I agree that the car contributes a lot of factor whether a driver becomes a world champion or not.

Right now, does anyone honestly believe that Alonso is a much better driver than either Schumacher or Raikkonen simply because he wins races and always sits on pole position ?????

It's also a given fact that Schumacher lost his world title last year because his "supposed to be" upgraded Ferrari turned out to be a sucker and Bridgestone was horrible at that time.

There's just too many factors contributing to why a driver wins races or earn points. Doesn't necessarily mean Schumacher is a by-gone already.

If you will focus on just the last Monaco race alone, can anyone readily say that David Coulthard was a great driver because he won 3rd place on his Red Bull?

For me, what makes a great driver is his driving maneuvers. His daredevil acts. His ability to protect his position. Any driving moves that gives you the "ooohhhs" and the "aaahhhss". But if a driver wins the race simply because he was on Pole Position and cruising all the way to the finish line, not quite as exciting to me.