After three years in retirement, the most successful motor racing driver of all-time has announced he is returning to Formula One this year. Michael Schumacher is 41 years old and in his sixteen-year racing career he won seven world drivers’ titles. Across his career he has competed in a staggering 249 races. He has now signed a new three-year deal to drive for the new Mercedes Grand Prix team.
Out of practice?
Making the announcement, Schumacher said: ‘I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006 but in three years of absence I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes and I feel ready for some serious stuff now.’
Schumacher had previously considered a comeback last summer when Ferrari, whom he had been consulting for, were in need of a replacement driver but injury meant that Schumacher could not fulfil this role. Speaking of this event he said: ‘The failed comeback attempt last summer gave me reason to reconsider my situation.’
Schumacher has gone on record to say that the reason he accepted the offer from Mercedes is because he truly believes that he can win the title this year. He said he was also swayed because the offer came from director of the team, Ross Brawn, and Mercedes. Brawn was the director at Benetton when Schumacher won his first two titles in 1994 and 1995. They then moved to Ferrari together, where they won a further five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004.
In the zone.
It was only a couple of months ago that Mercedes announced that they were leaving McLaren to purchase a controlling interest in the Brawn team. Schumacher should feel at home in his new team alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg, although Rosberg is 15 years his junior. Age is certainly not on Schumacher’s side and he will be the oldest Formula One driver since Nigel Mansell competed aged 41 back in 1995.
Mansell himself actually commented on the comeback, stating: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if Michael challenged for another world championship.’ The last race that Mansell won was the Australian Grand Prix in 1994.
Schumacher is a legendary driver with a track record like no one before him. The problem with coming out of retirement is that he could very possibly fail to live up to his legacy. You are only as good as your last race. If he fails miserably then that is what he will be remembered for. Journalists will always write about that first before they go into details about the successes that he has had… and what successes they are. He has had 91 victories. No other driver comes close to that. Ayrton Senna only had 41 victories and Alain Prost had 51. Back in 2002 he equalled the record set by Juan Fangio, winning five titles, and then went on to smash that record by winning two more. Interestingly enough, though, Autosport Magazine conducted a survey of drivers about who they considered to be the greatest driver and Schumacher was beaten by Senna. His success clearly speaks for itself but his peers don’t seem to recognise that.
In terms of his return to Formula One he obviously has the skill. Can he really compete? Well, why not?
Yowsers! Check those teeth!
Let us not forget that there is a more sinister side to Schumacher’s driving history. Back in 1997 he had only a one-point advantage over Jacques Villeneuve who was his rival for the title and Schumacher subsequently tried to knock Villeneuve off the track. His dirty tactics didn’t work and it was Schumacher’s car that fell out of the race. Villeneuve eventually took the title. As a result of his bad sportsmanship, Schumacher was stripped of all of his points for the season. Has he learned his lesson? Probably not, because those events back in 1997 didn’t teach him anything. In his final year racing in the series he was up to his old tricks again to maintain pole position. He parked his car in the last corner which prevented anyone from completing their final lap. He was, of course, punished and sent to the back of the grid. It is never dull when Schumacher is competing.
Schumacher is also a trained mechanic. He said in an interview last year: ‘To have a car in your hands, a team working with you with which you maximize your performance, and driving finally this car at the track, and just knowing and feeling that this is the maximum that you can achieve, that has been such a thrill for all those years. I always was hungry for this.’
Brawn is certainly pleased to be working with him again, stating: ‘He’s the best judge of what he can do and I trust him implicitly, and he told me he can do it so I’m very confident. He’s always been his own best critic.’
