, is still a treasure in the Maranello Museum.

Old car fans in the 1990s remember that when Schumacher jumped into the Ferrari cockpit, it was like jumping into Teppanyaki. The fully enclosed leather racing suit can fry eggs, and the track temperature still needs to run the entire journey until it reaches 50 degrees. Now Mercedes-Benz drivers are drinking iced electrolyte drinks, the air conditioner outlet blows the back of their necks, and the on-board system monitors heartbeat and blood pressure in real time - how is this a racing car? It is clearly a mobile ICU ward!

At that time, Ferrari engineers privately called Schumacher a "human sensor". In the qualifying race of Hungary in 1998, the racing balance system suddenly failed, and the Germans relied on their muscle memory to run out of pole position. The post-match data shocked the engineer: the steering angle error of each corner does not exceed 0.5 degrees. Mercedes-Benz's W12 racing car now has more than 200 sensors, and the driver can trigger a system alarm if he sneezes.

When it comes to turning F1 from a European man’s weekend pastime to a global carnival, Schumacher is definitely the number one hero. In the car repair shop in Kenya, Africa, the master still remembers that at the 2000 Japanese station final night, the whole village crowded in the only grocery shop with TV to watch the live broadcast. Now Mercedes-Benz team will bring it back one or two at a time. Before the competition has passed, the audience guessed who to stand on the podium - how is this a competition? It's a spoiler-style competition!

But then again, Hamilton really regained his fairy spirit to F1. When the Canadian station safety car led the team in 2008, the McLaren race car ran to the bottom of the fuel tank, and in the last two laps, he relied on the hybrid system to steal the championship. Now plastic bottles are banned in the paddock and recyclable materials are used, and racing cars use biofuels. These changes are much more environmentally friendly than the old car king at that time. But you have to ask car fans which era they miss more? The old man who was wearing flip-flops at the gas station would tell you: "The current competition is not as exciting as my washing machine's dehydration procedure!"

There is a joke circulating in the paddock: When Schumacher tests a new car, the engineer has to prepare three sets of spare parts; before Hamilton test drives, the team must first disinfect the steering wheel. It’s not that British drivers are so cute, but racing technology has evolved to another dimension. The Ferrari tire changer made the champion lose his mistake back then. Now Mercedes-Benz's automatic positioning jack can be accurate to 0.01 seconds for tire change.

Those who say that Hamilton’s championship lacks value are probably not seen performing in the 2018 German station’s heavy rain. When the track was filled with water and could raise fish, he dared to use dry tires to persist in finishing the race. But in terms of legend, it is not as good as the Malaysian station in 2001 - Schumacher drove the gearbox and got stuck in the fourth gear, forcing Renault to doubt his life. After the game, Todd, technical director, looked at the burnt clutch piece and shook his head: "If this car can finish the race, you have to go to church to light a candle to fulfill your wish."

The old car king left not only the trophy record, but also the "Schumacher curve" in the paddock. Back then, he led Ferrari engineers to turn racing research and development into precision science. Now the data analyst of Mercedes-Benz team also has wind tunnel drawings for the 2004 F2004 racing car in his office. Hamilton once said in the documentary: "Every time I see those yellowed drawings, I feel like I am standing on the shoulders of giants to pick apples."

Young audiences may not know that drivers can earn hundreds of millions of endorsement fees now, so they have to kowtow to Schumacher. In the 1990s, F1 drivers took an oil advertisement as a big order, and the Germans sold the advertising space of racing suits to the price of Manhattan billboards. Now Hamilton is holding a fashion week show and crossing the border with music festivals. After all, he is walking on the red carpet paved by his predecessors.

However, historical status is like a wine that needs to be tasted slowly. When Schumacher won the championship with a broken leg, Hamilton fell in the karting lot. When British drivers have also experienced the car's fire and the racing shoes are broken, perhaps car fans will understand better what it means to "hold fate on the steering wheel". After all, in the tavern next to the New North Raceway, the old people are still arguing: Is it difficult to win the championship by driving a car that will kill people, or is it even more difficult to win the championship in a car that will not die?

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