58 replies to this topic

[black magic]

it the glut of premature annalysis of schumachers formula 1 legacy, it has been stated that the tifosi never really took schumacher to heart.

whilst I accept that he has polarised opinions and that there are ferrari fans who do not support schumacher, my impression having attended a number of gps including italy that it is hard to separate the 2. and that not surprisingly the majority of tifosi have indeed taken schumacher to heart and regret that the time has come for his retirement.

this supposed coolness btween michael and the tifosi was anticipated prior to his arrival, the idea that the cold teutonic automatan would never be accepted by the ferrari faithful. there were isolated banners regreting the loss of alesi but the fact is that from the advent of his first win in spain the tifosi forgot all about how much they missed the likes of alesi and gilles and soon woke up to the fact that ferrari had finally found the driver with the skill and dedication to once again get to the top and then dominate like never before. he couldnt have hurt with the style of many of his wins and the fact that michael looks quick when he is racing with his technique.

yes the controversies have hurt, but there didn't seem to be too many fans not supporting him come monza 2007. the fia survey had 30% supporting ferrari and 28 michael himself. and no doesnt necessarily mean only 2% of fans support ferrari but not michael but the rest do, but it would seem likely that the number of respondants who support ferrari but not michael is pretty bloody small.

I'll be interested to here from those tifosi who dont support michael as well as those who do. I never understood why journos got away with suggesting that enzo would never have warmed to michael other than he would have had to have found a new office. call me simple but the way michael pushed 96 - 2000 would have broken even the most disinterested ferrari fan.

[JForce]

I think the thing is that we accept the differences and love them both the same.

For instance Gilles never won anything for us, and neither did Alesi. But they were Ferrari drivers, and their attitudes were wonderful.

Michael may not have their flair or charisma, but he helped take us out of one of the worst losing streaks in sporting history. And whilst some Tifosi never took him to heart the same, I think it's worth mentioning that once within Ferrari, Michael warmed hugely to the Tifosi. Here were fans who would love him and the team regardless of whether they won or not, and to have that kind of support is reasonably unique.

IMHO the simple fact is that he is a Ferrari driver. What more can I say? I may never take Kimi into my heart like I did Schumi, but he will be a Ferrari driver and will get my support no matter what.

[monaco]

On two occasions when I was on holiday in Italy, I wondered if it was true that the Italians were really passionate racing fans and if they supported Ferrari and Michael strongly.

Once we were in Pompei and were touring the historical site. It was so hot that we were advised to put on some headgear. All I had was a Schumi cap, having just come from the Monaco GP before going to Italy. As we paused in one of the shadier areas to listen to the tour guide give us a historical narrative, he noticed my cap. He exclaimed : "So, you are a Schumacher fan!", his face bursting with pride. He talked about Schumi and Ferrari so much that the other tourists with us were wondering what we were so excited about

Another time, our tour stopped for a coffee break in one of the smaller towns. I happened to notice a small shelf selling a few items. I usually check these out in case they may have some unique souvenirs of the place. What I saw ( to my surprise, because the place was not exactly very urban) were Schumacher racing souvenirs

Just thought I would mention these, even if they are not in a racing atmosphere context.

[emburmak]

MS is popular with the fans b/c he brought results and that at the end of the day is what matters. I remember when the press were writing their gloomy appraisals and felt that if MS got the results he would be embraced. And so it turned out. KR is in the same situation and hopefully he will shine.

[Buttoneer]

It seems that a number of 'Tifosi' in thescuderia.net have decided that they will no longer follow F1 because of Michael leaving.

Ok that's extreme but it does seem clear to me that there are a lot of Ferrari fans who have very much taken him to heart and that those who wish to spread rumours of what the fans do and do not like have misjudged the situation.

I'm a long way from being a Schumacher fan or a Tifosi, but if I put myself in the posion of a Ferrari fan in 1996 (not hard these days, since I tend to follow Williams...) it's not difficult to see why I might decide that he was the best thing since sliced bread.

[Orin]

I think there's actually two sets of Ferrari fans: the Tifosi and the Ti-faux-si. The former support Ferrari through thick and thin and want a driver who embodies the spirit of their team; many of these don't really warm to Schumacher because he doesn't possess the flair or passion that a Ferrari driver should (they do respect what he's brought to the team however). The latter set of fans are that group, typical in any sport, of people who just like to cheer for the winning side. With Schumacher and Ferrari they got to do that more than with any other team. The Ti-faux-si are really fans of winning and so have primarily Schumacher in mind when they think of their team. They can normally be identified by their hysterical displays of loyalty and their desparate desire to prove they're more Tifoso than the Tifosi. They're thankful they'll get Raikkonen next, so they'll still be able to cheer (hopefully) in the future, albeit perhaps a little less emphatically. But if Ferrari hit a sticky patch I'd expect to see a large swathe of 'Ferrari diehards' switch their allegiances to the next hot thing in F1.

[LOTI]

I don't want to quibble but.....The die hard Ferrai fan would call themselves Ferrarista and describe the fans who follow the Formula One team "tifosi". Clearly with Michael, their ranks have been swelled by ranks of non Italians and so they have been seen far more outside the usual red tide in their spiritual homes of Monza and Imola. Would a German Schumacher fan call himself a tifosi, even if dressed in red from head to foot? would I? I would very much like to but deep down in my cold english soul I do realise that I have been shouting for Michael first and Ferrari second.
Loti

[TDC Racing]

when michael joined ferrari i saw it as my fav driver joining my fav team. Granted i didnt know much about it, i started following f1 in 94. Schumi in the wet was what grabbed my attention and i followed since then. Ferrari cars were my favourite but not because of f1, i was more interested in their road cars.

Schumi retiring has led me to question on what i will do next year, i think i will still have a following of f1. But i wont be worried if i miss a race or 2. Im more interested in looking for the next up and coming star than the current crop. Kimi maybe fantastic, but that doesnt inspire me. I hope that Massa will do well

[Duane]

I met a sweet young woman on a beach in La Spezia. She described the Italian feeling for Schumacher in clear terms. She simply said that she "loved Alesi, but Michael is better."

Also, I was in Maranello when the Austrian Grand Prix was run in 2001. They showed the race on the big screen in the theatre in the town square. When Barrichello moved aside so Michael could take second, the audience cheered and clapped. At least in Maranello, they had eyes for no one but Michael.

[Owen]

In summary:
There are some people who love Ferarri (most italian). There are some people who love Schu (mostly german).
The italians will support Kimi (a finn) next year.
The germans will then lose interest.

[Buttoneer]

Originally posted by Owen

The germans will then lose interest.

Et Voilá! Only one German GP. I wonder if Bernie knew as he drew up the 2007 calendar...?

[HBoss]

If I were a tifosi, my son would be Schumacher and his brother would be Michael.
Had ever driven and done for McLaren half as much as he did to Ferrari, I'd do the same too.

[Mrv]

Most Italian tifosi care more for Ferrari than Schumacher. Drivers come and go and can be replaced. Ferrari can't be replaced. I myself couldn't careless who drives for Ferrari. Ferrari will always be greater than any driver.

[pUs]

Of course I care more for Ferrari than I do about Michael. But this is how I felt about him in the beggning;

I really didn't like Michael at all when he joined Ferrari in 1996. I had mixed feelings about him. His skills were obvious, but at the beginning I missed both Alesi and Berger.

However, it only took a few GPs before I realised what kind of driver my favorite team had really found. And after a race such as Spain I was very enthusiastic, to say the least. During the whole 1996 season it was appearent that the things he did meant a lot to the team.

Not only behind the wheel, but during the rough time mid-season when the car usually expired before lap 10, his supportive attitude towards the team was a breath of fresh air. A total contrast to earlier years and how the Ferrari team usually reacted in difficult situations. At this point I began to like him a lot.

[Owen]

"Most Italian tifosi care more for Ferrari than Schumacher."

Me too.

[mimin]

Originally posted by TDC Racing

Schumi retiring has led me to question on what i will do next year, i think i will still have a following of f1. But i wont be worried if i miss a race or 2.

It seems I have the same feeling as you do. I am not an italian nor a german, but an indonesian. I am a fan of Michael and because Michael drives for Ferrari I cheer also for Ferrari. Michael is the reason I am attached to f1. So, I am a bit sad to know that Michael won't be on the grid next season.

I like Kimi and wish him to do well at Ferrari, but I want to see Massa does well too.

[four1]

Originally posted by Mrv
Most Italian tifosi care more for Ferrari than Schumacher. Drivers come and go and can be replaced. Ferrari can't be replaced. I myself couldn't careless who drives for Ferrari. Ferrari will always be greater than any driver.

Absolutely spot on! Those of us who consider ourselves true tifosi always put the Scuderia(i.e. TEAM) Ferrari ahead of the driver. To us, the driver is just a tool (you can quote me on that) that is part of the entity which has a mission to win races and championships. This is no different to any other team sport. Ask a Manchester United fan who has been a fan for all of his life if he switched allegiance away from his team when David Beckham went to Real Madrid. No different in Formula 1. So, thanks and goodbye to Michael and welcome Kimi, Ferrari's next tool to continue its mission.

[Imperial]

The Tifosi seem to be to be no different to supporters of anything popular or successful at any given time.

In other words, they are vocal and well-seen and their membership increases hugely when a particular entity is having a successful period. It is seen in football, it is seen in music, it is seen in F1.

The Tifosi went awfully cool on Michael during the rough patches of his Ferrari career and several times his or Ferrari's heads were called for, yet when the good times roll there aren't enough seats in the members club to accomodate all the new people who want to be counted as a Tifosi.

Now there are Tifosi saying they won't follow F1 anymore because Michael is leaving?

So what exactly does it mean to be a Tifosi? One would think it is solely to support Ferrari and whoever happens to be driving for them, but if, as could be expected, their fortunes dip a little over the near-future, then those same Tifosi will glady drift away?

If that is the case then the Tifosi would appear to exist mainly of glory-seekers. If it isn't the case then Ferrari should enjoy the same level of support as they have done the last 6 years or more.

Or rather than make things sound romantic, as above, and attach a nice-sounding Italian word to it, why don't I just point out the fact that the Tifosi are in fact no different to any bunch of racing fans in any country in the world supporting any team or driver?

Britain has had Mansell-mania, Hill-mania, it's been trying to stir up some Button-mania for some time.

Alonso is a megastar in Spain.

Other countries have and have had their own guys.

And then when their stars wane, so the following sheep go astray.

There is a romance attached to the name Tifosi, only it's a romance based on them following Ferrari and it having an Italian name.

English speaking countries just have a bunch of people known as 'fans'. There's no romance attached.

[carbonfibre]

Im sure many were a bit catious when Michael came towards Ferrari. But i think that has changed in the first year already.

[ASD]

a) Some people emphasise the team more.
b) Some people emphasise the driver more.
c) Some, I guess, pretty equally.
Same applies to other drivers and teams too.

Personally I go for b) but they're all perfectly valid points of view.

[black magic]

I dont have a problem with people being a fan of ferrari 1st, driver 2nd

but that doesnt really go to the heart of my question.

it was my impression that most tifosi were like pUs, not excited at first but then realizing what michael brought taking him to heart. I dont understand how someone could criticise him for lacking in passion. some sort of playboy like irvine he was not, but look at the singlemindedness and complete committment to the team, to levels which have never been seen before - in any team. if the way he drove in spain does not define "flare' then what does? if setting fastest practice time after a major off does not define "courage" then what does?

other than being french what did alesi bring to ferrari? a latin attitude? a I'll give it my best if the car is good but if its not i cant really be bothered? is that what defines a tifosi ideal of a driver?

read an arrticle about him in say f1 racing and it would be hard to imagine there not being a sense of despair about maranello, only partly tempered by kimi's arrival

[Leyser]

pUs described my sentiments. Alesi won me over with his character in a way Michael - or anyone else for that matter - never has but Schumacher captivated me with his driving in a way, I believe, no one else ever will.

I was a tifoso before Michael and the years of success, and I will go on being a tifoso even if in 2009 it will have Albers and Sato behind the wheel, being lapped every race. Nevertheless, Schumacher's retirement will have effect on my interest - I will never stop following and I'm still unlikely to miss a race, yet something in my heart will be missing and will not return.

Alesi was the driver I loved the most. Schumacher is the driver I appreciated the most. Kimi and Massa will have my full support, but neither has inspired me.

[JForce]

Originally posted by Imperial
The Tifosi seem to be to be no different to supporters of anything popular or successful at any given time.

In other words, they are vocal and well-seen and their membership increases hugely when a particular entity is having a successful period. It is seen in football, it is seen in music, it is seen in F1.

The Tifosi went awfully cool on Michael during the rough patches of his Ferrari career and several times his or Ferrari's heads were called for, yet when the good times roll there aren't enough seats in the members club to accomodate all the new people who want to be counted as a Tifosi.

Now there are Tifosi saying they won't follow F1 anymore because Michael is leaving?

So what exactly does it mean to be a Tifosi? One would think it is solely to support Ferrari and whoever happens to be driving for them, but if, as could be expected, their fortunes dip a little over the near-future, then those same Tifosi will glady drift away?

If that is the case then the Tifosi would appear to exist mainly of glory-seekers. If it isn't the case then Ferrari should enjoy the same level of support as they have done the last 6 years or more.

Or rather than make things sound romantic, as above, and attach a nice-sounding Italian word to it, why don't I just point out the fact that the Tifosi are in fact no different to any bunch of racing fans in any country in the world supporting any team or driver?

Britain has had Mansell-mania, Hill-mania, it's been trying to stir up some Button-mania for some time.

Alonso is a megastar in Spain.

Other countries have and have had their own guys.

And then when their stars wane, so the following sheep go astray.

There is a romance attached to the name Tifosi, only it's a romance based on them following Ferrari and it having an Italian name.

English speaking countries just have a bunch of people known as 'fans'. There's no romance attached.

No doubt there are people who call themselves Tifosi who began to follow the team due to the successes at the turn of the century.

However they'd be outweighed by those of us who were Tifosi during the longest losing streak (or at least one of the longest) in sporting history.

We support Ferrari regardless of who drives, of results, of anything.

That doesn't mean we don't love winning. Of course we do. It doesn't mean we don't get pissed off when things like Austria 2002 happen. Of course we do.

But these things aren't as important as simply supporting our team.

[Vagabond]

When Sampras declined after 2000 and then retired after a couple of years, I mostly lost interest to tennis. When I heard there was this new Swiss guy who was even more impressive, my interest to tennis revived.
I guess there are quite a few people out there who simply enjoy watching history. Ferrari fans vs. Schumacher fans vs. whatever, but F1 audience is sure to take a big cut next year.

[baddog]

Originally posted by Orin
I think there's actually two sets of Ferrari fans: the Tifosi and the Ti-faux-si. The former support Ferrari through thick and thin and want a driver who embodies the spirit of their team; many of these don't really warm to Schumacher because he doesn't possess the flair or passion that a Ferrari driver should (they do respect what he's brought to the team however). The latter set of fans are that group, typical in any sport, of people who just like to cheer for the winning side. With Schumacher and Ferrari they got to do that more than with any other team. The Ti-faux-si are really fans of winning and so have primarily Schumacher in mind when they think of their team. They can normally be identified by their hysterical displays of loyalty and their desparate desire to prove they're more Tifoso than the Tifosi. They're thankful they'll get Raikkonen next, so they'll still be able to cheer (hopefully) in the future, albeit perhaps a little less emphatically. But if Ferrari hit a sticky patch I'd expect to see a large swathe of 'Ferrari diehards' switch their allegiances to the next hot thing in F1.

What an incredibly patronising and offensive post.

[Rachel]

Originally posted by mimin


It seems I have the same feeling as you do. I am not an italian nor a german, but an indonesian. I am a fan of Michael and because Michael drives for Ferrari I cheer also for Ferrari. Michael is the reason I am attached to f1. So, I am a bit sad to know that Michael won't be on the grid next season.

I like Kimi and wish him to do well at Ferrari, but I want to see Massa does well too.

I have the same feeling. I'm from Shanghai, China.

[HSJ]

Originally posted by baddog


What an incredibly patronising and offensive post.

Truth hurts? It seemed a pretty accurate description to me.

[Owen]

HSJ. I think you're right. You see it with other sports (I'm thinking football). There will always be loyal fans and more casual fans who will follow the 'flavour of the month'... It will be really interesting to see how much support is carried over to Raikonnen from the German fans.

[Pinchevsky Moshe]

Tifosi or Ferrarista - doesn't matter. There are those who care mainly for the team and those who also care in equal measure for the drivers and then there are fans of specific drivers (especially winning drivers). Of course this is a "spectrum" and you can be anywhere in between.

I myself do care about the drivers very much and therefore have had a lot of problems with Michael over the years. The team reconstructed itself around him and the moto changed to "winning at all cost". This was also very problematic for me. The shameful things that Michael has done on the track have tarnished the team and the team itself has done the same with Austria 2002.

I certainly want success for Ferrari. I could not stand the way the British magazines used to reffer to Ferrari as the big failure. 21 years of failure (BTW, how many teams continued to have such a strong following after so many years without a championship? How many McLaren fans will the team have if its' next championship will only come in 2020?) From this prespective the new Schumacher-Ferrari team was the perfect answer. You wanted to see what Ferrari could achieve? Here's your answer.

However, I could not warm to this team of mine as well as I did to previous teams which failed to win championships or even races. It is not that I don't want success or that I prefer Ferrari as an underdog, I just want the team to have the right moral. The right moto should be "we race hard, but fair". Difficult to understand? Think of how Gilles raced. Think of the diffrence between Rossi and Shumacher.

All of this said, I would like to clarify that I did develop feelings towards Michael. The sort of mixed feelings one would have towards a close family relative who acomplished great things but also did some shameful things.

[Foxbat]

Originally posted by HSJ


Truth hurts? It seemed a pretty accurate description to me.

MAybe you and Orin should go to the next Italian GP with a marker and mark out the real tifosi from the fake ones

[baddog]

Originally posted by HSJ


Truth hurts? It seemed a pretty accurate description to me.

You think eveyone who likes ferrari AND michael is a fake-tifosi-fair-weather-wanker?

Well done

[slapstick]

Originally posted by baddog


You think eveyone who likes ferrari AND michael is a fake-tifosi-fair-weather-wanker?

Well done

Where did HSJ suggest THAT?

[Foxbat]

Originally posted by Imperial
The Tifosi seem to be to be no different to supporters of anything popular or successful at any given time.

In other words, they are vocal and well-seen and their membership increases hugely when a particular entity is having a successful period. It is seen in football, it is seen in music, it is seen in F1.
[.]]

So what exactly does it mean to be a Tifosi? One would think it is solely to support Ferrari and whoever happens to be driving for them, but if, as could be expected, their fortunes dip a little over the near-future, then those same Tifosi will glady drift away?

If that is the case then the Tifosi would appear to exist mainly of glory-seekers. If it isn't the case then Ferrari should enjoy the same level of support as they have done the last 6 years or more.

[..]

Britain has had Mansell-mania, Hill-mania, it's been trying to stir up some Button-mania for some time.

Alonso is a megastar in Spain.

Other countries have and have had their own guys.

And then when their stars wane, so the following sheep go astray.

It's been a long 6 years, and most people seem to be unable to remember what (if anything came before it) surely we do not need to look to the future to see whether the tifosi will still support Ferrari if it isn't winning the WDC... we've had plenty of that in the past :
Any comparison with your examples, even a very superficial one, should make the difference clear. Mansell, Hill, Alonso became suoperstars in their own country overnight, because they were winning (which is why Button-mania isn't taking of either) Ferrari has been popular in and outside Italy for the last several decades.
In fact it is rather ironic that you mention Mansell, the then hero of the tifoso who were cheering 'Il Leone' on in droves, even though it wasn't a particularly succesfull time for Ferrari.

Or rather than make things sound romantic, as above, and attach a nice-sounding Italian word to it, why don't I just point out the fact that the Tifosi are in fact no different to any bunch of racing fans in any country in the world supporting any team or driver?

You might as well say that calling the roadcars 'Ferrari' is just making it romantic because of the exotic name, while they are cars just as those poured out by factories around the world

There is a romance attached to the name Tifosi, only it's a romance based on them following Ferrari and it having an Italian name.

Imagine that if someone said 'fan' and you immeditialy assumed it meant Williams-fan, that would say something wouldn't it

English speaking countries just have a bunch of people known as 'fans'. There's no romance attached.

Apart from the fact that we can't blame the Italians for speaking an exotic language (from a predominantly germanophonic perspective anyway), and I'd say that the word tifosi properly refers to the italian tifosi and that alone makes them different. Not that I think there is no romance in being, let's say a Liverpool supporter. Let's just say that Ferrari isn't a Chelsea, and if it were a football club it wouldn't be ManU either, it would be Milan.
What was the saying again? The french started it, the english made it a professional sport and the italians made it into a religion.

The Tifosi went awfully cool on Michael during the rough patches of his Ferrari career and several times his or Ferrari's heads were called for, yet when the good times roll there aren't enough seats in the members club to accomodate all the new people who want to be counted as a Tifosi.

When was that? The tifoso went cool on Michael when it was felt that Ferrari any favors (eg when he tried to run Villeneuve of the road, and failed. And when it was widely felt that he was in no hurry to return after his broken leg). It was in the hardest years, when he had to fight the odds and the car that he won over the tifosi (which incidently answers the topic of the thread much better than saying 'only the fake-osi really like Schumacher).

[slapstick]

Originally posted by Owen
It will be really interesting to see how much support is carried over to Raikonnen from the German fans.

Negligible I'd guess. I think most of these beer guzzlers will abandon F1 altogether when Schumacher goes and sell their red vermögensberatung six time wdc caps over ebay.

[baddog]

Originally posted by slapstick


Where did HSJ suggest THAT?

He agreed with a post that said exactly that. That there are 2 sets of ferrari fans, tifosi and faux-tifosi. Everyone is one of those or the other.

[Owen]

Hopefully the German Schu fans will clear off, I know exactly where they can put their air horns...

[baddog]

Originally posted by Owen
Hopefully the German Schu fans will clear off, I know exactly where they can put their air horns...

Damn I hate airhorns. and big flags on poles

[Foxbat]

Originally posted by slapstick


Where did HSJ suggest THAT?

By adding a fresh insult to Orin's 'you're not a tifoso if you like Schumacher post'. I guess he still has some months before he is completely adjusted to being a fake Ferrari-fan
Anyway Kifosi mocking tifosi for supporting Schumacher, you gotta laigh at that

Originally posted by Orin
The Ti-faux-si are really fans of winning and so have primarily Schumacher in mind when they think of their team [..] if Ferrari hit a sticky patch I'd expect to see a large swathe of 'Ferrari diehards' switch their allegiances to the next hot thing in F1.

Originally posted by HSJ
Truth hurts? It seemed a pretty accurate description to me.

[ASD]

Originally posted by slapstick


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Owen
It will be really interesting to see how much support is carried over to Raikonnen from the German fans.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Negligible I'd guess. I think most of these beer guzzlers will abandon F1 altogether when Schumacher goes and sell their red vermögensberatung six time wdc caps over ebay.

Another pointless patronising post.

[Garagiste]

Originally posted by baddog


Damn I hate airhorns.

Oooh, so do I - and the knuckle dragging half wits that carry them and get so excited because they press a button and it makes a noise!
BAAAARP! huh huh huh, that's good, innit! BAAARP! [repeat until gas runs out].

[Owen]

Originally posted by ASD


Another pointless patronising post.

Explain your argument.

[kismet]

I'm probably just an insensitive brute but I, too, read the supposedly offensive post and wasn't offended. I don't necessarily think alleging that "many" of the tifosi "don't really warm to Schumacher" means that those who do are all fankers (fake&wankers). But I admit I'm not good at reading thoughts between the lines so maybe I just missed the insult.

[Scudetto]

Schu's retirement isn't the only significant driver movement for 2007: Alonso to McLaren, Kimi to Ferrari. Curious the question of allegence isn't asked of Renaultians and McLarenites. How with those driver movements affect those team's fanbases? It'll be interesting to see 12 months from now how the FIA's fan survey is altered in light of Schumacher's depature versus fan support among the top teams.

Personally, Schumacher's depature is just another evolution in the team I've supported for nearly two decades. There were lean years, followed by an unbelievable run of success, to be followed by hope for the future.

[Orin]

Originally posted by baddog


What an incredibly patronising and offensive post.

Actually, you were one of the people I had in mind when I wrote 'ti-faux-si'. Maybe I should have written, "There are two types of Tifosi" as I think LOTI has a much more sensible approach: realising that he's English and therefore can't really muster an all-consuming passion for the Scuderia he's happy to be just a fan of the team. I know a few Schumacher & Ferrari fans - they're all English and none of them would have the cheek to describe themselves as Tifosi.

And Foxbat, I'm happy to go to Monza and point them out to you - I love Northern Italy

[baddog]

Originally posted by Orin


Actually, you were one of the people I had in mind when I wrote 'ti-faux-si'. Maybe I should have written, "There are two types of Tifosi" as I think LOTI has a much more sensible approach: realising that he's English and therefore can't really muster an all-consuming passion for the Scuderia he's happy to be just a fan of the team. I know a few Schumacher & Ferrari fans - they're all English and none of them would have the cheek to describe themselves as Tifosi.

And Foxbat, I'm happy to go to Monza and point them out to you - I love Northern Italy

Of course you had me in mind because you dont have any idea what you are talking about

1: Have been a follower of this sport since my childhood in the 70s,a nd my interest has nothing to do with any driver, my actual love is reserved for the machines.
2: I visited Maranello in 1996, without it having anything to do with Michael Schumacher.
3: Michael isnt even my favourite driver
4: I wouldnt call myself tifosi anyway, I think thats a word that describes italian fans whos level of obsession with Ferrari goes far beyond mine.

So really you are being a bit silly arent you?

[Orin]

Originally posted by baddog

...
3: Michael isnt even my favourite driver
...
So really you are being a bit silly arent you?

Me being silly?

[baddog]

Originally posted by Orin


Me being silly?

Can you guess my favourite (not who I think is best but who I emotianlly like best)?

[ASD]

Originally posted by Owen


Explain your argument.

slapstick's post picked up your question about German fans and described them as "beer guzzlers [who] will abandon F1 altogether when Schumacher goes and sell their red vermögensberatung six time wdc caps over ebay."
That is patronising to Germans, is it not? Simply trolling.
In Germany, as in any other country, there are committed and dedicated fans, and short-lived ones.
Each team, and each driver, will have a range of fans.
From what I've seen, I don't even think Germany has a higher proportion of short-term fans than, say, Spain.
The reference to beer guzzling makes simply no sense at all, except as a cheap insult. I think some of the most die-hard fans (of any driver) on this board enjoy a beer.
Anyway, what's the point of mentioning a six time wdc cap? MS is on 7, and his fans will be needing 8-time wdc caps...

[Orin]

Originally posted by baddog


Can you guess my favourite (not who I think is best but who I emotianlly like best)?

You excuse Schumacher over everything, be it Adelaide '94 or Monaco '06, often referring to other posters as 'idiots' so no, I wouldn't like to guess who you like over Schumacher.

[baddog]

Originally posted by Orin


You excuse Schumacher over everything, be it Adelaide '94 or Monaco '06, often referring to other posters as 'idiots' so no, I wouldn't like to guess who you like over Schumacher.

I ONCE said I thought a point of view was something idiotic.. get over it already unless you plan on doing a phd on "provocative posts by baddog".

My favourite 3 drivers are ralf schumacher, jarno trulli and giancarlo fisichella.. however giancarlo has been falling from grace with me in the last couple of years.

Shaun