Posted 04 January 2000 - 11:47
Dennis--
You were editing while I was replying. Yes, it's no secret that I think Fearless John was really one of the special ones. Memories tend to be too stats oriented, and we forget how many times, in those days of unreliable cars, guys like Surtees and Gurney were leading when their cars broke.
But his "fatal flaw" was his personality. Had he stuck with one team like Clark (hell, if he'd stayed with Lotus, instead of worrying about Innes Ireland), he would have been probably a three time champion. Funny thing, is how much Michael Schumacher is like Surtees, in the control he wants to have over the workings of the car and team. If he drove now, in the current environment of Formula One, I think Ferrari would have already won that title.
Why is it that time has been so hard on certain drivers, and so overly kind to others?