Much has been said about the return of Michael Schumacher to Formula 1. The hype meter never dropped since the day the seven-time champion signed for Mercedes GP Petronas, and fans looked forward to having four world champions battling out on the same grid. Three races into the 2010 season and people are starting to realise that Schumi, now 41, is human after all, and no one can come back from a three-year hiatus and fit in back at the top.
While the three other champs (Button, Hamilton, Alonso) and Sebastian Vettel have had some brilliant drives among them so far, Schumi was outpaced by compatriot and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in Bahrain, Australia and Malaysia, and Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport points out that the only other driver with a full 3-0 defeat in 2010 is Renault’s rookie Russian Vitaly Petrov. Back home in Deutschland, daily Bild ran a headline reading Der Schumi-Absturz (the fall of Schumi), adding that 24-year-old Rosberg is now Mercedes’ “new number 1”.
This has led the Brackley based team’s chief executive Nick Fry to defend the veteran, saying that Schumacher is working back up to full strength. “Every race he is learning a little bit more and it is all coming together slowly but surely, which is probably what you would expect,” he told the Press Association. “I would not underestimate him,” added Fry.
At Sepang, Schumacher retired after just 10 laps when his car lost a wheel nut. Rosberg finished third for Mercedes GP’s first podium. He has collected 35 points so far, four behind championship leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher has nine points.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
start at 10th, pace up to 6th in just 10 lap before the car down.
I think he can get top 5 in malaysia if nothing happen.
Ok. im too optimistic.
Nope. U r not optimistic…
He is a legend ^^
Yeah, Shucmi was the legend, GO Schumi~!
If we remember during the later part of last season’s race, the Brawn GP cars (now Mercedes) were getting less competitive and I think Jenson jumped ship to McLaren due to this fact. So with Jenson leaving at the last minute and with most of the top level drivers becoming unavailable, Schumacher was one of the very few experienced drivers left to pair with the fairly new Rosberg.
I believe the main reason Schumacher was hired was to develop the Mercedes GP car to be on par with the McLarens , Red bulls and the Ferraris. With the current talent on the field, you need a competitive car to get on the podium and not driver skills alone. Schumacher had done this before with Ferrari and now its Mercedes’ turn.
So far they have been improving very well by getting a podium in the 3rd race. So until Mercedes can get podium consistently, Schumacher main job is to concentrate on development instead of racing.
Have to disagree with you a bit. By the second half of last season, its not that Brawn’s car became less competitive, its that Red Bull and Mclaren had catched up with them.
And I believe Mercedes is already competitive, just not as fast as Red Bull or Ferrari.
You are right that Michael was probably hired among others to develop the Mercedes.
However, though I may be proven wrong, I don’t think he can match with the new young guns anymore, with all the talent we have this year.
come on, lets be real: no doubt he’s a legend, but he also mere human. as much as i like Mjordan, still you dnt see him bring the Wizards the Championship Ring, right? I would say it’s the excitement & thrill that he bring as 1 o fhe most prolific F1 driver that make us enjoy watching the race, well ofcz some of his argueable move & decision. Cheerio !!!
3 years is a long in F1, since the developments within that time would have been astronomical since the last time Schumi drove an F1 car. He is still trying to get back into the groove, and it will be a few more races, i think, until he will get up to speed.
But it must also be noted that during his racing days, no other cars can come close to Ferrari, who had near unlimited budget for racing. Nowadays the gap is much closer, hence any of the top 10 drivers have a shot at the podium.
Schumi will have to prove that he has what it takes to race with the future and current champions.
“Once our car can do it, Michael will always be able to do it.” – Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz’s Vice President for Motorsport
Almost 40, with hundred of millions in bank account and married with kids…
one tends to slow down and take less risk
best thingy…. he can still lap so many others …. like our frog green lotus? haha
……and another reason is, actually life begins after forty, the slow paced life, that is………
still believe that schumi has the magic.
To put into perspective, Mika Hekkinen was 3 seconds off the pace (of the drivers in the same car) when he did a testing after 3 years out of F1. Schumi only a tenth or two off the pace after 3 years hiatus. I call that fantastic.
Valentino Rossi is much more fantastic than all F1 clowns. He’s not F1 driver and he just try the F1 machine only once a year, but he did 1:21.900 compared to Kimi who drive the same car with 1:21.813 at Barcelona 2 months ago.
I think the crowd will be double in almost F1 circuit and I’m totally could not imagine that if the ‘doctor’ jump into this circus !!!
what danny misses out in this article is how schummy commented the qualifying live from his race car while he is running against the clock in sepang. the FIA control center was amazed just as all the other pit guys at the mercedes camp. nick fry was stunned cos he nvr experience tat before except ross brawn n norbert haug.
That’s interesting. Care to share more?
check out the news column from sport section of Press Association tagged Mercedes, Nick Fry and Schumacher.
back when schumi won championship, he was driving ferrari, the fastest car and most reliable…but now he is driving different car…so its about the car he drives. i dont think schumi will win so many years if he was driving for other teams
You are wrong; MS took five years+ to bring Ferrari team to Top… so, it about the driver + car/team!
It is just matter of time and OPPORTUNITY……
Do you think Lee Choong Wei can still perform like now if he take rest three years ago????
Motorsport is 50% driver 50% car.
Many years ago, Ringo Chong was invited to race with Porsche (club?) with his old E30 M3 (due to not enough Porsche participants & the fact that Ringo is well respected by the Porsche drivers). Ringo’s E30 M3 was older & less powerful vs the Porsche he was racing against but he managed to lead & win the race.
This is proving that it’s a 50-50 combination (plus what we call “balls”)
In F1 its more like 80% car 20% driver..
yeah..u re rite…most of F1 drivers are champion in previous series, but the car determined more..
he should have left his reputation as possibly the “best F1 driver ever” intact by not coming out of retirement. better to retire at the top. if he flops this season,all his other world crown will pale and people will attribute his previous successes to the cars he drove rather than his skill. He has a family,loads of money,reputation…… just kick back and enjoy it
Huh, some of the guys here know MC better than he knows himself? Telling him to do this and that. He wants to race, let him be la. ….In the Battle of The Champions early 2010 he smoked Jenson Button by 1.5 sec driving the same car before being crowned the champion together with sebastian vettal. 1.5 sec in a very short circuit. Imagine driving around a full size track. definitely the diff would be much bigger.
I think its performance reflect the quality of the petrol? haha
Michael Schumacher is the only F1 driver i shall always respect, follow and support, no matter what horrible other folk say about him he is the best driver since motorsports began in 1950. Sir Sterling Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart talk stupid about such horrible things about him, the are talking utter rubbish especailly Sir Sterling he has never won a World Champion so he has no right to critise Michael by saying Michael is too old the silly old man.