Schumacher: I’m no Fangio
The 34-year-old is on the verge of an historic sixth drivers' title needing just one point from tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to be crowned champion.
The debate will then rage as to who among Fangio, Brazil's three-time winner Ayrton Senna and Schumacher is the greatest racing driver of all-time with the statistics, at least, pointing heavily in favour of the German.
"It is a limp comparison since what Fangio achieved at that time in Formula One was simply exceptional," said Schumacher.
"Everything is different today, just from the safety point of view alone.
"You could never have envisaged then going as fast as we do today. Comparisons are unfair," he said.
Schumacher equalled Fangio's 45-year-old record last year when he also became the first man since the South American to win a hat-trick of titles.
The Ferrari driver has no intention of taking a conservative approach at Suzuka on Sunday despite knowing a top eight finish will be enough even if McLaren rival Kimi Raikkonen wins the race.
"I have no reason to come here without a positive attitude but at the same time we have the most to lose compared to McLaren", said Schumacher whose team have a slender three-point lead over Williams in the constructors' championship.
"That gives you a funny feeling but at the end of the day when you are sat in the race car you just got for it.
"For me the pleasure would be to win the race. That's the target and the challenge.
"Williams are there to try and get the manufacturers' championship so that will work in my favour for the drivers. But our strategy will be to have a race without any stupidity.
"I also have a team-mate in Rubens Barrichello who wants to win. He can help me and I can relax. We will just have to see what happens," said Schumacher.
Barrichello, runner-up in the championship last year but an also ran this time round, is determined to go out on a high and take the pressure off his fellow Ferrari driver.
"I want to win and if I do then Michael doesn't have to do too much," said the Brazilian. "But Michael is very competitive here.
"There is no relaxing for us though. We're not going to start the race thinking we want to finish seventh and eighth for the sake of having the points. We need to seal the constructors' and need to get extra points," said Barrichello.
Schumacher, who has won six races compared to Raikkonen's solitary success this season, gained the early advantage over the Finn 24 next week by beating him in the first qualifying session yesterday when posting the third quickest time.
The Swiss-based racer, though, was just fractions of a second quicker than Raikkonen on a track where he has started on pole for the past five years and where he is unbeaten since 2000 when he finally ended Ferrari's 21-year quest to regain the drivers' crown.
Raikkonen was fifth fastest behind team-mate David Coulthard and faces a tough task just to win the race with Jarno Trulli quickest for Renault and Ralf Schumacher second fastest in the Williams.
"The gap to the competition is less than it normally is in first qualifying so we should be in good shape, but there is still room for improvement," said Raikkonen, who must cling onto the belief that an absorbing season, which has seen eight different winners, still has one final twist in the tail.
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