His concern is that Schumacher will not get the credit and accolades that he deserves, because at present there is no driver to judge him against.

I do agree that whoever wins this season will be regarded as lucky and not necessarily competent, let alone brilliant. I understand where he is coming from and I share his concern, but I disagree with the assumption that there are no other world class drivers at present.

We know how good Schumacher is. We have seen him do what it takes to win so many races. We have seen him drive on the ragged edge because the Ferrari had to compete with a much lower downforce configuration against McLaren, and post the fastest lap in a slower car time and again when it was needed. He is already recognised by many as the best on the circuit today.

There is also a lot of evidence that Hakkinen and Coulthard are formidable contenders for the title.

No, the problem is not that there is not enough respect for Schumacher. The problem is that there is not enough respect for the other drivers.

Villeneuve, Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher, Trulli and Frentzen with possibly a whole bunch of other drivers could all compete for the lead, if they had the wheels to do it with. But none of them have and as a consequence they do not look good or fast.

When any one of the drivers in the leading group wins it is inevitably because of a good start and good pit performance – not because of an inspired drive. A lot depends on luck and although the teams and drivers that are best prepared tend to have more luck, the outcome of the race depends more on teamwork, car preparation and playing the game than it does on the skill of the driver. A mediocre driver in the best car has a great chance of winning the current championship. Years ago a good driver in a mediocre car could make a difference. Today that difference does not matter a damn, unless he is in the lead.

Yes, if Schumacher wins the championship this year a lot of people will feel that it is no big deal because he had very little competition and a lot of the admiration will be for Coulthard who has improved a lot. Most people will forget the fact that Coulthard was in the faster car. Most people will forget how he drove like a man possessed to build that margin that ensures he would win in the pit stop crapshoot.

Today because overtaking, on all but a few circuits, is virtually impossible races are won during qualifying, starting and pit stops. We have never had a similar situation before.

Of course the skill of the driver matters, but all 22 drivers are very skilful anyway, otherwise they would not be there. But that skill becomes meaningless when it cannot be exercised. And it can’t be exercised if the driver has to spend the entire race following a slower car.

Now, if overtaking was possible so that strategy and tactics are exercised on the track, rather than the pits and qualifying, and the drivers contribution becomes meaningful again, this problem will go away. Whoever wins, will win because he is a better driver, not because the strategy or some neat trick put him in the lead at the end.

The Canadian Grand Prix was a procession from beginning to end and a great example of why the formula is no longer working. Sure, we saw some overtaking in the wet, but not enough to matter.

Right from the start it was obvious that Villeneuve was going to split the pack as he was not fast enough to stay in touch with the leaders and was making Barrichello and Hakkinen drive some 2 seconds a lap slower than they were capable of.

Before I get a huge reaction from all the Villeneuve fans I am not blaming him. If he can qualify towards the front of the grid and start better than everyone else, that is what he is paid to do. He was defending his third (and later 2^nd) place, which he not only had a right to do, but is expected to do and he did it very well. Besides, he is a brilliant driver that deserves a better car (like a lot of others).

My blame is fully aimed at the FIA who has created this season of constant warm up laps. Instead of defending the current F1 regulations they should start working on something that will bring the excitement and sport back into F1.

And that is the way it stayed until Barrichello managed to scramble past. Before you claim that it was a normal overtaking manoeuvre, it was only possible because Villeneuve’s car was patently undriveable on a wet track, and he made a mistake.

When Coulthard was relegated to midfield because of the 10 second penalty, his race was over too.

In the past there was a delicate balance between power and grip. If a team did not have the most powerful engine a combination of chassis design and the right driver could go a long way towards fixing the problem.

Today the only thing that counts is power, separating the teams into the haves and the have nots. The more power the more downforce you can afford. There may still be some advantage that can be gained from the natural grip of the current F1 tyre but it is minuscule compared to the grip that comes from using the airflow to squeeze the car onto the road.

So, the most powerful cars turn out to be fastest.

In a straight line that has always been true, but now because more power means that you can carry more wing and get more downforce, more powerful cars are also faster around most corners. So now every team is looking for more power so they can carry more wing.

This phenomenon has the potential of totally destroying the sport. If rules do not change I predict that by next season all teams will be totally focused on qualifying, starting and pit stop strategy and tactics. Once you are in front on the track it does not matter because you can only be overtaken if you make a mistake.

In Canada Coulthard incurred a 10-second penalty while in a very close second place. The best he could do after that was 7^th which is ridiculous.

The McLaren (and Ferrari) was around 2 seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field so it should have taken Coulthard around 15 laps to make up the total loss of 30 seconds that it takes to pit for a 10 second penalty. He should have finished at least two places higher, but to do that he had to overtake and we know that is no longer possible.

Equally, had it not been for Villeneuve’s brilliant start both Barrichello and Hakkinen would have had a chance to stay in touch with the leaders from the start. Had that happened Schumacher would either have had to stay on the pace for the entire race or run the risk of finishing in third place.

Instead we watch a procession and hope that it would be resolved in the next pit stop. That is not racing!

In the days of Senna, Prost and Mansell I guess that the driver contributed 25%, the car 55%, qualifying 5%, pit stops 5% or less and starting 5% or less.

Today qualifying contributes at least 40%, if not more, to the outcome of the race. Starting must count for another 25% (as all drivers claim that position at the end of the first lap virtually determines finishing positions, unless something goes wrong) and pit stops (the overtaking zone) must contribute at least 25% which means that the car, in race trim, and driver ability on the track counts for a miserable 10%.

Now I am not saying that the driver does not contribute in qualifying, but his contribution is made in a car that is increasingly different from the car that he would drive in the race. Once he has qualified, started and done all his pit stops his job is done with the exception of driving until the last lap.

That leaves almost no scope for a driver to show how good he is. Sadly our reader is absolutely right.

Just a little housekeeping: