Is Schumacher the greatest?

Michael Schumacher wins in Hungary to take his fourth Formula One world title and 51st Grand Prix victory, equalling Alain Prost's record.

Is he the greatest Formula One driver ever?

Michael Schumacher has confirmed his place among Formula One's greats with victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Schumacher romped home in style to take his fourth World Championship title, and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 victories.

With four races still remaining, that record seems certain to go - if not this season then next, as Schumacher and Ferrari continue to dominate.

At 32, Michael Schumacher's place in history is assured, but is he the greatest Formula One driver ever?

Or does he still have work to do to in order to claim that mantle?

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No he isn't the greatest, .Ayrton Senna is and there will never be a driver like Senna for a long time. Senna is the Maradona and Ali of F1.
Bassim, Bahrain

Like Tiger Woods in golf, Shumi has probably won more fans to the sport than any other F1 driver

Valentine, Belgium

Schumacher may be the greatest driver in F1 today, but we should remember he can compete in many more races than his predecessors, with far more money available to produce a safer more superior race car than has been possible for other great drivers such as Fangio, Hawthorn, Hill, Andretti, Mansell and Gilles Villenueve. Nevertheless, he is to be congratulated on a great achievement, which he shared most graciously with all his team members.
David Nevett, Canada

He is very good, the best of his generation. The greatest? No! Not even close. Formula one is a sport where luck and talent are needed. If we base the comparison on talent only, where are we going to rank Senna and Gilles Villeneuve, just to name a few?
Daby, Senegal

Yes, he proves that you not only need a good team but a great driver. He does not have the must powerful car, but working as a team with the mechanics he has taken Ferrari back to the top of F1.
John Williams, USA

Is there any doubt how flawless and magical his driving style is?

JB, Philippines

Personally I think he is. One has to find petty excuses to think the opposite. Let face it Shumi is simply the greatest ever. Like Tiger Woods in golf, Shumi has probably won more fans to the sport than any other F1 driver. Good luck Shumi.
Valentine, Belgium

The greatest of his generation, certainly. The best ever? Doubtful. The stats are impressive, but does anyone think that if Senna was still alive Michael Schumacher would have been champion four times? Thought so.
Neil Smalley, UK

After seeing him securing pole position last Saturday - is there any doubt how flawless and magical his driving style is? Add to that his many achievements now and more that are to come - is there any doubt that he will emerge the greatest racing driver in history?
JB, Philippines

If Senna was alive, things would have been difficult for Schumi

Alexi, Sri Lanka

Without a shadow of a doubt Schumi is the greatest driver ever. It is a pity that Senna died because the battle between him and Michael was shaping up to be one of the greatest ever battles in F1. Had fate been with him, Schumi could have been celebrating his fifth or sixth tile today. Good luck in the future Michael.
Gerallt, Wales

It would be interesting to see Michael Schumacher driving another car like how Fangio and Jim Clark did it.
Fabian Arroyo, Colombia

Without any doubt, I would say Schumi is a great driver and probably the best in his generation, but we must not forget the fact he has a great car and team behind him. When Damon Hill and Villeneuve were driving Williams-Renault they were unbeatable. If Senna was alive, things would have been difficult for Schumi. Take my word, next season will be dominated by Ralf and Montoya but all credit to Schumi for his brilliant driving.

You are the best at the moment although statistics shows that you have taken part in more than 150 races to equal Prost's record of 51.
Alexi, Sri Lanka

What else can we say about Michael? He is simply the best driver in F1 and it's only matter of time before he'll beat Alain Prost's record of 52 races. He has shown he is the best whatever the weather. He accepted the challenge when he went to Ferrari after winning the world championship with Benetton, and this shows how committed and optimistic he is. This is the quality of a driver of all time.
Moussa, Algeria

Without a shadow of a doubt that Michael is the best driver ever

Katherine Birkett, England

Never. I don't agree with the statement that Schuey is the best all-time driver. He is lucky, he has a good car, a good team which makes all the genius strategies for him and a dummy team-mate who isn't allowed to challenge him. There are other great drivers like Senna, Prost and Hakkinen. The fact that statistics are in his favour doesn't mean he is the best. The situations should be kept in mind too. But one thing is for sure, with Ferrari he has clearly beaten all of the other drivers this year.
Fahd Akram Ali, Pakistan

He's the best and time will prove that. Just wait till he gets his fifth. Well done Schumi
K Chou, USA

Schumacher is not the best F1 driver ever. I would reserve that for the late Juan Manual Fangio, who won five F1 championships in the 1950's and drove perhaps the greatest race in F1 history (the 1957 German Grand Prix at Nurburgring where he won the race from way back in the field).
Raymond Chuang, USA

Michael Schumacher, without any doubt, will go down in the history books as the greatest formula one driver ever. With few races to go in this season and hopefully many seasons to come he can easily take his tally of 51 wins to such a level that no driver can ever surpass him.
Ali Wazir, Pakistan

Schumacher's outstanding achievements are hard to argue with

Louisa White, England

Congratulations to Michael Schumacher on his fourth world title. The greatest racer of all time though? How can you compare the technology of today's cars with the "technology" of the cars of yesteryear. Traction control, semi-automatic gearboxes, better aerodynamics, the list is long and boring. MS is the best driver of his generation, without any doubt, but to ask if he is the greatest driver of all time detracts from the achievements of the racers who have gone before him. Again, congratulations MS.
Gary, England

It is difficult to compare drivers of different eras, but Michael Schumacher's outstanding achievements are hard to argue with. Having just equalled Prost's 51 wins and four World Championship crowns at the age of 32, there are seemingly countless records that Schumi will go on to break. He is without doubt the best driver of his generation, and going by statistics is rapidly becoming the best. Schumacher is fast becoming a true sporting legend and deserves all the accolades and rewards that he receives.
Louisa White, England

I think that, without a shadow of a doubt that Michael is the best driver ever. Senna drove in a time when pole positions meant points, so more was at stake getting pole than there is now. Only the extremely pious morally correct few would nit-pick about his status as the best now. He's won four titles, he's won 51 races, more to come. Well done Michael and keep the good times coming!
Katherine Birkett, England

Schumy is a team player and a hard worker which reflects in his achievements

Samuel Rajendran, USA

After his first drive at Benetton it was apparent how good he was. Remember that Fangio, Senna and Prost always had the best machinery. Senna was the master of putting one brilliant lap time in (as shown in his tally of Pole Positions), but you need to consistently put in good times and finish races to be champion. Schumi has made the other drivers all seem very ordinary which also proves how good he really is. Imagine him in a McLaren two or three years ago.
Gary, South Africa

Myself and TV commentators would agree that Prost and Senna had the fastest cars when they were winning. MS hasn't always had those - but he's got the excellence to help the team build them.
Rich, UK

To answer Ben's (UK) statement, all I have to do is quote Eddie Irvine. He said - "Senna may hold the record of 65 pole positions but he usually had the fastest car on the track. I was always a big fan of Ayrton but Michael has managed to eclipse him."
Adam, Australia

Schumy is a team player and a hard worker which reflects in his achievements. He respects each and every member of his team, no one in F1 is as dedicated and intelligent as Schumy. So Schumacher deserves all the credit for his deeds. Congrats Michael, Congrats Ferrari! Make it a hat-trick next year.
Samuel Rajendran, USA

His speed, aggressiveness and bully attitude have made him the best

Ronnie Mirza, India

He's seen off Senna, Hill, Villeneuve, Hakkinen, and now Coulthard as challengers to his number one status. Without doubt the best that's ever been, it's only a matter of time now before all the records belong to him. But for how much longer can he keep it up?
Stuart Wright, England

Schumi is of course a world class driver but to rate him as the best driver of all time would not be apt. In fact he is been the best driven of the modern F1 era.
Renaz, Sri Lanka.

No. Senna was in a different league. Schumacher, although a great driver, has never really had any true opposition and always had a team mate who would move over at every opportunity. Senna never had this luxury, and had Mansell and Prost to contend with.
Simon Ward, Ireland

Four Championships and 51 race wins to date is a great achievement. Unfortunately this does not make him the best ever. All you can really do is compare drivers from the same eras. Statistics are invariably biased towards today¿s drivers; careers are generally longer, there are more races per season and Schumacher has had reliable cars throughout his career. Sometimes luck is a part too. Some eras also had many good drivers at the same time or several teams competing rather than a duopoly.
Paul, UK

He is one of the best ever, but his tactics sometimes have been a bit iffy

Raymond, Brazil

One of the greats, yes, the greatest, no. When there are 17 GPs in a year, it's relatively easy to amass a sizeable collection of wins (Prost, Senna, Mansell). One has to look at it on a percentage basis. When one does, there's no doubt who's the greatest - Jean Manuel Fangio who won 47% of all his GPs. Jim Clark comes second with 35%. Michael Schumacher won 32% - impressive certainly, better than the vastly overrated Senna (25.5%) or Alain Prost (also 25.5%).
Tony, Switzerland

Not yet. He is one of the best ever, but his tactics sometimes have been a bit iffy. Unfortunately we do not know how he would be doing if Senna was still alive.
Raymond, Brazil

To dominate from Friday to Sunday shows commitment of a determined racing driver who has further stamped his superiority as the greatest F1 driver of this current generation. They are many disciplines of greatness. In my view Schuey possesses them all, and now he is about to set the standards in F1 that future generations will be judged by. Congratulations on a very dominant 2001 season.
Michael, USA

If he is so good why is his pole position count nowhere near Senna's?

Ben, UK

Not even the late great Ayrton Senna has made his competitors look like clowns. This is exactly what Schumacher did today and what he is been doing the entire season. His speed, aggressiveness and bully attitude have made him the best. At this rate Schumacher will be breaking all the remaining F1 records. He truly is the master of this sport and I wish him all the best.
Ronnie Mirza, India

Was there ever any doubt?
Mustafa Beguwala, India

Anyone who says yes simply has no idea about F1 history and Schumacher's place in it. Put simply there are far less great drivers now active than at any time in the past. When Prost won most of his races he was racing against Senna, Piquet and Mansell. There isn't even one driver of that calibre to take on Schumacher now.

Also, Senna won his first title against Prost in the same car, whereas Schumacher would never allow a chief rival to join Ferrari, and even minor rivals are given lesser machinery and team focus from the word go. Lastly, if he is so good why is his pole position count nowhere near Senna's despite more races. That is the true mark of speed.
Ben, UK

he has proven time and time again he is the greatest

Koen, Belgium

Congratulations first of all to Michael on his fourth title - a real team effort with Rubens driving brilliantly as well. MS is one of the greatest drivers of all time - he could have been celebrating his sixth title today! But we can't compare different eras easily and come up with the number one of all time. Just pick your own personal favourite and nobody needs to get upset! For me, Michael is equal with Senna, but he's got more to come.
Elaine, Scotland

I think he has proven time and time again he is the greatest. He has broken almost every record and barrier in F1.
Koen, Belgium

Yes indeed. He won all the 4 times in the not the fastest car, which just proves that he is the best. Prost and Senna always won in the best car running.
GK, India

Simply, yes! You all saw him driving and you all know he is the greatest. And there still to come. Good luck Schumi.
Okin, NZ