Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula 1 as a 41-year-old is a lot of things: groundbreaking, daring, inspiring. Just being competitive after a three year break is a triumph itself. But for the demanding public, it hasn’t yet been successful.
Remember, this is greatest driver in the history of F1.
The strongest memory anyone has of Schumacher is his merciless style of winning in his halcyon Ferrari days; his destruction of teammates; conducting anthems for yet another race victory.
Surely the doubters are now gleeful in pointing out that no one ever returns to their sport as a champion after a lay off. Not even the best return as great as they were. Not Michael Jordan. Not even Lance Armstrong.
Schumacher’s collection of just nine championship points after the opening three races has even his most diehard fans wondering if he will taste podium champagne again – let alone win a race. His Mercedes team is currently fourth behind their three big rivals, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. The big three have all won a race this season and each are fighting for the title. In China this weekend, Schumacher will be expecting points, not podiums.
Schumacher’s return to Formula 1 by his own design isn’t meant to be an overnight success. The very length of his contract points to exactly that – a three year deal with Mercedes. A carefully considered three year plan to return to dominance. He spoke about his wave of emotion on Thursday.
“In the winter, everyone was very emotional and supportive and positive and when you are up on this wave, it’s a natural happening that you fall over it,” he said.
“Yes, I would have loved to have better results, but the competition is high. Having all this experience, coming back after this break, I feel more than happy with what is going on.”
Whilst cool on the outside, Schumacher must have expected better results from the team that last year won the world championship as Brawn GP. His less than stunning results is a disappointment; seeing teammate Nico Rosberg beat him in three successive races is close to galling.
As ever, the true yardstick of Formula 1 is your teammate. Nico Rosberg until now hasn’t shown tremendous success, despite being billed as a potential champion. Rosberg last year had the measure of Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima, who failed to impress in the Williams F1 outfit. A much closer battle was between Rosberg and Mark Webber, former teammates at Williams.
Carrying on the Aussie tradition of giving out nicknames, Webber donned Rosberg ‘Britney’, a nod to the time he spent in the mirror fashioning his blonde locks and posing. Webber cheekily described Rosberg as ‘beautiful’ in one interview last year. By comparison, Webber described Fernando Alonso as a ‘fighter’ and his own teammate Vettel as ‘hungry’. Take a look at Nico’s website and you’ll get the idea. Webber beat Rosberg in points over the season, but both were hampered by a less than competitive Williams.
To be beaten by a young kid that cares far more about his looks than any self-respecting bloke should must be tough. You wouldn’t know it from asking Schumacher though, and the media spend little time doing anything else than asking how does he enjoy this new role of playing second-fiddle.
“The competition is very high and in this respect it’s a natural happening to not have the same positive feedback in the media,” he said. “But you know, I know exactly what I’ve been doing, I know what’s been going on and I’ve no reason from my side to be disappointed, quite honestly. I still feel very happy. Whether people like it or not is their own choice.”
To continue to be competitive, Schumacher has to believe this. It has been evident over the years that he is a poor actor, so he must be genuine in his own mind. His Mercedes team is expecting a big update at the Spanish GP next race to push to recapture lost ground behind Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
The return to Europe from the flyaway races is where a lot of observers believe he will finally be fully comfortable with the car, his team, and his car will have the balance and pace to fight up front. He still believes he can capture an 8th world championship.
Just give him the car.
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