Uh-oh! Michael Schumacher fans were surely shocked after a British university study claimed the embattled German racer is not the greatest Formula One driver of all time. However, the analysis of Schumacher's entire career placed him in ninth place.
Based on the statistical analysis helmed by the University of Sheffield, Argentinian racer Juan Manual Fangio is the greatest F1 driver in history, not Michael Schumacher. However, according to New Zealand Herald, Dr. Andrew Bell of the Sheffield Methods Institute explained that the criterion of the ranking was based on the skills of the racers and not on the impact of a driver's team or the performance of their car.
"The question 'who is the greatest F1 driver of all time' is a difficult one to answer, because we don't know the extent to which drivers do well because of their talent or because they are driving a good car," Bell said, CNN quoted. "Our statistical model allows us to find a ranking and assess the relative importance of team and driver effects, and there are some surprising results."
Read it here: Greatest F1 driver of all time using #quantitative #data by @AndrewJDBell https://t.co/YftDoJVg2B pic.twitter.com/jHq2gfjSQG
— Shef Methods Inst (@shefmethods) April 14, 2016
Even though many diehard Michael Schumacher fans might be furious and even dispute the ranking, the study revealed Schumacher is the greatest of all time in terms of the number of race victories. Unfortunately, his ranking was dragged down by his post-retirement performances in 2010-2012, especially when he was outperformed by his Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg.
Meanwhile, the study who seemed to overthrow Michael Schumacher as the greatest F1 driver of all time also found that teams matter almost six times more than drivers in terms of F1 success. Daily Mail adds that team effects have increased over time, which becomes less influential in wet conditions and on city street circuits as compared to permanent circuits.
The study was published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports. The top 10 drivers on the list are Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
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