Schumacher Rejects Comparisons with Fangio

Michael Schumacher matched Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five Formula One Championships on Sunday, but the Ferrari driver rejected comparisons with the late Argentine.

"I've obviously been asked very often about it," the German told a news conference after winning the French Grand Prix and taking an unassailable 62 point lead in the Championship with six races to spare.

"Personally I have to apologise that I'm not considering it too much because I feel ... that what Fangio has done in his times is not comparable to what we do.

"I think the effort he had to put in at the time was probably quite a lot more, just being a driver, than these days where you have so many people around you, where you have a lot more teamwork than you had in the past.

"Therefore I feel it's not appropriate to compare these things, at least from my point of view. I simply enjoy the achievement itself without trying to compare it to someone."

The win also made Schumacher the first driver to win three successive titles since Fangio, who won four in a row from 1954 to 1957. Schumacher won his other titles in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton and in 2000 and 2001 with Ferrari.

Fangio, who died on July 17, 1995, won his first Championship in 1951 with Alfa Romeo. His others were with Mercedes, Maserati and Ferrari.

The Argentine won 24 times in 51 races, starting 48 on the front row. Schumacher has now won 61 times in 173 starts and is Ferrari's most successful Grand Prix driver.