Surely this isn’t about money?

December 24th, 2009

Get out in front there, Michael, but for goodness sake, drive carefully!

Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in motor racing history, announced on Wednesday that he will return to race in Formula One next year after three seasons in retirement. The German, who turns 41 next month, who won seven world drivers’ titles in a career spanning 16 years and 249 races, has signed to drive for the new Mercedes Grand Prix team when many men his age are headed for the couch.

Why?
“I was tired of Formula l by the end of 2006,” Schumacher said. “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.” I’m sure that Schumacher knows that Formula 1 has moved on since he retired in 2006, even if he is eager to roll back the years when he makes his comeback with Mercedes in 2010. Despite turning 41 in January that year, the seven-time World champion can be expected to show the same passion for racing, the same hunger for winning, the same ruthless determination.

Age
Age will be against him, another major foe for a driver who always prided himself on being one of the fittest and most professional on the grid, but nobody should rule out what would be a remarkable return to the top. Mercedes will also feel like home, the future champion having started out in sports cars with the German automaker.

Confidence
Schumacher said he was thrilled to be back and still felt “absolutely on the edge”.
“This year, when I got back in a kart, I was immediately on the pace. I have to prove it, of course, but the people at Mercedes have no doubt about my ability.” He will be teaming up again with his close friend, Ross Brawn, the technical director who guided him to all his titles with Benetton and Ferrari, and that won eight of the 17 races last season as well as both championships.

The rivals
World champion Damon Hill said recently: “If I could win a race when I was 37 in a Jordan then Michael can definitely win a race in a Ross Brawn car at 41.” Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, says, “He’s the most competitive guy I know. Everybody I know goes to the karting events to have a good time and enjoy it and have fun. Michael goes there and spends two hours making a seat one millimeter higher.”

New rivals
Schumacher can expect no favors from rivals nearly half his age, men eager to measure themselves against a true great. Kimi Raikkonen, his immediate successor at Ferrari, has moved to rallying but the German will find his previous nemesis, Fernando Alonso, at the wheel of the red car that he once commanded. It was Alonso who won the last two championships in which Schumacher competed and the Spaniard has grown in experience since then.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 24th, 2009 at 9:07 am and is filed under Finance, Personal / Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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